Resonance, Potency, & Potions: A Look At Magic Items in Pathfinder 2

Paizo has been delving into the way magic items work in its latest previews of Pathfinder 2nd Edition. Last week they spoke about Resonance, a resource that characters have for activating magical items; and on Friday they blogged about Potency, which is linked to the power of a magical weapon.

​

Resonance is measured in Resonance Points (RP). Activating an item costs 1 RP, and your RP total is your level plus your Charisma modifier. Paizo points out that "We expect Resonance Points to be a contentious topic, and we're really curious to see how it plays at your tables. It's one of the more experimental changes to the game, and the playtest process gives us a chance to see it in the wild before committing to it."

They also preview a few magic items - cloak of elvenkind, floating shield, staff of healing, and some trinkets such as a fear gem, and vanishing coin.

When it comes to weapons, Resonance is not required; weapons have a "potency" value, which is roughly equivalent to its "plus" -- it gives you a bonus to attack, increases damage by a whole damage die per potency point (i.e. a +1 longsword gives +1 to hit and +1d8 damage). Potency and special qualities are limited by a weapon's quality - standard, expert, master, legendary.

[TABLE="width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Quality[/TD]
[TD]Max Potency[/TD]
[TD]Max Properties[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Standard[/TD]
[TD]+0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Expert[/TD]
[TD]+2[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Master[/TD]
[TD]+4[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Legendary[/TD]
[TD]+5[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Potency and properties are contained within transferrable magical runes, often found on a runestone. Some examples shown are disrupting, and vorpal.

Amor similarly has potency and properties. Potency affects AC, TAC, and saving throws. Some properties include invisibility and fortification.

This takes us on to potions. Potions can now have high level effects, and they don't have to be tied to the spell lists. Examples including healing potions, invisibility potions, dragon's breath potions, and oil of mending.​

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[Charlaquin]

Ah, you are right. I just checked Ghouls and Ghasts.

So looks like the Pathfinder devs mistake then.

It was definitely intentional, as Charisma ostensibly means something different in Pathfinder than it does in 3e.

 

[Shasarak]

Hard to remember, I’ve had quite a few arguments about attributes since the PF2 previews started. It was probably either about Goblins’ ancestral ability modifiers or Resonance keying off Charisma. Quite possibly both. But my opinions about Attributes in general are pretty against the grain, and not particularly relevant to this discussion. However you or I may feel about what Charisma actually means, there’s no denying that Pathfinder presents it as being about social magnetism (which, granted, appearance plays a role in, but does not completely define), leadership, and inherent magical ability.

Well either way when a Dwarven skeleton has more social magnetism then a Dwarf does then you know something has gone wrong.

 

[Kurviak]

Well either way when a Dwarven skeleton has more social magnetism then a Dwarf does then you know something has gone wrong.

Yeah, your interpretation of charisma in pathfinder...

 

[MichaelSomething]

Well either way when a Dwarven skeleton has more social magnetism then a Dwarf does then you know something has gone wrong.

Well a skeleton is far more likely to stick out of a crowd then a Dwarf.

 

[Aldarc]

At least they were consistently wrong.

Its not their fault, they just copied it straight from 3e.

Oh, come off it, man! You are sounding absolutely ridiculous and petulant, and your own Charisma score - regardless of whether that represents comeliness or persuasion - is taking a massive hit through your own posting right now. It does not reflect well on you. Sorry.

 

[houser2112]

I know that the Pathfinder developers have the best interests of the game at heart and am sure that they will take the playtest feedback seriously.

I believe this to be true as well, I just don't think they'll make major changes to the game if they conflict too much with their vision of the game (See their treatment of psionics. People were clamoring for 3.5 psionics, and they said "no way, we don't like 3.5 psionics" and gave us slot-based psychic magic instead). This is a playtest, not distributed development. Regarding Resonance, I believe they'll take feedback into account for how it's calculated or other minor details, but I don't think they'll dike it out completely, no matter how loud the clamor against it may be. I think it's too entrenched in the system to do that easily or timely enough for the release schedule they have in mind.

 

[houser2112]

Oh, come off it, man! You are sounding absolutely ridiculous and petulant, and your own Charisma score - regardless of whether that represents comeliness or persuasion - is taking a massive hit through your own posting right now. It does not reflect well on you. Sorry.

It's bad/geeky enough that you're talking to him in metagame terms as if he were a PC, but to suggest that he's literally growing warts on his face or something for every word you disagree with him over is hilarious.

 

[Aldarc]

It's bad/geeky enough that you're talking to him in metagame terms as if he were a PC, but to suggest that he's literally growing warts on his face or something for every word you disagree with him over is hilarious.

Um, I know. That was intentional.

 

[Ghal Maraz]

It's bad/geeky enough that you're talking to him in metagame terms as if he were a PC, but to suggest that he's literally growing warts on his face or something for every word you disagree with him over is hilarious.

I guess that that could help with his (i.e. Shasarak's) trolling.

Because there's no other explanation for his behaviour, at this point.

 

[Shasarak]

I guess that that could help with his (i.e. Shasarak's) trolling.

Because there's no other explanation for his behaviour, at this point.

Sorry I dont talk with trolls. Goodbye.