See this, this is the kind of content pf2e needs more of. Actual game play tips, tricks, combos to aim for (not necessarily even feat combos, just gameplay combos). Less reading rules, more actual advice.

@thason3304

Ай бұрын

For a primer on combat, check out Knights of Last Call. They have a series on combat tips that is very good imo

@DanielECulbertson

19 күн бұрын

TOTALLY agree with you!

Got my first Pathfinder 2e game session in an hour and a half! So excited!

@lucasantenor2395

Ай бұрын

Tell us how was your first impression of the game later

@AllDjam53

Ай бұрын

Enjoy, mate! I still remember my first game of 2e, got me hooked so bad I went on to DM the next campaign for the next 6 months

@I..cast..fireball

Ай бұрын

yus

@ketrava0425

Ай бұрын

Have fun!!! Tell us how it goes.

@KaZlos

Ай бұрын

have fun, and dont beat yourself too much its ok to make a pause to check for a ruling

14:30 Also! Since the wizard is using Electric arc, he's unaffected by the unlucky aura even if he fails, because it's the targe that needs to roll, and the wizard doesn't do any roll to check the effectiveness of the spell!

You dont need a caster healer. Medicine and battle Medicine are often good choices

@christophandre

Ай бұрын

And combined with the Medic Dedication, even clerics can gain a huge boost in their abilities.

@Bobbinthreadbare488

Ай бұрын

Alchemists can be good healers, especially chiurgeons.

@saprone8885

Ай бұрын

True, but you do want a certain amount of (scaling) ways to heal in a optimal party composition. Spreading out characters who can heal is important. My preferred choice is getting Psychic + Champion archetypes (free archetype + class feats) on characters who have their hands full and cannot effectively use Battle Medicine. For example a Fighter with a polearm. If a character has a free hand getting Battle Medicine and investing into Medicine is a must in my opinion. I would say you want at least one person in a party with a free hand to be able to use Battle Medicine effectively.

@simonO712

Ай бұрын

You may not strictly need it, but having both caster and non-caster healers covers a lot of bases.

@kemious9361

Ай бұрын

@@saprone8885 It really has the same action economy of takinga potion out to heal someone most of the time So I really dont see any negatives to it especially because all it takes is to be trained in medicine.

One other tip to go with #5: diversify yourself a little bit. Especially early on, since you won't need runes yet, grab a backup weapon or two to account for range or multiple damage types: damage reduction is pretty common. Anyone can also use shields, as a good fallback if attacking is suboptimal. And just cause someone's playing a cleric doesn't mean you can't take battle medicine yourself (and you probably will cause everyone takes it). It sucks to be in a matchup where you basically have no tools that work in a situation, but oftentimes that's more of an equipment issue than a class feature issue.

Regarding Tip #2: A Gold Dragon is a really bad example for this, since Dragons are usually nigh overtuned for their level and don't really represent an "on-level" encounter well. Furthermore, at later levels, Saving Throws overtake AC in importance. There are 2 aspects to this, one is that healing is easier to access (as discussed in point 3), the other is that some unique abilites and spells have nasty fail and critical fail effects. In a recent one-shot, our Kineticist critically failed against slow. This means only 1 Action FOR 1 MINUTE, luckily we had a way to remove the Slowed condition. AC is great, but don't forget your saves.

@Ghostdesuu

Ай бұрын

Yeah ngl dragons are just allowed to count as 1 level lower than they really are idk why paizo did this

@9652769

Ай бұрын

At high level, i realized that DC are very high because there is a lot of Success=crit success.

@floofzykitty5072

Ай бұрын

@@Ghostdesuu It's like Fireball logic in 5e, where a 4th level spell gets to masquerade as a 3rd level spell because "it's iconic".

It's so nice to finally have you back to making Pathfinder 2e content. Hope you'll also get into Starfinder 2e.

I came just to say I'm happy you're back. I hope you're happy and healthy. Be well, V

If you want to play a healer...playing a secular healer is actually really fun! In one campaign I have the medic dedication, godless healing, mortal healing, and any other healing feat I can get my hands on. (My character is Garundi and her story allows her to take the rare healing feats too.) My battle medicine rivals the casters' spells, as long as the cleric remembers to let me do the healing before them! And there's some interesting decisions I can make around the DC I am shooting for.

@simonO712

Ай бұрын

It sure seems to be! In my current Agents of Edgewatch campaign we have an Investigator with the Medic Archetype who fulfills that role, and he's helped a lot so far!

@Hughes81

Ай бұрын

We had a Field Medic Alchemist in one campaign. Great fun

Literally Paints a picture for us. *Chef kiss*

My wrestler monk kobold LIVES for rule 5. Wizard cast high level enlarge and I crit grappled the fire giant. The giant kin barbarian came and explained the error of his ways

He’s back baby!!!! A small note on healing in pf2 that you briefly touched on here. In d&d 5e, healing is intentionally designed to not keep up with damage, meaning that you might as well wait for someone to drop before healing them, creating 5e’s yo-yoing problem. In pf2, heal a party member when they’re at around half, or have just taken a hefty hit or two. A proper healer should be able to put an injured ally to full from half health or less. Also HEAL BETWEEN FIGHTS IF YOU CAN. The treat wounds activity is the difference between life and death. Pf2 assumes you take all fights at full, or at least close to full hp. The amount of player deaths I’ve seen from players saying, “nah, Im good enough, lets just keep going” in situations without time pressure, then dying to an unlucky encounter is astounding to me. We lost 3 characters in the first two books of abomination vaults to this.

Thank you for this and all the beginner videos, it is very much appreciated. I am about to start Kingmaker with 3 players who are jumping over from D&D 5e. I have sent them your videos and about to send them this one. Again, thanks!!!

The dragon going ham got a genuine chuckle

More videos like this, man. They're way more dynamic and let your personality shine WAY more than the guides. Keep doing the guides too (if you want too, of course), like I said on the last one they are genuinely useful to many, but THIS is the content I'm here for.

My current P2 is in Eberron. Very high magic world. I ruled that because magic is so pervasive on the world, anyone can use scrolls and wands caster or not. Is it OP? yup, is everything in eberron? yup

A note on healing: Medic Dedication is actually really strong. I also went Godless/Mortal Healing on one character and that was a great non-magical healer. The big part is that with Medic Dedication is that once you get Master proficiency in medicine once per hour you can ignore the immunity to Battle Medicine which lets you just roam the battlefield handing out some timely healing. Heal potions will be necessary, but yeah! Was a fun character.

Healing: kind of advanced tip, but maybe for a dm to give the archetype Blessed One. Lay on hands is a very powerful heal option especially out of combat

OMG OMG OMG OMG! New NoNat PF2e content!!!!!!

I play a Gunslinger Pistolero. I am a 2-trick pony: I have a + 19 to hit at level 8 with both my guns with my Paired shots feature, and I am a scary mo-fo with my + 19 to Demoralize every time I reload. My party is constantly benefiting from getting -1 and -2 to enemies. And thanks to one of my Feats, enemies that crit fail the save will straight up run away in fear. Do not knock skill actions, they can very quickly turn the tide in any fight~

Good to have you back! I recently started GMing PF2e and really loved your original PF videos. This is a great video that I can send to my players. Thanks!

Regarding tips 4 and 5... this runs into an issue of human psychology, where intellectually someone may understand that they are less useful in a given encounter, or that using less flashy support abilities will help their team, but emotionally it still doesn't feel good, especially if a player finds themselves *repeatedly* in the "well this is a fight where I'm less useful than every other team member" due to how DM's are setting encounters up. Enemy or encounter designs that have such spiky design aren't deal-breakers in a vacuum, but you yourself point out that nothing occurs in one, and such powerful mob tools require a deft hand to use correctly. there's a reason he talked about a dedicated healer often feeling unfulfilling to a lot of people earlier in the video, thankless jobs are still thankless jobs, and with damage being a universal common resource in most encounters, it's arguably always going to be one of those oddities where game design and sociology intersect.

We just switched to pathfinder from DnD 5e. Your my ttrpg Jesus at the moment. Real life always comes first, we can always roll for initiative when you finish.

Love the content! Glad to see you're back to it! Hoping to see 5 tips for downtime or outside combat encounters next. These types of videos always help me brainstorm new ideas or spark creativity during my group's sessions!

I like how gunslinger still flies under NoNat's radar whenever crits comes up because of his pure disdain for the fighter.

@SlamDancinMoogle

Ай бұрын

can confirm, Slinger is crit nasty. Stab and Blast is such a great feat. Hitting a lucky crit on the melee and then getting the crit on the firearm feels so good.

Welcome back to the platform Nonat! It's great to have you back! Our party will be moving into a combat heavy session this week so this will be a good reminder for the. We are also preparing new characters to start Abomination Vaults in the next couple weeks. I'm sending this vid along to help them build their characters with combat in mind. Thanks!

My party I'm GMing for has a Spinner of Threads Witch. That Familiar of Balanced Luck feature has caused several crits already and we're not even out of the Beginner Box.

Hey Nonat1s, glad to have you back. Thanks for everything. Hope you're doing well.

This was very helpful. If we get to 2E, I'm going to point my party at this one. Well done.

In this video, Nonat discusses his return to creating content for Pathfinder 2E after a hiatus, during which he took a break from tabletop RPGs due to real-life commitments. He shares that a recent comment about the Pathfinder 2E Beginner Box inspired him to make a video offering five beginner combat tips for Pathfinder 2E. Here’s a summary of his tips: Damage is High and Hit Points are Not: Pathfinder 2E features high damage across all levels. Characters can be critically hit often, and even low-level creatures can deal significant damage. This necessitates strategic planning and awareness of damage potential throughout the game. Armor Class (AC) is Crucial: AC is extremely important because of the +10 critical hit rule. A high AC can prevent critical hits, which deal double damage. Even though tanks will still get hit, they reduce the likelihood of devastating critical hits that other party members with lower AC might suffer. Healing is Vital: Consistent healing is essential due to the high damage output of enemies. While a dedicated healer isn't always necessary, having access to powerful healing spells like Heal can keep the party alive. Scrolls, wands, and other means to access Heal are recommended if no one in the party can cast it. Enemies Have Dangerous Abilities: Enemies in Pathfinder 2E can inflict severe conditions and penalties, making combat more challenging. For example, the pugwampi's aura forces disadvantage on all checks, which can be debilitating. Understanding and countering these abilities is crucial. Pathfinder 2E is a Team Game: The game emphasizes teamwork. Every action a player takes can affect the party. Using abilities that may seem less useful in a one-on-one situation can significantly benefit the team. Coordination and strategic use of abilities to support and synergize with teammates are key. Nonat also stresses that Pathfinder 2E is not played in a vacuum; the context of team dynamics and battlefield conditions are vital. He encourages players to think beyond individual actions and consider the collective impact on the party and the enemies. Finally, he invites viewers to share their thoughts and support his channel through Patreon.

As a 5e convert your videos have been crucial in developing my understanding the system. Thank you for each and every one.

I unironically love the MS Paint animated Dragon. That's some classic 2009 youtube energy there.

Great to have you back, man.

Tip #5 is what PF2e is all about. I constantly remind my players to TALK to each other, to plot, plan and scheme, especially before they think they're about to enter a combat situation. A few well placed buffs, good cover for your ranged attackers (if available), and playing up the best of what each character can do to its maximum can make or break the party. I think a lot of players - especially coming from systems that don't emphasize the teamwork that much - simply aren't used to working in teams and/or simply don't know how to do so well because irl they're not that great at teamwork. I swear - corporations trying to teach their employees how to work better with each other should run this game. On the clock, of course. For pay.

Great video and great to see you making Pathfinder 2E content again. City of Heroes is great, but Pathfinder content is better!

This was really useful. I've been playing a solo Pathfinder game and I realised pretty quickly that you can't even solo play without making a second character. I've even gone as far as making NPC's or other character's that are Medicine skill junkies. Yeah, I have no spell casting healer but having someone with the Medicine skill is the next best thing.

So happy you have returned! Great stuff.

During the, so far, only 2e Pathfinder Society game I played, played a Half-Orc Sorcerer. Near the end of the scenario I cast "magic weapon" on the frontline fighter's greataxe. That party member had never encountered that spell, evidently, so I got to explain that I just doubled his damage despite us being level 1. Rule 5 is fantastic!

Honestly You can plan a character in the "white room" but that's probably to achieve goal that help party. For example I'm making the "no actions for you" fighter It is a fighter that forces enemies to take 1 turn getting out of restraint 2nd out of grapple And 3rd to stand up (While suffer from frightened, clumsy and enfeebled) But the fighter barely does like 4d8 +10 damage per turn 4d8 +12 maybe (it is starting at level 8+ fa That's why it is so funny) So they relly on allies to actually kill enemies You know while preventing enemies from pulling shenanigans

Great to have you back now, we just started today to play pathfinder, I'm dming but still a ways to go and was pondering about demoralize too

These tips are actually good advice, good job! It sounds like you learned quite a bit throughout the years. This is great content, keep it up!

Welcome back!! Awesome tips!!

Even as someone who's played since launch, I learned something too. Never thought of AC that way before.

1) Enemy doesn't do high damage if you have good resistances, 2) Armor only matters if the enemy can reach you, If your out of range your AC don't matter. 3) Healing is only Vital if you are taking a lot of damage. In one campaign had Retribution Champion with Shield Warden so he reduced the damage from his reaction and then further from Shield Block Hardness. And can get multiple reactions to do it more than once per turn. Late game was negating like 20-60 damage per turn. 4) Players can get some pretty unique abilities too. ;) 5) Some of the best combos are team combos, like the above retribution champion who got MVP because the healer rarely needed to cast any heal spells. But there are plenty of other combos to be had and I find those more interesting to design a character around as I think what can the character do to boost the team, rather than how to I max out damage.

Great video! I haven't played a lot of PF2E (yet), but I never realized how much impact subtle changes to AC actually have

I did that math as well. That Ranger? Has a 28 to hit the Gold Dragon's AC of 38, so he only crits on a 20. Only the Fighter or Gungslinger gets to crit more often.

@EasilyBoredGamer

Ай бұрын

To be fair, dragons are meant to be the toughest thing at their level, so that makes sense

Adding to your 5th point. I’m playing a barbarian (with optional archetype rules) and took marshal archetype because at standard as a front liner I give allies around me passively a +1 to mental saves against fear. For 1 action I can give my allies a +2 damage and fear on crits, which is such a minor thing to do but helps and sets up so many options

Good stuff, man. Glad to have you back.

Vital... VITAL! Ugh... I'm happy to have you back regardless of bad jokes!

Awesome video! That observation about AC being about avoiding crits rather than avoiding hits is 1) very, very true from experience, and 2) probably one of the biggest shifts in mindset compared to (for example) D&D 5e, and I'm really glad you pointed it out. All the tips are really good, and it's cool to see stuff related to playing the system- a lot of videos in the 2e space focus on the published material (understandable, since it's damn good material), but this is a really nice way to balance and complement that. Minor additional tip for anyone who's read this far: Distance is a defense. Because movement costs actions, every action you can force an enemy to spend on movement is one less action they can spend hurting your party, or defending themselves. If a caster has to move to target you, they can't cast Shield after casting a big spell. If that same caster has to move twice, they can't cast most of their spells. Little ways to force your opponents to lose or waste actions can swing entire battles, and distance is a great way to make that happen.

I am really glad to see you have recovered your excitement about Pathfinder and the channel. Hope to see you post again soon!

Wizard: *Dies of 130 Adult Gold Dragon Critical Damage*

Fantastic tips. Really good to hear people talk about this stuff.

Welcome back, your content has been super helpful.

Great video! Welcome back!

Glad to see you back!

I kinda want to build a ranger that can help heal between fights. Be that person who has bandages to save on spells. Basically how I picture a ranger. They pew pew pew along with using natural remedies to help heal wounds

@SlamDancinMoogle

Ай бұрын

Ranger with Natural Medicine feat seems right on point, actually. At least for a stereotypical 'wilderness' type ranger. A ranger in an urban setting would likely just rely on the Medicine skill.

Hey bud, glad to see you back at it! I understand taking a break due to life stuff, plus it's good to take breaks else we burn out eh? Keep up the good work.

Glad to see you back NoNats, hope you're feeling better ❤

2:59 tbf, it's a dragon. They're supposed to be a big deal:-)

good to see you back:)

This is what makes me want to play a Bard so badly, because I feel like I'd be the Tactician or Buffer/Debuffer of the group. I loved Red Mage in FFXI specifically because I was the dedicated Enfeebler of the group. My job was to land spells that made them miss the tank or made them unable to function normally while my group tore them apart. But I could also do just as much Enhancement magic, Haste, Refresh, Regen, ETC. I could bar an element or a status effect to reduce the enemy's special moves. Stuff like that makes my eyes LIGHT UP and so I think playing a heavy DPS was actually the wrong move for my first real PF2 campaign.

amongst my pathfinder mates we have a running joke AC doesnt mean armour class it means avoid crits

To add to everything not being a white room, if your campaign has a decent amount of downtime, grab a situational feat or 2. You'll either see good uses for it, or you can swap it out for something that might see more use as you've played with your party a bit. My summoner has gotten so much out of giving his eidolon an energy attack, something I just had to make it easier for my alchemist to bomb things.

Good to see you back Nonat.

My first PF2E character almost adheres to all the tips in this video. I have a fighter who goes sword and board but i also have proficiency with medicine to for out of combat healing in the early stages of the game / when low on potions or spells from my casters for combat healing. I don't have the greatest AC since i don't have heavy armor yet but I'm tied highest with the rogue and ranger when i have my shield raised for blocking damage and upfront so my magus can get a runic weapon bastard sword ignition crit off after i use my intimidating strike to give them a +3 bonus when they can flank. Heck I'm almost tempted to change my weapon to something that has the trip trait so i can pick up knockdown so i can also waste the enemies actions making them have less opportunity to deal damage with their 3 actions which means less chances of my allies getting hit. Being solo frontline does kinda suck since my magus has only chain and a little bit of dex so about 2-3 points lower in AC than me but that's why the angelic sorcerer is at the back with the mage should anything go wrong.

The issue with the comment which inspired this video, and why #5 is so important, is because the 1 v 1 in a vacuum issue is people not fundamentally understanding encounter building. Despite the design mechanics being fairly simple, many people have so much history in running TTRPGs, that they forget to pay close attention to/read encounter design in a "new to them" system. They think to themselves "I've been doing this for years with other games. I can eyeball it and adjust on the fly if it's not right." Almost all of the complaints I've heard from people about how "deadly" pf2 is, or how "unfair" monsters or encounters are, is due to not understanding encounter design. They use an adventure, or make their own with almost nothing but Extreme threat encounters throughout their dungeon. As NoNat said, 1 level 0 creature with an ability like that aura seems busted. However, that 1 creature vs 1 PC is a SEVERE encounter. There's already a good chance that the PC will fail, even without that aura. It's even more likely than an appropriate sized group and encounter, because the system assumes you will have allies to support you. As a group based TTRPG, you aren't meant to fight things one on one. The example was great, using a fighter/ranger/investigator to hold the pugwampi in melee, while ranged/casters take him out from outside the aura. Teamwork and tactics are almost mandatory with severe or extreme encounters. Below that difficulty, most PCs get to feel like accomplished heroes and bad mofos with or without teamwork. They have to earn those hard fought tough fights vs elites and bosses. The point being, use a mixture of easy and difficult fights. Severe and Extreme fights are usually "HARD", and you don't have to wing it. The CR system works if you use it right.

When we fougbt the pollwags (spelling?) Me and the other martial not only tries to lock them down in melee, but also kept shoving them away from the other party members.

Glad to see you back brother

The comeback comin in slow and steady. Also I've come to realize the oricale is kinda nutty when it comes to there abilities. Especially bone like, you get permanent TPH for nothing.

Welcome back Nonat!

"Let me paint a picture for ya..." Proceeds to open MS paint... I die of laughter!

I love the small art segment. Perfecton

Someone mentioned aside AC saving throws are also important. I would add movement speed and having Darkvision (to a lesser extent) to this list (of passives). Movement speed indirectly affects action economy and not having Darkvion can be a big liability. Even with having access to a light source. Therefore I would always go for Elf (30ft) + Nimble Elf (5ft) + Fleet (5ft) if I tried to min-max. Then take Sylph/Tiefling to get Darkvision and (permanent) flight at higher level. I would also aim for heavy armor on most characters. That's why I would get Ancestral Paragon: Dwarf to get Unburdened Iron. And Mountains Stoutness on higher level.

Welcome back NoNat, good to see you making new stuff! Have you lost weight? You're looking good! And this video is great, I've just found some people who I might be able to start a PF2e group with, I'll keep all this in mind.

If I was to give a tip, it would be "Medicine Skill, oh god the Medicine skill!" Someone in the party should have this, out of combat healing that lets the healer keep their spells. And comes with some nice feats to grab so you can shorten the wait time to 10mins between rolls and heal multiple people at once.

This has been very useful info that I feel doesnt get covered much. We ported over from 5e last year and we've had to learn a lot purely on trial and error.

Here's a video idea: "What to do with 3rd action" because I swear to god, the amount of times people do two attacks and then have no idea what to do is staggering. "Maybe demoralize? But next time do it BEFORE you hit them, you know."

@SlamDancinMoogle

Ай бұрын

Videos in this vein exist, check the search bar up top. :P

@playahsan

Ай бұрын

@@SlamDancinMoogle I know, I saw a few. I just want to see Nonat's take on it.

This is super important topic, thanks for bringing it out Pf2e is a game with a lot of depth and not understanding it may cause quite some frustration - I did get the frustrating times, had friends entirely drop the game due to this All and all Pathfinder 2e isn't a game I like, but I can have fun with it, but understanding these nuances helps a lot to set up for success and more fun

I'm still trying to get over the fact that, Where 5e is a lot like JRPG mechanics where you could potentially end the fight before the enemy even gets a turn and you have a decent probability of not getting hit at all, P2e can be a lot like MMO mechanics, where you have on/off tanks constantly getting dinged for damage so the DPS don't get dropped immediately, and you need healers constantly keeping the uptick on the tanks so they keep that wall of attention on them. It's an ingenious method of play, but my 5e brain has been struggling for years to break out of one mindset and be more open to the other...do still love me some P2e tho.

Good to have you back No Nat

NoNat, I'm glad you're making content again, regardless of what subject that content is.

MY BOY IS BACK. I don't even play I'm just here for the nonat

Best use of MS Paint in a video 😂😂

If not a wands/scolls of Heal then Healer's Gloves are a great item that we always must have. Only costs 1 action to use and it is always out (no interact action to pull out) so it makes for great emergency healing. It is only adjacent healing though.

The team focus of PF2 is really well developed but I do find it a narrative constraint. In some games if the party splits, or one character makes a one-on-one stand against a villain while the party does a stealth mission behind then, or you just have a very small party you adjust the difficulty and enjoy the risk. With PF2 it seems less of a risk and more choosing certain death. I do enjoy PF2 and you don't have to split a party to have a good story, but in a narrative game it is a loud contrivance, unless you have ideas for tips for it. (Yeah, I fully realise this is a question of How do I make this game work specifically opposite to how it's designed to work?)

These type of video help me visualize these encounters and I think make better plans

oh yeah! i miss that too! also yeah AC is game changer before i understand that i was surprised why barbarian rage give so massive bonuses that -2 AC hurt so much.

Tip#3: a character, cleric or otherwise can restore hp with battle medicine quite effectively without spells in P2E in my experience

Welcome back NoNat!

#2 Indeed, AC is about preventing Crits and high MAP hits. It won't stop low MAP hits #3 No "mandatory Cleric" in this game. I think the exploration time healing helps the most here. As you can start each combat more or less at full HP and Focus Points. But yes, a bit of combat healing is also useful.

Also your Demoralize will make your attacks more likely to crit

Welcome back!

Upvote for your amazing Paint skills! 😄

"There is no situation that is an empty white room" Nonat just made reddit his enemy 😂

Good to have you back😂

The heal comment is not fair in my opinion. Battle Medicine allows frontliners to heal themselves. Champion Lay on Hands is even better, Monk has wholeness of body and there are a ton of more options. Having a frontliner with vitality beacon is a great of heal option for example. But you don't necessarily need healing. Killing enemies before they can kill you, works as well. Every action you spend on healing is an action you could spend on damage. So you are extending the fight and therefore take more damage by healing. And don't underestimate crowd control and movement in Pathfinder. If you are fighting 4 vs 2 Gold dragon you have twice the amount of actions the enemy has. Ever action you take from them hurts. So make them move, waste actions on standing up or escaping a grapple, slow them or create obstacles between you and the enemies.

Yeeeeah nonat is baaaaack!

This was super useful thanks!

#3) Lay on Hands and Goodberry are great focus spells.