So long since I've posted here, I'm kinda scared to come back out and post again, but needs must.
And really, our session have been going kind of slow recently, alongside people unable to make it on the day, my lack of active roleplay, and a little bit (read: a lot) of actual get paid to live work, there's not been much to post.
However, here's a question to anyone who reads this: What do you think constitutes a Railroad Plot?
This goes back to my creative differences with A, the guy who runs the campaign where I'm playing Seltyiel, but his premise was "It'll be a very open Sandbox Campaign, free to go where you want, with a heavy 'Game of Thrones' influence", so given the fact that the party has been forced into dealing with a cult of 7 Deadly Sins that are tearing the land apart from within, inciting civil war, using the political chaos to pull in more recruits, and spread pain and fear, we don't quite have the freedom of choice advertised, but it's his first campaign, and I'm hardly innocent of forcing people onto rail when I run my games, for the sake of moving things forward, even if it was little (read: a lot) out of the ordinary.
The problem was I'd come up with something that sounded really interesting as setting dressing, such as an underwater cthonian city, populated by Skum who had a trade agreement with several nearby towns to trade fish for breeding stock (women) (look I might not be the most progressive of people, treating women as an item to be traded, but it was a 5 minute idea, Skum need to kidnap women to breed, they have no females of their own, and it raised an interesting, if ethically odd, reason for there to be very little farming) which the player wanted to go and investigate, despite the fact it would've taken them drastically away from the plot. (They didn't have any way of breathing underwater was the way I kept them moving).
These side-paths would take them away from the main motivation, which was a Ring was sucking the soul from a party member, and they only had so much time to get rid of it before he died, and while I tried to keep them motivated the set dressing would often than not, either completely catch their interest against what I had planned, or be so uninteresting that they'd ignore what I had written for the session, and go down the main plot road.
Contrast to A's campaign, where the set dressing is very interesting and the world is extremely complete and fleshed out, but to the point where we can spend almost 45 minutes of session time on NOTHING, if he has written up a character he is going to roleplay them, whether or not we like it, he had V and S, travelling on a cart to their destination (over 2 days of nothing but travel, with 1 fight) take 2 & 1/2 sessions because he would roleplay each morning with a 15 minute conversation between the NPC's, and then another 15 minute conversation between the PC's and the NPC, before settling into a purple prose description of the landscape (he's a good writer, just so very wordy). But beyond those character's he has written up, there's nothing.
We are on the plot railroad, going at the grand speed of "Hold up guys, I'm going to roleplay with myself some-more for the next 30 minutes" and if we try to go off of the rails he brings us back on by the sheer virtue of there's nothing else to do, "we want to go explore an old abandoned castle", "sorry you're being smuggled into enemy territory via crate, no time", "I'd like to go the city where my family's killer is rumoured to be" "You're a prisoner of the Hellknight, and you're not going anywhere my Hellknight NPC isn't going" "Can I go explore and pick up wild herbs for my alchemy" "sure, if you don't mind the rest of the party leaving you behind, you're in a rush after all"
I suppose it comes down to the word "SANDBOX" here, I thought we'd be acting as courtly agents, politics, intrigue, assassination, choosing which house to foster for the realm, and all that jazz, you know, free will.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is I would give, all of my characters levels, gold, and gear, for the chance to have a choice in what we do, and how we do it, especially in a supposedly sandbox campaign, but at the same time I can imagine how my player's would feel the same, so it's less an issue of avoiding writing a railroading campaign plot, and more of making sure that your Players, and their Characters, are invested in the story, motivated to see it through, and that their interests are being met.
This can only be done by talking to your players, asking what they'd like to see more of, and trying your hardest to balance all of this, and still fucking up because it's impossible to please everyone, every session.
...
...
Unless you happen to be me.
...
...
In which case nobody likes your sessions
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Cause I'm just awesome like that
Friday 17 April 2015
Tuesday 27 January 2015
Mechanical Talk: The Alchemist, All Mixed Up
So, the Alchemist.
yeah...
I think I can safely say there is no class like them, before or since, and I think that's one of the main things that make them fun to play, so I'm going to spend this post talking about the Alchemist and what makes each Alchemist "Subclass" fun to play.
So the Alchemist has 3 core mechanics, Spells, Bombs, and Mutagens, but trying to specialise in all 3 is pretty damned near impossible to do, so you'll find that most Alchemist choose to specialise in 1 or 2 mechanics and throw the last one by the roadside, so lets get started.
Buffer (Spells)
The Alchemists spell list is one of those somewhat strange spell lists, much like the Witch spell list, with lots of healing spells, and buffing spells, alongside things like "Blistering Invective", "Skinsend" and "Transplant Visage", which allow for a Spell based Alchemist to come off as a really creepy, scientific, sociopath.
However, due to the way their spells work, Alchemists cannot cast their spells on their party members without spending one of their discovery slots on "Infusion" which allows other people to drink the extracts you make.
What makes up for this is that the Alchemist automatically gets the "Brew Potion" potion feat, so he can brew any of his extracts as a potion and hand it off to his teammates, for a bit of time and some Gold.
So Pros: Some of the best Buffing spells out of any class, a very flavourful spell list allowing for fun times, and there's no Spell Failure chance due to the way the spells are cast.
And Cons: You can't cast any spells on your allies without either sinking a Discovery into doing so, or by spending money and time on making potions, you only have up to 6th level spells so you miss out on some of the best spells, and occasionally your spells don't make sense.
Bomber (Bombs)
The second main ability of the Alchemist is their ability to mix bombs quickly in combat, before throwing them for Michael Bay Shenanigans, these are seriously fun to use because they deal fire damage straight off the bat, target Touch AC to make up for the Alchemists 15/10/5 BAB progression, and scale to your level along the way.
The main draw to the bombs however is that they are amazingly customisable; with the Alchemist's discoveries, it's possible to deal any type of damage with them, have them inflict any kind of status effect on an opponent, make your bombs deal Holy damage, deal direct Stat damage, or even heal your allies (Healing potion to the FACE!!!).
However one of the main drawbacks to bombs is that you can only throw one a round, without investing a discovery into making you throw faster, and without preparing them earlier in the day, you can only deal fire damage with your bombs, leading to the Wizard problem, where if you prepare the wrong thing, you're either going to be fairly useless, and/or, dead.
Pros: Fairly high damage, Targets Touch AC so rarely miss, can fulfil a large range of damage types, and debuff slots with proper preparation, and a 20 ft range can keep you out of Full Attack counter range.
Cons: Only one throw per round with Discovery investment, each type of Damage or Utility use requires either a feat or a discovery, poor preparation can make you essentially useless, and close combat is going to be fairly deadly to you.
Beast (Mutagens)
The third, and last, main ability of the Alchemist is his Mutagen, which turns him into a Doctor Jekyll, Mister Hyde type fighter, boosting his Physical stats, Natural AC, and general close combat abilities, at the cost of his mental stats.
At the start, the Alchemist can only boost one Stat, by +4 and a +2 to his Nat AC, with a -2 to a corresponding mental stat, however depending on the Discoveries you take, or the Archetype you choose, you can gain multiple bonuses, and abilities with their mutagens as you level up.
However, unlike their spells or bombs, an Alchemist can only have one Mutagen ready to go at one time, without A) a Discovery (I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point) and, B) 1,000 gp, and 2 points of Temporary INT damage, you have to prepare what bonuses your mutagen will give you as you create it, and a mutagen takes 1 hour of in-game time to make so you can't just have another one ready to go immediately.
Pros: Depending on your Discovery and Archetype choices you can have amazingly powerful combat abilities, it is remarkably easy to gain 30+ AC by combining it with some level 1 spells, multiple natural attacks, the ability to shrug off sneak attacks and critical hits, it lasts for a long time, and nobody else can use it without risk.
Cons: It takes time to make one so if your GM keeps throwing fight after fight at you, you may be screwed, it's powerful enough that your party may come to resent you, making more than one at a time is prohibitively expensive, and damaging so you will want (and may actually need) some form of healing stat damage if you plan on making more than 3 at once.
Interesting Sub-Class Combinations
Buffer/Bomber - The Michael Bay Hero
Survive everything exploding while you walk through intensly hazardous experiences without a scratch, bonus points if you buff everyone else on your team to the same point for the full A-Team experience.
Bomber/Beast - The Mad Bomber
So you chose to boost your Dex through the roof, good thing you can avoid all of the splash damage that your bombs do and you now have 8 arms to throw with, well it's a good thing for you. Possibly the most Discovery intensive build.
Buffer/Beast - Doctor Jekyll, Mister Hyde
So your stat bonuses from the Mutagen weren't enough for you? Good thing that you've got Barkskin, Stoneskin, and that your mutagen stacks with Cat's Grace, Bull's Strength, and Bear's Endurance, Shield is another fun addition, alongside anything else you think you can get away with.
Buffer/Beast/Bomber - The GM's Nightmare
Difficult to do, requires a lot of luck in rolling your stats, if you do bring this one out, try to allow for other party members to have their own spots in the limelight before you totally eclipse them.
yeah...
I think I can safely say there is no class like them, before or since, and I think that's one of the main things that make them fun to play, so I'm going to spend this post talking about the Alchemist and what makes each Alchemist "Subclass" fun to play.
So the Alchemist has 3 core mechanics, Spells, Bombs, and Mutagens, but trying to specialise in all 3 is pretty damned near impossible to do, so you'll find that most Alchemist choose to specialise in 1 or 2 mechanics and throw the last one by the roadside, so lets get started.
Buffer (Spells)
The Alchemists spell list is one of those somewhat strange spell lists, much like the Witch spell list, with lots of healing spells, and buffing spells, alongside things like "Blistering Invective", "Skinsend" and "Transplant Visage", which allow for a Spell based Alchemist to come off as a really creepy, scientific, sociopath.
However, due to the way their spells work, Alchemists cannot cast their spells on their party members without spending one of their discovery slots on "Infusion" which allows other people to drink the extracts you make.
What makes up for this is that the Alchemist automatically gets the "Brew Potion" potion feat, so he can brew any of his extracts as a potion and hand it off to his teammates, for a bit of time and some Gold.
So Pros: Some of the best Buffing spells out of any class, a very flavourful spell list allowing for fun times, and there's no Spell Failure chance due to the way the spells are cast.
And Cons: You can't cast any spells on your allies without either sinking a Discovery into doing so, or by spending money and time on making potions, you only have up to 6th level spells so you miss out on some of the best spells, and occasionally your spells don't make sense.
Bomber (Bombs)
The second main ability of the Alchemist is their ability to mix bombs quickly in combat, before throwing them for Michael Bay Shenanigans, these are seriously fun to use because they deal fire damage straight off the bat, target Touch AC to make up for the Alchemists 15/10/5 BAB progression, and scale to your level along the way.
The main draw to the bombs however is that they are amazingly customisable; with the Alchemist's discoveries, it's possible to deal any type of damage with them, have them inflict any kind of status effect on an opponent, make your bombs deal Holy damage, deal direct Stat damage, or even heal your allies (Healing potion to the FACE!!!).
However one of the main drawbacks to bombs is that you can only throw one a round, without investing a discovery into making you throw faster, and without preparing them earlier in the day, you can only deal fire damage with your bombs, leading to the Wizard problem, where if you prepare the wrong thing, you're either going to be fairly useless, and/or, dead.
Pros: Fairly high damage, Targets Touch AC so rarely miss, can fulfil a large range of damage types, and debuff slots with proper preparation, and a 20 ft range can keep you out of Full Attack counter range.
Cons: Only one throw per round with Discovery investment, each type of Damage or Utility use requires either a feat or a discovery, poor preparation can make you essentially useless, and close combat is going to be fairly deadly to you.
Beast (Mutagens)
The third, and last, main ability of the Alchemist is his Mutagen, which turns him into a Doctor Jekyll, Mister Hyde type fighter, boosting his Physical stats, Natural AC, and general close combat abilities, at the cost of his mental stats.
At the start, the Alchemist can only boost one Stat, by +4 and a +2 to his Nat AC, with a -2 to a corresponding mental stat, however depending on the Discoveries you take, or the Archetype you choose, you can gain multiple bonuses, and abilities with their mutagens as you level up.
However, unlike their spells or bombs, an Alchemist can only have one Mutagen ready to go at one time, without A) a Discovery (I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point) and, B) 1,000 gp, and 2 points of Temporary INT damage, you have to prepare what bonuses your mutagen will give you as you create it, and a mutagen takes 1 hour of in-game time to make so you can't just have another one ready to go immediately.
Pros: Depending on your Discovery and Archetype choices you can have amazingly powerful combat abilities, it is remarkably easy to gain 30+ AC by combining it with some level 1 spells, multiple natural attacks, the ability to shrug off sneak attacks and critical hits, it lasts for a long time, and nobody else can use it without risk.
Cons: It takes time to make one so if your GM keeps throwing fight after fight at you, you may be screwed, it's powerful enough that your party may come to resent you, making more than one at a time is prohibitively expensive, and damaging so you will want (and may actually need) some form of healing stat damage if you plan on making more than 3 at once.
Interesting Sub-Class Combinations
Buffer/Bomber - The Michael Bay Hero
Survive everything exploding while you walk through intensly hazardous experiences without a scratch, bonus points if you buff everyone else on your team to the same point for the full A-Team experience.
Bomber/Beast - The Mad Bomber
So you chose to boost your Dex through the roof, good thing you can avoid all of the splash damage that your bombs do and you now have 8 arms to throw with, well it's a good thing for you. Possibly the most Discovery intensive build.
Buffer/Beast - Doctor Jekyll, Mister Hyde
So your stat bonuses from the Mutagen weren't enough for you? Good thing that you've got Barkskin, Stoneskin, and that your mutagen stacks with Cat's Grace, Bull's Strength, and Bear's Endurance, Shield is another fun addition, alongside anything else you think you can get away with.
Buffer/Beast/Bomber - The GM's Nightmare
Difficult to do, requires a lot of luck in rolling your stats, if you do bring this one out, try to allow for other party members to have their own spots in the limelight before you totally eclipse them.
Thursday 22 January 2015
Campaign Notes: Summoners Era
Okay, this is not actually a character journal, these are my notes so I don't forget what happened in the session before I get to a point where it makes sense to write up a character journal, I've done the same thing with Seltyiel, but the session's I "Skipped" in that game were generally light on content anyways, mostly due to party split shenanigans. So
1: Cleared out bandit camp and started looting, interesting note that neither of our stealthy infiltrator characters can pick locks worth a damn compared to me, who can break anything, a lock is no match for a Masterwork Crowbar and +15 to breaking things.
2; Many Names has very good hearing, this does not help when you are hearing a Harpie's Siren Song, and your Will Save is crap, thank Gygax for Chak's Counter-song ability
3: Trying to talk my way out of an ambush, while not an immediately lethal mistake, doesn't work as well as I'd hoped it would, also Chak knows Vanish.
4: Chak is MVP for stealth, infiltration, and distractions, I'm MVP for breaking shit, and Many Names is MVP for mouthing off and getting the tar beaten out of him.
5: Giving the enemy a chance to sound the alarm is generally frowned upon by your party, apologies are appreciated even if they don't really fix the situation, but saying "I'm just role-playing my character" is not.
6: Monks are decidedly dangerous in the hands of a DM, although Flying Crane Kick is suitably awesome to allow for this
7: Do not allow Victor to cast Pyrotechnics within eye-sight again, I think I value the ability to see
And that's where the session ended, with me blind, our party in decent enough shape, our wizard without his spell-books, and fighting our way out of a Bandit stronghold, the next session should be fun, and I can write up a nice long character Journal for you guys.
1: Cleared out bandit camp and started looting, interesting note that neither of our stealthy infiltrator characters can pick locks worth a damn compared to me, who can break anything, a lock is no match for a Masterwork Crowbar and +15 to breaking things.
2; Many Names has very good hearing, this does not help when you are hearing a Harpie's Siren Song, and your Will Save is crap, thank Gygax for Chak's Counter-song ability
3: Trying to talk my way out of an ambush, while not an immediately lethal mistake, doesn't work as well as I'd hoped it would, also Chak knows Vanish.
4: Chak is MVP for stealth, infiltration, and distractions, I'm MVP for breaking shit, and Many Names is MVP for mouthing off and getting the tar beaten out of him.
5: Giving the enemy a chance to sound the alarm is generally frowned upon by your party, apologies are appreciated even if they don't really fix the situation, but saying "I'm just role-playing my character" is not.
6: Monks are decidedly dangerous in the hands of a DM, although Flying Crane Kick is suitably awesome to allow for this
7: Do not allow Victor to cast Pyrotechnics within eye-sight again, I think I value the ability to see
And that's where the session ended, with me blind, our party in decent enough shape, our wizard without his spell-books, and fighting our way out of a Bandit stronghold, the next session should be fun, and I can write up a nice long character Journal for you guys.
Saturday 10 January 2015
Journey Journal, Days 2,3 & 4
I'm sorry to have abandoned you Journey Journal, I've just been in such a bad mood with that sociopathic, mud-blooded, cycle-breaker, Neffarion that I couldn't bring myself to chronicle what has happened so far.
So after I spent the day helping the priests in High Haven try to save as many people as possible, I found out that Neffarion and the others were supposed to heading to Val Nemor, south of my home-town for the yearly Tournament and if I leave them alone there's no telling how much blood they'll shed in the name of Hell-knight "Justice", so I decided to go with them, when the boat arrived the next day.
Morning came, the sun rose, and Neffarion was spotted chasing a distraught looking 12 year old girl down a dark alley with a dagger while half-dressed, or at least that's how I heard it, so that made my morning all the better.
Eventually we headed to the docks outside of town, and waited for our transport, which happened to be a pirate vessel, I could see Neffarion preparing to fight them and make some kind of self-masturbatory pronouncement, so I waited until he opened his mouth and shouted to the Pirates "Hi I'm Seltyiel", and he threw a childish hissy fit, so worth looking like an Idiot to the only members of my race I've ever actually met.
The Pirate captain was nice enough, at least to me, I spent most of the journey talking to him in his cabin, until Neffarion came in and started demanding things and insulting the captain in Abyssal.
Eventually we got to Val Nemor, at Port Zeiduch, and were smuggled into the city in a crate, before the Pirates left us and we met our contact, Melanie, another Hell-knight, who's disguised herself as Astrid, a Ship-Wrights Daughter, and was supposed to get us to the tournament in Dunfarg.
She demanded that we disguise ourselves, so I'm now Glorfindel, a travelling alchemist/healer, however she failed to arrange any transport for us, so I took us to see an old friend, Gregor *Bourbon* Dubrovnik, a travelling merchant, who sells magical knick-knacks. After a little talk he pointed us in the direction of "Umberto" a snake-oil salesman who would be able to get us to Dunfarg in time for the tournament.
It's currently coming on night time, and we're stopped outside Schuteberk, I think we'll be able to get to Dunfarg tomorrow, at the latest, and then I should be able to make some money at the Tournament.
So after I spent the day helping the priests in High Haven try to save as many people as possible, I found out that Neffarion and the others were supposed to heading to Val Nemor, south of my home-town for the yearly Tournament and if I leave them alone there's no telling how much blood they'll shed in the name of Hell-knight "Justice", so I decided to go with them, when the boat arrived the next day.
Morning came, the sun rose, and Neffarion was spotted chasing a distraught looking 12 year old girl down a dark alley with a dagger while half-dressed, or at least that's how I heard it, so that made my morning all the better.
Eventually we headed to the docks outside of town, and waited for our transport, which happened to be a pirate vessel, I could see Neffarion preparing to fight them and make some kind of self-masturbatory pronouncement, so I waited until he opened his mouth and shouted to the Pirates "Hi I'm Seltyiel", and he threw a childish hissy fit, so worth looking like an Idiot to the only members of my race I've ever actually met.
The Pirate captain was nice enough, at least to me, I spent most of the journey talking to him in his cabin, until Neffarion came in and started demanding things and insulting the captain in Abyssal.
Eventually we got to Val Nemor, at Port Zeiduch, and were smuggled into the city in a crate, before the Pirates left us and we met our contact, Melanie, another Hell-knight, who's disguised herself as Astrid, a Ship-Wrights Daughter, and was supposed to get us to the tournament in Dunfarg.
She demanded that we disguise ourselves, so I'm now Glorfindel, a travelling alchemist/healer, however she failed to arrange any transport for us, so I took us to see an old friend, Gregor *Bourbon* Dubrovnik, a travelling merchant, who sells magical knick-knacks. After a little talk he pointed us in the direction of "Umberto" a snake-oil salesman who would be able to get us to Dunfarg in time for the tournament.
It's currently coming on night time, and we're stopped outside Schuteberk, I think we'll be able to get to Dunfarg tomorrow, at the latest, and then I should be able to make some money at the Tournament.
Friday 2 January 2015
Video Killed: Torchlight II
Or as I like to call it "Hi Guys, I'm totally Diablo 2".
So the holidays have come and gone, with all the grace and subtlety of a brick to the face thrown by a football hooligan, and with them, so has the Winter Steam sale finally ended, and our wallets can finally go back to their corners, weeping and shivering, unable to tell anyone where Gabe Newell touched them.
Being as broke as only a Warhammer 40K player can be I only managed to buy 3 games this year, Valkyria Chronicles, Outlast, and of course Torchlight II, which will be the subject of today's post.
Disclaimer: Despite what I say, it's a fun game, pick it up, play it with friends, it's just inordinately derivative.
Disclaimer 2: My Computer is flat-out obsolete, as such my view of the graphics may be a little skewed.
Story: 6/10, Good, if unimaginative
SPOILERS AHEAD
The game begins with the 3 characters from the last game, the Alchemist has gone insane trying to fix his Ember-Blight, and the Vanquisher and Destroyer get wrecked trying to stop him from taking the Artefact of Evil which then corrupts the world around it, bringing in otherworldly monsters and corruption, in other news, the Unknown Warrior from Diablo stabbed himself with Diablo's Soulshard, thinking it would help contain the Lord of Terror, and was possessed and warped by Diablo, now wherever he goes he brings in chaos, and terror, and otherworldly demons and corruption.
From this point onwards it is the PC's mission try and catch-up to the Dark Alchemist as he travels through, in order, Rainy Foothills, Snowy Mountains, a Corrupted Temple, a Ruin Filled Desert, a Lush, Humid Swamp, and finally a Fiery Pit that leads deep into the earth, before they stop the Dark Alchemist, and the otherworldly forces that were corrupting him, and driving him onwards in his mission to tear the barriers of reality asunder. Or as I like to put it, the Rainy Foothills of Diablo II, The Corrupted Temple of Diablo II, The Ruins Filled Desert of Diablo II, the Lush, Humid Swamp of Diablo II, the Fiery Pits of Hell (in Diablo II), and the Snowy Mountains that lead to a corrupted Temple in Diablo II, Lord of Destruction.
Yeah, the story is remarkably derivative of Diablo II, but that's good, Diablo II had one of the most basic stories of these kind of games, and it handled it well, Lone Hero (or Group of Heroes for you Multiplayers out there) goes out into the world to stop an ancient evil, for reasons, and succeeds. Bish, bash, bosh, done, can't fuck that story up, but Torchlight II doesn't manage to approach the scale of Diablo II, what took me about 2 weeks of solid gaming to complete in Diablo II, took me about 3 days with Torchlight, so the game feels smaller, which in turn makes me think that I'm dealing with a smaller threat, and I don't get as invested in the world as I did when this game was Called Diablo II.
Graphics 5/10, not outstanding, but definitely decent
They accomplish what they set out to do, that's all I can really say about the graphics, you want more? Fine.
Everything has a slightly cartoonish style to it, the characters are brightly coloured to help them stand out against the background, and enemies, and the Magical techniques are easily visible and recognisable without cluttering up the screen. Most enemies have their own somewhat distinct silhouette, allowing for quick identification and threat allocation, and no one dungeon style feels too terribly repeated, which was a problem with Diablo II's isometric view and almost Copy-Paste Dungeon graphics, but at the same time, nothing really popped, or had me standing there, wondering at its design, or miniscule detail, unlike the Dungeons in Diablo II, so it just felt blander, and less real than the 14 year old isometric game.
Sounds 5/10, They work
Seriously people, that's all I can say, the sounds work with the game, it's not like I can make a deep analysis on the raindrop noise they play during the rainy section of the map, you don't notice them, whether for Good or for Evil.
Gameplay 7/10, I Love my Ferret
If you've ever played one of these games you've played them all, kill monsters, do side quests, level up, find loot, run back to town 'cause your inventory's full, sell all the stuff you don't want, lather, rinse, repeat. What do you mean I can load up that pet I chose at the beginning of the game with all the loot I don't want, and get him to sell it, without having to leave the action, best Pet ever, I shall name my Ferret Kodo, and love him, and hug him, and keep him forever. Seriously though, the pet mechanic is about the only thing that sets this game apart from other Hack 'n' Slash RPGs, the fact that ferret is a seriously bad-ass damage dealer is just a side bonus (on a side note, why does the Ferret have more HP and Mana than I do).
The classes are fairly average, you've got the Engineer, who tanks Damage, buffs his allies, and Summons Robots to do his bidding; The Embermage who Mages with the 3 traditional element types, Ice, Fire, and Lightning; the Berserker, who berserks (I haven't actually seen this guy in action yet, he could completely rewrite my opinion of this game); and the Outlander, who shoots things,uses debuffing magic, and turns his dead enemies into allies for a short amount of time. So we have the basic RPG classes, the Tank, the Barbarian, the Nuke, and the Nerfer, so nothing new there, though no class has any particularly big disadvantage to solo play, which is nice if you're a recluse like I am.
Overall 23/40, Just Above Average, but Fun
This game will hardly change anyone's opinion about the genre, but if you like these kind of games then it's a fun ride until the end, when you wonder if you should've ridden in the old car from 2000 that has a comfier suspension, softer seats, more gears, and a better Miles per Gallon ratio.
So the holidays have come and gone, with all the grace and subtlety of a brick to the face thrown by a football hooligan, and with them, so has the Winter Steam sale finally ended, and our wallets can finally go back to their corners, weeping and shivering, unable to tell anyone where Gabe Newell touched them.
Being as broke as only a Warhammer 40K player can be I only managed to buy 3 games this year, Valkyria Chronicles, Outlast, and of course Torchlight II, which will be the subject of today's post.
Disclaimer: Despite what I say, it's a fun game, pick it up, play it with friends, it's just inordinately derivative.
Disclaimer 2: My Computer is flat-out obsolete, as such my view of the graphics may be a little skewed.
Story: 6/10, Good, if unimaginative
SPOILERS AHEAD
The game begins with the 3 characters from the last game, the Alchemist has gone insane trying to fix his Ember-Blight, and the Vanquisher and Destroyer get wrecked trying to stop him from taking the Artefact of Evil which then corrupts the world around it, bringing in otherworldly monsters and corruption, in other news, the Unknown Warrior from Diablo stabbed himself with Diablo's Soulshard, thinking it would help contain the Lord of Terror, and was possessed and warped by Diablo, now wherever he goes he brings in chaos, and terror, and otherworldly demons and corruption.
From this point onwards it is the PC's mission try and catch-up to the Dark Alchemist as he travels through, in order, Rainy Foothills, Snowy Mountains, a Corrupted Temple, a Ruin Filled Desert, a Lush, Humid Swamp, and finally a Fiery Pit that leads deep into the earth, before they stop the Dark Alchemist, and the otherworldly forces that were corrupting him, and driving him onwards in his mission to tear the barriers of reality asunder. Or as I like to put it, the Rainy Foothills of Diablo II, The Corrupted Temple of Diablo II, The Ruins Filled Desert of Diablo II, the Lush, Humid Swamp of Diablo II, the Fiery Pits of Hell (in Diablo II), and the Snowy Mountains that lead to a corrupted Temple in Diablo II, Lord of Destruction.
Yeah, the story is remarkably derivative of Diablo II, but that's good, Diablo II had one of the most basic stories of these kind of games, and it handled it well, Lone Hero (or Group of Heroes for you Multiplayers out there) goes out into the world to stop an ancient evil, for reasons, and succeeds. Bish, bash, bosh, done, can't fuck that story up, but Torchlight II doesn't manage to approach the scale of Diablo II, what took me about 2 weeks of solid gaming to complete in Diablo II, took me about 3 days with Torchlight, so the game feels smaller, which in turn makes me think that I'm dealing with a smaller threat, and I don't get as invested in the world as I did when this game was Called Diablo II.
Graphics 5/10, not outstanding, but definitely decent
They accomplish what they set out to do, that's all I can really say about the graphics, you want more? Fine.
Everything has a slightly cartoonish style to it, the characters are brightly coloured to help them stand out against the background, and enemies, and the Magical techniques are easily visible and recognisable without cluttering up the screen. Most enemies have their own somewhat distinct silhouette, allowing for quick identification and threat allocation, and no one dungeon style feels too terribly repeated, which was a problem with Diablo II's isometric view and almost Copy-Paste Dungeon graphics, but at the same time, nothing really popped, or had me standing there, wondering at its design, or miniscule detail, unlike the Dungeons in Diablo II, so it just felt blander, and less real than the 14 year old isometric game.
Sounds 5/10, They work
Seriously people, that's all I can say, the sounds work with the game, it's not like I can make a deep analysis on the raindrop noise they play during the rainy section of the map, you don't notice them, whether for Good or for Evil.
Gameplay 7/10, I Love my Ferret
If you've ever played one of these games you've played them all, kill monsters, do side quests, level up, find loot, run back to town 'cause your inventory's full, sell all the stuff you don't want, lather, rinse, repeat. What do you mean I can load up that pet I chose at the beginning of the game with all the loot I don't want, and get him to sell it, without having to leave the action, best Pet ever, I shall name my Ferret Kodo, and love him, and hug him, and keep him forever. Seriously though, the pet mechanic is about the only thing that sets this game apart from other Hack 'n' Slash RPGs, the fact that ferret is a seriously bad-ass damage dealer is just a side bonus (on a side note, why does the Ferret have more HP and Mana than I do).
The classes are fairly average, you've got the Engineer, who tanks Damage, buffs his allies, and Summons Robots to do his bidding; The Embermage who Mages with the 3 traditional element types, Ice, Fire, and Lightning; the Berserker, who berserks (I haven't actually seen this guy in action yet, he could completely rewrite my opinion of this game); and the Outlander, who shoots things,uses debuffing magic, and turns his dead enemies into allies for a short amount of time. So we have the basic RPG classes, the Tank, the Barbarian, the Nuke, and the Nerfer, so nothing new there, though no class has any particularly big disadvantage to solo play, which is nice if you're a recluse like I am.
Overall 23/40, Just Above Average, but Fun
This game will hardly change anyone's opinion about the genre, but if you like these kind of games then it's a fun ride until the end, when you wonder if you should've ridden in the old car from 2000 that has a comfier suspension, softer seats, more gears, and a better Miles per Gallon ratio.
Saturday 27 December 2014
Species Profiling: The Dragonborn
So yeah, in case you hadn't noticed Shiro is a homebrew race, a Dragonborn, as I'm feeling generous I'll Put the stats and other such stuff up here, if anyone comes up with some good Alternative Racial Traits or extra feats stick them in the comments, and I'll throw them into the mix with your name in brackets.
The Dragonborn (RP 26-27, Thanks to Saint_Yin, for doing the maths)
Physical Description
Physically, Dragonborn are an imposing species, towering over all but the tallest of Humans and elves, with a powerful build reminiscent of their Draconic ancestry. However their scale colour, horn patterns, and markings vary wildly from individual to individual; a Red Dragonborn can be bright crimson in colour, or have dull rusty scales, however it is somewhat hereditary; A Red parent and a Gold Parent may have a Red, Gold, or Brass hatchling, but they are unlikely to have a Silver or White offspring, as such, Dragonborn clans tend to not put much stock into scale colour.
However as Dragonborn resemble their Draconic ancestors so much, their facial structure is largely static, lacking lips and complicated facial musculature, often making them hard to read emotionally, however they often denote emotion by either swinging their tails or through their choice in words.
Male and Female Dragonborn have very little difference in their appearance, besides the Females having wider hips and a slight softening of their facial features, however Females do have a taste for ornamentation with fin studs, tail hoops, armlets, bracelets, and anklets on display when they are socialising.
Society
Dragonborn society is somewhat nomadic, while it is not unheard of for Dragonborn to found villages, small towns and, very rarely, cities, it is very rare for large numbers of Dragonborn to maintain a permanent residence there, instead leaving a Token defensive force to watch over the settlement's farms, workshops and keep the peace, while a large majority of the population form into multiple small clan groups, usually somewhere between 20-100 members strong depending on the size of the settlement, and travel looking for Mercenary work; as such a Dragonborn settlement rarely has a stable population due to mercenary "Clan Companies" often packing up bags and leaving for long periods of time.
The normal population of a settlement is made up of the Wounded who can still farm, teach combat, create weaponry, or perform one of the other necessary tasks to keep the settlement running, and a single Clan that are letting their warriors heal, however most settlements have enough resources to manage 3 Clans for a short period of time.
While growing up most Dragonborn hatchlings are taught the basics of fighting from about the age of 5, which is quickly followed by the clan elder teaching them what little history is actually certainly known, alongside the myths and legends of Dragonborn culture
Scale colour is usually a non-issue in Dragonborn society, a White can lead a clan group of Greens, Brasses, and Bronzes if he proves himself to be a physically strong, charismatic and tactically sound leader, however Purer colours are seen as socially attractive, with metallic Males and chromatic Females, and some of their legendary figures, such as the Son and Daughter of Io, the founders of their race, are seen as being Platinum scaled, or Prismatic scaled, incorporating all of the scale colours in a single pure radiance.
However Dragonborn culture does put a lot of emphasis on physical skill and verbal eloquence, with Dragonborn bards preferring to tell their stories with wordplay, rather than music. If an important position has to be filled and there are multiple, suitable, applicants the position will normally be decided by a physical contest of skill, or a match of wits before an audience.
Relations with other species
Dragonborn do not have the best relationship with other species, mostly talked about as overly simple mercenaries who'll do anything for something that only looks valuable, or as cold, calculating killers who spend their time profiting from the misfortunes of others, and for their part the Dragonborn find the rest of the world to have their own major faults, and enjoy needling any other species who bring up the Dragonborns faults during a discussion. Elves are viewed as frail and weak, and in extreme cases insinuated to have intimate relations with trees, Dwarves are seen as too rigid and traditional and a long running joke for Dragonborn culture is why Dwarves have such a great supply of Brown Diamonds, and Humans are considered as overly emotional, prone to breaking their word on impulse and letting their negative emotions lead them to make terrible decisions on a regular basis.
Strangely, on the rare occasion that they meet, Dragonborn and Kobolds maintain a fairly civil, if strained, relationship; recognising their common ancestors and the similarity of their histories. However most Dragonborn despise the Kobolds almost natural, and slavish, subservience to true Dragons, while the Kobolds hate the fact that Dragonborn have the power that they want, but refuse to use it to rule over other races, instead using it in the service of others, leading to a simmering enmity that occasionally erupts in incredibly bloody conflict every few decades, especially in areas where Kobolds have a true Dragon sponsor.
Ethics (Alignment) and Religion
In terms of religion Dragonborn have almost no use for gods or organised religion; sometimes outright denying their services to churches and high clergy, unless they require a service that the Dragonborn personally agrees with, however this is rare, and while a minority of Dragonborn Mercenary captains will have nothing to do with Divine magic even in the direst of circumstances, others will readily make use of a priests healing services if they find it advantageous, make a small donation as thanks, and then leave. The few Dragonborn that do take to Divine magic in battle usually worship either Cayden Cailean, Gorum, or Irori as gods that allow their worshippers to be free to worship in their own way, whether that is doing the right thing, proving one's strength in battle, or seeking personal strength, or draw some form of Divine power from powerful figures in their myths and legends such as "He Who Tamed The Storm".
Ethically, Dragonborn usually have a personal code of ethics that they follow loosely, no matter what situation they find themselves in, for example, if a Dragonborn dislikes slavery they will still help a slaver recapture escapees, however they will charge far more as payment than they would for killing bandits and if one of the escaped slaves has enough to make a suitable counter offer, the Dragonborn will help them escape before returning the slaver's money if at all possible. However, no Dragonborn will lie about a contract, and if they discover that they have been lied to about a contract they will either rescind their services until they hear the complete truth, or just leave a job unfinished if they feel the lie was too great.
Adventurers
Dragonborn often travel as part of a mercenary group, but if work is currently unavailable, or multiple clans are resting, it isn't unheard of for the younger Dragonborn to go adventuring in order to gain experience and reputation. Due to their training most Dragonborn tend towards Martial classes such as Fighter, Barbarian, Cavalier, and Bards.
Standard Racial Traits
+2 STR, +2 CON, +2 CHA, -4 WIS, Dragonborn are Strong, Resilient, and Vocally Persuasive, but their over-confident natures lead them into easily avoidable situations.
Size: Dragonborn are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties from their size.
Type: Dragonborn have the Dragon type
Speed: 30ft
Languages: Dragonborn begin play speaking Common and Draconic. Dragonborn with high Intelligence scores can learn the following languages: Dwarven, Elven, Halfling, Ancient (A single relevant ancient language of the DM's choosing), or Orc.
Defensive Traits
+2 Natural Armour
Immunity vs Sleep & Paralysis
Resist 5 to your Breath Weapons Energy Type (Optional, my DM thinks I should have, but it should be a Feat of some sort)
Feats & Skill Traits
Historic: +2 to Know(History), and Know(History) always considered a Class Skill
Intimidating: +2 to Intimidate, and Intimidate is always a Class Skill
Senses Traits
Low-Light Vision
Darkvision (60ft, Monochromatic)
Offensive Traits
Dragon Breath: 1/day See table below
Black - 30 ft line, Acid
Blue - 30ft line, Electric
Brass - 30ft line, Fire
Bronze - 30ft line, Electric
Copper - 30ft line, Acid
Gold - 15ft Cone, Fire
Green - 15ft Cone, Acid
Red - 15ft Cone, Fire
Silver - 15ft Cone, Cold
White - 15ft Cone, Cold
Reflex Halves DC = 10+1/2HD+CON)
Damage increases by 2d6 at every 5th level, dealing 2d6 at lvl 1, then 4d6 at lvl 5, 6d6 at lvl 10, 8d6 at lvl 15, 10d6 at lvl 20, this progression continues into Epic levels.
Alternate Traits
Racial Feats
Draconic Claws
Prerequisites: Dragonborn
Benefit: Your hands turn into claws, each deals 1d4 + STR damage, these are considered primary natural weapons.
Draconic Wings
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 5th
Benefit: Your vestigial wings grow strong enough to carry you aloft, poorly, gain a Fly speed of 50(Clumsy).
Expanded Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 7th
Benefit: Your Breath weapon now covers a larger area, Lines are extended to 60ft, and Cones cover 30ft.
Extra Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 7th,
Benefit: You can now use your Dragon Breath an extra 2 times per day, however your breath takes 1d4+2 rounds to recharge.
Flexible Tail
Prerequisites: Dragonborn
Benefit: You gain a Tail Swipe attack that deals 1d8 + 1/2 STR damage as a secondary natural weapon, and you gain a +4 on climb checks and acrobatics Checks made to balance.
Greater Resistance
Prerequisites: Dragonborn Character lvl 3, 7, 11, 19
Benefit: You grow ever more used to the violent magical energies inside you, your energy resistance increases by 5 against your breath weapon energy type.
Special: This feat may be taken after each level show in the prerequisites, increasing your resistance by 5 each time. If the feat is taken after lvl 19 you gain immunity to your chosen energy type.
Practised Flier
Prerequisites: Draconic Wings, Character level 9th
Benefits: Your Fly Speed Increases to 60(Good), and Fly is now considered a Class Skill for you
Shape Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 5th
Benefit: You can now use either a 30ft Line or 15ft Cone template for your breath Weapon. This feat is altered by Expanded Breath to a 60ft Line or 30ft Cone.
Variable Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 9th
Benefit: Choose another energy type, you can now choose which energy type you are using when you use your breath weapon. This choice has to be declared before enemies roll their saves.
The Dragonborn (RP 26-27, Thanks to Saint_Yin, for doing the maths)
Physical Description
Physically, Dragonborn are an imposing species, towering over all but the tallest of Humans and elves, with a powerful build reminiscent of their Draconic ancestry. However their scale colour, horn patterns, and markings vary wildly from individual to individual; a Red Dragonborn can be bright crimson in colour, or have dull rusty scales, however it is somewhat hereditary; A Red parent and a Gold Parent may have a Red, Gold, or Brass hatchling, but they are unlikely to have a Silver or White offspring, as such, Dragonborn clans tend to not put much stock into scale colour.
However as Dragonborn resemble their Draconic ancestors so much, their facial structure is largely static, lacking lips and complicated facial musculature, often making them hard to read emotionally, however they often denote emotion by either swinging their tails or through their choice in words.
Male and Female Dragonborn have very little difference in their appearance, besides the Females having wider hips and a slight softening of their facial features, however Females do have a taste for ornamentation with fin studs, tail hoops, armlets, bracelets, and anklets on display when they are socialising.
Society
Dragonborn society is somewhat nomadic, while it is not unheard of for Dragonborn to found villages, small towns and, very rarely, cities, it is very rare for large numbers of Dragonborn to maintain a permanent residence there, instead leaving a Token defensive force to watch over the settlement's farms, workshops and keep the peace, while a large majority of the population form into multiple small clan groups, usually somewhere between 20-100 members strong depending on the size of the settlement, and travel looking for Mercenary work; as such a Dragonborn settlement rarely has a stable population due to mercenary "Clan Companies" often packing up bags and leaving for long periods of time.
The normal population of a settlement is made up of the Wounded who can still farm, teach combat, create weaponry, or perform one of the other necessary tasks to keep the settlement running, and a single Clan that are letting their warriors heal, however most settlements have enough resources to manage 3 Clans for a short period of time.
While growing up most Dragonborn hatchlings are taught the basics of fighting from about the age of 5, which is quickly followed by the clan elder teaching them what little history is actually certainly known, alongside the myths and legends of Dragonborn culture
Scale colour is usually a non-issue in Dragonborn society, a White can lead a clan group of Greens, Brasses, and Bronzes if he proves himself to be a physically strong, charismatic and tactically sound leader, however Purer colours are seen as socially attractive, with metallic Males and chromatic Females, and some of their legendary figures, such as the Son and Daughter of Io, the founders of their race, are seen as being Platinum scaled, or Prismatic scaled, incorporating all of the scale colours in a single pure radiance.
However Dragonborn culture does put a lot of emphasis on physical skill and verbal eloquence, with Dragonborn bards preferring to tell their stories with wordplay, rather than music. If an important position has to be filled and there are multiple, suitable, applicants the position will normally be decided by a physical contest of skill, or a match of wits before an audience.
Relations with other species
Dragonborn do not have the best relationship with other species, mostly talked about as overly simple mercenaries who'll do anything for something that only looks valuable, or as cold, calculating killers who spend their time profiting from the misfortunes of others, and for their part the Dragonborn find the rest of the world to have their own major faults, and enjoy needling any other species who bring up the Dragonborns faults during a discussion. Elves are viewed as frail and weak, and in extreme cases insinuated to have intimate relations with trees, Dwarves are seen as too rigid and traditional and a long running joke for Dragonborn culture is why Dwarves have such a great supply of Brown Diamonds, and Humans are considered as overly emotional, prone to breaking their word on impulse and letting their negative emotions lead them to make terrible decisions on a regular basis.
Strangely, on the rare occasion that they meet, Dragonborn and Kobolds maintain a fairly civil, if strained, relationship; recognising their common ancestors and the similarity of their histories. However most Dragonborn despise the Kobolds almost natural, and slavish, subservience to true Dragons, while the Kobolds hate the fact that Dragonborn have the power that they want, but refuse to use it to rule over other races, instead using it in the service of others, leading to a simmering enmity that occasionally erupts in incredibly bloody conflict every few decades, especially in areas where Kobolds have a true Dragon sponsor.
Ethics (Alignment) and Religion
In terms of religion Dragonborn have almost no use for gods or organised religion; sometimes outright denying their services to churches and high clergy, unless they require a service that the Dragonborn personally agrees with, however this is rare, and while a minority of Dragonborn Mercenary captains will have nothing to do with Divine magic even in the direst of circumstances, others will readily make use of a priests healing services if they find it advantageous, make a small donation as thanks, and then leave. The few Dragonborn that do take to Divine magic in battle usually worship either Cayden Cailean, Gorum, or Irori as gods that allow their worshippers to be free to worship in their own way, whether that is doing the right thing, proving one's strength in battle, or seeking personal strength, or draw some form of Divine power from powerful figures in their myths and legends such as "He Who Tamed The Storm".
Ethically, Dragonborn usually have a personal code of ethics that they follow loosely, no matter what situation they find themselves in, for example, if a Dragonborn dislikes slavery they will still help a slaver recapture escapees, however they will charge far more as payment than they would for killing bandits and if one of the escaped slaves has enough to make a suitable counter offer, the Dragonborn will help them escape before returning the slaver's money if at all possible. However, no Dragonborn will lie about a contract, and if they discover that they have been lied to about a contract they will either rescind their services until they hear the complete truth, or just leave a job unfinished if they feel the lie was too great.
Adventurers
Dragonborn often travel as part of a mercenary group, but if work is currently unavailable, or multiple clans are resting, it isn't unheard of for the younger Dragonborn to go adventuring in order to gain experience and reputation. Due to their training most Dragonborn tend towards Martial classes such as Fighter, Barbarian, Cavalier, and Bards.
Standard Racial Traits
+2 STR, +2 CON, +2 CHA, -4 WIS, Dragonborn are Strong, Resilient, and Vocally Persuasive, but their over-confident natures lead them into easily avoidable situations.
Size: Dragonborn are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties from their size.
Type: Dragonborn have the Dragon type
Speed: 30ft
Languages: Dragonborn begin play speaking Common and Draconic. Dragonborn with high Intelligence scores can learn the following languages: Dwarven, Elven, Halfling, Ancient (A single relevant ancient language of the DM's choosing), or Orc.
Defensive Traits
+2 Natural Armour
Immunity vs Sleep & Paralysis
Resist 5 to your Breath Weapons Energy Type (Optional, my DM thinks I should have, but it should be a Feat of some sort)
Feats & Skill Traits
Historic: +2 to Know(History), and Know(History) always considered a Class Skill
Intimidating: +2 to Intimidate, and Intimidate is always a Class Skill
Senses Traits
Low-Light Vision
Darkvision (60ft, Monochromatic)
Offensive Traits
Dragon Breath: 1/day See table below
Black - 30 ft line, Acid
Blue - 30ft line, Electric
Brass - 30ft line, Fire
Bronze - 30ft line, Electric
Copper - 30ft line, Acid
Gold - 15ft Cone, Fire
Green - 15ft Cone, Acid
Red - 15ft Cone, Fire
Silver - 15ft Cone, Cold
White - 15ft Cone, Cold
Reflex Halves DC = 10+1/2HD+CON)
Damage increases by 2d6 at every 5th level, dealing 2d6 at lvl 1, then 4d6 at lvl 5, 6d6 at lvl 10, 8d6 at lvl 15, 10d6 at lvl 20, this progression continues into Epic levels.
Alternate Traits
Racial Feats
Draconic Claws
Prerequisites: Dragonborn
Benefit: Your hands turn into claws, each deals 1d4 + STR damage, these are considered primary natural weapons.
Draconic Wings
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 5th
Benefit: Your vestigial wings grow strong enough to carry you aloft, poorly, gain a Fly speed of 50(Clumsy).
Expanded Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 7th
Benefit: Your Breath weapon now covers a larger area, Lines are extended to 60ft, and Cones cover 30ft.
Extra Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 7th,
Benefit: You can now use your Dragon Breath an extra 2 times per day, however your breath takes 1d4+2 rounds to recharge.
Flexible Tail
Prerequisites: Dragonborn
Benefit: You gain a Tail Swipe attack that deals 1d8 + 1/2 STR damage as a secondary natural weapon, and you gain a +4 on climb checks and acrobatics Checks made to balance.
Greater Resistance
Prerequisites: Dragonborn Character lvl 3, 7, 11, 19
Benefit: You grow ever more used to the violent magical energies inside you, your energy resistance increases by 5 against your breath weapon energy type.
Special: This feat may be taken after each level show in the prerequisites, increasing your resistance by 5 each time. If the feat is taken after lvl 19 you gain immunity to your chosen energy type.
Practised Flier
Prerequisites: Draconic Wings, Character level 9th
Benefits: Your Fly Speed Increases to 60(Good), and Fly is now considered a Class Skill for you
Shape Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 5th
Benefit: You can now use either a 30ft Line or 15ft Cone template for your breath Weapon. This feat is altered by Expanded Breath to a 60ft Line or 30ft Cone.
Variable Breath
Prerequisites: Dragonborn, Character level 9th
Benefit: Choose another energy type, you can now choose which energy type you are using when you use your breath weapon. This choice has to be declared before enemies roll their saves.
Wednesday 24 December 2014
Character Growth: House of Flying Blades
So something a little different from my previous Character Growth posts this is more along the lines of a Character Build, so for now let me espouse on the building of a character built to make the most of Attacks of Opportunity.
The Whirlwind of Steel
So there are 4 things we need to take advantage of for this character build
1: Combat Reflexes, this feat allows you to make as many AoO as your DEX+1, compared to the single AoO that every character gets.
2: Weapon Finesse, Unless you want to MAD both your STR and DEX, Weapon Finesse will give you your DEX to your attack rolls instead of your STR, and synchronises well with Combat Reflexes.
2b: While it's not rules legal to give a Flying Blade Weapon Finesse, but the weapon came out in a later book than Weapon Finesse, so an understanding DM will most likely let you have this, if not, you gotta get MAD.
3:Heirloom Weapon, this trait gives you a +1 Trait bonus on AoO with a Heirloom weapon passed down by your family members EDIT: This trait cannot be taken with the "Flying Blade" weapon, as it's an exotic weapon, my mistake.
4: Flying Blade, this Exotic Weapon deals 1d12 damage, has a Crit Zone of 20(x3), and takes a -2 on regular attacks, in exchange for a +2 on AoO, alongside reach. (Found in Ultimate Combat, Paizo)
4b: While the flat rules for Reach say a Reach weapon can't be used to attack an adjacent foe, the Flying Blade is attached to a flexible chain for spinning it around, you could reasonably ask your DM to allow you to attack adjacent foes with a minor penalty.
So just to start we need a character with High DEX, STR, and at least 13 INT, and 3 feats, or Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Flying Blade) and 2 feats, making the best fit either a Fighter (Any Race), a Scout Rogue Archetype (Human/Tengu), or a Kensai Magus Archetype (Human/Tengu).
Once these starting points have been met, there are another 3 things you need to achieve
5: Get Dodge and Mobility, a somewhat aggravating feat tax for several necessary feats that will help this build take off, but the +1 Dodge to AC, and the +4 vs AoO will be useful, even if it's not outstanding.
6: Get Combat Patrol, this allows you to increase the range at which enemies provoke AoO from you at the cost of movement, meaning your next step is to.
7: Boost your movement speed, any way you can, if you're a Fighter, grab Fleet a couple of times with your plethora of bonus feats, if you're a Rogue grab a wand of Haste or expeditious retreat, if you're a Magus, learn Haste, and regardless of class, grab one of the following Boots of Striding and Springing, Feather Step Slippers, Boots of Speed, or Boots of the Raptor (3rd Party)
So at this point this build is starting to come together, as a Fighter you'll be getting these feats earlier, so you should have an easier time spotting and shoring up any weak points that reveal themselves, before the final few touches.
8: Spring Attack & Combat Expertise, another 2 tax feats, Spring Attack is useful as a feat that helps with mobility in situations where enemies aren't provoking AoO from your Combat Patrol, Combat Expertise however is a TAX, pure and simple.
9: Whirlwind Attack: the point of the 2 feats above, and most likely the last feat you'll get in this build unless you're playing a Fighter, this feat allows you to attack everything in range of your weapon as a Full Round Action, with a reach weapon that comes out to 16 squares of attack, meaning that your enemies can't simply just gang up on you to shut down your Combat Patrol without some punishment coming down on them.
10:Weapon Enhancements, Keen, Heart-seeking, Element of Choice, +1 at minimum, I would advise against getting any ability that activates on a crit as the crit range for this weapon is as small as possible.
11: If you have any spare feats at this point they'd be best spent on stuff that just boosts your to hit chance, Weapon Focus (Flying Blade), Greater Weapon Focus (Fighter or Kensai), Disruptive and Spellbreaker are good choices if you find yourself going up against Casters (Fighter or Kensai), teleport tactician may be a useful choice, if somewhat niche.
So by endgame, you should be able to, at least, make Attacks of Opportunity against opponents across the map, attack any foe who decides that keeping you from moving would be a good idea, and present a serious problem to spellcasters regardless of the distance they stay away from you.
As for everything else, Weapon Groups, Rogue Talents, or Magus Arcana, that's entirely up to you, but as always, have fun, and go out swinging.
The Whirlwind of Steel
So there are 4 things we need to take advantage of for this character build
1: Combat Reflexes, this feat allows you to make as many AoO as your DEX+1, compared to the single AoO that every character gets.
2: Weapon Finesse, Unless you want to MAD both your STR and DEX, Weapon Finesse will give you your DEX to your attack rolls instead of your STR, and synchronises well with Combat Reflexes.
2b: While it's not rules legal to give a Flying Blade Weapon Finesse, but the weapon came out in a later book than Weapon Finesse, so an understanding DM will most likely let you have this, if not, you gotta get MAD.
3:
4: Flying Blade, this Exotic Weapon deals 1d12 damage, has a Crit Zone of 20(x3), and takes a -2 on regular attacks, in exchange for a +2 on AoO, alongside reach. (Found in Ultimate Combat, Paizo)
4b: While the flat rules for Reach say a Reach weapon can't be used to attack an adjacent foe, the Flying Blade is attached to a flexible chain for spinning it around, you could reasonably ask your DM to allow you to attack adjacent foes with a minor penalty.
So just to start we need a character with High DEX, STR, and at least 13 INT, and 3 feats, or Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Flying Blade) and 2 feats, making the best fit either a Fighter (Any Race), a Scout Rogue Archetype (Human/Tengu), or a Kensai Magus Archetype (Human/Tengu).
Once these starting points have been met, there are another 3 things you need to achieve
5: Get Dodge and Mobility, a somewhat aggravating feat tax for several necessary feats that will help this build take off, but the +1 Dodge to AC, and the +4 vs AoO will be useful, even if it's not outstanding.
6: Get Combat Patrol, this allows you to increase the range at which enemies provoke AoO from you at the cost of movement, meaning your next step is to.
7: Boost your movement speed, any way you can, if you're a Fighter, grab Fleet a couple of times with your plethora of bonus feats, if you're a Rogue grab a wand of Haste or expeditious retreat, if you're a Magus, learn Haste, and regardless of class, grab one of the following Boots of Striding and Springing, Feather Step Slippers, Boots of Speed, or Boots of the Raptor (3rd Party)
So at this point this build is starting to come together, as a Fighter you'll be getting these feats earlier, so you should have an easier time spotting and shoring up any weak points that reveal themselves, before the final few touches.
8: Spring Attack & Combat Expertise, another 2 tax feats, Spring Attack is useful as a feat that helps with mobility in situations where enemies aren't provoking AoO from your Combat Patrol, Combat Expertise however is a TAX, pure and simple.
9: Whirlwind Attack: the point of the 2 feats above, and most likely the last feat you'll get in this build unless you're playing a Fighter, this feat allows you to attack everything in range of your weapon as a Full Round Action, with a reach weapon that comes out to 16 squares of attack, meaning that your enemies can't simply just gang up on you to shut down your Combat Patrol without some punishment coming down on them.
10:Weapon Enhancements, Keen, Heart-seeking, Element of Choice, +1 at minimum, I would advise against getting any ability that activates on a crit as the crit range for this weapon is as small as possible.
11: If you have any spare feats at this point they'd be best spent on stuff that just boosts your to hit chance, Weapon Focus (Flying Blade), Greater Weapon Focus (Fighter or Kensai), Disruptive and Spellbreaker are good choices if you find yourself going up against Casters (Fighter or Kensai), teleport tactician may be a useful choice, if somewhat niche.
So by endgame, you should be able to, at least, make Attacks of Opportunity against opponents across the map, attack any foe who decides that keeping you from moving would be a good idea, and present a serious problem to spellcasters regardless of the distance they stay away from you.
As for everything else, Weapon Groups, Rogue Talents, or Magus Arcana, that's entirely up to you, but as always, have fun, and go out swinging.
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