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  1. - Top - End - #31
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    Morty's Avatar

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Firechanter View Post
    Well. It certainly meshes well thematically, but other than fluff, I don't see much going for it. Sword Scion would be a nice trait (if it's even in the game, I don't know) but it works just as well with longswords. If you want to finesse, you pay 1 EWP feat for 1 point of extra damage over the rapier, and that's hardly worth it.
    At least the Aldori Defender is not that terribly focused on Disarming - you basically have to invest one feat's worth into it. A dedicated Disarmer is probably not worth it in KM since most of the time you'll be fighting monsters, so Disarm feats will do squat for you.

    That said, it might be a nice run if you're in for a challenge and are fed up with playing powerbuilds. ;)
    That certainly matches my experience trying to fight with finesse in 3E/PF. Still, the option is there, which is more than I expected, so I won't dismiss it just yet.
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  2. - Top - End - #32
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Already, I gave in and got the game last night. Just rolled up a first test character and played a bit in the tutorial.
    Apparently, Traits aren't implemented at all. So no Magical Knack, no Magical Lineage, no Fate's Favoured, no extra class skills for anyone, and of course no Sword Scion either, for that matter.

    So that's taking away a lot of Oomph from almost anyone, and nullifies many tried and proven builds.

    Likewise, Ready Actions don't seem to be implemented at all, and if you can control AoOs to perform Combat Maneuvers with them, I haven't found out how. Then again, I didn't get hold of a reach weapon yet.

    What's also funny is that none of the preset difficulty settings _exactly_ reflect PnP rules. "Normal" makes enemies weaker, "Challenging" makes them stronger than normal. To actually have 1:1 PnP difficulty with normal enemies you have to use a Custom setting.

    Another observation from a buddy of mine: he picked a Leopard as Animal Companion for his Fey Sorcerer and that cat is more powerful than a Fighter. 3 Attacks, Dex 21, Dex to Damage, and AC25 with Mage Armour. Does that remind us of anything?
    Let me give you a brief rundown of an average Post-3E Era fight: You attack an enemy and start kicking his shins. He then starts kicking your shins, then you take it in turns kicking until one of you falls over. It basically comes down to who started the battle with the biggest boot, and the only strategy involved is realizing when things have gone tits up and legging it.

  3. - Top - End - #33
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    I am playing a druid with 8 STR. I just buff my kitten and sit back and sip tea. No in all seriousness, Why are there no slings in the game/ any ranged low level druid spells? I guess I will need to take martial weapon proficiency...That being said the level 2 druid spell poisoned briars or whatever it's called is ridiculously OP at low levels. entangle a group of mooks and pepper them from afar while they have difficulty hitting back.

    And I will need to tone down the difficulty of the game, now that I know that challenging is harder than PnP difficulty.
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  4. - Top - End - #34
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    I've only gotten just past the tutorial so far, but I'm kind of liking it. Which is saying something; I'm not the biggest fan of isometric RPGs (the only one in recent memory I've enjoyed is Divinity Original Sin 2; the newest one before that was Neverwinter Nights 2).

    I re-rolled my first ever Pathfinder character (well...first one I cared about) except as a Scaled Fist instead of Drunken Master of Many Styles and am liking it so far. Annoying that apparently a Lawful Evil character gets shafted both ways with the starting party comp (why, oh why, is there even a Tower Shield Specialist IN the game?) but friends have said the selection opens up pretty quick, so I can deal with a party of all beefy melee bois for a while. Aethal is cool at least, and Amiri of course.

  5. - Top - End - #35
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    Renegade Paladin's Avatar

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by VexingFool View Post
    Were they at the Ford map or at a location nearby? I remember I went to the Ford and found the bandits shortly after. It might be one of those encounters that is time sensitive.
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    You should have found Jhod and talked to Kressel.
    The Ford map is empty, and I explored every road around it. I've passed through it six or seven times now going back and forth to Oleg's while exploring the map. I haven't encountered either of the people you name.
    "Courage is the complement of fear. A fearless man cannot be courageous. He is also a fool." -- Robert Heinlein


  6. - Top - End - #36
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    BardGuy

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Renegade Paladin View Post
    The Ford map is empty, and I explored every road around it. I've passed through it six or seven times now going back and forth to Oleg's while exploring the map. I haven't encountered either of the people you name.
    Do you see the bandit platforms on the ford map? There are two of them one is in the bottom right and the other is mid left. When I did it the characters I mentioned were at the bottom right camp/platform. I think if you do not investigate the ford soon enough then the other tower is the one that is manned and one of NPC's shows up at Oleg's on his own. I'll try to go there with my monk when I play later today and take a screenshot.

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    According to one guide the only time sensitive issue with Thorn Ford is if you went to the Ancient Tomb in pursuit of Tartuccio. If you went to the tomb first then Akiros the Stag Lord's right hand man will not be at the camp.


    Made it to level-3 and that seems to be a tipping point for difficulty in this game. Fights are going much smoother, I don't seem to miss as much and don't have expend my resources except for the big fights. Probably helps that Linzi and Octavia have precise shot now. Managed to get Valerie some Fullplate+1 but I still have her using a heavy shield until she gets to level-5 and can negate the tower shield penalty. Made a custom cleric because I did not like the stat distribution on the two companion clerics. As soon as I get more money I'll be making a replacement for Amiri, she's too squishy and I don't find story compelling enough to put up with that voice.

    Anyone have any ideas on the best way to build Linzi? I know how I'm building everyone else but I am unsure what path to take her down.

    One tip. If you plan on making a custom companion do it immediately after you level up. Apparently they come in at the minimum xp for your level and not at the party xp level. My custom cleric is about 1500 xp behind the rest of the party.

    Had one bug today when trying to level up Linzi and Octavia, the precise shot feat was missing. It wasn't anywhere in the feat lists including the not available feats. I saved the game, exited, reloaded and then the feat showed up as a suggested feat for Linzi and available for Octavia.

    Oh almost forgot. Performed a Lawful Good action and got my entire party cursed with permanent -2 CON curse. I've only been able to afford to cure it on 3 companions so far. Valerie had hers removed when she died and went into Death's door state. Still need to cure my character and Amiri, figured we were the two who could handle -2 CON.
    Last edited by VexingFool; 2018-09-28 at 01:20 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #37
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    MindFlayer

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    What's the best feat at level 1 for a drago scale monk to take? Iron Will to cover for my dumped wis?

  8. - Top - End - #38
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Shepsquared View Post
    What's the best feat at level 1 for a drago scale monk to take? Iron Will to cover for my dumped wis?
    Iron will is on my list of feats to take but the only the will saves I have run into at low level are a couple of fear saves. I plan on dipping paladin to bolster my saves. I believe I took Weapon Focus: Unarmed, Dragon Style and Dodge at first level.

  9. - Top - End - #39
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Just a heads up but anyone playing should probably backup your game saves manually elsewhere. I've had two different characters disappear since the latest patch and another friend of mine has had one go poof too. It might not be patch related but it does suck to lose a character out of the blue

  10. - Top - End - #40
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Like: Well written backstories for characters, especially Valerie. Fairly challenging at times- throwing a swarm at a martial party of level 2's and giving it a 17 touch AC is a baller move. Really good job of introducing some of the stuff from future AP's into the plot early on. I enjoy the "2002" retro feel and the graphics are fine. While I'm sure some options (traits) are missing- I was impressed by the number of options introduced. I was able to exactly replicate my half orc inquisitor from pen and paper.

    Dislike: I haven't had this much trouble with game mechanics since Witcher 2. I can't always tell if my characters are doing what I just told them to do. Some of the locations of different options make no sense. I'm still kinda confused by camping- I make the sleeping bags appear, then what? I wish there was a dumbed down camping option. As someone else pointed out, it's kind of strange that you have to customize the snot out of it JUST to make the rules the same as they are in pen and paper.
    Last edited by Sloanzilla; 2018-09-28 at 06:24 AM.

  11. - Top - End - #41
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    SolithKnightGuy

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Wow. Steam ratings have tanked to ~65%. That really IS terrible.
    Most of the negative voices are about the balancing, i.e. many consider the game way too hard. Not just "hard" but straight out unfair, not to mention ridiculously overtuned. And not all of the complaints can be attributed to poor understanding of the PF system. Some of the negs seem to have a pretty good understanding of the tabletop rules and monster balance as far as I can tell.

    So that's one side of the coin. The other, and in my eyes even worse, is that while you get spammed with hard and ultra-hard fights, none of these give any XP worth mentioning. You get XP only for quests, no matter if you have to fight 15 CR9s on the way to the goal.

    So I sincerely hope that they are also gonna fix that with the Balance patch they've promised (1.02). If not, I can't see myself playing this game.
    Let me give you a brief rundown of an average Post-3E Era fight: You attack an enemy and start kicking his shins. He then starts kicking your shins, then you take it in turns kicking until one of you falls over. It basically comes down to who started the battle with the biggest boot, and the only strategy involved is realizing when things have gone tits up and legging it.

  12. - Top - End - #42
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Firechanter View Post
    Wow. Steam ratings have tanked to ~65%. That really IS terrible.
    Most of the negative voices are about the balancing, i.e. many consider the game way too hard. Not just "hard" but straight out unfair, not to mention ridiculously overtuned. And not all of the complaints can be attributed to poor understanding of the PF system. Some of the negs seem to have a pretty good understanding of the tabletop rules and monster balance as far as I can tell.

    So that's one side of the coin. The other, and in my eyes even worse, is that while you get spammed with hard and ultra-hard fights, none of these give any XP worth mentioning. You get XP only for quests, no matter if you have to fight 15 CR9s on the way to the goal.

    So I sincerely hope that they are also gonna fix that with the Balance patch they've promised (1.02). If not, I can't see myself playing this game.
    One perhaps wonders, in a moment of cynicism, of the likelihood that Owlcat took note of the scathing flak Obsidian took for Pillars 2 being "too easy" on release (I mean, I cannot imagine at all there is not some overlap in dev interests; hell, I'm not sure that I didn't back P:K because Obs mentioned it in one of their PoE2 updates) and figured they would make sure they didn't mjake the same mistake.

    Just goes to show, you literally cannot win, whatever you do these days...!



    (My modern policy of "you know what? Give it a good month after release for them to do the inevitable fixes" depressinly rings true...)

    But hey, one hotfix out and another planned for tomorrow, so you can't complaint they aren't, at least, making a solid effort to try and fix it expediently.

  13. - Top - End - #43
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Firechanter View Post
    Wow. Steam ratings have tanked to ~65%. That really IS terrible.
    Most of the negative voices are about the balancing, i.e. many consider the game way too hard. Not just "hard" but straight out unfair, not to mention ridiculously overtuned. And not all of the complaints can be attributed to poor understanding of the PF system. Some of the negs seem to have a pretty good understanding of the tabletop rules and monster balance as far as I can tell.
    I bought it earlier this year, so I'm stuck with it. I just now managed to fix a camera bug (I had to disconnect a set of rudder pedals, centered and in perfect working order, from the computer to stop them from scrolling the camera up) so I can't verify this but I'll be able to soon. I have seen many claims of random bandits having 20-25 AC with a +15 damage modifier at levels 2-3 on Normal difficulty, which Owlcat claims to have reduced enemy stats. I'll see.

    For what it's worth, the consensus seems to be there's an excellent game lurking under the bugs and balance issues.
    Last edited by thrdeye; 2018-09-28 at 11:50 AM.

  14. - Top - End - #44
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    You rest by putting down the camp, then clicking on the campfire in the middle of it. Which isn't always very prominent, so it's very easy to miss.
    And that extra click is basically completely unnecessary, design-wise. It could have just been a checkbox with "do you want to rest" when you put down the camp, if you click "no" you instead don't put it down, if you click "yes" you do. But hey, that's hardly the only badly designed thing in this game.

    Which brings us to the difficulty.
    After the tutorial/prologue, you get your first fetch/sidequest. Got to this cave, get some yummy berries for a potion maker. You have to fight four spiders swarms to do this.
    It's important to note that none of your NPC-companions has any AOE damage spells at this point, and that you have received no scrolls with them as loot either. Nor do you get alchemists fire - you can buy it from the potion maker, but the game doesn't tell you at all. I honestly have no idea how someone who isn't familiar with Pathfinder - thus knowing that swarms can only be fought with area damage - is supposed to figure this out.
    But even if you do know it, as I did - I died over half a dozen times in there, and when I finished the fight my party were all nearly-dead (some would have been dead, if not for my difficulty setting preventing death unless they receive massive damage). And I had used ~200 gp or so worth of Alchemists Fire, plus some Acid Flasks, and everyone was so strength-drained that I'd have required four days of rest to recover. I found no way to improve upon this with my character (an Archeologist Bard)

    Now if the game was beginner friendly, then the potion maker or someone else would have told you about the danger of swarms. And they would have handed you some free alchemists fire. And instead of four swarms, there'd maybe be one or two, so that it'd be manageable. The player would be told what to do, would feel like they'd have learned something, and wouldn't have to sink more money into the quest than they get out of it.


    Now, does that ruin the game? So far it hasn't. I'm loathe to think how it feels for someone who has little to no idea about the Pathfinder systems and runs into this sort of stuff, but I can deal with that sort of unfair stuff. It doesn't feel properly challenging - often, the stuff you have to figure out is just the exact right timing for everything, or kiting an enemy somewhere or such, which is less "I am using clever combat tactics" and more "I am exploiting game mechanics", but hey, sometimes you do have moments where it does feel good when you win a fight you're sure could have been hard for someone else.


    Do keep in mind that I'm playing with enemy stats unadjusted - harder difficulties flat-out give enemies extra AC, saves, DCs and to-hit, which basically makes everything way worse.

  15. - Top - End - #45
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    To be scrupulously fair, one of the loading screen tips that the game shows you flat out tells you to use AoE and splash weapons to fight swarms.
    "Courage is the complement of fear. A fearless man cannot be courageous. He is also a fool." -- Robert Heinlein


  16. - Top - End - #46
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Sloanzilla View Post
    I'm still kinda confused by camping- I make the sleeping bags appear, then what? I wish there was a dumbed down camping option. As someone else pointed out, it's kind of strange that you have to customize the snot out of it JUST to make the rules the same as they are in pen and paper.
    As Serafina said click on the camp once you have placed it. You can also camp from the overland travel screen, this will bring up the camp interface immediately but will have no party banter/animations. Once you have the camp interface activated click manage and then drag the party members to the roles you want them in. Check the box if you want to use your carried rations. If you leave it unchecked or are out of rations your hunters will hunt until you have enough food/rations which takes more time.

    Quote Originally Posted by Serafina View Post
    It's important to note that none of your NPC-companions has any AOE damage spells at this point, and that you have received no scrolls with them as loot either. Nor do you get alchemists fire - you can buy it from the potion maker, but the game doesn't tell you at all.
    You are given 2 'everburning' torches in your inventory to start the game, these can do 1 point of damage to the swarms. There are 2 vials of alchemist fire and 2 vials of acid that can be looted in the prologue. But the Devs have heard the complaints and patch 1.02 is set to address this issue.

    Quote Originally Posted by Patch 1.02 Notes
    Fangberry quest is very hard on low level.
    Resolution: Bokken warns about quest difficulty and gives 6 flasks of Alchemist's Fire. The special tutorial message is added about dealing with spider swarm.

  17. - Top - End - #47
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Okay, to be fair I forgot about the torches, that might have made things easier! But still really brutal, and basically-hopeless without the Alchemists Fire.

  18. - Top - End - #48
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    SolithKnightGuy

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    If the swarms have something like 30hp each, good luck with your two 1dmg torches. :p
    I think we can agree that swarms have always sucked, especially at low level. Paizo already did a terrible job balancing them, and now apparently Owlcat has made them even worse.

    One of the first things, nay, _the_ first thing I buy for my tabletop characters when playing an AP is a Swarmbane Clasp. That one's probably not featured in the computer game though.

    On another note, I've read multiple times that so-called "unnadjusted" stats are a good deal uptuned from the PF versions already. Will have to see for that myself.

    --

    As I see it, the harder difficulties (Normal and up) are probably pretty much impossible to play with the premade companions. Boy are those some heavily crippled gimps. -.- And you can't even remove that idiotic giant sword from Amiri - but you can remove Amiri. :p Anyway, apparently the premades are only suitable for Story Mode, or Easy Mode at best.
    What's more, my buddy found out last night that after the first couple of DIY-companions, the recruiting fee increases from 2K to 8K. Maybe it's level dependent.

    According to the patch notes 1.0.2,
    "Some monsters in random encounters gave an incorrect amount of experience. Resolution: fixed."
    so maybe my major gripe is resolved.
    Now I just hope the patch file can be downloaded separately for non-steam users; I am absolutely not inclined to re-dl those 22GB from scratch with my connection.
    Last edited by Firechanter; 2018-09-29 at 04:20 AM.
    Let me give you a brief rundown of an average Post-3E Era fight: You attack an enemy and start kicking his shins. He then starts kicking your shins, then you take it in turns kicking until one of you falls over. It basically comes down to who started the battle with the biggest boot, and the only strategy involved is realizing when things have gone tits up and legging it.

  19. - Top - End - #49
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    I'm just a bit ahead of the tutorial and it's way more fun than I expected. Can't believe how much I've missed a proper DnD game.

    Quote Originally Posted by Serafina View Post
    Now if the game was beginner friendly, then the potion maker or someone else would have told you about the danger of swarms. And they would have handed you some free alchemists fire.
    I assume you played yesterday? From the latest patchnotes:
    "Bokken will properly warn the player about the swarms in the cave and provide them with several flask of Alchemist's Fire. In addition, the tutorial about swarms and how to deal with them will be shown when entering the cave."
    Many thanks to Assassin 89 for this avatar!

  20. - Top - End - #50
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Valerie and Amiri managed with only the two torches. Linzi and my character lobbed the 2 alchemist fires we had and one of the acid flasks. The targetting was a little wonky, if I tried to not hit friendlies it did not look like the swarms would be in the AoE. I did try an acid splash from my character at the end and that did seem to affect the swarm. It did take me 2 tries but I think Amiri took more damage from picking the fangberries (she failed her check 4 times).

    Yeah in Rise of the Runelords there's a swarm near Foxglove manor. The players were around level-5 and had no difficulty. In Carrion Crown there's a swarm near Harrowstone and it nearly wiped us at level-2.

    Just FYI, while 1.02 adds in a some balance fixes it does not resolve an issue with 1.01 and hiring companions. Glad I got the GOG version and manually download the install files. I'll grab the patches and wait til I get the hirelings I want before updating.

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Swarms can be very nasty, especially if they are of the "immune to weapons" as opposed to the "half-damage" size. I last used a couple in Shackled City against my, what, seven level 7-8 PCs... And they basically couldn't touch 'em. (Serves 'em a little bit right for having no-one capable of using good old Fireball. (They have two arcivists, one conjurer (banned evocation and abjuration), one cleric/bard, one marksman (UT) and one crusader - none of which have much in the way of ability to cause area damage (Black Tentacle don't work on swarms, nor does most of the other spells the conjurer has, and the archivists don't have too many options at that level, either, even if they weren't more healing-slash-rangedtouch based...)) They never killed 'em in the end (they'd have had to go back and rest up with every area-spell they could scrape up), but managed to lock 'em out of harm's way...!
    Last edited by Aotrs Commander; 2018-09-29 at 04:51 AM.

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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Aotrs Commander View Post
    Just goes to show, you literally cannot win, whatever you do these days...!
    Well, lots of games are praised for handling difficulty correctly, so I don't think that's entirely accurate. It's certainly true that people will always complain, but when it's a majority I tend to take notice.

  23. - Top - End - #53
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    OT: my worst experience with Swarms has been in the Skulls & Shackles campaign. On level 2 you are dumped on an island infested with undead, disease-ridden insects and other nasties. The only imaginable resting place is in an abandoned fort, and until you get there you'll already be pretty drained. And _then_ it turns out that inside the fort, there's a swarm of mosquitoes lurking. And not just any mosquitoes. Those must be abyssal demonmosquitoes from hell on steroids. Of course they are immune to weapon damage, also they cause bleed (from mosquito stings!), transmit a crippling disease, and while you at level 2 CANNOT have any AoE spells in your party, the gnats have more HP than a level 3 character so good luck trying to burn them with torches. Also, the entire adventure so far does not seed any items that might help you, and doesn't offer any opportunity to go shopping.
    But that's not all!
    The real killer is that, while real-world mosquitoes have a speed of maybe 2km/h, these insane murder-mosquitoes fly at FORTY! feet, whereas you of course are on foot and hampered by difficult terrain, so you can't even run from them! And even if you could run, you couldn't hide, so it almost doesn't matter at that point.

    When we played that and realized how ****ty that swarm and the entire encounter were written, our GM handwaved it and allowed the gunslinger to burn them with powder. Strictly by the rules, it would have been game over for us then and there.

    So, long story short, Paizo has a terribly flawed idea of what swarms can do and, especially, how fast they move.

    Which again takes me back to topic, specifically the complaint that you cannot, ever, run from a fight. I mean, seriously?
    The entire POINT of a sandbox campaign is that, while it's entirely possible that you run into encounters above your paygrade, you need to learn to pick your battles and flee when necessary.
    Let me give you a brief rundown of an average Post-3E Era fight: You attack an enemy and start kicking his shins. He then starts kicking your shins, then you take it in turns kicking until one of you falls over. It basically comes down to who started the battle with the biggest boot, and the only strategy involved is realizing when things have gone tits up and legging it.

  24. - Top - End - #54
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    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Hihoooo! I just want to throw my two cents about this game. I've noticed the bad reviews as i've been watching the reddit and steam discussion.. but I gotta say, this game is FANTASTIC. Not worth the 65% on steam it has AT ALL.

    However, that being said, I'm a bit biased as I know the pathfinder rules in and out - a lot of people don't. This game doesn't explain a lot of the mechanics very well.. so most of those people are kinda screwed, thus the bad reviews. There are also some difficulty issues (like the damn treant bear) that don't make a ton of sense, but.. this game is definitely harder than PoE/PoE2.

    I'm at 55 hours played right now (suffered quite a bit of restart-itus at first, then got to level 5, then restarted as I ****ed up numerous builds and they don't have a retrain feature). My current character group is almost level 6 now and holy **** am I having fun. Like.. the most fun I've had in a game IN AGES. PoE/PoE2 was bland as **** compared to this game. My only complaint is I want to strangle my halfling bard.

    Well no thats a lie, thats only one of my complaints.. there are a few key features in PF and in Crpgs in general that really do need being added. Retraining (gold/time cost of course, not free), a way to retreat from battles (because you CANNOT retreat right now, making ironman mode suicidal when going in blind), and a way to dismiss spells. When you accidentally web your -8 dexterity cleric with a whole +1 to reflex in a Web spell cast by your 22 Int wizard with a DC of 18 Reflex.. it gets.. ...sticky.

    Anyhoo.. if you don't have this game yet and are on the fence, I'd probably say wait a little bit, as Owlcat is working on fixes (two hotfixes in 4 days!), but keep an eye on it as its a fun game. Or, if you're willing to learn the rules, play on a lower setting, and take your time.. get it. If you take the time to learn it, its an amazing game.
    78% of DM's started their first campaign in a tavern. If you're one of the 22% that didn't, copy and paste this into your signature.
    Where did you start yours?
    In a Gladiatorial Arena.

  25. - Top - End - #55
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DwarfClericGuy

    Join Date
    Sep 2013

    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    The mechanics are growing on me, but there's still some hybrid between turn based and not turn based that I'm having trouble with.

    We roll for init, but when I tell someone to do something they seem to do it. Is there any way to see where we are in the round (in other words, it is time for me to click on character X again and order him or her to do something new?). Right now, I'm giving instructions right after I see people do stuff- I have AI disabled.

  26. - Top - End - #56
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    SolithKnightGuy

    Join Date
    Feb 2011

    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    If I am interpreting the HUD right, every creature has a timer over their head that counts down to their next action in x.x format. So the game seems to take the 6 second combat round and then distribute the initiative counts into that time frame. So if you make your character attack an enemy, you can tell by their timers who will get to attack first.
    Let me give you a brief rundown of an average Post-3E Era fight: You attack an enemy and start kicking his shins. He then starts kicking your shins, then you take it in turns kicking until one of you falls over. It basically comes down to who started the battle with the biggest boot, and the only strategy involved is realizing when things have gone tits up and legging it.

  27. - Top - End - #57
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Rynjin's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2016

    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Quote Originally Posted by Firechanter View Post
    OT: my worst experience with Swarms has been in the Skulls & Shackles campaign. On level 2 you are dumped on an island infested with undead, disease-ridden insects and other nasties. The only imaginable resting place is in an abandoned fort, and until you get there you'll already be pretty drained. And _then_ it turns out that inside the fort, there's a swarm of mosquitoes lurking. And not just any mosquitoes. Those must be abyssal demonmosquitoes from hell on steroids. Of course they are immune to weapon damage, also they cause bleed (from mosquito stings!), transmit a crippling disease, and while you at level 2 CANNOT have any AoE spells in your party,
    Eh? There are a bunch of 1st level AoE spells and options. Burning Hands just in Core.

  28. - Top - End - #58
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Serafina's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Germany
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Yes but none of your party members get them, because they're a Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Fighter, and Inquisitor. (There's also a Magus and a Wizard, but you get those later)
    There's exactly one spell available to you from your party that does area damage: Fire Belly. A casting of which will give you two uses of a 1D4 15-foot cone, and you'll have three castings of it at most.
    Last edited by Serafina; 2018-09-29 at 03:15 PM.

  29. - Top - End - #59
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Aotrs Commander's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Derby, UK
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    Male

    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    Eh? No rogue? Can the companions multiclass (I assume not)? (Actually, good question, can YOU multiclass with either you or the mercenaries or whatnot you can get?) And how cripplingly bad is it not having a trap-detector? (One presumes you can get, I dunno, the bard to do open lock, if that's even a thing.)

    How many character in the party is it, by the by? PF tabletop is four (I always have to massively amp up the adenture paths because I have typically 6-8 characters!), but they may have pused it up, I suppose. (Six would be favourite, but...)

  30. - Top - End - #60
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Renegade Paladin's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Indiana
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    Male

    Default Re: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

    My God, the Stag Lord's fort is a pain in the rear.
    Spoiler
    Show
    Walking up and challenging him is a non-starter, as is teaming up with Kress's bandits to do the same thing; it winds up with you surrounded and swiftly killed. Bluffing your way in is basically the only way, and if your fight with the gate guards when they recognize you attracts the attention of the alchemist over to the right of the gate, he'll do an unsustainable amount of damage with his bombs, which engaging him in melee doesn't stop.

    I've managed to kill the Stag Lord once by means of engaging groups of bandits one at a time and working my way around to the side of the building where the ramp to his platform is before initiating combat with him, and the rest of the bandits simply converged and finished off the party after he was dead. Even with Tristian and myself playing a paladin, there is simply not enough healing to sustain the party. I'm thinking the way to do it must involve the owlbear, but calming and releasing it simply causes it to walk out without doing anything, and choosing the option that says it will help you just leaves it in the cage.
    Last edited by Renegade Paladin; 2018-09-29 at 04:00 PM.
    "Courage is the complement of fear. A fearless man cannot be courageous. He is also a fool." -- Robert Heinlein


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