The Gaming Den

Paths of Power Review




http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_i ... r][br]Okay I am a cheap gamer and I occasionally pick up free gaming supplements in hopes of find some gold amongst the crap. My first review well be about a supplement called Paths of Power by Distant Horizon Games. Here is the product description...

[Distant Horizons Games presents Paths of Power, a d20 enhancement for magic and spell-casting.

Within lies path magic, designed to create spell-casting specialization in your games. Set up for easy customization, Paths of Power offers a quick and easy method of turning your game into something special. It contains 90 new magical paths and domains, covering every magical application, as well as rules on researching additional paths, magical items related to paths, 21 new spells, 8 new path-based feats, including feat-based magic with no special class attached, and the Savant class for those players who just have to have every last spell or Feat

For easy reference, the standard d20 domains are included in an appendix, squeezed down into 5 short pages, along with the obscure domains and spells buried in the depths of the SRD.]


Okay with that out of the way here is my review of the supplement. This is 52 pages long, that is a lot for a free supplement. It gives an alternative to the standard way spell casters gain spells.

Chapter One the Basic Rules

This chapter explains what path are and how to use them. Basically they are domains with no granted power. Each character gets them (though non-caster don't get a thing for having them). There is a "racial" path for each core race, an "alignment" path, a "professional" path, and a standard path. Each character gets a racial and alignment path. If they are a caster or manifester they get a professional path as well. You may get more path by purchasing them with feats. There is also a section on about options on getting new paths. Domains have been turned into paths as well, but any that you purchase beyond the first two as cleric you must spend a second feat to get the power.

There is a change though all spells that are divine can not be cast in heavy armor...what you can just get mithral full plate and not care...okay moving on then. The wizard doesn't need a spell book anymore and doesn't gain the two individual spell per level they are compensated with getting more bonus paths than everyone else.

There is a section on if you get a spell more than once on your list. They are okay but this mostly not worth having, just plain icing.

So far it just looks okay, since this is a supplement for casters and manifester it makes sense that non caster/manifesters are screwed out of every thing.

Chapter Two: Game Mechanics or Non-casters/manifester still get screwed

This is were thing get bad. This section holds the new feats and the new prestige class. Since this is a short section I will go through each feat and the class one by one.

Armored Caster: Just like every other time this has shown up it still sucks.

Domain Ability: If you get a domain path now you can get the domain granted power as well and not have to blow a feat for each one. This can get silly very fast.

Path Master: Slightly confusing but really is just stupid cheese. You invest your spell slot in path rather than spells. It's a way get more spell casting out of your spell slots. This can see a lot of abuse.

Psionic Ability: You are granted a manifester's progression up to Power level 6. You get to choose which mental stat to use for deriving your power. Here is the real kicker you have to take this feat nine times to get the full benefits of the feat. The more you invest the less of a increase of power you get from it. This may be okay if you are a fighter but that's about it.

Shielded Caster: See Armored Caster.

Skillfulness: You gain 6 skill points...that all I can say.

Spell Ability: See Psionic Ability but ten times shittier. You only get up "6th" level spells, the quotation are there since you can only cast the spell up to 4th level on a per day basis but the 5th and 6th level ones are only per week. You can get more time to cast the spells per week if you invest more feat (15 total). Just be a damn caster.

Feats 2/7 good (Path Master and Domain Ability) 1/7 okay (skillfulness) 4/7 complete ass

Oh I didn't forget about the prestige class. This is called the Savant. It is very odd class it can be entered as early as 3rd level. All skills from your prior classes are class skills, it get 2+int skill points, poor BAB and saves. Each level you gain three feats, alright something for the non casters to take a level in...what is this...you can not select more than one feat from along a particular sequence of feats. Guess non-caster/mainfesters are screwed again. There is also a special condition that say you can not have more than a third of the characters levels taken in this class. This class is only good for one level anyway.
Levels: 1/5


Chapter Three: The paths (to ruin)

Here we come to the meat of the book the paths, there is this not about the Will DC to learn the path if you use that option (it's pretty dumb and pointless since most casters will be able to pass them). Each comes with a quote most are okay, but they try to hard to be clever and fail.

First Racial paths

Dwarf: You don't get any real good spells except move earth and stone skin. Your level 9 spell that you get is either fucking retard or fucking genius depending on your GM

Elf: You get charm spells, power word blind and Etherealness. Pretty good

Dark Elf: You get some good disabling spells like Touch of Idiocy, Eyebite and Feeblemind. Getting Antipathy sucks though, well that and the caster level loss.

Gnome: You just get screwed, you would think that you would get illusion spells...nope you get transmutation ones like reduce person and alter self. You do get shapechange for you 9th level spell. You also get Fabricate and a new spell Manufacture (improved Fabricate) so there can be abuse here.

Halfling: Your spell mostly suck except for invisibility.

Human: All you get is Evocation spells...

Half Elf: What the hell? These bastards get all illusion spells, and the good ones to boot. Silent image, minor image, major image, Phantasmal Killer, Persistent Image, Programmed Image, Project Image, Scintillating Patter, and Weird. What the hell?

Half Orc: Your spells are just buffs and your 7th,8th, and 9th level spells aren't any better.

Racial Paths: 2/8 good (No surprise the elves get the good shit)
2/8 Okay (dark elf and gnome)
4/8 Suck

Conclusion: Half-Elf clerics kill people and Elven Cleric win the game, and as Druid you do it as a bear.

Next Alignment paths

There two alignment paths...

Channeling: This is for everyone who is not True Neutral. You get the Cure wounds and Inflict wounds spells and their kin. You can only cure those who are within one step of your alignment, nothing to those who have a matching and opposing alignment, and harm those who have one or more opposing or no match ones. So pretty much there is fair chance you won't be able to heal an ally unless you all agree to at least share some alignment.

Earthward: This is for true neutral only. You get spells that soak damage and higher ones flat out stop it.

Instead of choosing a path you can get an alignment domain (You have to spend another feat the get the granted power) Each alignment gets one and a new domain is created for True Neutral and it's a lot better than the other ones.

Conclusion: Add true neutral in with being a Cleric or Druid

Class based Paths:

These path provide 3 spells per level and for full casters level 0 spells as well

Bard: You get a couple of good spells but nothing to really write home about

Cleric: You get your reviving spells and some okay buffs, and that's about it. You also get Miracle

Druid: You get some nice self buffing spells.

Paladin: Well their casting sucks anyway, this isn't any better.

Ranger: Same as paladin.

Sorcerer: (I like The Slayers quote) You get mostly direct damage spells, the other spells you get aren't that good either. You also don't get any cantrips.

Wizard: Wow, most of these spells suck except for higher ones like Wish, Limited Wish and Gate. You do get secret page but since you don't get a spell book anymore it really doesn't do anything.

Conclusion: Play a druid or cleric...so nothing really has changed.

Chapter Four Standard Paths (non casters/ mainfest still don't get shit)

This is the section with paths that have themes to them. This can get interesting. Not every standard path give you a spell for every spell level.

Aquados Path: You get Fog cloud and some cold direct damage spells...pass

Auric mastery: This could be fun but not really worth it

Beasts: Sucks, Next

The Beast within: This can be good for a druid.

Black Will: Not good

Path of blades: Sucks a lot, a paladin or ranger could make some use out of it.

Cantrip Master: You get all cantrips and orisons. NEXT

Celestial Way: Not that good but Shield of Faith is nice I guess

Confusion: Not good, you don't even get the spell confusion

Cursed Glances: This is better since you get sleep and deep slumber. You also get Arcane eye and sight

Path of Dominion: Not good

Dreamweaving: You get astral construct 1-9...whatever

Ectoplasmic Summons: Not that good, and for some reason you get the spell Genesis

Eldritch ways: It is okay, you get glitter dust and magic weapon, greater. That about it.

Element Weaving: You get the spell web, that's the best of the bunch

Empower Path: You get all the animal named buffs, it's okay. A must for a druid and cleric

Energy Path: You get mostly evocation direct damage spells, 7th, 8th, and 9th level spells are of the prismatic kind.

Executioner's Path: You get true strike and Wail of the Banshee. Between that you get one other decent spell.

Eye of Shadows: This is nice, you get black tentacles, shadow conjuration, shadow evocation, the greater version of those two and Shades. This is nice

Fear Path: Sucks

Footwork: These spells are ass.

Force Path: This give you force cage...that's the only good spell in the path.

Foresight Path: Nothing really good in this one, except the new spell Absolute avoidance.

Forestwalk: Really sucks

Gemini Path: This has some good one in it, and for some reason you get Shadow Conjuration.

Guardian path: Sucks

Huntsman's Wheel: another one for the druid...does this class need any more power

Impervious Path: Really sucks the buffs are too weak to even care about

Infernal Legacy: Sucks

Path of Insanity: You get Wail of the Banshee that is the only good spell

Investigation Path: Not good, just utilitarian

Kinetic Mastery: Sucks

Lesser Divination: So, not really worth getting

Lesser Insights : Not good at all.

Lesser Runeweaves: Sucks too

Loremaster's Way: No good

Malign transformation: (Star Trek quote) Not really worth getting

Mental Command: not that good.

Metamorphosis: More psionic crap

Might: Wow this is good, Divine favor, Divine Power and Righteous Might and Magic Vestment all in one path. CoDzilla is becoming a single entity now.

Mindfire: You get Ego whip this could be fun to have.

Movement Path: Might as well get it. Mostly Utilitarian spells

Mystic Chains: You get holding spells and Geas. You also get trap the soul. Nice

Nature's Ally Path: Summon Nature's ally 1-9

Nature's Fury Path: Sucks

Necromancer's Call Path: Might as well get it if you are being a Necromancer.

Necromancer's Hate Path: This really accompanies the Call Path and is also nice

Paul's Practical Pranas: Some severely shitty spells sans spell-less simpletons

Planar mastery: Every caster get this now. Rope trick, All the Planar bindings, All the Planar Ally spells, and Gate.

Planarguard Path: Who cares

Practical Healing: Mostly flavor spells, so pass.

Pyrotic Path: Sucks

Refraction: color spray, invisibility (greater, mass, and sphere as well) This one is good

Scrying Path: The other piece of Scry and Die. All of them are here.

Security: Not that good

Sonic Path: Pass

Spacolocation Path: All of your Teleports are here, and Dimension Door and Blink. Good

Spellguard path: Fair just not a first pick.

Strange Voyages: Next

Summoning: Summon Monster 1-9

Tantric Ways: Bad joke (there are no spells just a bad joke)

Temporsis: Daze Monster, Mnemonic Enhancer, Wall of Force, Forcecage, Time stop, and Permanency. This is good

Tommy's top notch tricks: The tricks are lame

Transfiguration: You get some nice debuff spells

transformation: All the good changing form ones (Polymorph, baleful polymorph, Transformation, Polymorph any object and shapchange)

Unnatural Disaster: Lame

Veil of Maya: Not that good

Visionway: really lame spells

Warding: (ouch, MC hammer reference)It's some okay personal protection spells though they are for psi abilities.

Wind path: You get Stinking cloud and cloudkill, that worth something right?

Wounding: You get inflict spells and harm. There seems to be no healing version of this path.

Wrath Path: Some okay save or die spells.

Conclusion: This just made making broken characters even easier to make. Druid kills everything. It's the Big Joker, little joker and all the spades combined.

Developing New paths: This is a section about making you own path and it more involved and unnecessarily long winded. Just have you and the GM work on one together it easier and faster and less stupid.

Chapter Five Advance Topics...not really

Sample paths: It breaks down the reasoning for a path which really doesn't take balance into account.

Acquiring Paths: It tell other way of getting a path, like with wish or making wondrous items that can give you one. Then they are Path Quests, just like any other time quest have been mentioned they just make it drawn out and unnecessary.

Magic Items and Paths: They talk about the changes to some magic items value with the use of paths. Not much of a change. They also talk about Path-based magic only items but don't go into detail about using them or how they function.

Chapter Six New Spells...more spells?

There are some spells that be easily abuse such as Mine Seed. Even though it's a level 9 spell it can create a cavern full of ores and gemstones it takes centuries to create it though. Well it may "magic" away the reason why spell component have not just completely disappear, it is also ripe for abuse.

Then you have lame spells like thunderclap. It's the spell version of a thunder stone.

Word of Balance is just Holy word for the Neutral characters.

Neutral characters get really good spells in this section.

Then the Appendixes:

The first one is just for products

The next one is Domains as paths. You have to spend another feat to get the domain granted power

The third one of more obscure domains from the SRD such as Rune and Creation. It also has obscure spells from the SRD listed as well so you don't have to rummage through it to find them.

The last is the OGL

Overall: This doesn't do damn thing to balance the spell-casting. Most of the path suck and others just straight up awesome now that everyone can learn each others shit with a feat, True Neutral Half-Elf Druid rule the damn world. The people who made this didn't look at the balance of the paths and just went for flavor only. This left nothing but a spell system broken beyond belief. The gap between casters and non caster greatly grows with this supplement. Nice idea but the result is horrible.

I say pass on this supplement, it may be free but content isn't worth reading.

Quick Question: Can a Fighter take the Spell Ability feat at level 1 and then cast 5th and 6th level spells 1x/week while casting 1-4 level spells daily?

If so, this breaks the game at low levels. For instance, a Human Fighter that takes the Natures Ally path to summon a Brown Bear once per day. You know, just summon the CR 4 creature to face your CR 1 enemies.

Edit: Once per week you get a Dire Bear, bwahahaha.

From what you described, it sounds like this product is not breaking any new ground. Why does every d20 product have to make primary casters "the bomb" while screwing over everyone else?

SunTzuWarmaster at [unixtime wrote:1199738651[/unixtime]]Quick Question: Can a Fighter take the Spell Ability feat at level 1 and then cast 5th and 6th level spells 1x/week while casting 1-4 level spells daily?

Fighter's can get it Spell ability at first level but they only cast a single 0-level spell, the first time they get it. I forgot to mention that it is limited by your character level as well. You have to invest at least 7 feats and be 16th level before you get 5th level spells.

If so, this breaks the game at low levels. For instance, a Human Fighter that takes the Natures Ally path to summon a Brown Bear once per day. You know, just summon the CR 4 creature to face your CR 1 enemies.

Edit: Once per week you get a Dire Bear, bwahahaha.

Once a week at 16th level you can.

The same goes for Psionic ability it is also tied to your character level.

ARGH. Who the fuck cares that you get a CR 6 creature once per week at level 16. Why even take a single feat for that?

Because many d20 game designers think that getting 1/day spell-like abilities are worth feats or Class Features.
Seriously, the 'capstone ability' of the Scout class in World of Warcraft d20 is Wind Walk 1/day.

A Sphere is worth a class feature (or feat if you can limit the selection), it is a selection of spell-like abilities that scale with your level in accordance with a wizard/cleric of equal level. I would take Wind Walk 1x/day as a class feature to prevent a dead level for a 12th level Ranger because it's cool to fly all day, but why would you EVER take a 6th level spell 1x/WEEK as a FEAT at level SIXTEEN.

SunTzuWarmaster at [unixtime wrote:1199742756[/unixtime]]ARGH. Who the fuck cares that you get a CR 6 creature once per week at level 16. Why even take a single feat for that?

Umm...you need to take that feat seven times before you can get the per week spells. (15 feats total to reach its "full" potential of 4+modifier /week for your 5th and 6th level spells at 18th level)

EDIT: My mistake you have to 18th level to cast Summon nature's ally 6

If you don't have access to it normally, a good level appropriate spell once per day is worth a feat. That doesn't mean that a feat should never give more, but as a core Ranger 20 I'd be quite willing to spend my 7 feats for enlarge person, alter self, blink, teleport, planar binding, mind blank, and shapechange 1/day each.

CatharzGodfoot at [unixtime wrote:1199753752[/unixtime]]If you don't have access to it normally, a good level appropriate spell once per day is worth a feat. That doesn't mean that a feat should never give more, but as a core Ranger 20 I'd be quite willing to spend my 7 feats for enlarge person, alter self, blink, teleport, planar binding, mind blank, and shapechange 1/day each.

You can't get shape change or mind blank since their level is too high. Teleport, planar binding would be a weekly spells. Also it would need more than 7 feats to get it since each one is on a different path and it takes a feat to get it. Rangers do get two bonus path at 5 and 15th level and taking a level of savant gets you three feats. Your casting will still kinda suck.

Damn.
Well, that's reason enough to reconsider the Bloodlines I've been doing, where the basic races such as Elf, Dwarf, and Goblin get thematic SLAs progressing from a single feat.
Funny that someone has a very similar idea, but seeing it reviewed.. yeah now I have doubts.

Leress at [unixtime wrote:1199754840[/unixtime]]

CatharzGodfoot at [unixtime wrote:1199753752[/unixtime]]If you don't have access to it normally, a good level appropriate spell once per day is worth a feat. That doesn't mean that a feat should never give more, but as a core Ranger 20 I'd be quite willing to spend my 7 feats for enlarge person, alter self, blink, teleport, planar binding, mind blank, and shapechange 1/day each.

You can't get shape change or mind blank since their level is too high. Teleport, planar binding would be a weekly spells. Also it would need more than 7 feats to get it since each one is on a different path and it takes a feat to get it. Rangers do get two bonus path at 5 and 15th level and taking a level of savant gets you three feats. Your casting will still kinda suck.

My point was that a feat giving a single level appropriate spell would be acceptable to a core warrior (although it would look wasteful in a non-'organic' character), not that a feat chain giving out a series of level inappropriate spells was worthwhile. Although sinking a single feat into it as a core warrior-type is most definitely useful: if you don't have access to them normally, even level-inappropriate spells are worthwhile to a fighter 20 (e.g. rope trick, grease, color spray, and silent image for an 8th level fighter).

sigma999 at [unixtime wrote:1199756072[/unixtime]]Damn.
Well, that's reason enough to reconsider the Bloodlines I've been doing, where the basic races such as Elf, Dwarf, and Goblin get thematic SLAs progressing from a single feat.
Funny that someone has a very similar idea, but seeing it reviewed.. yeah now I have doubts.

Just as long as you pay attention to the balance of the spells it's okay to make it like that.

Here is an really simple example of craziness that can be done with the book. (no complicated cheese at all)

Class: Druid
Level: 20
Race: Half-Elf
Alignment: True Neutral
Paths: (13) Druid, Half-Elf, Neutrality Domain, Beast within, Empower Path, Eye of Shadows, Gemini Path, Might, Planar Mastery, Refraction, Transformation, Elf, Wizard.
Feats: Natural Spell

You can still spontaneously cast summon nature's ally and wild shape. Natural we all know is good and having the choice of Save or Die spells.
Spell Highlights:

• 
  
• Word of Balance (Neutrality Domain): Like Holy Word/Blasphemy but hit all "extreme" alignments.
  
• The entire Half-Elf path
  
• Limited Wish, Wish, and Gate (Wizard)
  
• Black Tentacles, Shades, Shadow Conjuration and Shadow Evocation (Eye of Shadows)
  
• Magic Jar (Gemini)
  
• Divine Favor, Divine power, Righteous Might, Magic Vestment (Might)
  
• Rope Trick, Planar binding (each version) Gate (Planar Mastery
  
• Color Spray, and Invisibility (many version) (Refraction)
  
• All the morphing spells (Transformation)
  

Extreme alignment is handle two different ways in the supplement but both are still good.

CatharzGodfoot at [unixtime wrote:1199765261[/unixtime]]

Leress at [unixtime wrote:1199754840[/unixtime]]

CatharzGodfoot at [unixtime wrote:1199753752[/unixtime]]If you don't have access to it normally, a good level appropriate spell once per day is worth a feat. That doesn't mean that a feat should never give more, but as a core Ranger 20 I'd be quite willing to spend my 7 feats for enlarge person, alter self, blink, teleport, planar binding, mind blank, and shapechange 1/day each.

You can't get shape change or mind blank since their level is too high. Teleport, planar binding would be a weekly spells. Also it would need more than 7 feats to get it since each one is on a different path and it takes a feat to get it. Rangers do get two bonus path at 5 and 15th level and taking a level of savant gets you three feats. Your casting will still kinda suck.

My point was that a feat giving a single level appropriate spell would be acceptable to a core warrior (although it would look wasteful in a non-'organic' character), not that a feat chain giving out a series of level inappropriate spells was worthwhile. Although sinking a single feat into it as a core warrior-type is most definitely useful: if you don't have access to them normally, even level-inappropriate spells are worthwhile to a fighter 20 (e.g. rope trick, grease, color spray, and silent image for an 8th level fighter).

Wouldn't that "level appropriate" feat, became crappier as you leveled up? Unless it was one of those absolutes (fly) or scale automatically (Magic Weapon).

Leress at [unixtime wrote:1199766285[/unixtime]]

...

Wouldn't that "level appropriate" feat, became crappier as you leveled up? Unless it was one of those absolutes (fly) or scale automatically (Magic Weapon).

Yes it would. Even with that crappyness it would be worth taking, provided you don't select something totally stupid.

Feybook comrade Talisman still claims my Bloodlines, and possibly all self-scaling feats are broken on the grounds that players will find ways of stacking bonuses of types different from the feat in order to gain even greater effect.
The coordinator of Feybook is absolutely against the idea of a single feat granting scaling abilities unless a character was limited to 1, and even then they look "iffy".
It's a toss-up.

I downloaded the Paths PDF (along with like.. 10 other free ones) and will read it tonight to better understand what you mean, Leress.

Was I the only one that thought this thread was going to be a review of actual Cheapass Games?

Game On,
fbmf

no.

Same here. I thought Cheapass Games would be involved.

Of course, you could seriously review all of their stuff like so:

"Find an open copy. Play it for a game or two. Never play it again."

You want cheap gaming, play 100 blank white cards.

It was reviewed. And now we bitch about it.