Pathfinder 2nd Edition Playtest Now Live
Posted: 2018-08-09 01:55am
So Paizo has dropped the PF 2e playtest here (http://paizo.com/pathfinderplaytest).
I've only just started looking it over but it feels very much like a middle ground between 3.x/PF and 5e D&D. Which is exactly what I'd expect to see from the second edition of Paizo's game given the current RPG market.
Character creation, as has been the trend, is less about rolling dice and more about assigning a starting set of points to a base layer of stats. In this case, you start with 10's across the board with the expected complete neutral modifier. Your race adds points to some number of fixed stats in chunks of +2 but also gives a player assigned free boost to be placed where ever you'd like. Most races also have a penalized stat which drops by -2. Your background then gives a boost that can go to one of two stats and has another free stat boost. Classes don't give stat boosts but all characters get an additional 4 free stat boosts that can be placed in any stat.
No starting stat can be increased past 18 at level 1, and stat boosts to stats at or above 18 only boost that stat by 1 point. It doesn't seem like stats are capped 5e style in this playtest.
Here's what my example Dwarve's stats looks like at each step:
Base:
Str: 10 - Dex: 10 - Con: 10 - Int: 10 Wis: 10 - Cha: 10
Racial Mods Added: Con and Wis must be raised and charisma lowered, plus the free boost which went to strength
Str: 12 - Dex: 10 - Con: 12 - Int: 10 Wis: 12 - Cha: 8
Background Mods Added: I chose Acolyte which means I can boost Con or Wis and one stat of my choice. I chose to boost Con and Wis.
Str: 12 - Dex: 10 - Con: 14 - Int: 10 Wis: 14 - Cha: 8
Lastly I add my free points and get:
Str: 16 - Dex: 10 - Con: 14 - Int: 10 Wis: 18 - Cha: 8
HP is also done by a race + class + stat system. In this case Dwarf is 10, Cleric adds 8, and my Con of 14 adds 2 for a starting HP pool of 20.
Speaking of classes they have a built in archetype system much like both PF and 5e. It's a little closer in feel to 5e than PF by my current judgment.
Skills are a cross between 5e's proficiency and 3.x/PF bonuses and modifiers. They go up in steps of untrained, trained, expert, master, legend with each level giving some bonus or penalty to the skill; these modifiers apply to other things like equipment quality as well. Classes, races, and backgrounds give certain skills priority and skills that aren't within your specialty can't be moved up to the next level of proficiency. I assume there is a feat to allow more skills to be upgraded but this is a pretty quick first impression.
Feats are back and are divided between racial (they call them Heritage) feats, class feats, and general feats. It feels like you get enough feats to make a very customized character and there are enough feats overall that you can build the same race, class, background combination in many very different ways.
Magic is more tied to spell level than to character level and you can use higher level slots to cast lower level spells to increase the effects. This is very 5e.
Armor classes seem slightly lower all around and you need to use an action to raise your shield in combat. If you don't not only do you not get your shield bonus to your AC, but you can't use a special action to have your shield can block damage from a hit that went through your AC.
Weapons have special qualities, damage types, and damage values as we've come to expect from both Pathfinder and 5e.
Encumbrance is simplified down to bulk. Items have negligible bulk and you can carry hundreds without penalty, light bulk where 10 items equal one full point of bulk, and whole numbers of bulk from 1 to 4 for your usually sized starting races. You can carry bulk equal to 5 + str modifier with no issue and max out at 10 + strength modifier.
In combat you now get 3 actions per round, they can be attacking, moving, reloading a weapon, raising your shield. Multiple attacks are rolled right into this and you take a -5 penalty per extra attack you take giving the familiar +0/-5/-10 curve we've come to expect.
Thus far I think I like it. It's like less fiddly PF or more crunchy 5e and should find a nice middle ground for groups split between the two systems. My own group will probably enjoy it and it should replace both systems as our new game of choice if it plays as well as a first glance suggests it should.
Thus ends my rambly first impression of PF 2e's playtest material. I'm curious to see what others think of the system.
I've only just started looking it over but it feels very much like a middle ground between 3.x/PF and 5e D&D. Which is exactly what I'd expect to see from the second edition of Paizo's game given the current RPG market.
Character creation, as has been the trend, is less about rolling dice and more about assigning a starting set of points to a base layer of stats. In this case, you start with 10's across the board with the expected complete neutral modifier. Your race adds points to some number of fixed stats in chunks of +2 but also gives a player assigned free boost to be placed where ever you'd like. Most races also have a penalized stat which drops by -2. Your background then gives a boost that can go to one of two stats and has another free stat boost. Classes don't give stat boosts but all characters get an additional 4 free stat boosts that can be placed in any stat.
No starting stat can be increased past 18 at level 1, and stat boosts to stats at or above 18 only boost that stat by 1 point. It doesn't seem like stats are capped 5e style in this playtest.
Here's what my example Dwarve's stats looks like at each step:
Base:
Str: 10 - Dex: 10 - Con: 10 - Int: 10 Wis: 10 - Cha: 10
Racial Mods Added: Con and Wis must be raised and charisma lowered, plus the free boost which went to strength
Str: 12 - Dex: 10 - Con: 12 - Int: 10 Wis: 12 - Cha: 8
Background Mods Added: I chose Acolyte which means I can boost Con or Wis and one stat of my choice. I chose to boost Con and Wis.
Str: 12 - Dex: 10 - Con: 14 - Int: 10 Wis: 14 - Cha: 8
Lastly I add my free points and get:
Str: 16 - Dex: 10 - Con: 14 - Int: 10 Wis: 18 - Cha: 8
HP is also done by a race + class + stat system. In this case Dwarf is 10, Cleric adds 8, and my Con of 14 adds 2 for a starting HP pool of 20.
Speaking of classes they have a built in archetype system much like both PF and 5e. It's a little closer in feel to 5e than PF by my current judgment.
Skills are a cross between 5e's proficiency and 3.x/PF bonuses and modifiers. They go up in steps of untrained, trained, expert, master, legend with each level giving some bonus or penalty to the skill; these modifiers apply to other things like equipment quality as well. Classes, races, and backgrounds give certain skills priority and skills that aren't within your specialty can't be moved up to the next level of proficiency. I assume there is a feat to allow more skills to be upgraded but this is a pretty quick first impression.
Feats are back and are divided between racial (they call them Heritage) feats, class feats, and general feats. It feels like you get enough feats to make a very customized character and there are enough feats overall that you can build the same race, class, background combination in many very different ways.
Magic is more tied to spell level than to character level and you can use higher level slots to cast lower level spells to increase the effects. This is very 5e.
Armor classes seem slightly lower all around and you need to use an action to raise your shield in combat. If you don't not only do you not get your shield bonus to your AC, but you can't use a special action to have your shield can block damage from a hit that went through your AC.
Weapons have special qualities, damage types, and damage values as we've come to expect from both Pathfinder and 5e.
Encumbrance is simplified down to bulk. Items have negligible bulk and you can carry hundreds without penalty, light bulk where 10 items equal one full point of bulk, and whole numbers of bulk from 1 to 4 for your usually sized starting races. You can carry bulk equal to 5 + str modifier with no issue and max out at 10 + strength modifier.
In combat you now get 3 actions per round, they can be attacking, moving, reloading a weapon, raising your shield. Multiple attacks are rolled right into this and you take a -5 penalty per extra attack you take giving the familiar +0/-5/-10 curve we've come to expect.
Thus far I think I like it. It's like less fiddly PF or more crunchy 5e and should find a nice middle ground for groups split between the two systems. My own group will probably enjoy it and it should replace both systems as our new game of choice if it plays as well as a first glance suggests it should.
Thus ends my rambly first impression of PF 2e's playtest material. I'm curious to see what others think of the system.