August Playtest- Something Wicked this Fae Comes

Status
Not open for further replies.

mythic

Baron
REMINDER: IBGA'S ARE DUE SATURDAY August 25th
**NPCs - Do not post here. Let us know if you had any highlights or concerns in the NPC FB group. Thanks! **


1. Post your favorite moments
2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)
3. What you would like to see more of
4. Give us a moment from the perspective of your character
5. Please add a few things that you really liked about the 2.0 ruleset
6. Please add your thoughts on things we need to review for the 2.0 ruleset


Posting rules, respect everyone's views, no debates. Everyone sees things differently.
Reviews for 2.0 get you 25 Goblin Stamps, so make sure you tag your review with your name.
 
1. Post your favorite moments
I think the last fight I had before I left. It was strange to be subdued to work with the enemy. It was a fun fight. Challenging enough but it was possible by working together. I look forward to us working better together.

2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)
I think the dryads not liking Xamot and showing contempt is getting old. It was like that for the whole season last year. Perhaps this effect will fade as the great work the PCs put in the Dark Reaches brings resolution to some of the lands.

3. What you would like to see more of
I love roleplaying more of this would always be great.

4. Give us a moment from the perspective of your character
The dryad was about to leave the tavern when suddenly undeads entered the room carrying food. Bota cannot remember who but someone told me him that they could not kill those right now as they need their leader's help. Also they apparently cannot take care of him unless they work together. Bota forced himself not to kill them. Strangely enough they are not attacking and their leader is acting as if they are friends.
Their leader introduced himself to Bota. His name is Really. This is really uncomfortable the undeads starts analyzing the dryad and touching him. Bota walks away at the firs opportunity still awaiting the moment that they be taken care of. Being away from them at least makes it more tolerable and also makes him feel less like killing them. Finally, it seems like the business they had with this undead is over. The fights started and the dryad knew that finally those poor people would be liberated from the chaos that enslaved them.

5. Please add a few things that you really liked about the 2.0 ruleset
I thought mediation was useful especially after using the legacy incants.

6. Please add your thoughts on things we need to review for the 2.0 ruleset
I can't think of anything that I've noticed. Except maybe the healing incants being a mouthful but I am hopeful that practice will make it better.
I would probably prefer something like: I call upon earth to heal you 10
It seems like the incant to evocation spells is way easier to say: I evoke a 10 flame bold

I could not find a form to send feedback to the 2.0 committee. Are they still collecting feedback?
 
Last edited:
1. Absolute favourite moment was putting to rest the first skeleton. It’s brain snack went flying and I dusted it. I was so scared it would be too strong for me. Then the next one ... then the next one... then oh ****.

2. Pace is always a bit slow for me. Just s few more wandering goblins/skeletons makes all the difference for me.

3. See 2 a bear in the woods a fae fight, a thief running and hiding. And to be fair I have seen a steady improvement in these things. It’s especially important when half the pcs are busy on a dungeon. Even a 1 min fight keeps you pumped until everyone else gets back.

4. See 1 ;)

5. I like the clarity of the effect list the ease with which you can sort out defences and cures.

6. Elemental damage and elemental types seems like it deviates a bit from the format of the rest of the rule set.
 
1. Having one hand stuck trying to loot some goo whilst fending off an undead with a dagger in the other hand in the middle of a battle with Weythune was pretty memorable for me. During that fight it was fantastic to be able to turn the spells I knew I wasn't going to use into evocation so that they'd actually be useful.

2. IG it's never fun to connect a well timed banish with an elemental and have them resist it, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

I felt pretty underwhelmed after using up my channeling pool. I only took one rank of it, so that's understandable, but also it feel like I'd have to put a lot more ranks into it for it to feel as satisfying as putting that build into spell slots. Emptied it all into one elemental of the opposing element without killing it and at the end went "Well, I guess that's all for today."

The fight with Weythune seemed to go on longer than it really needed to and left a lot of people feeling like they couldn't contribute. It was interesting however to have to think more about tactics and what would actually bring him down as our resources began to rapidly dwindle.

3. Like Morel said, it can feel a little dead when you're not actively involved in one of the plot lines going on. More goblin hijinks are always needed and they give lower level players something they can feel like they're contributing more to. Big storylines are great but it's the little adventures I find that make the world feel like it's alive and anything can happen at any moment. Even for higher leveled players sometimes it's fun just demolishing the enemy as a sort of recognition of how far they've come and what they're capable of now.

More roleplaying is always good, and roleplaying where everyone in a party can contribute, rather than just having one voice do all of the talking. It feels a little bit like all of the major plot turning points have combat as a central element and that can get tiring. Having more roleplay moments is also a way to give new players the chance to shine as it doesn't rely on in game skills.

4. The battlefield was alive with the sounds of fighting. Calls for healing and attack came in equal measure. Our forces seemed like they were overpowered by one of the most powerful necromancers we had ever had the misfortune of meeting, and where was I in this fray? Right out in the middle of the horde of skeletons, exchanging blows with one slowly advancing. I had no weapon shield left, no spells to deal with this pitiful creature, only a dagger in my left hand and the mounting realization that it was a stalemate and I really, really shouldn't be there. Attempting to slowly back up and call for help all I could do was keep this skeleton at bay. Ah! From the corner of my eye I spot Warthorn and call out to him. He comes to my aid, finishing off my foe, and once more I'm able to take stock of my quickly depleting stack of scrolls and hope that our strike team gets back quickly to help us fend off this menace as successfully as I hope their mission went.

5. Flexible casting is amazing and gives casters the flexibility to choose exactly what they need to do at the moment they're in. It lets us not feel as if we have to save certain spells for rare occurrences and then feel like that slot was wasted when that situation never arises. It promotes the preparation of those spells that are maybe not as commonly used but extremely effective in the right circumstances. I don't mind taking things like banish/subjugate knowing that if I don't see any elementals they are still useful spell slots.

Effect groups are wonderfully simplified and much easier to remember. It's easier to remember what cures what now without needing a printed out chart with you at all times for those rarely encountered effects.

All of the martial skills make the martial classes seem more dynamic and interesting (Especially the spellsword/adept skills). You never know what you're going to get when you meet a fighter or rogue now!

Meditation was handy to have, especially as you're learning new incants. It also provides a great reason to take a breather.

The racial changes are all fantastic, reasonable, and well done. They were clarified where they needed to be, modernized, and made more interesting because of it.

Crafting also seems more flexible and like something an artisan can actively engage in.

6. Earth incants seem long winded (Suggestion: Have the earth incants match the necromancy incants. "With Earth I <do something>"). Undead having natural armour seems strange and like an artificial fix to NPCs having to keep track of doubled damage. (Natural armour should be reserved for those creatures who are either tough to hit or have incredibly thick hide) The way healing works against undead now, especially as part of a party, seems like it devalues earth casters rather than empowers them. Earth blade being a 6th level spell seems a little high and like it further prevents earth casters from being relevant as a support role unless they're capable of casting that level of spell. It should be in line with enhanced blade as I assume it's meant to empower earth casters against undead the same way celestial casters are empowered against elementals.

Channeling pool seems small or the XP cost too high. (At least as a C caster) I would be hard pressed to put enough XP into this skill to make it worth using compared to spell slots. Also having to use both hands for a wand and packet seems like it exposes the caster to more danger, you also need to find a way to carry a slippery wand. (I lost both of mine temporarily before game had even begun) Having it be a way to expand your capabilities throughout the day as in 1.3 would be preferable, even if it was only really useful at high level, rather than having to choose between putting XP into it or into spell slots.

The new spell levels for celestial spells seem really reasonable, except that stun limb seems a little too high. Its earth counterpart paralysis seems much more powerful. I wouldn't mind seeing stun limb ending up around 6-7th level as its effect seems more comparable to something like a wither, even considering the limits of what can fix it.

Having no protectives at the start of an event seems disconnected from what a caster would be doing during the rest of the month. Do we not use magic the rest of the month? Is it not reasonable to assume that at least those capable of casting protectives would renew them on themselves, or that those unable to cast them might seek out someone who is able to? Rather than having no protectives at the start of an event, it might be better to have a full stock of protectives, or at least have the option to pay for them to represent paying a caster to cast them on you from a scroll/potion or something, with discounts if you're personally able to cast them.

Changing shield to mend armour changes the spell from a wonderful buff to casters to something that might be used on your fighter if it's convenient. The fact that nothing really replaced bless for Earth casters is even a little more disappointing. Those extra points really help us squishy ones!

Playtest specifically: Allowing only 1000 PP of stuff seems limiting on the merchants who help fuel everything. It's not indicative of how play during an event would actually go (It makes things harder than they would normally be), prevents full RP by the merchants, and costs them extra just so that everyone else can have a better time.

I prefer death as the name for the effect, as I understand death to be the discontinuation of something's existence. Trends die, you can kill time, stars can die. None of these things have a constitution and they can still die. Doom sounds like a mix of the fear and paranoia effects and doesn't really reveal what will actually happen to a player struct by it. Death makes that a lot clearer.

Overall though these are just minor tweaks to the major improvements that currently exist in 2.0, and I'm really excited for when we finally make the switch over permanent!

- IG Name: Silvas ----- OOG Name: Cody
 
Rather than having no protectives at the start of an event, it might be better to have a full stock of protectives, or at least have the option to pay for them to represent paying a caster to cast them on you from a scroll/potion or something, with discounts if you're personally able to cast them.

One quick note: you can spend 40 GS to have a full boat of protectives before game.
 
One quick note: you can spend 40 GS to have a full boat of protectives before game.
Oh absolutely, it would just be convenient if you could between events wander into the local area's wizard shop (If they have one) and slide a wizard or scroll maker a gold to restock your protectives. I'm not sure if goblin stamps are also accepted currency in Fortannis, and maybe that's the "in-between-events" currency, but most places accept the coin of the realm. The whole thought was me just wondering if there was an in game reason spellcasters lose their protectives by the next event when they can cast them during a weekend.
 
1. Post your favorite moments
When Pigeon and I were discussing the genetic dominance of oathsworn by location. we turned out to be wrong as Xamont did sprout horns in the end, but it was still fun.
the mod with all the traps.
i over all enjoyed the event.
the brains and lady fingers were really good too.

2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)
The latter half of the waythoon fight. it ended with just stig and xamont being the only ones able to effect him. it made for a boring conclusion. The swarm i didn't really have a problem with, but the threshold should have been a little lower so we could sub out when people are getting tired. just watching the same couple people being the only ones to take on the big bad isn't fun for anyone except those couple people. 2.0 was being made in part so that someone coming in day one could feel useful and to prevent static high damage output. this fight did not reflect that.

3. What you would like to see more of
More big bads that don't take a level 20 pure fighter to even hit.

4. Give us a moment from the perspective of your character
After being let into the triage circle:
"ok time to refit my armour."
1..2..3..Done!
"Man I love this armour!"

5. Please add a few things that you really liked about the 2.0 ruleset
i like how if you don't want to be a heavy hitter you can still get the toys available like slays, parry and the like. it makes being a artisan more appealing because you can take 20 ranks in a production skill and still get an eviscerate

6. Please add your thoughts on things we need to review for the 2.0 rule set
the scholar path hasn't changed in the fact that you cannot get the high level toys unless you get up to 9th level spells first. if they did formals where you needed to spend x amount of xp in scholar skills it could open up a scroll craftier or potion maker to be able to use formal magic. or if someone wanted to use a wand or relic for most things but still wanted to be able to cast formals. it just seems fair to me that the spell casters enjoy the same flexibility as the rest of the classes in 2.0. i didn't come up with this idea, but i am sharing it.
 
2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)
The latter half of the waythoon fight. it ended with just stig and xamont being the only ones able to effect him. it made for a boring conclusion. The swarm i didn't really have a problem with, but the threshold should have been a little lower so we could sub out when people are getting tired. just watching the same couple people being the only ones to take on the big bad isn't fun for anyone except those couple people. 2.0 was being made in part so that someone coming in day one could feel useful and to prevent static high damage output. this fight did not reflect t

Normally, I don’t comment, but this is very incorrect. I had players tossing spells from scrolls and others that beat me down as well. Players had lots of options other than just swings. Scrolls, blast globes, trap globes and more. Lots of, if not most of, the new marshal and stealth skills would have landed as I had no defences left. Heck, an alchemist could have tossed coatings, or even potion coatings onto weapons and traded off with Stig or Xamot. Several did. Players have to start thinking a bit more about working as a team in 2.0. It turned into a very long fight because many players withdrew from the combat instead of supporting those in it. Players had options to bring in free MIs to test, but did not. They had the option to bring in 500 GS (or spend coin) of new production items, and did not. I really do hope that in the next test, players take the opportunity and do so.
 
Normally, I don’t comment, but this is very incorrect. I had players tossing spells from scrolls and others that beat me down as well. Players had lots of options other than just swings. Scrolls, blast globes, trap globes and more. Lots of, if not most of, the new marshal and stealth skills would have landed as I had no defences left. Heck, an alchemist could have tossed coatings, or even potion coatings onto weapons and traded off with Stig or Xamot. Several did. Players have to start thinking a bit more about working as a team in 2.0. It turned into a very long fight because many players withdrew from the combat instead of supporting those in it. Players had options to bring in free MIs to test, but did not. They had the option to bring in 500 GS (or spend coin) of new production items, and did not. I really do hope that in the next test, players take the opportunity and do so.

My review came from the view point of someone who was present for the fight and did do some damage. But once we run out of abilities we couldn't do anything. You mentioned coating but those are 1 hit, as are scrolls, and most abilities. We did come up with a couple ways to do damage but once we were out of scrolls/abilities and all we could do was swing our weapons that's when we felt useless. Out of the 8 or so people that stayed with the fight until the end, only Stig and xamont were doing any damage beyond a handful of effects.

As for why people didn't bring in all their MIs I can't say why that is. But I know many don't want to spend many GS, because they can't make it to crafting days or afford to donate to get them and don't generate a lot to begin with and either don't have them to spend or are saving them for something special.
 
MIs don’t cost GS. You get 1/3 levels for free.
 
I know and I broung in 5 MIs. I mean spending GS to get extra production items
but PCs have the option of spending that in coin as well (so up to 5gp) to purchase them instead of GS (or a combo) so there are lots of options to grab stuff.
 
1. Post your favorite moments

Role play moments with Evo, Heating about a lost sylvanborn in the lux, dodging all the charm leis, all the story rp mods i got to go on. I had a great event, really it was all great moments.

2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)

the low times when you know a mod or the reaches are out, and town is dead. Just gonna echo the sentiment that a few more goblin patrols or random npcs would be nice.

3. What you would like to see more of

More random npc's or patrols. LOOT!!! Lol Jinn is poorer than usual now, and everyone he looted had nothing on them, and they hadn't been looted already.

4. Give us a moment from the perspective of your character

The spirit of the troll becomes a solid form as it tells Elwynd "Only warriors combat will free me" Elwyn looks at Jinn and he nods. "Let Elwynd do this alone, we only step in if he needs help" They let the elf fight the troll, and the battle rages back and forth, both warriors trading blows. Suddenly the troll binds Elwynd "HEY! That's not honerable combat at all!" Jinn yells. His had reaches out and in a flash of energy the trolls sword falls to dust in their hand. Jinn skims over his baldric and feeds Elwynd a potion, the magic binding releasing his arms. "That's much better... now give the troll a sword so they can finish this!"

5. Please add a few things that you really liked about the 2.0 ruleset

The ability to gain fighting skills easier is a huge bonus. Knowing I had a parry made me a bit more reckless in fights, which is way more fun for me. It made being a spellsword seem less like i was wasting build.

6. Please add your thoughts on things we need to review for the 2.0 ruleset

Channeling seems expensive, don't know if the cost is worth it for a spellsword.


Just to add to the gobbie/gold thing. I had to borrow gold from someone this event to make enough to do some production for next event. I don't know where our economy is at, but there may be a few players who just have a stash and/or when loot happens its like Cory said and people who are looting need to remember that there are people out there righting and healing and taking out the bad guys so you can loot them. Jinn is honestly starting to think about charging for protectives because he isn't making enough to keep himself supplied, let alone save for the plans he has.
 
1. Post your favorite moments
-Reminding the goblins that cornering pcs in their tents is a surefire way to get trounced.
-The trap mod, having to actually set a trap was a nice change.

2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)
-The Waythoon mod, but hear me out here. we were a bit disorganized in the beginning and that threw us off a little, but thats on us. What got me wasn't tue fight mechanics as much as the lack if team coordination. I noticed a lot of people diving face first into the mess to try and do something without a second thought, which kept us getting our butts kicked. We all, this guy included, gotta work on our communication skills.

3. What you would like to see more of
Random stuff wandering around. It doesn't even need to be that crunchy.

4. Give us a moment from the perspective of your character
As the fae lord turned to him, strands of webbing engulfed him, pinning him in place. He was powerless to move as the maw of the monster opened, and he was swallowed alive.

5. Please add a few things that you really liked about the 2.0 ruleset
Trap globes are a hoot.

6. Please add your thoughts on things we need to review for the 2.0 ruleset
I think eldritch force is beginning to look a bit bloated. There's a lot of spells in that pile.
 
1. Post your favorite moments
Reilly. Loved the character and his attendants. Too bad we (likely) won't have many more RP sessions with him.

2. Post your less favorite moments (if we don't know, we can not fix)
When things were really dead around town due to mods being out.

3. What you would like to see more of
More 'town' mods: random things happening, whether combat or not.

4. Give us a moment from the perspective of your character
Several people came back from the woods with lei's around their neck. It quickly became apparent that locking eyes made wierd things happen. Tayla just ran off with an Ogre... best to avoid them. Maybe the tavern is a good place to avoid them. Suddenly, some movement head, and.... isn't the Ice Fairy the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on?

5. Please add a few things that you really liked about the 2.0 ruleset
Trying out new builds, more spells. Combined/fewer spell classes makes incants and status effect healing a lot easier. Meditate for miscants. Trap globes

6. Please add your thoughts on things we need to review for the 2.0 ruleset
spending 1/4 of my build on Wear Extra Armor, to get the increased value of what I already wear, is a bit much. Loosing Racial Dodge.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top