The hidden wisdom of the magical pathfinder 2e pdf is a treasure trove of knowledge and insights for players and game masters alike. This comprehensive guide provides an in-depth exploration of the magic system in the Pathfinder 2e roleplaying game, taking readers on a journey through the intricacies of spellcasting and the various magical traditions available to players. The pdf contains a wealth of information on everything from basic spellcasting mechanics to advanced magical techniques, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to delve deeper into the mysteries of magic in the Pathfinder 2e universe. **One of the main ideas that stands out in the pdf is the focus on the player's creativity and the limitless possibilities that magic can present.** The pdf encourages players to think outside the box and experiment with spells and magical abilities in order to create truly memorable and unique characters. Whether it's through clever spell combinations, unconventional uses of magical items, or the development of entirely new spells and rituals, the pdf emphasizes the importance of harnessing the power of imagination in order to fully explore the potential of magic.
Whether it's through clever spell combinations, unconventional uses of magical items, or the development of entirely new spells and rituals, the pdf emphasizes the importance of harnessing the power of imagination in order to fully explore the potential of magic. Moreover, the pdf also offers guidance for game masters on how to incorporate magic into their campaigns in a way that is both balanced and engaging. It provides tips on creating challenging encounters for magic-wielding characters, as well as suggestions for integrating magical elements into the overall storyline of the campaign.
Magic Items: What do you think of them?
My players think PF2 magic items are uninteresting other than weapons and an occasional item here and there like a Greater Cloak of Elvenkind. What do you think of magic items? Are they unappealing and mostly unnecessary?
My players don't use many talismans or temporary magic items and have little trouble still winning. The only magic item that has an noticeable effect on combat is magic weapons and at very high level a stat enhancing item.
I would say casters using wands or spell items are more useful. But even those often get overlooked for using innate powers and abilities.
If your players don't find them very interesting, have you done anything to make them more interesting?
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Overall, I really like and appreciate the way Paizo handled this 2e for what concerns items, for several reasons:
1) There's not powercreep behind them ( meaning that a character won't have huge advantages by purchasing items. It can either go with them or not ).
2) More valude to consumable items ( given the fact items are not powerful, expending resources into scrolls, potions and elixirs, for example, is a good alternative ).
3) Because of alternatives, they are not mandatory.
This means that a character can achieve bonus items in different ways:
- Different Items ( alternatives between items giving the same bonus ).
- Feats ( skill/class ).
- Elixirs.
- Spells.
4) DC based effects ( this one can vary from player to player ).
At first I was skeptic about items with a flat DC, because it seemd low and because a character would have find themselves unable to use them from lvl 1 to lvl 20 ( at some point, they'll have to drop them for better DC ).
The more I played, the more I somehow realized that even if the enemies you are against require just a 5+ ( it's an example ) to succeed, doesn't mean they succeed all the time.
Plus, that a critical failure is always round the corner.
As mentioned before, point 4 is not something which everybody can enjoy ( as for slow progression, and because so the urge to play with FA ), but, whether it was intended or not, I can say that now I feel more comfortable with flat DC items.
11 people marked this as a favorite. |
The flat dc items are a signpost that this treasure I received is just a gold amount when I get back to town. Planned obsolescence turns these treasures into thinly veiled, very expensive consumables. I'd much prefer having neutered effects that function as intended 1-20. Just don't blur the line between magic item and consumable. The thaumaturge feat that sets item dcs to class dcs salvages these items. for one class late game
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
My players think PF2 magic items are uninteresting other than weapons and an occasional item here and there like a Greater Cloak of Elvenkind. What do you think of magic items? Are they unappealing and mostly unnecessary?
My players don't use many talismans or temporary magic items and have little trouble still winning. The only magic item that has an noticeable effect on combat is magic weapons and at very high level a stat enhancing item.
I would say casters using wands or spell items are more useful. But even those often get overlooked for using innate powers and abilities.
If your players don't find them very interesting, have you done anything to make them more interesting?
It depends. Some items offer utility in a way that spells or other features simply can't compare. The Cloak of Elvenkind is one solid example of that. Even when you add its uninteresting counterpart, the Boots of Elvenkind, it makes the Cloak more powerful by having multiple uses of Invisibility, which is definitely helpful and removes some of the need for combat decision paralysis that often plagues one-time-use consumables, and festers its way into once-per-day options.
I do agree that a lot of consumables and other magic items are quite lackluster or don't do a whole lot for players unless you specifically build/plan for it, short of scrolls or wands, they aren't very practical. Even a basic potion is difficult to use when you absolutely need it, both due to AoOs making it not really do anything besides waste actions, and because of horrible action economy and free-handedness needed regardless of AoOs being present, and is really only band-aided when you throw Gloves of Storing into the mix, only usable once per fight.
Even with magic items that are good, they largely serve as means to make the math work, which continues to make them uninteresting. Characters without Potency/Striking/Resiliency runes are characters the math does not match. Characters without an Apex item are going to be lackluster or too weak compared to one that isn't based on the monster values. While a lot of the Apex items do include some other useful factors (such as skill increases and some specialty use abilities), they're still mostly math-fixer items, and aren't anything extremely versatile or interesting except in the most niche of circumstances.
Lower levels are also super weaksauce with magic items, since you don't really see anything beyond maybe a couple basic consumables or other items, that it's basically cliche or easily known what the consumable/item is before you even loot it. "Oh, that weapon is magical, it's a +1 [weapon they used]." "Oh, it's a bottled liquid that radiates magic, it's a minor healing potion." That's not very interesting, imaginative, or different from any other game or table. I'm not saying that we can't have these things, I'm saying that we should be able to have more than these things, and that wonder and awe should be restored back to the lower levels in regards to magic items. Where's my Minor Flaming rune, which adds +1 Fire Damage to my attacks with a 1D4 persistent fire critical specialization, able to trigger weaknesses? Where's my Potion of Mana, which restores a spell slot (of your choice) to your character, based on the level/grade of the Potion? Where's a Minor Resistance rune, which reduces the damage I take from a given element by 1? There is plenty of space for Paizo to explore here, and they have with other published options, which I think are cool. The problem I have is that they aren't options simply available to the player base, or aren't categorized to exist.
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Set DC or atk items suck so I just let PCs upgrade them and use the GMG tables to balance cost, DC and level. Much happier with it as a result (I used to use an excel sheet to make it exact cost translation but now I just get a rough cost estimation and it takes seconds)
Other magic items are fine imo and tend to make a pretty big difference to the players who use them. The gap between a spellcaster who has a bunch of scrolls and a couple of wands and one who doesn't at upper low and mid levels is pretty big.
Other consumables are also big power boosts and let casters do other things, mid level mutagens, potions of greater flight, dust of disappearance; all are fantastic and cheap.
Talismans and other trinkets are situational but often benefit from free action activations. Some are awful, some are not useful to specific parties, many are cheap and just nice to have when you need it.
As for static items that aren't static boosts like backfire mantle, I find the best ones are things that expand your options to other areas rather than what the character already specialises in or enable a different style of play. But I can't give many specific examples other than the standard wand/staff/rune examples because they are very campaign, character and party dependent.
But yeah wrapping it up, I strongly believe non atk/dc magic items are great, and atk/dc magic items are super easy to scale. either with crafting as I do, or simply scaling the stats with level (although I would only do this with permanent items).
Deriven Firelion wrote:I would say casters using wands or spell items are more useful. But even those often get overlooked for using innate powers and abilities.
A caster not buying or crafting niche scrolls either:
- has a GM that never challenges them
- has made suboptimal choices to prepare niche spells or add them to their repertoire and have less generalist options
- is not contributing solutions that spellcasters normally can
All of the above is fine ofc, different styles of play and preferences.
But yeah wrapping it up, I strongly believe non atk/dc magic items are great, and atk/dc magic items are super easy to scale. either with crafting as I do, or simply scaling the stats with level (although I would only do this with permanent items).
**Ultimately, the hidden wisdom of the magical pathfinder 2e pdf lies in its ability to inspire and empower players to embrace the full potential of magic in their games.** With its comprehensive coverage of the magic system and its emphasis on creativity, the pdf serves as a valuable tool for both novice and experienced players looking to explore the wonders of magic in the Pathfinder 2e universe. By unlocking the hidden wisdom contained within its pages, players can unlock new possibilities and take their gaming experiences to new heights..
Reviews for "The Scroll of Secrets: Uncovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Magical Path in Pathfinder 2e PDF"
1. John - 2 stars - I was not impressed with the "Hidden wisdom of magical pathfinder 2e pdf". The content seemed shallow and lacked detailed explanations. It felt like a rushed compilation of generic information that I could have found for free online. The book promised to delve into the depths of magical wisdom, but it barely scratched the surface. Overall, I found it to be a disappointment and not worth the money.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I regret purchasing the "Hidden wisdom of magical pathfinder 2e pdf". The book was unorganized and poorly laid out, making it difficult to follow. The author seemed to assume that the readers had a certain level of knowledge, leaving out essential explanations and leaving me feeling lost. The supposed hidden wisdom was non-existent, and I found myself questioning why I even bothered with this book. Save your money and look for better resources.
3. Mike - 2 stars - The "Hidden wisdom of magical pathfinder 2e pdf" was not what I expected. The writing style was dry and lacked any sense of excitement or enthusiasm. The author failed to engage the reader and failed to provide any practical applications of the magical concepts discussed. The book felt like a chore to read, and I was left feeling unsatisfied with the information provided. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a comprehensive guide on magical pathfinding.