It's my boi Bonefist As someone running Skulls and Shackles (about to start book 6) I immediately noted thr name Kerdak then saw the picture and was intrigued
Honestly I'm just happy to be part of the ride. Been a fan of your channel since your video reply to that god awful "review" of pf2e and you're just a pleasant person overall.
Now I need to go find that video you mentioned... I'm new here (I'd looked into PF2 before and own a few books, but it felt like an uphill battle converting my players so it kinda ended up in the pile of "maybe next time" )
@@XanothAvaeth puffin forest or whatever made an absolutely terrible review of Pf2 full of misinformation and misunderstandings. Nonat made a response video to it. I could go on an hour-long rant about that review.
Same here. I've been a fan since your review of Taking20's video about P2e. I really enjoy your videos and recommend them to my mates who are coming to P2e from 5th.
@@philllllllll I remember watching that puffin first video and his explanation of what you needed to do to work out your attack rolls seemed insane, like "I don't have a character sheet at all" insane... Felt like such a bad faith review even at the time when I knew nothing of the system
@@XanothAvaeth I actually spent a few months in the comment section of that video trying to undo some of the damage. I also unsubscribed. Realized after that video Puffin was "that guy". The guy who never reads or preps ANYTHING and just plays D&D for the vibes but doesn't actually know how tf anything works.
9:14 As a person who had bad luck in previous sessions I was feeling awful that I got downed in a recent encounter... But your words made me feel better and helped me realize that I was, in fact, doing a good job! Thank you!
Love the example of the zombie, and actually one that is a good example of a creature that requires some work. Because it is always slowed, it only gets two actions. On the first turn it is going to punch you, then spend its second action grabbing. Now the timer has started. If you don't kill it or escape by its next turn. You are getting hit harder.
It is important to clarify that the Grab isn't "free." It takes an action, of which, the zombie only gets two per round (due to being Slow). Unless an ability has "Improved" in front if it (such as Improved Grab, Improved Shove, etc.), it always takes one of their three actions. This is a common mistake I see from new GMs.
@@webuser-webloser Improved Shoe? That's a Dwarf thing, I think. Or was it Gnome? Gnomes are cobbler's right? I just know my Halfling won't need impr shoe.
@Michael VonHasseln Oh wow, that's some really helpful piece of advice. No wonder the Owlbear was such a menace. Ran my first game last week. Coming from 5e, I knew how to improvise and design a One-Shot, just had to adjust DCs and remember the (awesome, helpful) rules for exploration. All the rules I ever homebrewed are just in PF2e by default :')
Also interesting note with encounter building, I run a lot of one on one adventures, and if you only have one player you can actually just use the Character Adjustment block for calculating your encounters because that is the equivalent of one player. It feels kinda obvious, but it's something I noticed and was super thankful for.
I would LOVE an in depth series on Golarian with its many cultures. Maybe a single video as an outline then separate videos that dive deeper into each region
Keep in mind, the "Grab" Monster Ability still requires the monster to spend an action if they want to do the Grab (Bestiary pg 343). All it's really doing is bypassing the Athletics roll to Grapple.
The big difference between Golarion and Forgotten Realms is that Paizo doesn't rewrite the setting every time an edition happens. Stuff that was written ten years ago is still relevant, because that was ten years ago in-game as well (instead of 400 years ago pre-magical apocalypse). This in turn means the setting is actually fleshed out. These days Faerun is basically just the Sword Coast, but Golarion has so much more variety.
Its probably already been said, but just a heads up, "plus Grab" means that the Zombie has to spend a 2nd action to get that auto-success on grapple. So a Zombie's turn would look more like this: R1: Attk, if hit -> grab R2: If grab is still (i.e. player didn't escape), chomp -> chomp Due to the permanent slow condition, only 2 actions a round. Great video. ((and as a heads up, higher level monsters have "improved grab" which is the free action grab))
When you went into the World of Golarion, I was under the impression that the omission of DnD locations like Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Chult, Barovia were left out for comparison purposes. The Forgotten Realms also has amazing and varied locations btw
I've actually explained that going from 5e to pf2e is like going from automatic to manual drive; almost everything you know is applicable, you just have to incorporate a few, new bits of info and it'll be second nature once you get used to them.
Absolutely wonderful video! It's so vital to know that Pathfinder 2E is a game of avoiding crits from your enemies and finding ways to crit your enemies. Once you know that all of the game systems click into place. Raising a shield for +2 AC is a lot more impactful when you're avoiding double damage!
Thanks for addressing the getting-hit problem. I was doing some test solo stuff to see if I understood the system, and I was convinced I was doing something wrong because of how often my tank was getting hit (bad build, terrible strategy, etc).
Just recently had my groups first session of our campaign reboot, and I adore skills in combat. Our Magus built themselves like a pro-wrestler in theming, and they were able to sneak up on a prision guard, grab them into a grapple and used their body to knock down another guard by throwing them. (Their rolls were also absurdly good, we're talking nat 20's on the grab and throw.). So basically their turn was Move -> Grapple -> YEET It was utterly glorious and after we wrapped up the session for the night, everyone felt the 3 action system made it feel way more fluid/interesting, combat wise. Also something I've learned about Pathfinder 2e, not everything can do opportunity attacks, including players, without the feat. One player was used to 5e, and wanted to move out of range of an enemy so they said 'So I'll use one action to five step away-' 'You don't have to do that in this system. This enemy doesn't have an opportunity attack feat' '... OOOHHH! So I can just move away at full?' 'Yup!' 'Sweeet~' So yeah, we're loving it so far! Keep the amazing videos up!
I picked up PF2 but have only skimmed through the book so far. The experience system and that encounter builder system looks amazing compared to anything else I've seen.
I love this series on the major differences. I would like to hear the differences between D&D5e and PF2e regarding Crafting and the importance of none magical items PF2e. I speak as an Alchemist main.
Crafting rules and mechanics in PF2e seem much more well defined and detailed than 5e which has maybe a few paragraphs about it in the “Core set”. It isn’t until two additional books later that they detail it any further and calling what is written “detailed” is a stretch.
3:30 The Grab trait you're talking about isn't a free Grapple. It still takes an action but it auto-succeeds no check required. Improved Grab is free. ALso that bit at the start of Create a Diversion amused me far more than it probably should have. Good joke.
One other thing about armor class is that it helps you not get crit, but in conjunction with skills used to debuff and spells you might start to see much less hits. Since pathfinder 2E is founded on the principle of teamwork, your AC will not make you not take damage unless you and other people are working towards that end. This means that strategizing with your teammates is genuinely important, and that you cannot fulfill your role to the best of your abilities without teamwork.
For instance, Paladin with full plate would have 19 ac, raise shield for an extra plus 2 which puts you at 21. Intimidation gives the enemy a -1 on a success and a -2 on a critical success to attack rolls. This makes that range anywhere from 13-15 in order to hit you and makes criting you impossible for that goblin.
So TLDR, if you have a party set up to do so, don’t attack 3 times as a damage dealer since the mutli-attack penalty is also reinforcing this principle. Use a skill or ability that will help your party.
To add to this, something also commonly overlooked is an enemy's second attack. In the above example with a level 1 Paladin, the goblin's second attack can only hit on 17-19 even assuming its using an agile weapon. The second attack is just as deadly if it lands, and getting hit by two attacks on a turn is the same as getting crit once. Mathematically, in this scenario, the effective +4 to AC from heavy armor, shield, and demoralize results in a 45.8% reduction in expected damage if the goblin attacks 3 times, from 4.2 damage down to 2.275. Against a lot of goblins or heavier hitting foes, thats a significant increase in durability, even compared to a bog standard 18 AC martial. Against a caster its way way more.
In regards to point #5, if you picked up the Sword Coast Adventure Guide and the Lost Omens World Guide, it would be like night and the surface of the freaking sun. There is a place for damn near *every* sort of fantasy setting you might want, and then some.
Pathfinder's setting of Golarion takes a lot stylistically from D&D's oldest settings - Greyhawk and Mystara. And unlike those, Paizo do take effort to clean up problematic stuff from older editions.
@@TenositSergeich The Forgotten Realms is also a kitchen sink setting... it's just that they barely ever stray away from the fucking Sword Coast, giving it the reputation of being a stale bread setting.
@@matthewgagnon9426 True to a degree. Forgotten Realms is a more curated creation than "put every module we made there", there aren't, say, crashed spaceships (that aren't made from wood). Pathfinder's Golarion does borrow from FR, inevitably since how it massively influenced D&D, but a lot of similarities are due to similar design goal of "alternate Earth" layout. When specifically engaging with FR, Pathfinder more often subverts its dynamics to avoid similarities, like elves and dwarves having friendly neutrality between each other to contrast's FR's long lore of disagreements. And perhaps, pushing out elven origin off Golarion and excluding a good chunk of them from action for a while to avoid FR's millennia-spanning chronologies for elves.
I have a story about how recall knowledge almost wrecked a Boss encounter. After going through three levels and 72 rooms (why did I do this to myself) they finally got to the final boss chamber there were two beings there, an automaton magus and a large snake-like devil with arms. This was bad enough for the party until they realize that they could recall knowledge on it and see if they can identify any weaknesses, then comes the natural 20, and me being a (somewhat) nice GM Tell them about its weaknesses and strengths particularly its low reflex save and its weakness to electricity. This is the part where the sniper with an alchemical shot and the sorcerer look at each other and grin. So sneaking up on this pair somehow they managed to plot and plan and essentially destroy the devil in less than one round, this completely changed the dynamic of the fight. Bear in mind the magus on its own nearly wiped out the rest of the party but understanding how to identify the weakness of your opponent and how to avoid its strengths is key to winning any fight.
To me these both videos are perfect examples for not playing neither games. These examples perfectly show what is "wrong" with both systems from my point of view. So much crunch. Thank you for these videos.
One thing that can help a player getting grumpy about taking damage despite their armor and shield is describing them not slipping up in their defensive stance but perhaps instead describing how the enemy slams into their shield but their character, despite the heavy impact standing strong. HP isn't how much blood you can lose. It is how much damage they can withstand.
Nonat, you’re doing fantastic work with these videos for people crossing over one way or the other. I’ve been playing in one form or another for a little over 30 years, so I’m very happy to see so many people taking up the banner for the different systems. I love them all, from Rifts to Dogs in the Vineyard to D&D/Pathfinder to L5R etc, etc. good on you man!
More 5 difference videos would be nice also lore videos without major spoilers so I could point my players to a video and say yeah you would likely know that having lived in the area. Love your content keep being awesome
14:45 Another thing you can do after Creating a Diversion is just Sneak to remain hidden afterward. It's the move where you shout "Hey look over there" and then tip toe away.
Can you describe in the next video how sci-fi (advanced civilizations) are incorporated in medieval PF. I heard that in Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous, there is some region in the Golarion where alien ship crash landed and some of the people found the devices/technology and reverse engineered something out of it.
Numeria :) it has a crashed spaceship, and full fledged AIs that create androids! But the region itself is primarily ruled by barbarian tribes, mostly humans, and half orcs iirc. The barbarians are learning how to use the tech they scavenge from the ship, and how to use some of it to make more tech. Edit: oh yeah btw Elves are literally aliens, from another planet than Golarion! PF lore is wild :D
I'll take #4 even further, Skills don't actually exist in 5e (barely did in 4e but that's a different discussion), they're just conditional uses of your proficiency to regular ability checks. Side note, really digging these vids, been wanting to get into PF2 for a while now (especially with recent history giving motivation to do so), and stuff like this gives a better idea what you're getting into rather than bringing the d&d mentality into the game
Hey nonat! I love the vids, and have a humble request. Can we please some more tier list? There is so much content potential like marshal classes, casters, weapon traits, spell schools, ect.
You brought up MAP right after that AC segment but didn't connect that having a higher AC means the enemies taking MAP makes it all the less likely they will hit/crit you multiple times. Sure you are going to get hit once maybe twice, but the wizard IS going to get hit twice, maybe 3 times assuming enemies are swinging all out.
"But when you pop the hood...you realize you don't know how to fix this one" fuckin got me dude lol. Also please be weary on that 5-differences video collection, we just might make that happen.
One thing I think you missed about the monster layout that makes me prefer it immensely to 5e's layout is that it is grouped into "things you need to know on player turns (HP, saves, weaknesses and resistances)" and "things I need to know during the monsters turn (speed, attacks etc.)" For example its reactions are just under its defences, because I need to be aware of that during my players turn. This is great if I have to throw an encounter together while my players pee because they did something unexpected.
Re your 2nd point about AC, you can also regain HP in PF2 easily through the Medicine skill, Elixirs of Life, and Healing Potions at low cost. The Heal and Soothe spells are also great ways to recover HP in a pinch.
I love the zombie example, though I would have noted that because they're permanently slowed 1, they can claw and grab you in a turn, and bite you next turn. Which is still awesome to me, as it makes the victim being attacked engaged with the monster and it's abilities. They'll be more inclined to want to escape it's grasp on their turn, as it gnashes it's teeth at them, or might try and put it down quickly in a panic before it gets the chance to bite into them.
To build on the "you will take damage" segment - that's part and parcel of the teamwork. You need someone chunky to take the hits (and like you said reduce the crits) and you need someone with healing (or the Battle Medicine feat) to help keep people on their feet and in the fight in addition to your damage dealers. It also really helps to have a teammate to rely on to apply debuffs and conditions to enemies and buffs to your group to adjust the hit percentage rate too; every little +1 helps.
Your comments on Golarion remind me of the Eberron campaign setting for D&D. It features pretty much the same setup, with a roughly US-sized main continent jam-packed with lore and different climates and cultures to allow any possible adventure. Unfortunately WotC hasn't been doing much with the setting, beyond one or two books per edition. But the setting's creator, Keith Baker, keeps publishing high quality unofficial expansions. And if I recall correctly, people have run it with Pathfinder rules, too. If you want a D&D comparison point for you future Golarion video, do take a look at Eberron! :)
As an honorable mention, may I suggest metamagic feats for spellcasters? Two that are available to most spellcasting classes are Reach Spell and Widen spell. For those times when you want to reach out and touch someone that's a little further away
That second difference is something very interesting that I never thought about. I think it helped me to avoid that frustration that I decided to be a bard while being a frontliner. I have absolutely gotten knocked down way more than anyone else in my party, but I was expecting it from the beginning. I have started to get much better at surviving lately with 99 health at level 7, but I still got down to about 3 hp the other day after only 3 or 4 rounds of combat.
yaaaas love this stuff, happy to have more! Also some level 1 starter guides for each class would be great, like a mini bite size version of your other videos so it's not just an overwhelming amount of stuff to just start one out.
I played a session in Pathfinder this past week, and my champion was demoralizing, striking, and raising his shield. he gets the interpose ability that lets him block attacks aimed at allies, and strike back, essentially giving him the interception fighting style and sentinel feat at level 1. I'm having fun already.
I know you already have a list of videos you’re making, but I think it would be intriguing for you to do deep dives into each skill. You could go over everything the skill can do and go through it’s skill feats. Skill feats are something I think a lot of new players underestimate skill feats and it would be helpful fir an explanation.
Looking forward to Golarion lore content! Would also would love to learn about maybe some settings you've homebrewed in the past, and how you got it to work with P2E
On point 2, 20 would be the highest at lvl 1 (18 + shield) Also tanks tend to have some way to reduce the dmg a bit (shield block, damage resistance, etc) In that goblin example, sure he hits on a 10, but he only crits on a 20 (while it could be 18-20 or more on a squishy)
I just started Pf2e and I can't wait to see more of your stuff. Thou I am not using the world of Golarion that doesn't mean I can't take what I learn from your stuff and apply it to my own vids. Thanks for the fun :D
CR in DnD actually means mostly the same thing as in pf2e. A cr 10 creature is a medium difficulty encounter for four 10th level players, however, the statblocks themselves are so random that this mostly isn't the case when put into actual play. I've DM'd since I picked up DnD in the summer of 2021, and I almost killed my party at many points thanks to this... Love Shadows though x)
LOLOL This video needed to be made... Also, you had me from the Great historic quote by Socrates, "it's not about avoiding hits..... It's about avoiding Crits."...
Great video, as ever. There's a lot I could say, but you surprised me with #5, so- yeah. Even if a GM never runs a game on Golarion, the setting is an amazing idea mine. To bring up three examples: 1) Want an urban game dealing with thieves' guild politics and unrest while fighting a theocratic fiend-worshipping monarchy? Set it in Westcrown, in the nation of Cheliax. 2) Want a desperate survival game where even powerful heroes have to try to outrun an ever-spreading zombie apocalypse, because more powerful undead are always on the way? Try the Gravelands. 3) Want to live in a peaceful, advanced nation at the forefront of civilization, where "absolutely nothing" can go wrong as long as you agree to the "benevolent" dictates of an "all-knowing" dragon? Hermea awaits. Even if someone never uses these exact ideas, the Lost Omens setting is an excellent springboard to leap from, or shamelessly plunder for creative fuel.
In regards to showing all names on screen, you can go the Josh Strive route. Just make the text smaller and smaller the more people sign up, eventually turning it into a meme.
to the explanation of the CR thing, the *intent* is similar, in that a CR 5 monster in 5e is *meant* to be a moderate to easy challenge for a group of four level 5 characters with a good party comp, which means that creatures above CR 20 are meant to always be a challenge to players since the cap is level 20 the *problem* is that it doesnt always turn out that way. a Gas Spore is a weak as heck monster with 1 hp, but has an insta-kill disease death burst if not treated in a few hours. a mind flayer is CR 7 but has a large AOE stun ability on recharge, a main tentacle attack that grapples *and* stuns, and a brain devouring ability that does 10d10 damage to a grappled creature which autokills them once they hit zero. on the flip side we got a dragon wyrmling at CR1 that dies to a lucky crit outright, and the Tarrasque at CR30 (the most dangerous CR in the game) that can be easily dealt with by a black dragon wyrmling at CR2 by just hovering above it and spitting on it with acid. a good handful of creatures fit this, but it is REALLY not balanced or refined in 5e
The fact that all Pathfinder content takes place in the same world means that once you learn a bit of lore, you have that in your back pocket for every campaign. You can learn about a bar in one game, then have a character reference it in another as part of their backstory. My group has played multiple campaigns in Golarion and have past PCs and NPCs cameo often.
Common misconception: When a monster attack says "plus Grab" it doesn't automatically grab if you hit, rather, you get a free Grab attempt without having to spend another Action. You still have to roll your Athletics check. I also believe it doesn't incur MAP like a Grab usually would.
I would really like if someone covered the timeline of Golarion. There's some misteries and features of this world that can only be perceived through a good analysis of this. Specially some cultural features and animosity between some races.
The skills in combat is something that DnD 4E did in the PHB3, although somewhat more limited, but with more powerful effects in some cases. Whenever you would've gained a feat you could instead gained an ability based on a skill you were trained in. It allowed for things like better maneuvers for characters trained in Acrobatics, allowing them to better move through the terrain, or perform an intimidation check against an enemy akin to PF Demoralize. The greater your level was the stronger were the effects you were able to get.
Interesting to see PF2e zombies are similar to how I run 5e zombies. I have them single out and swarm a target (closest one), maybe even surround them completely if they have enough movement and numbers, then mass grapple them. If you don't have any instant fool-proof way to escape an encirclement grapple, you're gonna experience what it feels like to be in a zombie apocalypse.
About the second difference, you also have to consider that, unlike 5e where you could roll the dice or take half+1, u don't have a "dice" for hp, you get the hp + plus ur bonus, that's it that actually makes up for having overrall more hp, thus more able to tank hits
To expand on number 2: Don't forget to use your reactions! Shield Block and a Champion's Reaction can go a long way towards mitigating the damage that you take. That's probably the biggest thing about tanky front liners: you have the AC to not get crit and the health pool to absorb the damage, sure, but you also typically have a reaction that you can use to take less damage or even none at all if the attack did little enough.
Both of these differences videos have been fantastic, and I think one of the reasons is that they are incredibly relevant, and very shareable. Thank you for taking the time to put these together. Your content is witty, clever, and very informative.
I love that statement. I always tell my players who think their squishy wizard doesn't need a shield or mage armor. It's not about not getting hit, it's about not getting crit.
At least ten more? Are just want to describe most of the system mimicring that process as the "Top differences" archetype of vids?... If so, i hope that will help newbies in an interesting to them format
Challenge rating in D&D is level based as well. A CR 24 would be beaten without the risk of death for a party of 4 Lv.24 (no such level) characters. CR is good for knowing what can be beaten fairly safely not so much for creating a challenging encounter.
Point 5: Hands down, I am absolutely with you on that. Golarion is so cool. To expand on that: Golarion might not be the most creative, but it's (mostly) utilised as a positive. You don't need to read dozens of chapters to get a vague idea of most places. Osirion is basically mythical egypt, Tian Cia is mythical china, Vudran is India and Avistan is more generic western fantasy .... and if you like to know more suddenly there is a lot of very creative depth to find in the lost omens books. This world design has brought me over a couple of things I really don't like about the system.
I have to say, having played PF2E, as a Fighter with Sheild Master in 5e, it feels so good to force my enemies Prone for my allies to take advantage of
