Pathfinder 1E Advanced Class Guide Playtest Rules

[mr_outsidevoice]

Random thoughts from an infrequent poster

Arcanist:I like the spellcasting mechanic. The class features were weak and I look forward to the changes. If Sorcerers are raw talent of Arcane Magic, Wizards the Scientists/Engineers, the revised Arcanists might become the Mad Scientists/Macgyers.

Bloodrager:It seems fun. Casting only while raging means the class will have little to do or contribute in non-combat scenarios

Brawler:I dig quite a bit. The flexibility of the Feats or Feat chains for a combat appeals to me so you can have the right trick for the environment and scenario. And you can try a feat on for size without having to commit a permanent feat slot for it.

Hunter:I have no major opinion on it. I am not a fan of Animal companions as a whole, so I wouldn't play a class dedicated to the concept.

Investigator:Sweet mystery of life at last I found you. For me, this is one of the best Out of Combat Classes I have seen. The Rogue is better in a fight, but i would rather play an Investigator in dungeon delves.

Shaman:It is a divine class I might want to play. The flexibility of Wandering Spirit/Hexes means you can adjust to more scenarios. I hope they get a more customized spell list and not just the Cleric List.

Skald:Full of Meh. It needs to be better in combat in weapons allowed or spells on list. Maybe more aggressive effects from Bloodsong.

Slayer:I like this build and I missed the Skirmisher from D&D, nice to see it re-skinned.

Swashbuckler:Pretty much how I pictured it when it was announced. A finesse fighter is always a welcome thing.

Warpriest:Just give it 4th level spells and let it have Full BAB progression, or even no spells but more blessings like Magus Arcana and Channels.

 

[ToddBS]

First updates

I gotta say, the changes in the update thread over at Paizo all seem to be headed in the right direction. I think the Warpriest should keep channel energy, but the idea of giving some combat bonuses with the deity's weapon is a good one.

 

[Kinak]

New arcanist build is up. I can't really speak to balance, because I don't really care, but the flavor is awesome without adding a lot of complexity.

I'm sold.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Matthias]

When Pathfinder began adding things to the original 3E rules, I got used to most of them. The changes to skills (skill merging and point calculation) took me some time to get used to. I also thought initially that the Archetypes were just "fluff" and didn't really add anything to the game, but I got over that too.

I wish I could say that the idea of "hybrid classes" in its current setup might grow on me too, where I gradually warm up to an unusual addition or alteration by embracing the positive development that it brings to the rules. But I simply can't contort my brain into seeing the positive side of this. I didn't like the idea that the "alternate classes" couldn't coexist with the classes they are meant to be mutually exclusive with, and now I simply can't accept the notion that not all base classes are created equal. ALL base (and core) classes should be combinable via multiclassing with every other base and core class, with the reasonable exception of classes that are incompatible due to philosophy/alignment conflicts (Paladin/Antipaladin, Barbarian/Monk, etc.)

If someone wants to defend this design as being simply a matter of taste, that's fine, but I think I would have rather had these new classes be created as Archetypes. Perhaps they could take the form of "fraternal twin" archetypes, each applying to its own parent class, or maybe a single archetype that can apply to two classes once--e.g., trait X is offered as an exchange for trait A from class #1 OR trait B from class #2...if you happen to be a multiclass with both classes 1 and 2, you could pick which trait A or B to give up for trait X but you can't have X twice.

 

[Starfox]

ALL base (and core) classes should be combinable via multiclassing with every other base and core class, with the reasonable exception of classes that are incompatible due to philosophy/alignment conflicts (Paladin/Antipaladin, Barbarian/Monk, etc.)

You may want to take a look at The Multiclass Archetypes Wiki Homepage, made by a project group from the Pazio forums.

 

[Kinak]

Updated versions of all the classes are available (under My Downloads on the Paizo site if you already downloaded the original playtest document).

Lots of good tweaks and some that will take a while processing.

Cheers!
Kinak