Trailblazer Teasers (collected)

[Wulf Ratbane]

Hi all -
From what I'm reading I like some of this and I think I'll attempt to install at least the 10min break for this weekends game. However, I wonder if the players will say that this feels too much like 4e.

One of the better ideas from 4e-- yes.

One of the posts for this says that PF establishes that there are 20 average encounters per level and 13.3 challenging encounters for a level. I realize that the 3.5 DMG states that it's about 14.5 encounters, but I've not seen that in the PF sourcebook.

It was certainly in the alpha.

I might change the numbers myself before it's all said and done.

In using the 10min Rest Period, it seems that as a GM you'd want your monsters to be maxed in HP and if possible not just generic Monster Manual monsters - you'd ideally want to modify them, giving them more appropriate feats and other aspects to make an encounter additionally challenging. Is this the case?

Not necessarily.

If, as the DM, you intend to permit your players to rest as often as they like-- regardless of whether that rest period is 1 day or 10 minutes-- and they go into every fight fully rested and ready to go, then you'll certainly be able to "whack" on them a little bit harder. That's what I do.

But it is important to remember that the 10 minute rest is really just an agreement between the DM and the players that formalizes the "hand wave" that already exists in most games.

It is impossible for players to "abuse" the 10 minute rest any more than it is possible for them to "abuse" the existing 1 day rest.

If you don't want them to rest, pressure them:

In my current campaign, my players are now facing down the BBEG in a little pocket dimension formed from a conjunction of elemental planes. Though they were confident they'd be able to rest with the same ease and frequency they had grown accustomed to, they were quite shocked to find out that they (a) can't cast rope trick as they are already inside an extra-dimensional space, and (b) can't rest properly with flames, wind, lightning, and earthquakes rattling the area with alarming regularity.

So now they know they are "under the gun," and they're being more cautious with their resources.

You note that you use Action Points and the Reserve Points (in the Trailblazer book), but I don't really understand AP's and RP's. Are AP's just like those found in d20M and Unearthed Arcana?

Very similar. Similar enough that I am confident you'll understand how to use them in play.

 

[Elodan]

Hey Wulf,

Based on what I read in your multiclass spellcaster post, you're using spell slots. I had been planning on doing the same thing in my campaign. How have you found them in actual play? Also, do you keep the current rules for acquiring spells in place or did you makes some tweaks to work with the slots?

Looking forward to the final product.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Hey Wulf,

Based on what I read in your multiclass spellcaster post, you're using spell slots. I had been planning on doing the same thing in my campaign. How have you found them in actual play? Also, do you keep the current rules for acquiring spells in place or did you makes some tweaks to work with the slots?

Looking forward to the final product.

I very much want to answer this one, but I am not exactly sure what you're asking. Can you elaborate a bit more?

Assuming I understand you correctly, yes, there's a tweak to acquiring spells: You take the class, you get all the spells on the list-- same method clerics currently enjoy.

• The wizard has to have his spellbook to get his bonus Ready spells.
• No class has such a thing as a "spells known" list. Sorcerers have access to all Wiz/Sor spells (they just have far fewer ready at any time to choose from).
• Bard have their own spell list (as before).
• Paladins get full access to the cleric spell list. (Bless Weapon and Holy Sword become class abilities.)
• Rangers get full access to the druid spell list.
• Paladins and rangers have "true" 1/2 caster level-- their spellcasting ability starts at 1st level (with 0-level spells) and can go as high as 5th level spells. (20th level Paladin = caster level 10.)

 

[Elodan]

I very much want to answer this one, but I am not exactly sure what you're asking. Can you elaborate a bit more?

Assuming I understand you correctly, yes, there's a tweak to acquiring spells: You take the class, you get all the spells on the list-- same method clerics currently enjoy.

• The wizard has to have his spellbook to get his bonus Ready spells.
• No class has such a thing as a "spells known" list. Sorcerers have access to all Wiz/Sor spells (they just have far fewer ready at any time to choose from).
• Bard have their own spell list (as before).
• Paladins get full access to the cleric spell list. (Bless Weapon and Holy Sword become class abilities.)
• Rangers get full access to the druid spell list.
• Paladins and rangers have "true" 1/2 caster level-- their spellcasting ability starts at 1st level (with 0-level spells) and can go as high as 5th level spells. (20th level Paladin = caster level 10.)

I had a feeling I wasn't clear with my question but you pretty much answered it. I was trying to determine if with your method a character has access to all the spells on the list or had to acquire them one by one like the wizard. I'm wondering if players (at least mine) will become overwhelmed by the number of spells they can choose from to ready.

Thanks.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I had a feeling I wasn't clear with my question but you pretty much answered it. I was trying to determine if with your method a character has access to all the spells on the list or had to acquire them one by one like the wizard. I'm wondering if players (at least mine) will become overwhelmed by the number of spells they can choose from to ready.

Thanks.

That seems unlikely in any circumstance I can think of.

If you're starting from 1st level, no problem. Take it a level at a time. (Of course this is the ideal way to learn any new ruleset-- this is true of everybody and all the rules changes, not just the spellcasters.)

If you're converting an existing high level campaign, the wizards should already have close to all the spells in their spellbook. I'm not seeing a big leap to "Just assume that your spellbook contains every spell in the PHB."

At any rate the problem of deciding what spells to ready each rest is really no more difficult than it was when they were simply deciding what spells they wanted to put in their spellbooks.

It will be a little different for bards and sorcerers. Bards and sorcerers are already accustomed to the Ready spell concept because that's all that spontaneous casting is anyway-- a list of Ready spells (spells known) and a bucket of spell slots to cast them with.

They will have to get accustomed to the concept that they can change out their ready spells each time they rest, but that's a kind of "problem" they will welcome.

 

[Fenris]

I have a problem with Trailblazer.













It's not out yet. Hurry up!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Hm.

I'm starting to think I should open it up to a few select playtesters.

 

[Fenris]

Wulf,
I did have a request for Trailblazers.

I am not sure you are interested, but I would like to see psionics get the same treatment for multiclassing as magic did. While I know it isn't as prevalent as magic, I am in an all psionic campaign and am playing a psychic warrior in another game. And half the time I pretend it is magic and spell points anyway.

But I would really like to see some kind of a Base Psionic Bonus system as well.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I am not sure you are interested, but I would like to see psionics get the same treatment for multiclassing as magic did.

I'm just not confident that I have the experience to do a good job with psionics.

 

[Alzrius]

You're out luck, Fenris. Wulf has already declared that he's no friend of gnomes, psionics, or epic level material. Which means that somewhere out there, someone who's playing a 21st-level gnome psion is going to be incredibly disappointed.