The Pathfinder 2nd Edition provides a comprehensive guide to casting occult rituals, including the Atavistic Reversion ritual, which afflicts the primary caster with Baleful Polymorph on failure. However, shapechangers like the Kitsune can change back, making it possible for the caster to attempt the attunement ritual anew. On a successful check, the primary and secondary casters gain a +1 bonus on skill checks to cast an occult ritual.
Critical failures can occur when a primary caster fails half of the skill checks required for an occult ritual (rounded down), leading to the ritual’s backlash and failure. If the casters fail half of the skill checks, the ritual ends, and they also experience the ritual’s backlash and failure.
In Pathfinder 2nd Edition, players can learn how to cast esoteric and complex spells, including the requirements, costs, effects, and traditions of rituals. A 1st-level NPC can have a 100 chance of succeeding on a DC 28 ritual check under ideal circumstances. If the result was 10 or more lower than the target DC, or if a natural 1 was rolled and didn’t meet the target DC, the casters are considered critically failed.
If a caster fails to complete an item, ruin 10 of the raw materials supplied, or create the undead, its soul is tortured by the caster’s foul necromancy, and it attempts to destroy the caster. If the caster fails to collect tokens in the allotted time, the ritual fails and is considered a critical failure.
The spell’s duration is also affected by the failure, as the spell loses all memory of the caster’s awareness and actions while under the effects of the spell.
📹 Pathfinder (2e) Magic Part 8: Rituals
The rules for casting Rituals in Pathfinder 2nd Edition. WANT TO SKIP AHEAD? 00:00 Introduction 00:07 Rituals 04:38 Casting …
📹 The Incapacitation Trait (Pathfinder 2e Rule Reminder #55)
What does the Incapacitation Trait do in Pathfinder 2nd Edition? This video is sponsored by Roll For Combat, a Paizo official …
I highly recommend being forthcoming with enemy levels to make this mechanic less punishing if you want to keep it without modifications. You can work it into the Recall Knowledge check for example, but in my mind’s eye, the mechanic that is a character’s level would be something PCs could intuit with their combat knowledge and experience, a ‘This one looks tough, or tougher than the others’ feel. Incapacitation can be a frustrating ‘Gotcha’ moment for a caster, and players will understand ‘gotcha’ moments from the story far better than ‘gotcha’s that come purely from the mechanics of the rules engine. This is an almost purely mechanical ‘gotcha.’ I respect what Paizo’s developers were trying to do with it, and if a GM wants to keep it in, I would just make sure it’s easy for characters to know what the enemy levels are. Explaining it as part of their innate combat sense works for me.
A lot of people hate incapacitation, but as both a GM and a player, this is one of my favourite things about 2e. Let’s face it, save or suck effects are one of the most powerful effects in d20 systems. They’re one of the things that made spellcasters so dominant in older systems, ended up trivialising most major encounters, and contributed to the issues with rocket tag in games like 1e. It reduces combat strategy to going for the most powerful, expedient solutions all the time over any sort of tactical nuance. Major enemies SHOULD be immune to such effects, and needing to make them work on stronger foes SHOULD require that investment of higher spell slots to make those powerful effects work. People who think incapacitation effects are useless just because they don’t work on major foes need to reframe their thinking. In fights against CL+0 monsters, you can still use them, and they’ll still be invaluable CC since equal levelled creatures are a much greater threat than they are in other d20 systems. If you’re fighting a major boss enemy and they have tough mooks, you can still use incapacitation effects on them. They have their place, it’s just not to trivialise major encounters anymore.
This is one of the few instances that I think has a maths problem. A character gets a spell, like blindness, at 6th level. Being a third level spell, it affects up to 7th level enemies. Meaning the character is able to blind a more powerful creature than himself. However in level 7. The character now is unable to do the same things because he has no access to 4th level spells yet. Meaning suddenly it became less powerful relative to the adventure. Edit Also, spells affects one level higher than the character the level that they are obtained. but abilities affect only the same level. Creating a weird set of possible interactions.
I know why they included the Incapacitation trait, but to be honest it feels like a bit of over kill. Most creatures of a higher level are going to have higher saves/AC than you’re DC/attack, so you’re less likely to get a crit anyways. And most spells and effects with the Incapacitation trait tend to only really break an encounter on a crit. Personally, I house rule it that the Incapacitation trait only changes a crit to a regular success/failure, but doesn’t change the level of success if it’s not a crit. But great article, as always!
I’m curious about your thoughts on the Monk feat Stunning Fist. It does not have the incapacitate trait but the last line of the feat says, “This is an incapacitation effect”. Is this mentioned solely for creatures that are immune to incapacitate? Or would it work like the trait? If so, what level would the effect be since it is not a spell? Love your content!
Yeah, when I first read that my mouth dropped open. It makes sleep a fairly useless spell unless you’re willing to always cast it in the highest slot you have. And for spontaneous casters, this isn’t even an option unless you can unlearn it at one level and relearn it at a higher level. I think I’m going to house rule this for creatures of a lower level than you. Most of these incapacitation spells basically allow you to get a free hit then they snap out of it (unless they crit fail). I don’t really see that as incapacitation.