Vimanda

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Organized Play Member. 746 posts (750 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 2 Organized Play characters. 1 alias.


Liberty's Edge

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Holy crap, nobody has mentioned Rubicon yet.

RUBICON FOR THE WIN!

Liberty's Edge

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They both have their pros and cons, of course.

I typically use something akin to the 5 Room Dungeon when it's only a small section of the current adventure:
-Raid the hideout of the Bad People to find the location of their Big Boss.
-Go find ingredient X, needed for ritual Y which is required to advance the story.

The "classic" style, I use when I want an actual dungeon-crawl adventure. Oddly, I really like throwing at least one "5 Room Dungeon" within a larger dungeon crawl. Usually something akin to a "bonus room", complete with secret door, high difficulty Near-BBEG, and a great reward.

Liberty's Edge

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Nah, man, straight-18's is the only way to play.

Liberty's Edge

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Rise of the Runelords. Classic. Also, I had an awesome GM for it.

Next up would be Second Darkness. I actually DM'd this one. I got quite into reading the adventures, I couldn't put them down.

I like CotCT in theory, but the actual PDFs are so dense with info, I have to force myself to read them.

Liberty's Edge

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I'll throw this great article out there on the powerlevel of different feats compared to each other.

It gives a simple table at the end with the "Feat cost" for each feat. You could use those values to balance the gp cost of each feat to the others.

SKR on Feat Points

Liberty's Edge

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@Emerald Wyvern: Haha interesting with the potential for hilarity? That's a winner in my book :)

@Aeshuura: I like both of these, especially the flavor. You can bet they're getting put into my campaign almost verbatim!

@StabbittyDoom: Those are right on point with what I was thinking! Also, do you know what book of Serpent's Skull those are in?

@Velcro Zipper: I like these, too!

Keep 'em coming!

Liberty's Edge

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STR Ranger wrote:

It says 'when you cast a touch spell you can then deliver that spells free touch attach via a weapon attack'

So you could 2hand with it.

You also need a free hand to actually cast the spell if it has somatic components.

Liberty's Edge

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Hexcaliber wrote:

Which has been my stance. My DM is having a hard time with the notion that an aura of "menace" (which implies intimidation) could affect constructs/undead. The description should say it all, but often Paizo expects us to be intuitive, not rules lawyery.

It's the only reason why I've posed the question.

I agree with you that it's vague. There really should be a line in there to the tune of: "This is a fear effect.", or at least "This is a mind-affecting effect."

However, maybe we're undervaluing this ability: possibly, Archons are so awesome, they really CAN affect constructs and undead with this ability.

It's pretty much just up to your DM :)

Liberty's Edge

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OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD

I'm so excited, I peed myself just a little.

Liberty's Edge

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Beorn the Bear wrote:
RAW doesn't give any restrictions.

No reason he can't, then.

Liberty's Edge

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Magus with Craft(Alchemy) and Brew Potion :)

PS: I share your interest in the badassery that is Geralt.

Liberty's Edge

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I have a 10th level character with a very good UMD and an Efficient Quiver. What do I buy? A scroll of Reach(Close) Breath Of Life.

It's a whole lot cheaper than a Raise Dead, and the negative level only lasts a day ;)

Liberty's Edge

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You know, as Breiti mentioned this way clearly spelled out in the Beta. An Eidolon's equipment was an Eidolon's equipment wherever he was. One of the Paizo guys even posted about it clarifying it further...

...then the APG itself comes out and there's no mention anywhere of whether the Eidolon' equipment stays or goes. Is it implied, somehow, and the staff didn't think they needed to mention it? Or, should we take the fact that they removed the section to mean that Eidolon's no longer keep their equipment?

Quite a quandry. FAQing this.

Also, the only mention of equipment for the Eidolon ANYWHERE is under it's Link ability at first level. Took me quite a while to actually find anywhere that said Eidolons could where magic items in the first place.
EDIT: The Armor bonus section also mentions they can't wear armor, but I think we all knew that already :D

Liberty's Edge

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From a damage-dealing standpoint, Full-Attacks are almost always better.

However, I, too, share your interest in Vital Strike-centered builds. I, though not an expert, have a few tips I'll put out there:

1. Roleplay. The best aspect of single attacking is the roleplaying-side. I don't care how many levels of Fighter you take: if you pick up a Huge Greataxe (if they even have those), you're not going to justify 5 swipes with it in 6 seconds (a round). Get the picture in your mind of a brute slamming down a hammer that's twice as big as he is... that's you.
2. Concentrate on movement. Full-Attackers get a measly 5-foot step per turn. You can take your move then attack, every turn! Or, better yet, charge whenever you can. Take at least one level of Barbarian for the +10 speed. You'll get more out of it than any other build (except for, say, a Barbarian build itself o.O). Get Fighter's armor training or go Mithral... or both. Take Fleet, Nimble Moves, or Acrobatic Steps if you have extra feats. Monk levels are actually great for this, due to the extra movement. Do note, though, that your Barbarian will have to "become lawful" to take Monk levels, and that you lose the speed if you wear armor.
3. Take advantage of your high To-Hit. Full-Attackers try to keep as many bonuses as possible and get rid of as many penalties as possible so that their iterative attacks will hit. If their iterative attacks don't hit, they're reduced to a single attacker that wasn't built for single attacking (like you are!). Take Monkey Grip if you can, and wield the biggest weapons you can find. Those one or two -2's to hit for off-size weapons? No big. Which also leads to...
4. Max out your weapon damage dice. Vital Strike only multiplies the actual damage dice (the damage listed in the equipment tables), not your Strength or other bonuses. This is pretty much accomplished by taking the biggest version of the highest damage-dealing weapon you can find. I'd suggest the Greatsword or Earthbreaker. Large versions. That's 3d6 damage to begin with. 6d6 with Vital Strike (6th level), 9d6 at 11th, and 12d6 at 16th. All before any modifiers, and all for one feat (Monkey Grip) and a -2 to hit (I believe).
5. Worry about BAB, but for a different reason. While most melee classes worry about getting maximum BAB for iterative attacks, you need it to qualify for the Vital Strike feats. That said, you still don't need to max it, you'll just get the feats at a level or two later. And remember, you're probably not going to need the +To-Hit like the Full-Attackers.
6. Look at other movement feats. I already mentioned Fleet, etc. Take the Dodge line (Mobility and Spring Attack are pretty much a must for you anyways), and grab Wind Stance. Each turn you move more than 5 feet, you get 20% concealment against ranged attacks. For you? That's pretty much always 20% vs. ranged attacks, because you'll be moving as much as possible. Don't forget Bull Rush and/or Overrun! Pick at least one and take the Improved and Greater versions if you have the feats.
7. Make the most of your "single source" damage. What's that mean? All your damage comes from a single attack. Example: a TWF-ing Rouge attacks a big enemy 5 times, they all hit, and they all do 10 damage. He's done 50 damage total. On the other hand, you attack once (with Vital Strike, etc) and you do, say, 40 damage from your one hit. The Rouge did more damage, right? RIGHT?! Not always. What if that enemy had DR 10/-? In this case, the Rouge did exactly 0 damage, while you did 30. DR 5/-? Rouge did 25 and you did 35. See where I'm going with this?
8. Finally, sometimes it's just better to Full-Attack. Yes, you're not built for it, but every now and then you'll be right beside who you need to attack, they're easy to hit, and all you need to do is tons of damage. In these cases, Full-Attack your heart out.

Bonus Tip: You can deal damage from a variety of weapons easier than most. Full-Attackers need the Weapon Specialization damage and the enchantment damage (as well as the To-Hit), so it's feat- and financially-starving to have more than one weapon type that can deal top damage. For you? That +1 Enhancement bonus isn't going to add a whole lot anyway. Grab a Large (or Huge) masterwork weapon that can deal Bludgeoning damage, one that deals Slashing, and one that deals Piercing. They'll all probably be cheaper, total, than a +2 weapon AND you'll be set for whatever damage-type you need.

My Build Outline:
Start with Barbarian for Fast Movement and weapon profenciencies. Mix Monk and Fighter, or go straight Monk. Either way, whenever your BAB is +5,+10,or +15 and you won't be getting your normal feat at the next level, you can take a level of Fighter and pick up Vital Strike (Normal/Imp./Greater) as the bonus feat.

Liberty's Edge

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Umbral Reaver wrote:

What's next? Expert is overpowered because they get loads of skill points and can pick their class skills?

WHAT?! How come I didn't know about this before?!

Totally rolling up an Expert for my next campaign :P

Liberty's Edge 1/5

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DarkWhite wrote:
My point is, rather than fudging dice rolls, help a struggling group with tactics they may not be familiar with or rules they might have forgotten.

Also, this will make them better players in the future ;)

Good post, by the way.