is there how-to video, like a primer, of how to use 2e stat sheet?

[tahl_liadon]

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hi folks.

this is likely have been asked before...

i wanna jump back into 2e and it has been a long while. i'm refreshing on the ruleset (esp remaster contents), but also relearning how fgu handles things.

i'm quite well-versed with 1e and can expertly manage the stat sheet in fgu. for 2e however, it's a slow learning curve so far and i'm wondering if a video or two exist to lower this curve. i'm more of a visual learner :-/

i bought the rusthenge module and i have to admit the npc stat sheet is a bit overwhelming with details. perhaps it's just experiencing it as a new user, or perhaps 2e ruleset makes it more complex, or both (ha!).

all insight / advice welcomed!

thanks. the community's patience and helpfulness has always been reliable as usual :-)

game on!

[Zacchaeus]

Lots of videos here https://www.youtube.com/@martinblake4215

[tahl_liadon]

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cheerio!

[Trenloe]

And for the NPC statblock and automation, refer to this sticky thread and the links it contains: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?64192-Pathfinder-Second-Edition-Bestiaries-and-Automation

[tahl_liadon]

And for the NPC statblock and automation, refer to this sticky thread and the links it contains: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?64192-Pathfinder-Second-Edition-Bestiaries-and-Automation


yes! the bread-and-butter of fgu... thankya!

[tahl_liadon]

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so i'm getting my feet wet and trying my first automation after viewing a tutorial video.

assuming i have everything set up correctly (image below), on the actor's turn the effects seem to work but no poison damage was applied... what am i missing?



https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=65853

[Trenloe]

The actions from afflictions need to be applied manually - trigger the save and then apply the relevant action and tracking effect - all by double-clicking the relevant [...] automation entry within the action text.

[tahl_liadon]

The actions from afflictions need to be applied manually - trigger the save and then apply the relevant action and tracking effect - all by double-clicking the relevant [...] automation entry within the action text.


ah. ok cool. tested and working as you prescribed. the rules order of events make it counterintuitive, i.e. the damage needs to be manually applied before the target's turn, which by then the whole effects line is shed due to 1-round duration; however, other effects remain until then.

what's odd to me is (maybe it's pf2e rule?), the effects (duration 1 round) line was applied by attacker but ends on target's turn in the same round, not until beginning of attacker's turn on next round? i believe that's how "1 round" works in pf1e and how it's coded in fgu.

not quite fully automated, more as reminder to apply the damage. a little bit of getting used to, but at least i know what to expect and what to do. thx!

[Trenloe]

what's odd to me is (maybe it's pf2e rule?), the effects (duration 1 round) line was applied by attacker but ends on target's turn in the same round, not until beginning of attacker's turn on next round? i believe that's how "1 round" works in pf1e and how it's coded in fgu.
FG effects get assigned with an init count to reduce duration when the effect is applied - it will be the current initiative count by default, so if the duration is 1 and is applied during a creature's turn, then the effect will expire at the beginning of that creature's next turn.

However, there are more options in the PF2 ruleset. The NPC automation in the PF2 ruleset has the [REDUCETARGET] option to set the init count for when the duration reduces to that of the target. PF2 also has the option to reduce the effect duration at the end of the init count [END].

Have a look at various duration options within the NPC automation "Effect" functionality: https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/2042789889/PFRPG2+-+NPC+Ability+Automation#Effect

Side note: the PF2 rules for afflictions in the Player Core and GM Core don't specify exactly when the stages triggers - during the turn of the creature that applied the affliction or during the turn of the target. As far as FG is concerned, it's probably better to do it on the target's turn so that the affliction duration can be more easily calculated if the originating creature dies and is removed from the combat tracker.
Side note 2: we're working on a complete affliction subsystem that will make the handling of afflictions more automated and not using temporary effects. No ETA on this as it will rely on other FG updates coming next year.

[tahl_liadon]

thx!

lots to learn and how to correctly apply format... got my homework cut out for me, studying how each monster is set up in the monster core (haha)

one example that's kinda cool is the CreatureAbility. i was practicing adding a creature that had "swallow whole" and copied the complete ability text to add in the creature's notes tab (lol)

*side note* i'm using the pf2e creature parser extension -- it's great for rudimentary parsing but (unless i'm missing something) does not do more than that. and what i mean by "do more" is a lot of wishful thinking of what it could do (haha)

anyway, out of curiosity: are folks at smiteworks creating modules using something else (like a proprietary extension?) to improve the parsing process? i imagine you have better tools at your disposal... how are you folks making your work more streamline and easy, esp. parsing stats by volume and more frequently?

[Trenloe]

anyway, out of curiosity: are folks at smiteworks creating modules using something else (like a proprietary extension?) to improve the parsing process? i imagine you have better tools at your disposal... how are you folks making your work more streamline and easy, esp. parsing stats by volume and more frequently?
Most of the work is copy/paste and done by hand. There's not additional SmiteWorks tools the devs use to convert PF2 products.

[tahl_liadon]

i'm studying the cave worm (swallow whole) entry from monster core module.

i think there are some discrepancies, and i have related question:

discrepancies:

- listed right under "swallow whole" ability

Huge, 3d8 bludgeoning, Rupture 27. [Athletics opposed by Reflex]. [Swallows the creature]. [More Details]

- listed in "automation"

"Athletics opposed by Reflex"|VsDC:Athletics:vs:REF
"Swallows the creature"|Effect: Swallowed (Rupture 24, Suffocating, Escape DC 40); DMGO: 3d6+9 bludgeoning; Grabbed; Slowed: 1[DC:40]
"3d6+9 bludgeoning"|Damage: 3d6+9 bludgeoning
"More Details"|CreatureAbility:Swallow Whole


questions:

- correct info: damage 3d6+9 and rupture 24 -- if the first set above is an error, where would i normally report it?
- can someone help cite from rules or explain how escape is dc 40?

[Trenloe]

Please report any issues with Paizo DLC in the "Pathfinder Second Edition - generic DLC issue thread" sticky thread.

Check the entry for the "Escape" activity. The Escape DC is usually the creature's Athletics DC which, for the Cave Worm, is 40 (Ahtletics skill = +30).

[tahl_liadon]

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i have an npc with shield... trying to make sense of this:

- npc does not have inventory tab to add shield item, just the "items" block in the main tab for listing, e.g.

longbow (10 arrows), dagger, full plate, +1 longsword, steel shield (Hardness 5, HP 20, BT 10), etc.
- have "shield?" check box is filled out
- have automation effect setup like this:


Shield Block [reaction]
[Shield Block][More Details]
"Shield Block"|Effect:SHIELDBLOCK [SELF]
"More Details"|CreatureAbility:Shield Block

- constantly getting message "no valid shield data in npc statblock!" whenever opens an npc statsheet

am i doing this right? and how do i prevent message from popping up?

[Trenloe]

Is the shield data populated in the NPC statblock? This should populate from the "Items" shield data when the NPC is added to the combat tracker. If the NPC is already in the combat tracker you can add the data manually. The Wiki Effects page shows what's expected for the SHIELDBLOCK effect to work for NPCs:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=66017

[tahl_liadon]

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thx for the prompt response!


Is the shield data populated in the NPC statblock?
yep, populated manually as mentioned in my post ;-)


This should populate from the "Items" shield data when the NPC is added to the combat tracker.
"steel shield" populated in "items" as shown in my post -- i will confirm when i try adding npc to combat tracker


If the NPC is already in the combat tracker you can add the data manually.
per your first question, yes, was populated anyway before adding to combat tracker


The Wiki Effects page shows what's expected for the SHIELDBLOCK effect to work for NPCs
this actually was confirmed to work as i tested and dropped shieldblock effect on npc and made attack, which affected shield hp


my question was why i am constantly getting message "no valid shield data in npc statblock!" whenever i open the npc statsheet.

[Trenloe]

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my question was why i am constantly getting message "no valid shield data in npc statblock!" whenever i open the npc statsheet.


Sorry, as you mentioned SHIELDBLOCK I thought you were saying that message was appearing when using the SHIELDBLOCK effect.

That message always appears. Unfortunately there's a race condition when adding an NPC to the combat tracker and the shield data isn't available when the code runs, so message can appear. I'll do some more testing to maybe change the message if I can identify exactly when a race condition is in effect.

[tahl_liadon]

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ok gotcha. thx!

[tahl_liadon]

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could someone confirm whether or not this effect works in pf2e if holding down the shift key while dropping attack on target with the effect?

tried but it does not.

i know it works in pf1e. it seems available for pf2e per this effects page (https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/996643388/PFRPG2+Effects))


AC: 2 circumstance, opportunity

thx!

[Trenloe]

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could someone confirm whether or not this effect works in pf2e if holding down the shift key while dropping attack on target with the effect?

tried but it does not.

i know it works in pf1e. it seems available for pf2e per this effects page (https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/996643388/PFRPG2+Effects))


AC: 2 circumstance, opportunity

thx!

That wasn't implemented as reactive strike (attacks of opportunity) are pretty rare in PF2, I'll update the documentation.

What's the use case?

[tahl_liadon]

...reactive strike (attacks of opportunity) are pretty rare in PF2...

yea, so, so much more rare than pf1e lol

but here is the use case... a literal direct impact:


Intimidating Retreat [single action] Requirements Ygrik is adjacent to at least one enemy and at least one ally; Effect Ygrik commands an adjacent ally to fight harder and threatens dire punishment if the ally fails to obey; that ally gains a +1 circumstance bonus to its next melee Strike attack roll, as long as that attack is made before the start of Ygrik’s next turn. Ygrik then Strides up to his Speed and gains a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against reactions triggered by this movement. He must end this movement in a space that isn’t adjacent to any enemy.

[tahl_liadon]

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unrelated effect issue...

this does not work for some reason (set to "self"):

Eagle-Eye Elixir; SKILL: 2 Perception, item
rolling from skills tab... i even did a test swapping out "perception" with other skills and they all work, just not perception.

ok accidentally found answer: it should be (kinda weird lol)

Eagle-Eye Elixir; PERC: 2 item


so with discovery above, how would i code this?
same elixir (that gives a +3 to perception to finding secret doors and traps) and creature has skill in addition to regular perception -- "Perception (Trapfinder)"

[Trenloe]

yea, so, so much more rare than pf1e lol

but here is the use case... a literal direct impact:


Ah, so it's a unique creature ability that's part of an action - thanks for the information. Handle that manually.

[Trenloe]

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unrelated effect issue...

this does not work for some reason (set to "self"):

Eagle-Eye Elixir; SKILL: 2 Perception, item
rolling from skills tab... i even did a test swapping out "perception" with other skills and they all work, just not perception.

ok accidentally found answer: it should be (kinda weird lol)

Eagle-Eye Elixir; PERC: 2 item


so with discovery above, how would i code this?
same elixir (that gives a +3 to perception to finding secret doors and traps) and creature has skill in addition to regular perception -- "Perception (Trapfinder)"

In RAW FP2, Perception is not a skill - it's tracked and listed separately. You can't use a skill increase to increase Perception, for example. As the PF2 ruleset is built on the PF1 ruleset, where Perception was a skill, there's some overlap (primarily in the FG PC sheet skill list). Hence the reason that Perception is not impacted by a SKILL effect (as documented in the Wiki Effects page) and there's a separate PERC effect.

With this in mind, "Perception (Trapfinder)" is never a skill. I assume you're referring to the Rogue level 1 feat "Trap Finder"? Which adds a circumstance bonus to various activities related to traps - some of which can only be handled manually. The SAVE effect can be used to apply to saves with the trap trait. I'll investigate the feasibility of adding a [trait] filter to the AC effect, so that it can cover attacks that have the trap trait. But as perception-based activities to find traps will rarely have a target, the GM is going to have to handle that manually.

[tahl_liadon]

Handle that manually.

yea. thought that would make the most sense for this outlier situation. thx

[tahl_liadon]

.... Hence the reason that Perception is not impacted by a SKILL effect (as documented in the Wiki Effects page) and there's a separate PERC effect.

thx for the explanation. there's a lot of grounds to cover (pun intended lol) in learning both 2e and effects for the system.


With this in mind, "Perception (Trapfinder)" is never a skill. I assume you're referring to the Rogue level 1 feat "Trap Finder"? Which adds a circumstance bonus to various activities related to traps - some of which can only be handled manually. The SAVE effect can be used to apply to saves with the trap trait. I'll investigate the feasibility of adding a [trait] filter to the AC effect, so that it can cover attacks that have the trap trait. But as perception-based activities to find traps will rarely have a target, the GM is going to have to handle that manually.

ok cool. 2e is so different from 1e that i need to unlearn and learn new things. and as i suspected, there are more instances than not to have to just handle things manually :-( oh well -- i like learning new things so that helps!

[tahl_liadon]

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is there an effect / automation that's similar to IFTAG in @kelrugem's pf1e overlay extension that you can do:


IFTAG: spell, fear; SAVE: 2

something to detect pf2e spell trait (e.g. fear spell with "fear" trait)?

[Trenloe]

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is there an effect / automation that's similar to IFTAG in @kelrugem's pf1e overlay extension that you can do:


IFTAG: spell, fear; SAVE: 2

something to detect pf2e spell trait (e.g. fear spell with "fear" trait)?



Use the trait filter in the SAVE effect - refer to the Wiki page:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=66148

[tahl_liadon]

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Use the trait filter in the SAVE effect

brilliant and tidy!

thx for the super-prompt response!

[tahl_liadon]

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there is this zombie ability:


Unkillable This zombie is nigh unkillable. The zombie loses its weakness to slashing and gains resistance against all damage equal to its level (minimum 3), and it gains weakness equal to twice its level (minimum 6) to critical hits. Increase the zombie's level by 1 if you give it this ability.

there is automation for weaknesses built in to fgu that works, like "weaknesses: vitality 5" for example.

for a particular unkillable zombie, logically i think it would be: weaknesses: vitality 5, critical hits 6

i tried this and the critical hits 6 weakness didn't work. i'm going to guess it's because this it not programmed in fgu, yes?

[Trenloe]

The WEAK effect uses damage types. Refer to the [damage types] list after the Modifiers table in the Wiki effect page - there isn't a "critical hits" damage type, but there is a "critical" damage type.

[tahl_liadon]

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The WEAK effect...

ok cool. so it seemed pretty straight-forward to apply this, but it didn't work as i expected.

what i did:

coded this into creature's stats:

PermEffect:WEAK: 6 critical

then this populated in combat tracker on creature when dropped in:

WEAK: 6 critical

then had a pc do an attack that crit, then dropped damage.
the result just applied normal crit damages, but no extra 6 from the weak effect.

am i not understand how it works and didn't do it right?

[Trenloe]

The Weakness is not shown in the damage roll, but will be shown as part of the damage application in chat. Referring to the following example - the critical hit rolled 3 damage, but 9 damage was applied due to the weakness triggering:

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=66193

[tahl_liadon]

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The Weakness is not shown in the damage roll, but will be shown as part of the damage application in chat.


didn't know what to look for, but yes, indeed it does!

thx!

[tahl_liadon]

pf2e effects syntax with fgu v5.1.9 questions:

1) is there an updated version to this official page (https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/996643388/PFRPG2+Effects) for the new fgu update? or is that page still valid and correct?

2a) these effects no longer work (barbarian heritage - wintertouched human):


RESIST: {HLVL} cold; RESIST: {HLVL} acid
they output in combat tracker as:

RESIST: 1; RESIST: 1

2b) original syntax looked like this (also output same in ct):

RESIST: {HLVLM1} cold; RESIST: {HLVLM1} acid
what does the "M1" do, and where can i find details for that syntax?

[Trenloe]

pf2e effects syntax with fgu v5.1.9 questions:

1) is there an updated version to this official page (https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/996643388/PFRPG2+Effects) for the new fgu update? or is that page still valid and correct?

2a) these effects no longer work (barbarian heritage - wintertouched human):


RESIST: {HLVL} cold; RESIST: {HLVL} acid
they output in combat tracker as:

RESIST: 1; RESIST: 1

2b) original syntax looked like this (also output same in ct):

RESIST: {HLVLM1} cold; RESIST: {HLVLM1} acid
what does the "M1" do, and where can i find details for that syntax?

This should be fixed now.

Mx means minimum of "x" (where x is a single digit).

[tahl_liadon]

thank you!