Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide Preview

[joebobodo]

So... that is where we are. I know that you disagree, and I understand your position, but I honestly do not believe that this bonus is going to really unbalance anyone's game. Other things in the book might..

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

PS: You wanna talk power creep, check out the hero point system in the back. There is a reason we made it optional.

Lol. Way to stoke the fires, man. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

If you are looking at it the same way as EroGaki, then fine. (at least more or less)

I'm not in any way trying to tell other people how to play or what is or isn't fun for them.

I agree. "It is a clearly superior option."

It seems we disagree whether or not the sorcerer needs it. But that is fine.

If Paizo came out and said "You know, we kinda came in a bit low on the sorcerer and we are fixing it here". Then that would be fine.

We don't know what favored perks other races will get. Since humans are the only race to get one for every class it seems safe to assume that most won't get anything new for sorcerer at all. If they are fixing the class, then fix the class. Don't fix the class *for human PCs*.

Agreed. I don't see anyone ever playing a non-human sorcerer now. Hell, the bonus feat makes it attractive enough as it is. I don't mind the powerup if it was across the board for sorcerers, but for humans only, they may as well restrict sorcerer to the human race only.

 

[Jason Bulmahn]

Lol. Way to stoke the fires, man. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

Humor is the only thing keeping me from going crazy... well... more crazy.

Jason

 

[Dark Mistress]

If it threw the balance off, I wouldn't call it power creep, I'd call it broken.

Broken stuff is actually easier to avoid, you just don't use it.

But when you get a little boost here, and then another little boost there, and then another and another, it adds up to broken after a while, and every little step along the way drags it down that little bit.

That is why it is called power creep. It creeps along until you have a mess you may not have seen coming.

Then we define things differently. To me broken means unplayable as is. And to me power creep means pushing things out of balance.

 

[Mon]

Jason,

Thank you for addressing the points directly and professionally. It is much appreciated. I still don't agree, but will leave it at that.

I noticed you mentioned that you're getting an ulcer and going crazy(er)... FWIW (very little, I know) I think that you're a brilliant designer, the book looks great, and this is just a minor nitpick. I intended my analysis as nothing more than constructive criticism. I have been inspired by your great design choices many times, and hardly ever disappointed.

Take care, and drink some milk.

 

[Jason Bulmahn]

I noticed you mentioned that you're getting an ulcer and going crazy(er)... FWIW (very little, I know) I think that you're a brilliant designer, the book looks great, and this is just a minor nitpick. I intended my analysis as nothing more than constructive criticism. I have been inspired by your great design choices many times, and hardly ever disappointed.

Take care, and drink some milk.

No worries sir and thank you for the praise. One of the first things you have to learn in the game industry is that everyone is passionate for the games that they love, and even criticism is spawned from that desire to play fun games. You also learn to grow a thick skin...

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

 

[ruemere]

I have a wizard character in my game, who boasts 110+ hitpoints at 13th level.
And who always uses stealthily his spectral hand to devastate opposition.

Compared to this, a little feature for our party sorcerer is really tame.



Regards,
Ruemere

 

[redboxrazor]

I'm waiting for the part where everyone realizes that the APG is optional. Concerned that it introduces power creep? Then don't use it.

Any additional options will ramp up the power level of the game. That is enivitable. It sounds like everyone wants new options but doesn't want new options that they would take over the old ones.

I'm personally in favor of waiting until the book is released, reading through it, and trying out the new options before I cry foul.

Honestly, I think what has been revealed so far sounds fairly tame.

@LuzTheEvil: it's cool to see you responding here. Can't wait to see what else is in store for us in the APG. : )

 

[Mon]

I'm waiting for the part where everyone realizes that the APG is optional. Concerned that it introduces power creep? Then don't use it.

The reason you're not seeing the realization being explicitly stated is because it is implicit. The conversation is clearly occurring in the context of folks who are considering using it, and/or discussing why they might not. Hence the optional aspect need not be mentioned.

Re: Don't like it? Don't use it!
That is not a useful contribution in a conversation where people are discussing what they don't like, or do like, about something that they are considering buying. Again, it is implicit in the conversation itself.

 

[redboxrazor]

The reason you're not seeing the realization being explicitly stated is because it is implicit. The conversation is clearly occurring in the context of folks who are considering using it, and/or discussing why they might not. Hence the optional aspect need not be mentioned.

Re: Don't like it? Don't use it!
That is not a useful contribution in a conversation where people are discussing what they don't like, or do like, about something that they are considering buying. Again, it is implicit in the conversation itself.

Fair enough.

What does not seem to be implicit, however, is that any new options in great number will introduce power creep. It's simply impossible to provide an entire book of options players will get excited about without adding power to the game - this is the nature of versatility itself.

My point is, rather than focus on if a single addition (or two) to the rules is power creep, why not judge it against the entirety of the APG and the existing rules when it is released. That will certainly provide a much clearer picture of how powerful a given addition is.

Context is also important in determining this sorcerer hp/spell trade off. It's not uncommon to have two spellcasters in my group - often a wizard and a sorcerer. As a sorcerer, I'd be hard pressed to skip out on the precious 5 HP I get by level 5 (especially since we roll HP) when the wizard can cover all the bases with spells.

In my group, my pc is often holding on at 1 HP or less, and that's with False Life (who doesn't take that?). The HP has saved me some precious rewrites.


Obviously, the spells are better in most contexts, but in my opinion they are not always the correct choice. Experience will vary based on your group, your DM, and the challenges presented by your adventure.