D&D 3e/3.5e/d20The forum for conversations specifically related to the rules and procedures of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, or any fantasy game using the d20 system or a variant thereof (commercially published or not).
One thing I have noticed about the boards is that, on average, classes with excellent optimization guides get played more often than classes that don't. Unfortunately for Pathfinder aficionados, most of the best 3.5 optimization guides don't apply to Pathfinder because they use class features, feats and items unavailable to "PF Pure" games or were written at the launch of Pathfinder, before Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Combat, and the Advanced Player's Guide.
I would like this thread to serve three purposes:
1. To act as a compendium of optimization guides for Pathfinder classes.
2. To inspire people to make optimization guides for those classes that lack them.
3. To inspire people to make better optimization guides for outdated or incomplete guides.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Last edited by Novawurmson : 01-20-2013 at 08:42 PM.
Just a note... Rogue Eidolon's guides never show up for me and apparently this is a common problem...
Hrm. I bet it's because they're in Google Docs format - I'm almost always logged into Gmail when I'm browsing the internet, so they work just fine for me.
I'll make a note of it on the compendium. All the more reason to have GitP guides for these classes!
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
kcmorris has many other guides, in addition to the Qinggong Monk. Note however that these are not full compendiums, analyses, or breakdowns of the class like treantmonk is famous for, but just a few main pointers. "X is what you should focus, Y is a trap, Z is a respectable alternative" sort of advice, kind of like a longwinded forum post, but a little better formatted than most.
It's still great for getting SparkNotes version of a class's strength/viable builds, though.
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I mostly ignored kcmorris' guides that I read over; most of them that I saw just covered one archetype in little detail. I specifically included the Qinggong guide because every Pathfinder Monk should be taking Qinggong.
I'm going to go ahead and start on a PF Barbarian guide. Monk will be next, with Tactician being updated from time to time (but unfortunately unfinished until Psionics Expanded is released on the SRD).
@jmelesky: Well, that improves this list quite a bit. Making changes...
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Ninja
-None that I can find
Samurai
-None that I can find
Ninja is basically a Copy/Paste Rogue. Recommend changing the text to something like "None specifically, see Rogue for general ideas"
Samurai/Cavalier is the same situation, just there there is no real Cavalier guide. *shrug*
Also, I have a fairly up-to-date 'Player Race' guide. Good for quick-ish reference on Stat adjusts and Sizing. Does NOT go into great detail (like most race guides), but it can point you in the right direction.
Unless someone else has a better one somewhere?
Ninja is basically a Copy/Paste Rogue. Recommend changing the text to something like "None specifically, see Rogue for general ideas"
Samurai/Cavalier is the same situation, just there there is no real Cavalier guide. *shrug*
Also, I have a fairly up-to-date 'Player Race' guide. Good for quick-ish reference on Stat adjusts and Sizing. Does NOT go into great detail (like most race guides), but it can point you in the right direction.
Unless someone else has a better one somewhere?
Added and updated. I'd write a Cavalier/Samurai guide...but I don't want to encourage people to play a Cavalier XD
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
I'm making good progress on my Barbarian guide...might even by finished by next week. Is anyone up for taking on the Cavalier? It certainly is a class in need of optimizaiton.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Hrm. I bet it's because they're in Google Docs format - I'm almost always logged into Gmail when I'm browsing the internet, so they work just fine for me.
I'll make a note of it on the compendium. All the more reason to have GitP guides for these classes!
I am always logged onto Gmail... they still don't work most people on the paizo board say the same...
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But there is one problem, some of these guides are either incomplete (Barbarian one wasn't changed in these past 5 month, your guide is still in progress...) or, like walters, designed for PFS -> not optimal enough. Would be great if you could mention things like that.
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Drako: Human Warblade 2/Fighter 2
But there is one problem, some of these guides are either incomplete (Barbarian one wasn't changed in these past 5 month, your guide is still in progress...) or, like walters, designed for PFS -> not optimal enough. Would be great if you could mention things like that.
Yup. The next step in this "Guide to the Guides" is to make notes on what guides are incomplete, core-only, etc. Some of these guides I've read in detail, repeatedly (such as Treantmonk's Ranger handbook) and some of them I've only skimmed once. If anyone wants to help make notes on them, I'd appreciate it.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Gunslinger's Handbook will get finished someday, it's just I keep getting kicked by RL, like finding out this morning there was a death in my family and I'll possibly be attending the funeral, depending on whether I can afford to get there or not. Things just keep piling on...
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Why only one Paladin Guide? There is another one on the paizo boards that is better than the one you listed here.
Just can't remember the name of the author right now... I think it was something with "H"...
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Currently Playing: Myskherian: Human Warlock 6(Currently on Hiatus)
Drako: Human Warblade 2/Fighter 2
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
I used my own compendium today when trying to build a Cleric.
...We need a better Cleric guide
Why?
Just because one only covers Domains
Another assumes Clerics should never-ever-ever get into Melee (no not even then), and worries too much about PCS compatibility, and seems woefully out of date.
And the third... actually the Big Holy Book doesn't seem too bad. Although he is quite a bit biased/crazy in certain areas (he mentions Barb 2 being a good dip and "necessary to enter the Rage Prophet PrC"....yeah....).
Oh, and the fact that NONE of them cover Sub-Domains EVER?
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Last edited by Novawurmson : 06-26-2012 at 12:15 PM.
Whenever I read the Monk Guides, I always see the mention of supplying the Wizard with Wands to buff the Monk. I prefer to use the following Trait instead:
Dangerously Curious
You have always been intrigued by magic, possibly because you were the child of a magician or priest. You often snuck into your parent’s laboratory or shrine to tinker with spell components and magic devices, and often caused quite a bit of damage and headaches for your parent as a result.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Use Magic Device checks, and Use Magic Device is always a class skill for you.
It takes skill points to get it up, and it helps to have a decent Charisma score (there is a cheap headband for that though), but once you hit +19 (and you get a +1 on it from the trait) you can use any wand you want, no Wizard required.
Dangerously curious is great. It just takes a long time to get your UMD to +19 when charisma is your class's only dump stat. Even with charisma "only" dumped to 8, you're going to need to be level 16 (16 ranks -1 cha +1 trait +3 class skill bonus) just to be able to use those wands w/o chance of failure.
Also, I tend to suggest pearls of power, not wands. A wand of mage armor means that +4 AC is going poof anytime anyone casts dispel. Mage Armor at the Wizard's full caster level? That's gonna last. Ideally, you don't need to buy him pearls and he's enough of a team player to see the value in using some low level spells to help you out, but whatever.
Because the trait seems to be invisible to the d20pfsrd.com search function (even searching for it by name fails to bring up anything) and rarely shows up in discussion, I might as well mention Underlying Principles also works if you can pull traits from outside the APG/UM/UC. It's mainly for (Anti)Paladins and possibly Rangers, who can't get both Magical Knack and Dangerously Curious at the same time.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
He seems to put a bit too much emphasis on the high levels and hates enchanting with a passion. I also get the distinct feeling that he loves blasting, and rates the spells accordingly.
Read over it and added it. I don't agree with all of his conclusions, but he does eventually get around to saying that a Wizard should buff and do battlefield control instead of using damage spells primarily, and there is a lot of useful information in there even if you need to dig a little.
Knowledge (local) being trained only, and not a class skill for many classes, means that your average human may well not be able to identify other humans! This may explain the exceptional quantity of half-human hybrids.
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[PF] Optimization Guides Compendium
