Post by grumblyarcher on Nov 10, 2015 10:09:38 GMT
So I have been listening to the older episodes and more than a few things have occurred to me. I figured I'd concentrate all of my sundry bits of advice and observations in one place so that it is easier to reference or ignore. It will also not clog up the various episode threads.
General
The moral of these stories is that tossing a few skill ranks about can be a good thing. You do not have to put the maximum number of ranks in only a few skills. Putting one or two ranks in several skills can mean the difference between falling off a train car and successful feats of moderate daring. A lot of classes have skills like Climb or Ride as class skills and even putting a single skill rank into them can make a significant difference should the need arise. Sure you might not go swimming every session but if you do end up in the drink, you will be glad you spent a single rank on swim and now sport a respectable +8 as opposed to +4.
Another thing to keep in mind are the difficulty of average skill checks. Keeping an eye on the DCs of skill checks and planning accordingly based on class features, magic items, and which base stats you will be improving over time will provide you with a nice little economy of skill points. It is perfectly respectable to be 'good enough' at many skills. A lot of the less risky skills only require a light investment of skill ranks to max out their practical effectiveness. Survival, for instance, for a character that is not trying to specialize in tracking only really requires a +14 bonus before many of the basic mechanical benefits are practically assured outside of a natural 1. You will reliably be able to forage, gain bonuses against inclement weather, avoid natural hazards, and even predict the weather while likely being able to provide some of these for one or two other characters as well. You won't be reading tracks on asphalt but you will be reducing the strain of travel considerably.
EPISODE 11
Being armed also means that Hamid can use the Aid Another action in combat. As long as he is adjacent to the same enemy as an ally, he can use a standard action to aid his ally. It requires an attack roll against an AC of 10. If he succeeds, he does not do any damage but does manage to essentially interfere with the enemy. Mechanically, this means Hamid can choose to give his ally a +2 bonus to the ally's next attack roll against that enemy or the ally's AC against the enemy's next attack against them.
Thus, if Hamid is positioned right, he can end up giving one of the heavier hitters a net +4 bonus to attack an enemy. That +4 is nothing to sneeze at, especially at lower levels and could definitely mean the difference between Hamid getting gutted by an enemy or that enemy being gutted by Sasha or Bertie.
Episode 21
General
- Not Being the Best (Skill Points)
The moral of these stories is that tossing a few skill ranks about can be a good thing. You do not have to put the maximum number of ranks in only a few skills. Putting one or two ranks in several skills can mean the difference between falling off a train car and successful feats of moderate daring. A lot of classes have skills like Climb or Ride as class skills and even putting a single skill rank into them can make a significant difference should the need arise. Sure you might not go swimming every session but if you do end up in the drink, you will be glad you spent a single rank on swim and now sport a respectable +8 as opposed to +4.
Another thing to keep in mind are the difficulty of average skill checks. Keeping an eye on the DCs of skill checks and planning accordingly based on class features, magic items, and which base stats you will be improving over time will provide you with a nice little economy of skill points. It is perfectly respectable to be 'good enough' at many skills. A lot of the less risky skills only require a light investment of skill ranks to max out their practical effectiveness. Survival, for instance, for a character that is not trying to specialize in tracking only really requires a +14 bonus before many of the basic mechanical benefits are practically assured outside of a natural 1. You will reliably be able to forage, gain bonuses against inclement weather, avoid natural hazards, and even predict the weather while likely being able to provide some of these for one or two other characters as well. You won't be reading tracks on asphalt but you will be reducing the strain of travel considerably.
EPISODE 11
- Hamid's Claws (Contributing in Combat):
Being armed also means that Hamid can use the Aid Another action in combat. As long as he is adjacent to the same enemy as an ally, he can use a standard action to aid his ally. It requires an attack roll against an AC of 10. If he succeeds, he does not do any damage but does manage to essentially interfere with the enemy. Mechanically, this means Hamid can choose to give his ally a +2 bonus to the ally's next attack roll against that enemy or the ally's AC against the enemy's next attack against them.
Thus, if Hamid is positioned right, he can end up giving one of the heavier hitters a net +4 bonus to attack an enemy. That +4 is nothing to sneeze at, especially at lower levels and could definitely mean the difference between Hamid getting gutted by an enemy or that enemy being gutted by Sasha or Bertie.
Episode 21
- Swarms and You (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bugs)
Swarms come in many different types and present varying degrees of difficulty when dealing with them. However, the are generally a step up from your average mook. A few swarms can be harmed with physical attacks but that is generally not a good tactic in my opinion. This is because of one of their more vicious abilities, their capacity for inflicting damage without an attack roll or saving throw. Standing next to it and swinging is not recommended if other options are available. My tips are to stay mobile and pack area of effect spells or a splash weapon like Alchemist's Fire. Such weapons and effects deal 1.5x damage to swarms. Staying out of their reach and torching them is the way to go if you can. Running is another legitimate option. Swarms can and will tear an unprepared and overly aggressive party apart.
Also, keep Alex away from any material containing stat blocks for a swarm of fine or diminutive size golems. If you fail, Poseidon help us all.
Also, keep Alex away from any material containing stat blocks for a swarm of fine or diminutive size golems. If you fail, Poseidon help us all.