A Few More Answers

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Hi Pathfinders!

Familiars and animal companions are loyal allies that can be of great assistance to your PCs. Adjudicating rules around them can get messy, however, particularly in an organized campaign like the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild. When we updated the Pathfinder Society FAQ a few months ago, we left a big "We'll get back to this" at the top of the question regarding familiars and magic item use. We knew this was going to be a hugely time-consuming project, so we enlisted help from a team of community members: Lau Bannenberg, Steven Lau, Bradley McTeer, and Roger Sidebotham. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to pull together a comprehensive guide to every magic-item related question we could think of for familiars. In addition to updating the list of who can use wands, we tackled the thorny question of magic item slots. Many hours of "Does a floating head have different magic item slots than a floating helmet?" later, we created a magic item slot chart for every familiar that it is possible to acquire in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild.

All of this information will appear on the FAQ soon, along with a few other smaller updates. For now, here it is, spoilered for length.

Can my familiar wield weapons or use magic items?

By default, familiars do not have any magic item slots, but they can unlock magic item slots associated with their respective body shape. See below for a list of which body slots each familiar is eligible to unlock. To unlock a magic item slot, a familiar must take the Extra Item Slot feat, which appears in Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive and will be reprinted in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide as of version 9.0. In the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, familiars of all body shapes may take this feat, including humanoid-shaped familiars. When you gain a familiar, you may exchange one of its feats for Extra Item Slot for free. Familiars may also carry slotless magic items and activate ioun stones.

The following chart specifies the magic item slots that each familiar can unlock. Available slots followed by either (saddle) or (horseshoes) denote that creatures of that body type can only wear magic items in those slots if they are saddles or horseshoes, respectively. Creatures without these notes cannot wear saddles or horseshoes. Celestial, entropic, fiendish, and resolute familiars use the same slots as typical animals of their kind.

All familiars can activate the abilities of their use-activated magic items, so long as these abilities do not require a command word. The following familiars can use spell trigger and spell completion magic items, including wands and scrolls, as well as magic items with a command word: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), faerie dragon, imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), nosoi, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, and zhyen. For more information on these magic item categories, see page 456 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.

Familiars in categories marked with an asterisk (*) are able to grasp and carry one object at a time in their paws, claws, or hands, including weapons, rods, wands, and staves, as long as their carrying capacity is sufficient. Most familiars cannot wield weapons in combat. The following familiars can wield weapons: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any), nuglub, pooka, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, and zhyen.

Some familiars have natural shapeshifting ability. One of the most striking cases is the cassisian familiar, which is listed below in both its humanoid form and its helmet form. Whenever a familiar changes from a form that has access to a magic item slot into a form that does not, the item melded into its body. A melded item provides no benefits. For familiars that can take the shapes of animals, use the standard item categories for that animal listed below.

Please review Additional Resources before selecting a familiar. Some of the listed familiars are only legal choices if your character has a Chronicle sheet boon or an archetype that grants access to them.

Arbiter* (eyes, hand, headband, wrist): Arbiter

Auger (eyes, headband): Auger

Avian* (armor, belt, chest, eyes, headband, neck, ring, wrist): Archaeopteryx, arctic tern, bat, chicken, clockwork familiar, dodo, dove, flying fox, hawk, kakapo, mockingfey, nosoi, osprey, owl, parrot, peacock, penguin, pseudowyvern, ptarmigan, puffin, raven, rhamphorhynchus, snail kite, snowy owl, thrush, toucan

Biped [claws/paws]* (armor, belt, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, right, shoulders): Compsognathus, petrifern, wallaby

Biped [hands]* (all item slots): Brownie, cassisan (Small humanoid form), coral capuchin, faerie dragon, homunculus, imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), monkey, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, xiao, zhyen

Cassisian (headband): Cassisian (helmet form)

Doru (eyes, head, headband): Doru

None (no item slots): Eyeball, harbinger, paracletus, wysp

Piscine (belt, chest [saddle], eyes): Popoto dolphin, pufferfish, seal

Quadruped [claws/paws] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Almiraj, arctic fox, arctic hare, armadillo, brain mole, calligraphy wyrm, cat, cat sith, caypup, chuspiki, dire rat, donkey rat, ermine, flying squirrel, fox, hedgehog, koala, lemming, mole, mongoose, otter, platypus, pseudodragon, pseudosphinx, rabbit, raccoon, rat, red panda, silvanshee, skunk, sloth, squirrel, weasel

Quadruped [hooves] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, feet [horseshoes], head, headband, neck, shoulders): Goat, pig

Quadruped [squat body] (armor, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Snapping turtle, toad, turtle

Saurian (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck): Dwarf caiman, lizard, marine iguana, tuatara

Serpentine (belt, eyes, headband): cacodaemon, leopard slug, mamiwa, nehushtan, nycar, pipefox, raktavarna, sea krait, viper, voidworm

Verminous (belt, eyes): Blue-ringed octopus, clockwork spy, elemental (any type), giant flea, giant isopod, greensting scorpion, house centipede, katroome, king crab, octopus (young template), scarlet spider, stirge, trilobite, typhilipede

After finishing this entry, we decided to update the animal companion magic item slot chart from Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive to include every possible animal, plant, or vermin companion.

Can my animal companion, plant companion, or vermin companion wield weapons? Can it wear or use magic items?

An animal companion has access to the armor and neck magic item slots automatically, as long as its body shape is eligible for these slots. They can also unlock additional magic item slots that their shape allows. See below for a list of which body slots each companion is eligible to unlock. Plant and vermin companions do not gain automatic magic items slots. All three kinds of companions may carry slotless magic items.

To unlock an additional magic item slot, the animal, plant, or vermin must take the Extra Item Slot feat, which appears in Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive and will be reprinted in the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild Guide as of version 9.0. In the Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild, companions of all body shapes may take this feat, including humanoid-shaped companions.

Animal, plant, and vermin companions in categories marked with an asterisk (*) are able to grasp and carry one object at a time in their paws, claws, or hands, including weapons, rods, wands, and staves, as long as their carrying capacity is sufficient. No animal, plant, or vermin companions can wield weapons or activate magic items, with the exception of the imp granted by the diabolist prestige class, which uses the rules for an imp familiar (See "Can my familiar wield weapons or use magic items?"). Specifically, they cannot use spell trigger, spell completion, command word, or use-activated magic items (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 458). An animal companion with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher may use ioun stones.

Available slots followed by either (saddle) or (horseshoes) in the table below denote that creatures of that body type can only wear magic items in those slots if they are saddles or horseshoes, respectively. Creatures without these notes cannot wear saddles or horseshoes.

Please review Additional Resources before selecting a companion. Some of the listed companions are only legal choices if your character has a Chronicle sheet boon or an archetype that grants access to them.

Avian* (armor, belt, chest, eyes, headband, neck, ring, wrist): Axe beak, blackwisp egret, dimorphodon, dire bat, eagle, giant raven, giant vulture, hawk, impaler shrike, moa, owl, pteranodon, quetzalcoatlus, roc, trumpeter swan, whisperfall vulture, yolubilis heron

Biped [claws/paws]* (armor, belt, chest, eyes, headband, neck, right, shoulders, wrist): Ceratosaurus, chalicotherium, deinonychus, gigantosaurus, kangaroo, pachycephalosaurus, theriznosaurus, troodon, tyrannosaurus, velociraptor

Biped [hands]* (all item slots): Ape, baboon, devil monkey

Piscine (belt, chest [saddle], eyes): Blue whale, dolphin, dunkleosteus, manta ray, narwhal, orca, plesiosaurus, seahorse, shark, stingray, tylosaurus, walrus

Quadruped [claws/paws] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Badger, bear, cheetah, digmaul, dire rat, dog, giant weasel, goblin dog, hyena, leopard, lion, panda, thylacine, tiger, wolf, wolverine

Quadruped/Hexapod [feet] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Baluchitherium, camel, deinotherium, elasmotherium, embolotherium, elephant, giant ant, giant mantis, giant wasp, hippopotamus, mastodon, megatherium, pygmy hippopotamus, rhinoceros, triceratops, uintatherium

Quadruped [hooves] (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, feet [horseshoes], head, headband, neck, shoulders): Antelope, aurochs, boar, bristle boar, elk, giraffe, horse, llama, megaloceros, mindspin ram, moose, pony, ram, shissah, skittergoat, stag, styracosaurus, yzobu

Quadruped [squat body] (armor, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders): Elasmosaurus, giant frog, giant snapping turtle, glyptodon, tortoise

Saurian (armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck): Alligator, crocodile, amargasaurus, ankylosaurus, brachiosaurus, dimetrodon, kaprosuchus, kentrosaurus, stegosaurus, giant chameleon, giant gecko, megalania, monitor lizard

Serpentine (belt, eyes, headband): Basilosaurus, constrictor snake, electric eel, gar, giant leech, giant moray eel, giant slug, titanoboa, viper

Plant/Verminous (belt, eyes): Cameroceras, carnivorous flower, crawling vine, giant beetle, giant centipede, giant crab, giant scorpion, giant spider, octopus, puffball, sapling treant, squid

Do you have any questions about familiars, animal companions, or other companion creatures that we haven't answered yet in the FAQ? Let us know in the comments below.

Linda Zayas-Palmer
Developer

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Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 *** Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha

BigNorseWolf wrote:
This blog seems to apply to familiars, not animal companions, unless i'm missing something?

There are two spoilers, BigNorseWolf.

5/5 5/55/55/5

doh. thank you

1/5 *

Do snakes get armor and neck slots, or not?

Silver Crusade 4/5 5/55/55/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
aaronak wrote:
Do snakes get armor and neck slots, or not?

They didn't before. The current list says no. I don't see any evidence to suggest that there's been an error somewhere.

1/5 *

They aren't explicit about it in the current post. The list is a list of unlockable item slots, it says. It doesn't actually explicitly say that we can use that list to decide which creatures don't have neck slots. I would think, if they're trying to clarify things, they'd make that, well, clear.

Liberty's Edge 3/5 5/5 **** Venture-Captain, Nebraska—Omaha

It is an animal feat.

Silver Crusade 4/5 5/55/55/5

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Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Oh, I see what you mean, sorry. I didn't mean to talk past the question you were asking.

The master list of what body types are eligible for what slots is on the inside cover of Animal Archive and it specifies that serpentine animals only have access to the belt, eyes, and headband slot. Note that this is where the armor and neck slots appear on most animal types. It was intended to be the master list of everything. Because those slots are not listed on that particular list, animals with the serpentine body plan simply can't get those slots.

The previous rulings didn't change this. It ruled that animals only start with the neck and armor slots unlocked, and even then only if they could possibly get them based on their body plan. The new ruling, above, has not changed that guidance. (For animal companions, at least.)

Under either ruling, snakes can't get armor or neck slots as per the rules in Animal Archive, so they do not get them for free and you also cannot use Extra Item Slot to unlock them.

I know, it kinda stinks. My First Mother's Fang gets quite paranoid about her friend's survivability.

Scarab Sages 5/5 5/55/55/5

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The blog says to use the chart. The chart says that snakes don't start with anything.

the chart broken down. does not include plants because editing windows don't work in glacial time scales.

Hmmmm.. As plants don't have an entry, they seem to be completely unable to use extra item slot?

4/5

YAY!

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden

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Terminalmancer wrote:

Oh, I see what you mean, sorry. I didn't mean to talk past the question you were asking.

The master list of what body types are eligible for what slots is on the inside cover of Animal Archive and it specifies that serpentine animals only have access to the belt, eyes, and headband slot. Note that this is where the armor and neck slots appear on most animal types. It was intended to be the master list of everything. Because those slots are not listed on that particular list, animals with the serpentine body plan simply can't get those slots.

The previous rulings didn't change this. It ruled that animals only start with the neck and armor slots unlocked, and even then only if they could possibly get them based on their body plan. The new ruling, above, has not changed that guidance. (For animal companions, at least.)

Under either ruling, snakes can't get armor or neck slots as per the rules in Animal Archive, so they do not get them for free and you also cannot use Extra Item Slot to unlock them.

While doing the preliminary research for this, our team tried as much as possible to use the rules in Animal Archive instead of inventing new things.

But there was much cursing that AA has too many quadruped variant body types and not enough floating heads and eyeballs.

Terminalmancer wrote:
I know, it kinda stinks. My First Mother's Fang gets quite paranoid about her friend's survivability.

That's why mine has a bloodrager level for access to Mage Armor wands.

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden

Flutter wrote:

The blog says to use the chart. The chart says that snakes don't start with anything.

the chart broken down. does not include plants because editing windows don't work in glacial time scales.

Hmmmm.. As plants don't have an entry, they seem to be completely unable to use extra item slot?

Sorta. When classifying familiars as to which body type they'd have, the only plant we found was the petrifern, which got a body type.

We didn't cover companions so I guess those plants didn't get lucky.

4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Regional Venture-Coordinator, Central Europe

Flutter wrote:

The blog says to use the chart. The chart says that snakes don't start with anything.

the chart broken down. does not include plants because editing windows don't work in glacial time scales.

Hmmmm.. As plants don't have an entry, they seem to be completely unable to use extra item slot?

I see this in the scenod (animal companion) spoiler:

Quote:
Plant/Verminous (belt, eyes): Cameroceras, carnivorous flower, crawling vine, giant beetle, giant centipede, giant crab, giant scorpion, giant spider, octopus, puffball, sapling treant, squid

Plant animal companions get belt and eyes slot.

Or are you talking about plant familiars?


Can Familiar wear two rings by just taking one Extra Item Slot(ring)?

5/5 5/55/55/5

i don't know why that spoiler keeps throwing me off

Silver Crusade 1/5

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I'm a little bit confused by this: "Plant and vermin companions do not gain automatic magic items slots."

Does it mean all plant or vermin companions, or does it mean those listed under "Plant/Verminous" body shape? Some vermin companions are listed under Quadruped/Hexapod (feet) for example.

If the former, I think that is really too harsh. Many plant and vermin companions are sub-optimal, but interesting. Losing the ability to wear magic armour (or any armour?) would cause many players to avoid these more interesting choices. Surely the campaign has enough death-kitties?

3/5 *

Denying any AC the neck slot is extremely unfair. Breaking DR magic and hitting incorporeal is a very basic need.

The plant stuff also seems extremely harsh, they are fairly week and don't compare to strong furry balls of pouncing death(and worse than many non-pouncers as well, as well as the archetype being a power reduction to boot).

Not to mention treants are clearly bidped/hands.

Quote:
This animated tree’s bark is knotted into vaguely humanoid features, with branches for arms and roots for legs.

Please reconsider some of these things.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Not specific to the blog post, but a question that came up in today's game: Do large sized roc companions have reach? It's hard to tell, since there's no Bestiary entry for that sized roc.

Dark Archive 3/5

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Fromper wrote:
Not specific to the blog post, but a question that came up in today's game: Do large sized roc companions have reach? It's hard to tell, since there's no Bestiary entry for that sized roc.

I would go with no, because the gargantuan entry has reach 15 feet with a space of 20 feet, indicating that it is large-long, so it has 5 feet less reach than its space.

Silver Crusade 4/5 5/55/55/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Lau Bannenberg wrote:
Terminalmancer wrote:
I know, it kinda stinks. My First Mother's Fang gets quite paranoid about her friend's survivability.
That's why mine has a bloodrager level for access to Mage Armor wands.

Oh, that's an interesting plan. Mine already has a one-level dip so I didn't really want her to branch out any more than she already is. She's going the UMD route instead, but otherwise the same idea. UMD a wand of Mage Armor. Carry around a few potions just in case...

5/5

2 people marked this as a favorite.

I'm still flabbergasted that homunculus is not on the list of familiars who can activate spell-trigger like wands. While a *nosoi* can?

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

Nosois are the scribes of Pharasma. Makes sense for them.

There is a Homunculus in a certain Dragonesque Module that uses a wand of lightning bolt

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden

Majuba wrote:
I'm still flabbergasted that homunculus is not on the list of familiars who can activate spell-trigger like wands. While a *nosoi* can?

Homunculi can't talk.

Nosoi meanwhile are:

1) Avian, and Animal Archive gives creatures in the avian body type the option of using wands, assuming the GM thinks it's suitable.
2)

Nosoi Bestiary entry wrote:
It can use drawing and writing tools suitable for Small or Medium creatures without penalty.

Furthermore, the following traits are shared by all familiars allowed to use wands:


  • Has Biped or Avian body type, because it needs hands to hold the wand. (Following the guideline set out in Animal Archive.)
  • Can talk, as indicated by Bestiary entry.
  • Has a spell-like ability, suggesting some natural magical aptitude in the creature.

Homunculi can't talk (although there's an upgrade for that) and don't have any SLAs. Pseudodragons are a bit fuzzy on whether they can actually talk, or only chirp and use telepathy; and they don't have SLAs.

Silver Crusade 4/5

ARGH! wrote:
Fromper wrote:
Not specific to the blog post, but a question that came up in today's game: Do large sized roc companions have reach? It's hard to tell, since there's no Bestiary entry for that sized roc.
I would go with no, because the gargantuan entry has reach 15 feet with a space of 20 feet, indicating that it is large-long, so it has 5 feet less reach than its space.

That's actually what we eventually decided at the table, for exactly the same reason. But it would be nice to know if Paizo agrees.

I'm actually kind of surprised that the guy playing the PC with that companion didn't already know this, especially since he had already played with the roc at that size for a couple of levels.

3/5

It seems unclear if nonmagical items can be used in slots which a creature shape has but cannot use magic items in, particularly for things like verminous companions who apparently can't use magical armor without a feat (unsure why?)... can they wear non-magical armor?

Additionally, the belt/saddle notation seems odd, and again brings up the question of magical va nonmagical. There are saddles (some even magical) which seem designed for avian use, and yet per the above write-up, it seems that there is no way to use a saddle for avian creatures?

Scarab Sages 4/5

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Ok, so I want to make sure I'm understanding things correctly for my Improved Familiar with the Biped [hands] body type, which is also on the list of wand/scroll using familiars (being vague to avoid spoilers, though this one has been around for a while).

Since "Familiars may also carry slotless magic items and activate ioun stones," and, "All familiars can activate the abilities of their use-activated magic items, so long as these abilities do not require a command word," and since the familiar is on the list that can additionally use command word items, does that mean that:

1) My familiar may carry/use a Handy Haversack (encumbrance allowing)?

2) My familiar can basically use any slotless magic item that makes sense/is compatible with abilities that my familiar possesses?

Specific to this particular familiar:

Spoiler:
The familiar casts spells as a 3rd level Sorcerer and has Sorcerer spell slots in addition to their spell-like abilities.

3) Can my familiar use a Page of Spell Knowledge or, with extra item slot, a Ring of Spell Knowledge?

And with regards to slotted items:

4) If I take Extra Item Slot (Ring) does that allow my familiar to wear one or two rings? Someone asked this earlier, but I didn't see or missed the answer.

5) If I purchase a Hand of Glory, which takes the Neck slot, can my familiar wear a ring on the Hand of Glory without having Extra Item Slot (Ring)?

6) My familiar starts with 2 feats. I can swap one to Extra Item Slot for free. My character is 8th level. To retrain the second feat would cost 8 * 5 days * 10 gold = 400 GP and 5 prestige?

And finally, concerning mundane items:

7) Can my familiar wear a spring-loaded wrist sheath (containing either a wand or a scroll of breath of life for use with UMD)?

2/5 5/5 Venture-Agent, Indiana—Lafayette

So I cannot buy a saddle for my Rex or my giant scorpion but I could if it was a dimetrodon? Or a seahorse? Or does this only apply to magical saddles? I am confused on this. I thought this was the kinda thing that exotic saddles were for.

4/5 5/5

Someone had asked earlier, but I really am curious about the Promethean Alchemist's "Homunculous Companion". Does it fall under the Animal Companion rules in this case? Or will it be allowed to use magic items normally? If it does fall under Animal Companion rules, should I assume it's "Biped [Hands]"?

3/5

With the one 'combat creature' per character limitation, can that creature be traded out for a different creature mid scenario? For example, a character has a riding gecko that he uses all the time in combat (because I have no idea how it has survived this long), during a fight could he demote the riding gecko to a beast of burden and mount the riding dire bat that he had earlier cast Carry Companion on to pursue a hard to reach enemy?

Edit: Never mind, the FAQ is fairly clear the the active companion is selected at the start of the scenario.

Grand Lodge 4/5

Ward Davis wrote:
With the one 'combat creature' per character limitation, can that creature be traded out for a different creature mid scenario? For example, a character has a riding gecko that he uses all the time in combat (because I have no idea how it has survived this long), during a fight could he demote the riding gecko to a beast of burden and mount the riding dire bat that he had earlier cast Carry Companion on to pursue a hard to reach enemy?

A player must choose which companion counts as a combat animal at the beginning of the scenario. As far as I know, that would also apply to which companion counts as a mount.

3/5

Trying to figure out how to continue playing the character that had a menagerie of mundane creature options with different mobility options, but only one on the field at the time. I think I'll have to designate one as active, and one as as a mount that looses out on the combat boosts (gang up).

Grand Lodge 4/5

I believe that would work. You can ride your combat animal, edit: and in this case, carry your mount if you want to.

3/5

Starglim wrote:
I believe that would work. You can ride your combat animal if you want to.

Yep that has been the plan, riding a gecko most of the time but having the riding dire bat in the backpack (carry companion) just in case. Not ideal for the character, the extra threatening body for Gang Up is extremely valuable for the rogue but the game goes on.

I also see I should have posted this in the March blog where this was added to the FAQ.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

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Can I still purchase exotic saddles for avians like Rocs and Axebeaks? Or are the slots only for magic items, not mundane ones?

____

A few reactions:

I was really surprised that Pseudodragons and Calligraphy Wyrms can't trigger wands. They appear to have hands. They can talk. I honestly believe that all dragons should be able to use wands.

What about the Pipefox? Its adorable artwork shows it cradling a wand! Although it's serpentine, I can imagine it triggering the wand with its tail.

What about elementals? In Tyranny of the Winds, it became canon that elemental creatures can take on humanoid forms when they wish to do so.

Some of these rulings really surprise me.

Hmm

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber

The pipefox actually isn't holding a wand.

Scarab Sages 5/5

My understanding, is this FAQ is not restricting mundane items, like saddles and armor. It is only restricting magic item slots.

Scarab Sages 5/5

3 people marked this as a favorite.

What I'm finding really disconcerting and irritating though, is that we haven't gotten any communication from John or Linda since last Wednesday. So we have about 7 days worth of questions that are really important and integral to understanding this FAQ, that have gone completely unanswered, unresolved, or at least we have no idea if they've heard and are cogitating on a solution to.

I hate dump and run stuff like this. Especially when its incomplete, inconsistent, and/or ambiguous.

Silver Crusade 1/5

Tallow wrote:
My understanding, is this FAQ is not restricting mundane items, like saddles and armor. It is only restricting magic item slots.

You may well be right Tallow. It's just such a strange ruling - a giant mantis can wear mundane armour/barding, but you're not allowed to make that armour/barding +1 without spending a feat?

Sovereign Court 4/5 5/5 ** Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden

Tallow wrote:

What I'm finding really disconcerting and irritating though, is that we haven't gotten any communication from John or Linda since last Wednesday. So we have about 7 days worth of questions that are really important and integral to understanding this FAQ, that have gone completely unanswered, unresolved, or at least we have no idea if they've heard and are cogitating on a solution to.

I hate dump and run stuff like this. Especially when its incomplete, inconsistent, and/or ambiguous.

Well, this announcement is meant for later use in FAQ or Clarifications. Hopefully they're processing some of the more poignant questions asked here for inclusion.


So, a soulbound doll can use a weapon, but a homunculus can't? And if you pay to give your homunculus a voice it still can't use wands?

Scarab Sages 5/5

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Lau Bannenberg wrote:
Tallow wrote:

What I'm finding really disconcerting and irritating though, is that we haven't gotten any communication from John or Linda since last Wednesday. So we have about 7 days worth of questions that are really important and integral to understanding this FAQ, that have gone completely unanswered, unresolved, or at least we have no idea if they've heard and are cogitating on a solution to.

I hate dump and run stuff like this. Especially when its incomplete, inconsistent, and/or ambiguous.

Well, this announcement is meant for later use in FAQ or Clarifications. Hopefully they're processing some of the more poignant questions asked here for inclusion.

Except, this is supposed to be usable right now per some of Linda's earlier responses.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

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Steven Schopmeyer wrote:
The pipefox actually isn't holding a wand.

But in the adventure where it comes from... isn't that a wand in the description? Or am I misremembering? I could be misremembering. Cosmic Captive has taken my brain, poured a light pesto sauce over the top, and then commenced to eat it with many loud smacking noises.

Hmm

4/5 5/5 ***

Yrishi is pictured with a wand, but I don't think she is ever described with one in the text.

Grand Lodge 4/5 **** Developer

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Thank you for your continued questions and discussion. There is too much in this thread for us to address at this time, since we are in the peak of Gencon crunch, but we're keeping an eye on this thread for possible revisions down the road when we have the time for a proper discussion. I can give these two answers right now.

*The biped (claws/paws) entries have a typo in their slot lists. "Right" should read "ring"
*A spirit oni has the eyes, head, and headband slots.

1/5

If possible the mundane saddle question would be useful. I have a player that has a velociraptor he rides and I currently feel that if he brings it on Thursday I'll have to say his mundane exotic saddle isn't legal on the raptor.

Scarab Sages 5/5

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Thomas Hutchins wrote:
If possible the mundane saddle question would be useful. I have a player that has a velociraptor he rides and I currently feel that if he brings it on Thursday I'll have to say his mundane exotic saddle isn't legal on the raptor.

I think until its clarified one way or another, you should err on the side of the player.

5/5 5/55/55/5

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isn't that the entire point of an exotic saddle? To go on creatures that don't take a mundane saddle?

I suppose all the magic saddles come in mundane saddle shape?

Grand Lodge 4/5

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
GM OfAnything wrote:
Yrishi is pictured with a wand, but I don't think she is ever described with one in the text.

Ah, my mistake. I was looking at the standard bestiary image.

1/5

Tallow wrote:
Thomas Hutchins wrote:
If possible the mundane saddle question would be useful. I have a player that has a velociraptor he rides and I currently feel that if he brings it on Thursday I'll have to say his mundane exotic saddle isn't legal on the raptor.
I think until its clarified one way or another, you should err on the side of the player.

It is clarified now. "Creatures without these notes cannot wear saddles or horseshoes." There's nothing unclear about that. Velociraptors can't wear saddles since it doesn't have the appropriate annotation. There's nothing to err on or change by the GM.

The question is if it was intended, since it does seem strange. Cause you'd think that was the point of exotic saddles, but rules are rules and exotic saddles seemingly don't really have a place in PFS anymore.

Dark Archive 4/5 5/5 *

these are the magic item slots (if you are looking for more specific reasons there are a few of the Additional mounts boons that are covered that cannot take a saddle... i.e. Grippli getting Giant Frog mounts)

5/5 *****

BigNorseWolf wrote:

isn't that the entire point of an exotic saddle? To go on creatures that don't take a mundane saddle?

I suppose all the magic saddles come in mundane saddle shape?

This is what I am assuming until we hear differently. I have multiple characters affected, two who ride a Roc, one on an Allosaurus (I don't see this on the list), one on a Devil Monkey and another who plans to ride his Deinotherium when it is large enough.

Edit: Actually, looking through the AR, when did the allosaurus stop being a legal animal companion?

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