Anyone check out Radiance RPG yet?

[AncientSpirits]

It's great to see an author so willing to listen to fans.

I'm still trying to convince my local group to give Radiance a try, we're firmly entrenched in Pathfinder. I'm sure we'll get around to it sometime though.


One quick question:
For attacks do you only uuse your prime stat when using a class ability or with a basic attack too?

IE when a Wizard swings a sword does he use Str or Int? If it's Int what's the rationale?

I love what Paizo has done with Pathfinder. That said, once your group tries Radiance RPG, they may hesitate to go back.

For attacks, you only use your prime stat for all attacks.

Why is this? Consider in 3.x there were feats like Weapon Finesse and Zen Archery. Zen Archery allowed a character to use Wisdom on range attack rolls rather than Dexterity. The rationale: The cleric, druid, monk, etc relies on patience and insight to perceive the right moment to fire.

Similarly, in Radiance, a wizard taps his Intelligent to learn and apply combat tactics and strategies. He might not be particularly strong, but he knows techniques. A warlock relies on Constitution as he channels the fiend within, and the fiend is the one who guides attacks. A bard uses Charisma as he distracts, taunts, cajoles, etc -- as well as believing in himself and motivating himself through drama and passion.

Of course, after the attack roll, there is the damage roll. Strength is still the mainstay for damage. So a Strength based character will always have a leg up. Just because that wizard is strategic enough to hit doesn't mean he delivers much if any damage!

Weapon proficiency is also an issue, as usual. That wizard suffers a -5 penalty on attacks with the many weapons with which he's unfamiliar.

Finally, martial characters have abilities that grant attack bonuses with their favorite weapons. So a fighter with a longsword might get a +5 modifier on top Strength and level bonuses; while a wizard with that same longsword suffers a -5 modifier. The difference is pretty big.

Altogether, in practice, the experience is the same as 3.5/Pathfinder. Truly, the only change anyone will notice is at the highest levels, when a wizard (for example) with his trusty and familiar quarterstaff or dagger actually has a chance to hit in combat, though he still likely won't do much if any damage.

Sorry for the long explanation. Hopefully it answers your question.

 

[VanceMadrox]

I love what Paizo has done with Pathfinder. That said, once your group tries Radiance RPG, they may hesitate to go back.

While I'd love to try radiance out a bit I don't think it'll replace Pathfinder, we're far too involved with Organized Play.

For attacks, you only use your prime stat for all attacks.

Why is this? Consider in 3.x there were feats like Weapon Finesse and Zen Archery. Zen Archery allowed a character to use Wisdom on range attack rolls rather than Dexterity. The rationale: The cleric, druid, monk, etc relies on patience and insight to perceive the right moment to fire.

Similarly, in Radiance, a wizard taps his Intelligent to learn and apply combat tactics and strategies. He might not be particularly strong, but he knows techniques. A warlock relies on Constitution as he channels the fiend within, and the fiend is the one who guides attacks. A bard uses Charisma as he distracts, taunts, cajoles, etc -- as well as believing in himself and motivating himself through drama and passion.

Of course, after the attack roll, there is the damage roll. Strength is still the mainstay for damage. So a Strength based character will always have a leg up. Just because that wizard is strategic enough to hit doesn't mean he delivers much if any damage!

Weapon proficiency is also an issue, as usual. That wizard suffers a -5 penalty on attacks with the many weapons with which he's unfamiliar.

Finally, martial characters have abilities that grant attack bonuses with their favorite weapons. So a fighter with a longsword might get a +5 modifier on top Strength and level bonuses; while a wizard with that same longsword suffers a -5 modifier. The difference is pretty big.

Altogether, in practice, the experience is the same as 3.5/Pathfinder. Truly, the only change anyone will notice is at the highest levels, when a wizard (for example) with his trusty and familiar quarterstaff or dagger actually has a chance to hit in combat, though he still likely won't do much if any damage.

Sorry for the long explanation. Hopefully it answers your question.

Thanks for the explanantion, I understood that it was used for all Class Abilities, just wasn't sure about the Mundane. To get one of my friends to try it though I may have to hosue rule it, he just plain doesn't like other stats being used for attacks.



I'm also curious what the artionale behind heavy weapons being resist by Fort is. It seems like Ref is used when a person is essentially trying to dodge out of the way. What's the logic behind Fort resisting bigger weapons? Is it just someone standing there and trying to take the blow?

 

[AncientSpirits]

While I'd love to try radiance out a bit I don't think it'll replace Pathfinder, we're far too involved with Organized Play.

Yeah, there's that, for sure. Fun stuff! I've got a couple PCs that I've advanced at PaizoCon.

Thanks for the explanantion, I understood that it was used for all Class Abilities, just wasn't sure about the Mundane. To get one of my friends to try it though I may have to hosue rule it, he just plain doesn't like other stats being used for attacks.

Doing so may open up some difficulties. Characters like rogue and gallant engage in combat but aren't Strength based. What happens to them? Either you'll need to give them something like Weapon Finesse for free, and/or make some other adjustments.

I'm also curious what the rationale behind heavy weapons being resist by Fort is. It seems like Ref is used when a person is essentially trying to dodge out of the way. What's the logic behind Fort resisting bigger weapons? Is it just someone standing there and trying to take the blow?

The mechanic is borrowed from 4E and Stars Wars (D20 Saga). I trusted some continuity. Also, if you've ever watched actual combatants live, dodging is much less likely than intuition suggests. I don't mean fencing, which isn't combat. I mean martial arts, kendo (Japanese sword fighting), etc. A lot of combat is about force + skill. Fortitude relates to resisting the force of an attack. As force = mass x acceleration, medium and large weapons thusly defend against Fortitude. Finally, there's also a play-and-balance issue. If Reflex was applied against all physical attacks, you'd see a lot of folks dumping stat points into Dexterity or Intelligence. Already, the use of Reflex against natural weapons is a nasty issue for melee characters like fighters who rely on Strength and Constitution foremost.

 

[OberonViking]

I like these different defences - I've found them to be working well and my group has had no troubles with the rationale. I do tend to forget about DR when applying damage to my npcs though...

Our first session with Radiance was a smooth and as efficient as our previous session of Pathfinder which we have been using for a few years. It is incredible that a new system could flow so easily.

I've been in the process of starting Pathfinder Organised Play in my local town, but I am finding it very hard to go back to Pathfinder. I instead imagine a Radiance Organised Play where all the players have all the rules they need printed on 6 sheets with them at the table. No need to search for that spell or feat or ability through different books... beautiful.

My players have found it very easy to build an effective character and bump them to second level. They game system seems to support building Characters rather than Stat Blocks (if you know what I mean) and my players have built very interesting and useful characters. I love this system.

 

[dm4hire]

I got my hard copy yesterday. Must say I am impressed and the only downside I've seen to it is I would like to have better paper quality, but that's a personal peeve. Now to find someone to play it with.

 

[AncientSpirits]

I got my hard copy yesterday. Must say I am impressed and the only downside I've seen to it is I would like to have better paper quality, but that's a personal peeve. Now to find someone to play it with.

Lighting Source offers pretty good POD services. They have some limitations. One is that they don't print to the edge of the page. Another is that they like adding blank pages to the back of the book. And third, yes, I too would like slightly better paper quality!

 

[AncientSpirits]

I like these different defences - I've found them to be working well and my group has had no troubles with the rationale. I do tend to forget about DR when applying damage to my npcs though...

Our first session with Radiance was a smooth and as efficient as our previous session of Pathfinder which we have been using for a few years. It is incredible that a new system could flow so easily.

I've been in the process of starting Pathfinder Organised Play in my local town, but I am finding it very hard to go back to Pathfinder. I instead imagine a Radiance Organised Play where all the players have all the rules they need printed on 6 sheets with them at the table. No need to search for that spell or feat or ability through different books... beautiful.

My players have found it very easy to build an effective character and bump them to second level. They game system seems to support building Characters rather than Stat Blocks (if you know what I mean) and my players have built very interesting and useful characters. I love this system.

Glad to hear you all are having an easy time.

Radiance Organized Play--gosh, it's a dream to step into a room at a con and see a dozen tables going at adventures. Of course, that requires cranking out modules and I'm still fine-tuning the first one.

2nd level is a very natural place to start. 0th and 1st level are still about starting the PCs in a way that plays out their backstory.

 

[VanceMadrox]

I find myself looking through the Player's Guide a lot lately so hope you don't mind more questions.

Got 2 Races questiosn for you.

1). Half Orcs but No Orcs? Why no Orcs?

2). Was it your intent that the Atlans be land dwelling with a strong connection to the sea? Or actual sea dwellers? Because as written they only have limited water breathing so can't be completely aquatic.

 

[AncientSpirits]

1. Orcs are in the Masters Guide as monsters (mutants, specifically). Since monster and PC levels are equivalent, one can play a monster, they're just more powerful than the usual races. Like gnolls, ogres, etc, I wanted to keep some traditionally nasty humanoids as brutish opponents.

2. Atlans are land dwelling with a strong connection to the sea. They are not actual sea dwellers. The choice was a practical one: Since all other races are land-dwelling or amphibious, atlan PCs can adventure comfortably alongside their peers.

Questions are good! Ask away

 

[VanceMadrox]

I just looked over the TOWNIES section a bit and I have to say coming from a 3.5/Pathfinder background it's hard to accept that the NPCs don't play by the same rules as the PCs. It seems very odd to have TOWNIES with abilties that PCs can't get till late in their careers.

I understand the idea behind it but it still seems odd.

That said, the break points seem a bit odd. Townies are 2 (but can be levelled to 4) and Alders are 6 (can be levelled to 8) but Patrons start at 13? And Royal patron is 20?

Does this mean all kings/rulers are high level? If so this is definitely different from 3,5/Pathfinder. I'm totally picturing Lord British from Ultima.

Different Townies have different numbers of abilities, do all Townies add up to 10 points worth of abilities since they're 2nd level?

There's a little question about advancement to. If a Townie takes a 2nd profession and then becomes an Alder does he lose his 2nd profession? Or does he simply advance to a Level 8 Alder with 2 professions.

I understand that Townies don't have to follow the same 1-20 level progression as PCs but is it assumed that they went up through the Townie stages? IE were all Alders, Patrons, and Royal Patrons once Townies?