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10:45 It is actually specifically mentioned on p. 521 Disabling a Hazard, last sentence of para 3, "A critical failure on any roll to disable a hazard triggers it, including a critical failure on a roll to counteract a magic hazard."
I didn't realize haunts were considered hazards even though it says it in big text right in the top right. I had just been letting players take three actions a turn to disable it rather than the two action disabled device check.
i have a real love hate relationship with the detail and crunch of pf2e. Its awesome and great when it finally clicks and I remember it during a session but hate all the times that I forget stuff and have to go hunting it down.
Another great video! I'm learning so much from your videos! I NEVER would have figured out dispel magic traps without your explanation. And BTW, the poison dart gallery trap is brutally deadly!
Keep in mind that you as the DM are the one crafting the encounters. Do not feel compelled to use anything that isn't fun for you to keep track of. A simple visible pitfall requiring an athletics check or a flight/teleportation spell is enough to eat up some session time and/or party resources if that's what you're looking for. Also, the threat of an actual hazard with a stat block is all you need after you've introduced it once. That will usually make the party paranoid enough to make it fun to watch them engage with the conspicuous environments you create in the future. One last thing is that I'm sure that only the most experienced DMs have any of this memorized. Just give yourself a refresher before the session you plan to use this for and feel free to forget about it until you want it again.
For the most part reading the definition and examples provided is enough. Where I find these videos most useful is with new players and/or discussions between gm & players as to how its meant to be played.
I stayed with the beginner box. All of this is still super daunting, but I do my best and my players say they have fun, and that's all that counts. Fake it till you make it! 🙂👍
3:30 The idea of needing certain ranks in a skill to detect things is actually pretty cool. I run 5e, so maybe I'll start using traps and secret doors that have a low perception check DC but REQUIRE profiecentcy.
@@HowItsPlayed It did. The players basically "Barbarianed" the traps through. The walked into it and accepted the consequences until they cleared a 'safe' path for the weaker members.
I still not understand the complex hazards (stealth bonus,proffiency),but your video bring me closer to understand hazards. Not easy when you learn the language too:) thank you
Did all of the hazards you listed only require one success to disable? You/the rulebook mentioned some traps require multiple successes to disable, but I didn't see that listed on any of the examples you gave at the end. Where would the number of required successes be displayed usually? And if it's always up to GM discretion, where can I find some official examples so I know how hard/easy I should be making my traps?
Hi. Really good rundown of hazards, which I think cause confusion. One thing I've not seen clearly stated anywhere, and wondered if you had an answer... if players do not detect a complex hazard and it's triggered, how do players get to understand how to disable it? Does this detailed knowledge come just from encountering it? There are no other checks mentioned in the hazard rules.
Thanks! I'm sure I'll get to that one day, but I think there may be some more information about how that all works in the Gamemastery Guide. So I'll likely wait until that's out before making a video on Exploration Mode.
hi id love to know how this interacts with the search activity in exploration mode. is it that you get to noticed a trap in the area but not know where preciesely the trap is and have to then seek to find the precise location? thats where im still confused.
I think the way it's designed is the Thievery check to disable determines how well they understand the trap (or think they do). But using Thievery before the disable attempt to recall knowledge about it might be good too... it's just not required, as far as I know.
I don't quite understand the Poison Dart Gallery. Will the trap shoot because of Continuous Barrage 3 times per turn (because characters have "3 actions")? Or it will trigger only once if, for example, a character does something that requires 3 actions? Will it trigger on a reaction or a free action that the character takes? I'm very new to the Pathfinder 2E and trying to learn, so, I want to understand what these terms (action, in this example) exactly mean in such cases.
Do you have any videos breaking down haunts in greater detail? I’m confused that they don’t have Stealth DCs to be detected. Does that mean they can’t be detected?
It kind of means the opposite. If there is no Stealth DC, then it's completely obvious and automatically detected when the PC is close enough to it (and is sometimes spelled out in the trigger condition of the Haunt). The same goes for a lot of weather effects... a hurricane doesn't have a Stealth DC, which doesn't mean it can't be detected and instead means it's instantly detected. It may also be worth mentioning that some Haunts do have Stealth DCs. Bloodthirsty Urge (Core Rules page 524), for example.
@@HowItsPlayed ok - how about Confounding Betrayal (GG 80)? It has a Stealth bonus, but no Stealth DC - do you just convert the bonus to a DC (e.g. DC 31)? And disabling requires either Deception or Occultism - does that play into how it is detected? Would a character with Trap Finder still get the auto Perception check to notice a Haunt?
@@JamesJohnson-ez7jr Ah, okay -- I see where the confusion is! Confounding Betrayal is a Complex Hazard, which is different from regular hazards in that they roll initiative like a creature and are slotted into the initiative order. Therefore, complex hazards list their Stealth Bonus (+21, expert) instead of their Stealth DC. So, in this example, when players approach a Confounding Betrayal, any player who is actively using Seek and has a Perception proficiency of Expert or higher has their Perception rolled in secret by the GM. This is compared to the Confounding Betrayal's Stealth DC of 31 (a DC is always 10+ the relevant skill... so, if the haunt has a Stealth bonus of +21, its Stealth DC is 31). If they roll a success, the GM can tip them off that something doesn't seem right. They feel an unnatural chill in the area, or there's a faint, almost invisible, shimmer of light in the next room. Then, when two people enter the zone, it triggers the haunt's Unmask reaction. After that happens, initiative is rolled (if it hasn't already been) and the Confounding Betray rolls 1d20+21 (Stealth) for its initiative. And every round on its turn the haunt performs its listed routine.
@@HowItsPlayed Great - that is very helpful! I guess Trap Finder wouldn’t work since it works on traps only, and haunts do not have the trap trait. So if a player wants to disable Confounding Betrayal after detected, they wouldn’t automatically know what type of check it takes, right? They would need to do some trial-and-error to figure out how to do it - like “I’d like to concentrate on my allies being enemies”, or “I try to decipher the magical energy of the haunt”. Then the GM would say “roll Deception” or “roll Occultism”?
Question for Example #1: Trap's melee attack its roll attack +13 against player AC, or its always 23 without roll? The poisoning duration of 4 hours at reaches stage 3 during the third hour, does this mean that at the start of 4 hours the player will again receive damage from stage 3?
The trap would roll 1d20+13 vs. the target's AC. At the end of hour 3 the character will roll a Fortitude Saving Throw vs. DC 19. If they succeed, they lower the Stage by one and suffer whatever effects happen at that stage. If they fail, they increase the stage and suffer those effects. If they are at Stage 3 and fail, they suffer Stage 3 again. Note that they can be at Stage 1 or 2 at the end of the third hour if they succeeded one of the earlier saving throws.
Do you have any suggestions on how players can understand/know the ways to deactivate the hazard? For example if it was "use disable device to crack the crystal".
If they only want to know how/if it's possible to disarm a trap, I would have them roll Thievery and lower the DC to disarm. More often than not in my games, the player just says they want to try and disarm the trap and if they succeed on the check I provide it in my description: "You pull a tiny hammer from your thief's kit and carefully strike the crystal on its side. A long crack spreads across its length and it stops glowing. You believe it is harmless now."
How many actions would it be to disable a hazard NOT using thievery (2A) or dispel magic (2A), say - when the stat block allows you to disable using Atheltics, how many actions would that be (as it is absent from the stat block)?
I commented on the last video about how someone would detect a magical trained trap and don’t have time to watch the video right now. Is that covered in this update?
That portion was not changed for this update. If a magical trap requires any rank of Perception Proficiency, then it cannot be detected by casting Detect Magic. However, it can still be detected by taking the Seek action and succeeding on a Perception Check (provided the character meets the minimum required rank in Perception).
Oh, I understand now. I thought it took magic to find magic but as long as someone with the required proficiency and a good roll on seek can do it. Thank you
So for example the magic trap with expert next to its stealth is seeked out by the rogue of the group with expert perception. They then can detect magic to determine it is magic or they know it is magic by finding it?
This may be up to the GM, but I would say they know it's magic. If they have Expert perception and know they are looking at a trap, then I would assume they can tell there are no gears or strings or other mechanical components... and therefore know it's magic.
@@RekijanME Oh, thanks for pointing out the exact minute. That is exactly the way I would proceed which I commented on the previous video. Cool that he changed it. Nice work!
See here for more great videos on Pathfinder: ua-cam.com/play/PLYCDCUfG0xJb5I-wDIezuDkTfbd8k21Km.html
Want to help support the channel?
Get you name listed at the end of my videos by joining my Patreon :
▶️ www.patreon.com/HowItsPlayed/
Thank me with a cup of coffee!
▶️ ko-fi.com/HowItsPlayed
10:45 It is actually specifically mentioned on p. 521 Disabling a Hazard, last sentence of para 3, "A critical failure on any roll to disable a hazard triggers it, including a critical failure on a roll to counteract a magic hazard."
Thanks! Nice to know I was on the right track.
Well done with the updated version, it shows you care about correctness (as if that wasn't already clear) :D
Thanks! I certainly try to give accurate information.
I swear these should have more views, very useful for someone new to running pathfinder 2e, thank you very much!
You don't have nearly enough subscribers for how great your content is!
Thanks! I'm awful at promoting my stuff.
Your channel is super helpful in running my games, thank you
Thanks for the kind words!
This is the best content online
Thanks!
I didn't realize haunts were considered hazards even though it says it in big text right in the top right. I had just been letting players take three actions a turn to disable it rather than the two action disabled device check.
i have a real love hate relationship with the detail and crunch of pf2e. Its awesome and great when it finally clicks and I remember it during a session but hate all the times that I forget stuff and have to go hunting it down.
I have all of my players look at your videos so we can all better learn 2e together. Thank you so much fo your time you put on these videos
You're very welcome and thanks for sharing!
Another great video! I'm learning so much from your videos! I NEVER would have figured out dispel magic traps without your explanation. And BTW, the poison dart gallery trap is brutally deadly!
Thanks -- I'm glad to hear they're helping!
This is insane. I'm trying to learn to DM this game but 30 hours of info for a basic understanding is daunting as all hell
Keep in mind that you as the DM are the one crafting the encounters. Do not feel compelled to use anything that isn't fun for you to keep track of. A simple visible pitfall requiring an athletics check or a flight/teleportation spell is enough to eat up some session time and/or party resources if that's what you're looking for. Also, the threat of an actual hazard with a stat block is all you need after you've introduced it once. That will usually make the party paranoid enough to make it fun to watch them engage with the conspicuous environments you create in the future. One last thing is that I'm sure that only the most experienced DMs have any of this memorized. Just give yourself a refresher before the session you plan to use this for and feel free to forget about it until you want it again.
For the most part reading the definition and examples provided is enough. Where I find these videos most useful is with new players and/or discussions between gm & players as to how its meant to be played.
I stayed with the beginner box. All of this is still super daunting, but I do my best and my players say they have fun, and that's all that counts. Fake it till you make it! 🙂👍
3:30 The idea of needing certain ranks in a skill to detect things is actually pretty cool. I run 5e, so maybe I'll start using traps and secret doors that have a low perception check DC but REQUIRE profiecentcy.
These videos are extremely helpful. Thank you for doing these!
You're very welcome. Thanks for watching!
Good work with these videos! They're really helping me learn how to play
Thanks! I'm glad they're helping
Thank you very much for this video. I'm running a PFS tomorrow and one of its combats heavily involves traps.
You're welcome -- hope the game went well!
@@HowItsPlayed It did. The players basically "Barbarianed" the traps through. The walked into it and accepted the consequences until they cleared a 'safe' path for the weaker members.
Well, brute force works sometimes too! ;)
Thank you! This was a great video and helped me understand hazards much better!
I still not understand the complex hazards (stealth bonus,proffiency),but your video bring me closer to understand hazards. Not easy when you learn the language too:) thank you
Did all of the hazards you listed only require one success to disable? You/the rulebook mentioned some traps require multiple successes to disable, but I didn't see that listed on any of the examples you gave at the end. Where would the number of required successes be displayed usually? And if it's always up to GM discretion, where can I find some official examples so I know how hard/easy I should be making my traps?
I would not be able to run pf2e w/o your videos, you are godsent
Hi. Really good rundown of hazards, which I think cause confusion. One thing I've not seen clearly stated anywhere, and wondered if you had an answer... if players do not detect a complex hazard and it's triggered, how do players get to understand how to disable it? Does this detailed knowledge come just from encountering it? There are no other checks mentioned in the hazard rules.
I think it need a recall knowledge or you can descript the hazard on a way that some players understand what to do.
Great stuff. Thanks for your time.
You're very welcome!
I know this is off-topic but I would love a rundown of Exploration mode. Great videos btw. :)
Thanks! I'm sure I'll get to that one day, but I think there may be some more information about how that all works in the Gamemastery Guide. So I'll likely wait until that's out before making a video on Exploration Mode.
hi id love to know how this interacts with the search activity in exploration mode. is it that you get to noticed a trap in the area but not know where preciesely the trap is and have to then seek to find the precise location? thats where im still confused.
Should the player have information on how to desable the trap? Can they make a recall knowledge check or any other check to figure it out?
I think the way it's designed is the Thievery check to disable determines how well they understand the trap (or think they do). But using Thievery before the disable attempt to recall knowledge about it might be good too... it's just not required, as far as I know.
I don't quite understand the Poison Dart Gallery. Will the trap shoot because of Continuous Barrage 3 times per turn (because characters have "3 actions")? Or it will trigger only once if, for example, a character does something that requires 3 actions? Will it trigger on a reaction or a free action that the character takes?
I'm very new to the Pathfinder 2E and trying to learn, so, I want to understand what these terms (action, in this example) exactly mean in such cases.
Do you have any videos breaking down haunts in greater detail? I’m confused that they don’t have Stealth DCs to be detected. Does that mean they can’t be detected?
It kind of means the opposite. If there is no Stealth DC, then it's completely obvious and automatically detected when the PC is close enough to it (and is sometimes spelled out in the trigger condition of the Haunt). The same goes for a lot of weather effects... a hurricane doesn't have a Stealth DC, which doesn't mean it can't be detected and instead means it's instantly detected.
It may also be worth mentioning that some Haunts do have Stealth DCs. Bloodthirsty Urge (Core Rules page 524), for example.
@@HowItsPlayed ok - how about Confounding Betrayal (GG 80)? It has a Stealth bonus, but no Stealth DC - do you just convert the bonus to a DC (e.g. DC 31)? And disabling requires either Deception or Occultism - does that play into how it is detected? Would a character with Trap Finder still get the auto Perception check to notice a Haunt?
@@JamesJohnson-ez7jr Ah, okay -- I see where the confusion is! Confounding Betrayal is a Complex Hazard, which is different from regular hazards in that they roll initiative like a creature and are slotted into the initiative order. Therefore, complex hazards list their Stealth Bonus (+21, expert) instead of their Stealth DC.
So, in this example, when players approach a Confounding Betrayal, any player who is actively using Seek and has a Perception proficiency of Expert or higher has their Perception rolled in secret by the GM. This is compared to the Confounding Betrayal's Stealth DC of 31 (a DC is always 10+ the relevant skill... so, if the haunt has a Stealth bonus of +21, its Stealth DC is 31).
If they roll a success, the GM can tip them off that something doesn't seem right. They feel an unnatural chill in the area, or there's a faint, almost invisible, shimmer of light in the next room.
Then, when two people enter the zone, it triggers the haunt's Unmask reaction. After that happens, initiative is rolled (if it hasn't already been) and the Confounding Betray rolls 1d20+21 (Stealth) for its initiative. And every round on its turn the haunt performs its listed routine.
@@HowItsPlayed Great - that is very helpful!
I guess Trap Finder wouldn’t work since it works on traps only, and haunts do not have the trap trait.
So if a player wants to disable Confounding Betrayal after detected, they wouldn’t automatically know what type of check it takes, right? They would need to do some trial-and-error to figure out how to do it - like “I’d like to concentrate on my allies being enemies”, or “I try to decipher the magical energy of the haunt”. Then the GM would say “roll Deception” or “roll Occultism”?
@@JamesJohnson-ez7jr Yes -- or at least that's how I handle it in my games. :)
Greetings, can you do a short rules vid on using Tower Shields?
+2/+4
Spectacular
Thanks!
Question for Example #1:
Trap's melee attack its roll attack +13 against player AC, or its always 23 without roll?
The poisoning duration of 4 hours at reaches stage 3 during the third hour, does this mean that at the start of 4 hours the player will again receive damage from stage 3?
The trap would roll 1d20+13 vs. the target's AC. At the end of hour 3 the character will roll a Fortitude Saving Throw vs. DC 19. If they succeed, they lower the Stage by one and suffer whatever effects happen at that stage. If they fail, they increase the stage and suffer those effects. If they are at Stage 3 and fail, they suffer Stage 3 again.
Note that they can be at Stage 1 or 2 at the end of the third hour if they succeeded one of the earlier saving throws.
Great video! Can we get some haunt examples?
Sounds like a good idea!
Do you have any suggestions on how players can understand/know the ways to deactivate the hazard? For example if it was "use disable device to crack the crystal".
If they only want to know how/if it's possible to disarm a trap, I would have them roll Thievery and lower the DC to disarm. More often than not in my games, the player just says they want to try and disarm the trap and if they succeed on the check I provide it in my description: "You pull a tiny hammer from your thief's kit and carefully strike the crystal on its side. A long crack spreads across its length and it stops glowing. You believe it is harmless now."
How many actions would it be to disable a hazard NOT using thievery (2A) or dispel magic (2A), say - when the stat block allows you to disable using Atheltics, how many actions would that be (as it is absent from the stat block)?
I would assume it's one interact action unless otherwise noted.
I.m a newby GM so forgive me asking this, but why has a poisened lock fortitude and reflect stats?
I believe they're there in case you try to break the lock with a spell or similar effect. Hitting it with Burning Hands or Disintegrate, for example.
I commented on the last video about how someone would detect a magical trained trap and don’t have time to watch the video right now. Is that covered in this update?
That portion was not changed for this update. If a magical trap requires any rank of Perception Proficiency, then it cannot be detected by casting Detect Magic. However, it can still be detected by taking the Seek action and succeeding on a Perception Check (provided the character meets the minimum required rank in Perception).
Oh, I understand now. I thought it took magic to find magic but as long as someone with the required proficiency and a good roll on seek can do it. Thank you
So for example the magic trap with expert next to its stealth is seeked out by the rogue of the group with expert perception. They then can detect magic to determine it is magic or they know it is magic by finding it?
This may be up to the GM, but I would say they know it's magic. If they have Expert perception and know they are looking at a trap, then I would assume they can tell there are no gears or strings or other mechanical components... and therefore know it's magic.
Great video.
Thanks!
good video!
Thanks!
Good work
Thanks!
Great
I appreciate the comments for algorithm!
Sorry to bother you, but, What have you changed exactly? I can't see any difference >_<
Thanks!
17:21 the part about the noticing the control panel.
@@RekijanME Oh, thanks for pointing out the exact minute. That is exactly the way I would proceed which I commented on the previous video.
Cool that he changed it. Nice work!