Michael Brock Global Organized Play Coordinator |
Woran Venture-Captain, Netherlands |
LackofFocus Regional Venture-Coordinator, Massachusetts—North Shore |
Rei Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Tampere |
Honestly, I'm good with the current lineup.
In terms of what might be fitting for PFS thematically and in terms of power level? Android, catfolk (although they would benefit, ironically, from more fluff), changeling, dhampir, fetchling (my personal fave), gillman, merfolk, and ratfolk could be interesting. The more humanlike of those races - android, changeling, dhampir, fetchling, gillman - are somewhat straightforward to explain to new players, and could be placed in the campaign if it takes us to new areas of focus that would be appropriate to those races.
Also, duergar would be a pretty hilarious boon race.
Lamontius |
Personally, I'd like to see Skinwalkers opened up, although that's rather unlikely since that was a charity auction boon.
I just recently saw the charity auction list and was sad to see Skinwalker on there. Still, I would love to see Skinwalkers available as well as Vanaras.
Strix would be great, but I certainly understand the difficulties involved with utilizing this race. Same with Samsarans.
RainyDayNinja RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16 |
p-sto |
Samsaran and Vishkanya are definitely races that I'd like to play in PFS.
I suppose I'll say the elemental races though Sylph and Ifrit would be the ones I'm personally most interested in playing. I already have a Sylph race boon but given the racial spells and alternate racial traits I really don't see myself being satisfied with playing just one Sylph.
Strix seem just amazing in terms of flavour and mechanics but I see Strix PCs being kind of hard to justify unless some sort of major event occurs to make them a little more playable lore wise.
Rei Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Tampere |
I'd love to play a Merfolk, although the Strong Tail racial trait should probably be banned to keep it balanced.
Ages ago, I had the idea to play a merfolk bard who lounges in a wheelbarrow pushed by one of the other party members. When combat begins, they drop the wheelbarrow and go fight, and the merfolk performs in the background.
Jeff Merola |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Strix seem just amazing in terms of flavour and mechanics but I see Strix PCs being kind of hard to justify unless some sort of major event occurs to make them a little more playable lore wise.
Lore isn't actually the biggest hurdle for the Strix. Permanent non-magical flight starting at level 1 absolutely wrecks pretty much any semblance of balance in a game that wasn't designed with it in mind, and PFS definitely wasn't designed with it in mind.
Michael Brock Global Organized Play Coordinator |
Gillmen won't be considered for reasons I can't discuss here.
Strix will likely not be considered because of the line in the Bestiary entry that reads, "Over time, strix have developed a hatred for humankind and now fiercely protect their dwindling numbers." though it could be considered for a charity auction boon.
Rei Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Tampere |
LackofFocus Regional Venture-Coordinator, Massachusetts—North Shore |
zefig |
Gillmen seem like an obvious choice given their proximity to the Society's headquarters and the early exposure that new players can get to them from The Confirmation.
Vishkanya would fit pretty well with Gillmen I think from a near-human standpoint, and there are some PCs already out there.
Triaxians and Lashunta would be pretty cool, and would come along with brand new exotic locations for the Society to explore.
EDIT: Aww, shame about Gillmen.
Jeff Merola |
I have a question for those posting races how would they best fit PFS. Have the Pathfinders dealt with them before. Is there some sort of tie in to a scenario even mentioned in passing. Besides coolness why would the race fit PFS?
Well, for Skinwalkers, I don't think we've directly dealt with them in any scenario but we have dealt with were-creatures, which are the ancestors to Skinwalkers (in much the same way that Aasimars and Tieflings are descended from outsiders).
Rei Venture-Lieutenant, Finland—Tampere |
I have a question for those posting races how would they best fit PFS. Have the Pathfinders dealt with them before. Is there some sort of tie in to a scenario even mentioned in passing. Besides coolness why would the race fit PFS?
I seem to recall there's one scenario where the party has the chance to meet a dhampir. Well, two, but in the second one said dhampir is encountered posthumously.
Androids have been bumped into in Season 6, and in general the Numeria side focus makes androids a decent fit.
Ratfolk and gillmen have been met in scenarios, but evidently gillmen are off the list of possibilities.
A fetchling features quite prominently in a PFS-legal module, and a few are encountered in one scenario, though they're just mooks with no given names.
Arutema Venture-Agent, Texas—Houston |
p-sto |
p-sto wrote:Strix seem just amazing in terms of flavour and mechanics but I see Strix PCs being kind of hard to justify unless some sort of major event occurs to make them a little more playable lore wise.Lore isn't actually the biggest hurdle for the Strix. Permanent non-magical flight starting at level 1 absolutely wrecks pretty much any semblance of balance in a game that wasn't designed with it in mind, and PFS definitely wasn't designed with it in mind.
I suppose that's true enough that it shouldn't be dismissed outright but my feeling leans towards saying that there are enough class options that can be game breaking in mid to higher levels that I wouldn't mind seeing a few more options opened up with the hope that players will take these options more to enhance their play experience than to wreck encounters. Also GMs are supposed to have the leeway to change NPC tactics when player tactics make them invalid so one could always look at it as more room for creative GMing.
Jeff Merola |
Getting ready to run Red Harvest today, and I feel like Samsaran would be a good addition to round out the Tien races, though they may be worth reserving for boon status.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Samsaran, but I hope they ban the Mystic Past Life alternate racial trait if they do. That thing is the cause of so many arguments.
I suppose that's true enough that it shouldn't be dismissed outright but my feeling leans towards saying that there are enough class options that can be game breaking in mid to higher levels that I wouldn't mind seeing a few more options opened up with the hope that players will take these options more to enhance their play experience than to wreck encounters. Also GMs are supposed to have the leeway to change NPC tactics when player tactics make them invalid so one could always look at it as more room for creative GMing.
First, the flight from a Strix stops being such a problem at mid to high levels. Second, a huge number of scenarios assume that you can't just fly over some kind of ground based obstacle, especially at low tier, and there are a ton of enemies in low level PFS that cannot fight a flying creature, even accounting for off the wall tactics.
pH unbalanced |
Androids and Skinwalkers are the top races I want to play. And I'm warming to the idea of playing a Grippli.
Thematically, I'd like to see races common to Vudra opened up this season -- I interpret those as being Vishkanya/Vanara/Samsaran, but I could be wrong about those. Whatever is actually in Vudra would be cool.
I wouldn't say no to the elemental races -- I have the Sylph boon I'd been pining for, but there are other concepts I could build.
I should say that I'm not quite ready to lose access to Kitsune and Wayangs, though. It would be fine if nothing changed this season, except some more varied boons.
EDIT: How could I forget Kayal (Fetchlings) and Changelings. I've been wanting those so long, they slipped my mind. Put those up there with Androids and Skinwalkers.
zylphryx |
As far as boons go, having the ability to play an awakened animal (from a preset list of animals) could be rather entertaining (awakened honey badger unchained barbarian ftw). That said, I would prefer to see this type of boon be uncommon at best.
For actual races, I would like to see kobolds make the list somewhere. There's been Society interaction with them before, so it would seem a natural lead in.
Jeff Merola |
As far as boons go, having the ability to play an awakened animal (from a preset list of animals) could be rather entertaining. That said, I would prefer to see this type of boon be uncommon at best.
For actual races, I would like to see kobolds make the list somewhere. There's been Society interaction with them before, so it would seem a natural lead in.
For Kobolds, at least there's an upcoming scenario where you get to play as them.
claudekennilol |
Lucas Servideo wrote:I have a question for those posting races how would they best fit PFS. Have the Pathfinders dealt with them before. Is there some sort of tie in to a scenario even mentioned in passing. Besides coolness why would the race fit PFS?Well, for Skinwalkers, I don't think we've directly dealt with them in any scenario but we have dealt with were-creatures, which are the ancestors to Skinwalkers (in much the same way that Aasimars and Tieflings are descended from outsiders).
If you're saying this as a deterrent, many were-creatures will go out of their way to infect/kill skinwalkers just to mess with them. Were-whatevers hold no love for skinwalkers and obviously skinwalkers reciprocate that. (from the blood of the moon companion)
p-sto |
Strix will likely not be considered because of the line in the Bestiary entry that reads, "Over time, strix have developed a hatred for humankind and now fiercely protect their dwindling numbers." though it could be considered for a charity auction boon.
That was the quote I had in mind when I suggested the race might be unplayable. That and text that suggests that the rare times that Strix venture from their homes it's to kill humans without prejudice. Just feels like a bit of shame if Paizo's intention is to be static on the politics of the race because the overall impression I get of the Strix is that they're not an overly malicious race, they just have a bad history with humankind. But I suppose that's going out of the scope of PFS and more into the evolution of the campaign setting.
Ascalaphus Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Although I rather like the wayang I'm currently playing, I think it would be best if the choice for a race was also influenced by the amount of material that exists for it.
Wayangs have like 8 pages of text altogether, most of which is repetition of their base traits in the three sources that show them as a humanoid race. They have about one page of fluff describing the race. There's maybe two pictures actually showing what they look like.
With so little fluff, it takes effort to see the race as more than a really nice rack of mechanics.
Viscount Aziridine Antali |
Wayangs have like 8 pages of text altogether, most of which is repetition of their base traits in the three sources that show them as a humanoid race. They have about one page of fluff describing the race. There's maybe two pictures actually showing what they look like.
With so little fluff, it takes effort to see the race as more than a really nice rack of mechanics.
While it is true that I know little of my native culture and society, I'm am quite certain it pales in comparison to the culture of my adopted country of Taldor. How could any other society even approach its glory? Especially that of a race which has failed to bless me with the magnificence of a beard befitting my noble station!
Kerney |
Changeling, rare and should remain rare, but I could see this as a boon race.
Samsaran.
Maybe in a year or two some specific blood line tiefling/Aasimar booms.
Not Elemental races. I want my boon to retain trade value and I think the races should be uncommon.
Booms that free up half orcs or half elves taking elf/orc options.
Perhaps something like awakened animal or rogue eidilon. Perhaps as a charity boon that opens up a truly unique race, as in defined on the boon sheet.
Overall, I'm kinda conservative. I want my freak to walk the streets without getting looks. No furries please, other than kitsume.
claudekennilol |
Grippli bard
His girlfriend, half orc martial artist.
Tengu alchemist/gunlinger who likes to propel himself through space.
Random player added to these three who usually play together. AKA, The Special guest star.
Party name: the Muppets.
Or a skin-walker wereboar-kin. (change shape to get a gore (aka snout) attack). Barbarian sounds right with how she goes crazy all the time (rage). And it's actually an anthropomorphized pig, unlike the half-orc.
RainyDayNinja RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16 |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Grippli bard
His girlfriend, half orc martial artist.
Tengu alchemist/gunlinger who likes to propel himself through space.
Random player added to these three who usually play together. AKA, The Special guest star.
Party name: the Muppets.
You forgot the 7-Int half-orc Skald with Perform (drums).
And the Bear Shaman Druid with Profession (comedian).
For one game, I actually played a Human Summoner, whose narrow, tubular eidolon had good Knowledge skills and only spoke D'Ziriak (which I decided sounds like "Meep meep meepmeepmeep!")