Tips for new players or anyone

[nshawmc]

Here are my tips. This is a bit of a **spoiler** if you want to learn things on your own. Some though are hard to figure out without testing:


-Press R while in town to rest and go directly to your bedroom.

-Wearing most armors will reduce skills: athletics, mobility stealth and trickery

-Use guidance (Cleric) before picking locks (rogue)

-Use charge every time by moving your group away until your warriors are able and in range to charge then charging. Its important to charge.

-Don’t expect to save rations they get wasted by accident currently from settings in game. Just sell them for the gold. You can buy rations once you get your own town (not for sale in first town)

-If you play with encumbrance penalties such as move slower and negative to some skills then pay attention to not only the groups overall carry capacity but the individual. Take off extra weapons and make sure characters that wear med or heavy armor have the strength to do so. someone with like 7 or 8 strength will not be able to carry medium or heavy armor with these rules

In settings you can set it so that game pauses when combat starts.

AMBUSH round is most important. Attack with only those you think won't get spotted. If they are noticed the ambush will fail. If they aren't noticed, then they get a free attack before setting up all of the turn timers. Some enemies are easier to ambush and others will spot you.

Pets are very good for ambush because of their large range for charge and stealth skills.

Higher stealth will allow you to get close and make a free surprise attack. If you get too close you get spotted and lose the surprise round so its important to only attack with those you think can surprise successfully. Expeditious speed will increase charge range- larger size will as well. While slower and smaller makes it harder.

If you don't have your sorc to cast mage armor (on like cleric ESS, monks, magus) then you will need a wand of mage armor and someone who can use it.

Use magic item is good for everyone to use thinks like wand of expeditious retreat, enhance weapon wand.

Don’t use halflings or gnomes they move slower and will slow down your whole party.

Druid is a good main because you can get a spell to give you 10 extra feet movement per hour and move faster in towns.

In act 2 there is a 10 ac +3 dex full plate heavy armor for sale 12,000 gold. So you can have +3 dex on a heavy plate wearing and still gain effect of the AC. (10+3 = 13 13 where mage armor 4+3=7)

Expeditious retreat will like double your charge range but doesn’t help you from being spotted.
You need stealth

Weapon finesse is needed for using dex for attack for melee. you can get a feat or get rogue level 1.

TWF two weapon fighting is not needed to attack with two weapons but will greatly reduce the penalties.

Flurry of blows is ganked with 1 level into monk but you must have no armor on. You will get an extra attack for a full round action of attacks so two or three if you duel wield. Unarmed strike is two strikes unless you have stone fists then it is three strikes. Currently works with any weapons not just monk weapons (glitch?)

to add dex to damage you need Fencing Grace feat. you can get this as a rogue level 3.

If you want sneak attack damage but don't care about weapon finesse you can go Alchemist vivasectionist and also get some self buffs.

Spell slots available depend on your primary casting attribute so to cast high level spells (or even low level ones) you do need that attribute high.

Alchemist vivisectionist spells won't work if you dump intellect. you need at least 11 intellect.

Get feat Power attack as a prereq to cleave for melee attackers it's good to have cleave especially for one-hander attackers.

Spell caster cantrips go against enemy touch AC, rather than normal AC which is usually much lower so it's easier to hit but they do less damage OR take a spell slot or scroll.

Cleric healers need wisdom 13 to pick select channeling feat otherwise you heal enemies as well as your allies.

Many spell casters can swap out a spell slot for something else usually base is cure light wounds click arrow above spell button icon.

Sneak attack works if enemy is flanked or surprised so if you come out from invisibility or stealth.

A flanked enemy has two melee attacking him at once. Attackers gain +attack if flanking an enemy so try to keep two melee on your main target and try to keep two melee off your party members.

Pets are a bit OP at this time. Main reason is even if they die (all the way dead) they will come back after a rest/camp. They take hits at the start giving your team an extra round of attacks more or less. Some also trip enemies or deal decent damage. Pets also add to carry capacity.

Strength is important for carry capacity. if you dump it on all toons you better have pets to help carry stuff.

You can use self buffs for strength to carry more just before you leave a zone such as bull's strength or alchemist strength elixir.

If you put 3 ranks into mobility then you gain +1 AC when you fight in defensive mode (which your main tank will probabaly be doing most of the time)

You can't just have a main tank- enemies will change targets but not bad to have an initial target for the enemies. They will usually attack whoever they see first at the start so good to have your tank have stealth so he can be part of the ambush round.

Every time you level a caster check your spells- you may have gained spell slots or even spell levels.

There are different types of casters. Some have access to all spell book while others have to learn specific spells as they level and have a restricted selection. Then some can cast any spells they prepare out of a # of slots while others just get one cast of each spell they choose for the day. Make sure you know which type you have.

If you are new, play with death's door option to make the game much easier. This gives you one freeby death for each character between visit to main inn/capital. So you don't have to redo fights so much.

On character creation careful on dump abilities. Strength is needed to carry and for any melee attack or damage (without fineese training or fencing grace feats). Dexterity is always needed never should dump always affects AC (if it's negative you get negative AC). Constitution is your health. Intellect affects # of skill points you get each level good to have 12 for everyone so you have plenty of skills but you could dump. Wisdom and Charisma are best to dump but if you are going caster that uses either of them they are important.

Cleric not only uses wisdom but uses charisma for the number of channel divinity casts they get each day keep this in mind for clerics.

Bard get feat lasting performance then only use the singing every three rounds and you will essentially have three times the charges- but you have to pay attention if you do this.

If you want to kill were rats at the start at level 4 go with Bard Flame Dancer for fire resist.

[Naked Granny]

Many of these are flat out incorrect or you just don't really understand what you're talking about.

[nshawmc]

like what?

[Tyrchon]

Great post, thanks for taking the time.

[Iridescence]

You should dump int unless you need it for your class or feats. 1 skill point per level is the minimum you can get which still lets the character specialize in one area. If you really need more than that play human for the extra point. not worth it to lower an important attribute for an extra skill point or 2.
Charisma can also be safely dumped if you don't use it in your class.