Trailblazer now available!

[Papa-DRB]

Wulf,

Yea, could you email it to me please. I don't know what it is. I have downloaded many other PDFs from RPGNow and everything is ok. I'll keep trying. IE seems to "time" out faster then Firefox so I'll keep trying with that.

Thanks!!

-- david
Papa.DRB

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

At this time I'm planning to go through Amazon's POD service.

Cool. Got the PDF, but I prefer print. Well, really, I prefer both

 

[kitsune9]

Trailblazer is a "system optimizer" for your d20-compatible 3rd edition game. Our design approach has been straightforward and focused: Identify the major problems of 3rd edition, then rebuild or refit the system using the latest in game design philosophy.

Trailblazer is both forward-looking and backwards compatible; innovative, but respectful of gaming traditions.

Inside this work, you will find:

Full details over at RPGNow. Price currently $4.95 for over 150 of gaming goodness!

Cool, I think I'll pick this up and mesh it with my Pathfinder campaign. Pathfinder meet Trailblazer, Trailblazer, Pathfinder.

 

[DBlue]

Re: Trailblazer

Looks very good. I just finished through my first readthrough. The modularity was a very smart decision.

For core 3.x, it's all usable.

I think I'll be able to use about 80% of Trailblazer for any Pathfinder games I run.

For my favorite gaming variant, IH, about 30-40%.

 

[kitsune9]

Looks very good. I just finished through my first readthrough. The modularity was a very smart decision.

For core 3.x, it's all usable.

I think I'll be able to use about 80% of Trailblazer for any Pathfinder games I run.

For my favorite gaming variant, IH, about 30-40%.

What jumps out for you on Trailblazer?

 

[DBlue]

Re: Trailblazer

The list of uses for action points. Makes sense, and provides a nice boost where needed. For both PCs and elites/solos. This will be used for Pathfinder and core games. I'm unsure about IH games, simply because it's fixing a subsystem that really doesn't exist.

The unified spellcaster system. The fixed spellcaster multiclassing.

The combat reaction system is brilliant. This will be included in every single d20 based game I run from here on out.

Messing around with creatures and making encounters just got a lot more flexible and quite a bit easier.

One thing that I will note... elite and solo monsters stay the same CR, but will provide a larger difficulty to the party. So they give the same reward for a more challenging encounter. I'm guessing this is plot protection more than anything else? I might houserule this, if I can't figure out(and subsequently agree with) the design philosophy behind it.

 

[GlassJaw]

What jumps out for you on Trailblazer?

Kitsune, here's a quick and high-level overview of the "biggies" you'll find in Trailblazer:

in-depth analysis of "the spine" behind 3ed
Class Rebalance
New rest mechanic
Combat Reaction system
Action point system
Iterative attacks
Multiclass spellcasting
New casting system
Redesigned Skills
Revision of attacks of opportunity
Combat maneuver system
Turn Undead revision
New rules for aerial and underwater combat
New rules for Vision and Light, Breaking items, and Rope Use
Encounter budgeting

Hope that helps!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

One thing that I will note... elite and solo monsters stay the same CR, but will provide a larger difficulty to the party. So they give the same reward for a more challenging encounter. I'm guessing this is plot protection more than anything else? I might houserule this, if I can't figure out(and subsequently agree with) the design philosophy behind it.

Two comments:

ELITES
As you can probably guess from Chapter 1, adding 1 AP and doubling the hit points of the critter isn't going to change its CR noticeably. Doubling the hit points is akin to going from a d6 to a d12. The AP is negligible. When I DM, it's basically there to prevent rocket tag.

SOLOS
This one is actually a little more complicated, because the gains are so much greater. A Solo gets 1 AP per PC and you multiply its hit points by the number of PCs.

What's not explicitly called out in my explanation (which you're making me regret...) is that a single creature-- remember, a Solo MUST be alone-- is already at a huge disadvantage against a larger number of PCs.

This is extremely difficult to explain in short form, which is why I did not really get into it, but a Solo creature runs smack up against Lanchester's Square Law, and therefore it is not as powerful as its CR indicates when it is alone.

You have probably experienced this already in 3e. BBEGs tend to die a horrible death as they are overwhelmed by a party of PCs taking 4 actions to its 1 action.

The benefits the Solo get don't increase its value over its CR, such that the award of extra XP is warranted. Instead, the benefits the Solo get bring it up to its CR, so that it is worth the XP you were already intending to award.

Clear?

EDIT: I think perhaps Chapter 1 got me a little squeamish about providing really long, pedantic explanatory notes on stuff, but if folks want more of it, I can certainly roll it in.

I'm giving myself a bit of time before the print version for just that reason.

 

[Theocrat]

Printing Services

Hi all -
I buy many PDF's - including the Pathfinder RPG. I have my 5lb PRPG Core Rulebook, but I also have a printed copy from my PDF. It cost me $25.
Kinko's is expensive. So shop around to small mom & pop shops. It's usually $.04 page black and white. $.07 double sided. My shop here in Vegas, BABY! also only charges me $.38 for color. I have them print the front and back covers in card stock, and then put a clear cover on it. It's plastic binding for most things at $3.99 - but for my printed copy of Wayfinder they were able to wire bind it.
So at 578 double sided black and white pages and two color card stock and binding it's less than $25.00.
I bought Secrets of Pact Magic in PDF, Divine Masters and a few other others and had them all printed and bound. It started with the Pathfinder Beta Web Enhancements - all those spells and such were needed. With WotC's 3.5 book, StormWrack going for $50-75 on Amazon and eBay I'm going to print my PDF version. But you have to figure that printing it needs to be cost effective vs. the overall cost of the book. At$50 for Pathfinder, a $10 PDF + $25 for printing still makes it cost effective (esp. if you got the PDF free with the your PRPG Subscription).
Hope this idea helps.
Be Well. Be Well PDF Printed.
Theocrat Issak

 

[DBlue]

Two comments:

ELITES
As you can probably guess from Chapter 1, adding 1 AP and doubling the hit points of the critter isn't going to change its CR noticeably. Doubling the hit points is akin to going from a d6 to a d12. The AP is negligible. When I DM, it's basically there to prevent rocket tag.

SOLOS
This one is actually a little more complicated, because the gains are so much greater. A Solo gets 1 AP per PC and you multiply its hit points by the number of PCs.

What's not explicitly called out in my explanation (which you're making me regret...) is that a single creature-- remember, a Solo MUST be alone-- is already at a huge disadvantage against a larger number of PCs.

This is extremely difficult to explain in short form, which is why I did not really get into it, but a Solo creature runs smack up against Lanchester's Square Law, and therefore it is not as powerful as its CR indicates when it is alone.

You have probably experienced this already in 3e. BBEGs tend to die a horrible death as they are overwhelmed by a party of PCs taking 4 actions to its 1 action.

The benefits the Solo get don't increase its value over its CR, such that the award of extra XP is warranted. Instead, the benefits the Solo get bring it up to its CR, so that it is worth the XP you were already intending to award.

Clear?

EDIT: I think perhaps Chapter 1 got me a little squeamish about providing really long, pedantic explanatory notes on stuff, but if folks want more of it, I can certainly roll it in.

I'm giving myself a bit of time before the print version for just that reason.

That makes sense. Thanks Wulf! And a design box there would probably help a little bit.

Brainstorming out loud:

One thing I might have to try to experiment with will be a super-elite. Limit one per encounter. I was thinking multiply hp by 1 per two characters, and 1 action point per per two characters.

Example: Basically, the BBEG would be normally be a solo, but the adventurers have decided to face him in his lair. His two lieutenants, reoccuring villains up till now, would be regular elite. Everything else would be normal.

Of course, this might not be needed depending on actual play experience.