OOC Thread

[Gath]

Please don't. I mean, if you are, let's just use range attacks and smoke this guy where he stands rather than draw him into a melee with five guys.

[Raylorne]

... but I like a melee fight.

Phone post inc today.

[Raylorne]

Disregard. Computer post coming later tonight.

Oh hey. I broke 7k posts. Look at me.

[Ironwulf]

Congrats! Just for that, Dwinn finds a rare bottle of 70 year old Dwarven whiskey while hiding behind the dead tree.

[Raylorne]

Originally Posted by Ironwulf

Congrats! Just for that, Dwinn finds a rare bottle of 70 year old Dwarven whiskey while hiding behind the dead tree.

See that Gath, Dwinn is going to stay back because he wants to, not because you told him to.

[Gath]

Sorry if it seems like I am hogging the spotlight.

I am trying to follow a path that is true to character at this time, but I intend to be more inclusive moving forward.

[Raylorne]

/sigh You play your character however you want. Our group gets along as well if not better than those who'd been thrust together in a life or death quest and have known each other for less than a week can be expected to.

I like that this group barely knows each other and has little to no reason to really trust one another. It's a different vibe than the standard everyone is good friends kinda group. I love how in pbp groups people fall into that sense of familiarity with games that are years old yet days have passed in the game. (that was sarcastic)

[Ironwulf]

Hey, don't sell your characters short! They've known each other for almost 2 weeks when you count the boat ride! I mean, heck, that's even longer than most elf-dwarf marriages last.

[Gath]

Is it bad that I might be basing my actions on how badly I want those boots?

[Ironwulf]

Voodoo already has enough "active" items in the boots slot (Boots of the Cat and MW Sneaking Boots). Maybe I'll have Voodoo stumble upon a Pharoah's tomb and be cursed to walk barefoot for the rest of the trip across the sweltering desert sands.

Actually, you also have two chest items (Vest of resistance and blessed shirt). :P

[Gath]

I can correct that if you like. I guess I have lost track of things over time. And not to mention that my sheet was completely deleted at one point.

[Raylorne]

Will get something up todayish

[Raylorne]

Was sick yesterday. At work today. Will get something up from phone during shift.

[Gath]

This is not an angry rant. Please read it with a sarcastic smile and a mild chip on your shoulder about PF developers. NOT HOSTILE!

---

Man I really hate - HATE - Pathfinder's Combat Maneuver mechanics. So ridiculous. The developers were a little butt hurt about wizards being owned by grapple that they made it nearly impossible to make a successful Combat Maneuver unless you have devoted a bulk of your character to prioritizing success at the Combat Maneuvers.

I mean seriously. In 3.5 you have Grapple/Trip/Whatever as basically opposed Str checks. This means that people are generally within +/- 4 points, unless someone seriously dumped Str, or conversely twinked their Str. And it was an opposed roll, so there was initially a 50/50 chance that one or the other would win/lose, with the bonuses perhaps giving an edge. Sure there were ways of affecting those bonuses, but that's what those people are good at. There wasn't too much complaint about how the Wizards and casters were bending reality because that was what they were good at... Someone who does melee ought to be able to do it well. As typically that is all they are good at. As Ray has illustrated recently with Dwinn.

Now, fast forward to Pathfinder. The developers are overreacting to the perceived imbalance of power between melee characters and wizards that they make up this ridiculous mechanic that pits Combat Maneuver Bonus against Combat Maneuver Defense. This means that only the attacker rolls against a static number. Interesting idea, but they went way overboard.

CMB, the number used to initiate a maneuver, uses only BAB + Str. Voodoo has a relatively low Str, at 16, with a 3/4 BAB, so his CMB is +8.

CMD, the number that all CMB attacks compare to, includes: 10 + Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + Dexterity modifier + special size modifier + miscellaneous modifiers

So if we compare this to an opposed roll, already the defendant has the advantage as he automatically gets to take 10 on the d20 roll. Then you add not just the BAB + Str, which is what the attacker uses, but you also add Dex, AND Miscellaneous Modifers - this includes circumstance, deflection, dodge, insight, luck, morale, profane, and sacred bonuses to AC. Voodoo's CMD is 29.

There is no way that I could make a successful Combat Maneuver against myself, unless we assert that a natural 20 always wins. In that case, I have a 5% chance of winning against myself.

I was going to use a maneuver to teleport up to that guy and grapple him. But then I remembered that this is Pathfinder and attempting combat maneuvers is a ridiculous waste of time unless you specialize in them. And even then, you will have a hard time with it. Let's not forget that initiating a grapple without improved grapple provokes an opportunity attack, which, if successful, the damage is applied as a penalty against your combat maneuver attack.

In 5e table top, I do that stuff all the time. Teleport to a flying character and grapple them. Hell yeah. Style points, baby. It's an opposed Athletics check, which is basically an opposed Str check, but it's a skill so you can add proficiency bonus if you're trained in it. If you're sneaky (a rogue or bard with expertise) you can apply your proficiency bonus twice, but that's basically like taking improved grapple.

The developers at pathfinder would have you make an athletics check against the persons AC + Str + Wis + Acrobatics + Athletics + Perception... Basically a number that is so ridiculous that it could only be beaten by a critical hit from a mid to high level character.

[Raylorne]

Will attempt a post tomorrow