paizo.com Recent Posts by Axebeardpaizo.com Recent Posts by Axebeard2011-06-09T20:03:38Z2011-06-09T20:03:38ZRe: Forums: Advice: Wizard opposition schoolsAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2rbfo?Wizard-opposition-schools#102014-07-29T14:07:32Z2014-07-29T14:07:32Z<p>There's at least one spell from each school that's be a bit difficult to go without.</p>
<p>Evocation: Wall of Force
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Enchantment: Heroism
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Necromancy: False Life, Waves of Fatigue, Waves of Exhaustion
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Divination: See Invisibility, True Seeing</p>
<p>Honestly, I'd ban enchantment because Heroism competes for level 3 slots with Haste and is a party buff spell (like Haste), but then the decision gets a little harder. Wall of Force is extremely god.</p>There's at least one spell from each school that's be a bit difficult to go without.
Evocation: Wall of Force
Enchantment: Heroism
Necromancy: False Life, Waves of Fatigue, Waves of Exhaustion
Divination: See Invisibility, True Seeing
Honestly, I'd ban enchantment because Heroism competes for level 3 slots with Haste and is a party buff spell (like Haste), but then the decision gets a little harder. Wall of Force is extremely god.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-07-29T14:07:32ZRe: Forums: Advice: PFS - Need Help Building a Mounted Paladin.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qwkz?PFS-Need-Help-Building-a-Mounted-Paladin#22014-04-18T05:10:16Z2014-04-18T05:10:16Z<p>I play a halfling mounted paladin. I did not take Fey Foundling at level 1 and have never needed it. Playing a mounted charger that only gets spirited charge at level 7 and power attack at level 9 is putting off your character for far too long.</p>
<p>I know you don't get to write off your armor check penalty to ride checks as oath of vengeance, but I'd recommend going oath of vengeance instead of shining knight. I'd also recommend taking a few levels of fighter, especially weaponmaster. 3 levels of fighter gets you 2 feats and weapon training (for boosting with gloves of dueling). When you're tripling your damage on an attack, static modifiers get HUGE. As such, being able to smite as many times as possible per day is absolutely paramount.</p>
<p>Here's what I'd recommend for stats:</p>
<p>Str 18-2 [17]
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Dex 12 [2]
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Con 12+2 [2]
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Int 7 [-4]
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Wis 8 [-2]
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Cha 14+2 [5]</p>
<p>Also, your character is built around delivering one massive blow, or he will be. As such, Furious Focus is a better feat for your character than many others. Here's what I did:</p>
<p>1) Pal 1 - Power attack
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2) Pal 2
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3) Pal 3 - Mounted Combat
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4) Pal 4
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5) P4/F1 - Ride-by Attack, Wheeling Charge
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6) P5/F1
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7) P5/F2 - Spirited Charge, Furious Focus
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8) P5/F3 - (Weapon Training), buy gloves of dueling</p>
<p>I played the above character to level 8 and got involved with a lower-level group. He never went down, and at that level never missed except on a 1 and was regularly swinging in for 100 damage a shot. There were times when he was standing in the party, and the entire party went down and he was fine. This was despite a lack of Fey Foundling. Wheeling Charge lets you charge through allies and around corners, Horseshoes of a Zephyr let you charge over difficult terrain and bodies of water or lava, potions of fly purchased with PA and fed to your mount overcome flying enemies and give you a lot of avoidance, and everything else working together means that you hit hard, and you hit every time. If you're worried about your mount failing saves and dying, consider taking feats like Boon Companion and Indomitable Mount (use your ride check instead of your mount's saves.) Masterwork items and magic items mean that you can pump your ride skill really high even despite armor check.</p>
<p>Oh, and buy a horse AND have a celestial mount. Ride your purchased mount until you have to climb the cliff that would have otherwise kept your boar out of the dungeon, then conjure your divine mount at the top. Crisis averted.</p>
<p>Your paladin will have an incredible array of abilities to avoid damage. You can drop down and use your mount for cover, you can make ride checks to negate hits on your mount, you'll move REALLY FAST with ride-by attack and thus will be far away from the enemies who would otherwise hit you, and you'll be far away from the party when the fireballs land, so you'll avoid AoE. Your saves will be huge, your armor class will be high, and you will be far away from your enemies. Point is, you're not going to miss Fey Foundling. And with Oath of Vengeance, you're going to be funneling your LoH into smite anyways.</p>
<p>His build is Pal 5/Ftr 3 so far, and he's got gloves and a +2 Lance.</p>
<p>Math on the damage was Strength 20 with belt, +2 lance, weapon training 1 with gloves of dueling for native +12 damage when wielding 2-handed. Then, smite evil adds another 5 (10 for undead, evil outsider, evil dragon), and power attack adds another 9. That's 1d6+26 or 31, which was tripled with spirited charge for 3d6+78 or 3d6+93.</p>I play a halfling mounted paladin. I did not take Fey Foundling at level 1 and have never needed it. Playing a mounted charger that only gets spirited charge at level 7 and power attack at level 9 is putting off your character for far too long.
I know you don't get to write off your armor check penalty to ride checks as oath of vengeance, but I'd recommend going oath of vengeance instead of shining knight. I'd also recommend taking a few levels of fighter, especially weaponmaster. 3 levels...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-04-18T05:10:16ZRe: Forums: Advice: Gnome Paladin PFS help!Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qux3?Gnome-Paladin-PFS-help#142014-04-05T19:43:33Z2014-04-05T19:43:33Z<p>Paladins are great, and I highly recommend playing a small smiting spirited charger. Puts the big bad in the ground before the fight can even start. The nice thing about Paladins is that even when your feat support is all into mounted combat and lance feats, you're still effective even when not mounted because smite evil is so strong.</p>
<p>One thing I might recommend is 3-4 levels in Weapon Master fighter for Weapon Mastery/Gloves of Dueling, weapon specialization, and a few feats. It really brings your character up to speed quickly and allows you to work in some feats you might not otherwise get to use.</p>
<p>Also, I'd consider Oath of Vengeance as a paladin option. Especially if you multiclass fighter for a few levels, you don't lose any cool high-level paladin stuff.</p>
<p>Feats not to overlook:</p>
<p>Wheeling Charge (charge through allies, you can turn while charging)
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Mounted Blade
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Indomitable Mount (make ride checks instead of your mount's saving throws)</p>
<p>Items not to overlook:</p>
<p>Horseshoes of a Zephyr (charge over difficult terrain, rivers, lakes, lava, and so on)
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Gloves of Dueling
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You might also consider dumping some PA into buying potions of fly to feed your mount.</p>
<p>In my experience, the paladin code of conduct thing is generally overblown. I've never once run into an issue with it, and I've played Paladins back in the days of Living Greyhawk and Pathfinder.</p>
<p>Also, familiarize yourself with the rules of overrun, or trample, or whatever it's called. Basically it lets you bowl over enemies while you're mounted, but I can't remember how that interacts with charge. I also recommend BUYING a pony and still having your conjurable mount. That way you ride the purchased pony until you have to climb the cliff that always gets thrown in and messes up most mounted characters. Then, at the top of the cliff, summon your celestial mount. Problem solved.</p>Paladins are great, and I highly recommend playing a small smiting spirited charger. Puts the big bad in the ground before the fight can even start. The nice thing about Paladins is that even when your feat support is all into mounted combat and lance feats, you're still effective even when not mounted because smite evil is so strong.
One thing I might recommend is 3-4 levels in Weapon Master fighter for Weapon Mastery/Gloves of Dueling, weapon specialization, and a few feats. It really...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-04-05T19:43:33ZRe: Forums: Advice: Is it bad form to ban classes?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qscz&page=2?Is-it-bad-form-to-ban-classes#672014-03-13T17:56:23Z2014-03-13T17:56:23Z<p>It's not poor form so long as I agree with your choices.</p>
<p>Seriously, though, I think it's fine. If you want a certain flavor for your campaign, then let your players know before things got started.</p>
<p>Sort of like a Mutants and Masterminds game I ran a while back. My players and I got together and decided on a "feel" for the campaign (we wanted witty one-liners, not grimdark comics), a city for it to take place in, and NPCs that would play prominent roles. You can, of course, involve your players however much you want to in this process. If your game sounds like something they'd want to participate in, then they're welcome to it. If not, then they can wait on your next campaign or find another table.</p>
<p>I guess I'd just make your desired campaign setting known to your players from the outset, and just pitch it in terms of campaign flavor rather than class hate. (Not that you did that, I just feel like it's important to mention.)</p>It's not poor form so long as I agree with your choices.
Seriously, though, I think it's fine. If you want a certain flavor for your campaign, then let your players know before things got started.
Sort of like a Mutants and Masterminds game I ran a while back. My players and I got together and decided on a "feel" for the campaign (we wanted witty one-liners, not grimdark comics), a city for it to take place in, and NPCs that would play prominent roles. You can, of course, involve your...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-13T17:56:23ZRe: Forums: Advice: first magic userAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qsbu?first-magic-user#72014-03-13T16:20:56Z2014-03-13T16:20:56Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">MattR1986 wrote:</div><blockquote> Sorcerer means you don't have to sit and durrr in picking spells every morning. You have flexibility to choose as you go. I'd avoid getting too many mind-effect spells. There's a ton of monsters that are immune to such spells. As was said, make sure you have a decent damaging spell in your repertoire. It's not the most creative or necessarily the most efficient way to get rid of enemies, but it gives you a default go to of "I blast it!" when you don't have a better idea at the moment. </blockquote><p>This brings up an interesting point. Sometimes, the most powerful thing a caster can do is wait. I played a wizard in a recent Carrion Crown campaign, and if I didn't have anything that directly put the party in a better position to win the fight more efficiently or at least in a safer fashion, I'd hold my action and just wait for the opportunity to ruin somebody's day or pull the fighter out of a tough spot.
<p>It's nice to have a fallback, because damage will usually accelerate a fight, but many times I think the proper action is to delay and let the battle unfold for a few more turns before intervening.</p>MattR1986 wrote:Sorcerer means you don't have to sit and durrr in picking spells every morning. You have flexibility to choose as you go. I'd avoid getting too many mind-effect spells. There's a ton of monsters that are immune to such spells. As was said, make sure you have a decent damaging spell in your repertoire. It's not the most creative or necessarily the most efficient way to get rid of enemies, but it gives you a default go to of "I blast it!" when you don't have a better idea at the...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-13T16:20:56ZRe: Forums: Advice: first magic userAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qsbu?first-magic-user#42014-03-13T01:55:09Z2014-03-13T01:55:09Z<p>I might tell someone who's never played pathfinder before to avoid wizard, but honestly, they're only as complicated as you decide to make them.</p>
<p>I recommend wizard and sorcerer because the arcane spell list is fantastic. The only spell you really must learn is Haste. My recent MVPs from each level:</p>
<p>1) Grease - cast on weapons, cast under enemies, no SR
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2) Glitterdust - reveals invisible, blinds, targets will, no SR
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3) Haste - hands down THE best bang-for-buck spell in the game.
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4) Dimension Door - teleport yourself out of danger, the fighters within full attack range, the cleric to the fighter for a heal. Think tactically and this is a really powerful spell.
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5) Wall of force - placed effectively, it basically temporarily kills several enemies by isolating them from the combat for several rounds.</p>
<p>Third level spells are the money spells for wiz/sor. Haste, Slow, and Stinking Cloud are really strong, and when combined with metamagic feats like persistent spell, will outmuscle almost all of your fifth level spells. Conjuration is a powerful school and generally avoids spell resistance, making it good on constructs and outsiders.
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The "pit" line of spells is also very strong.</p>
<p>If you choose sorcerer, learn at MOST one damage spell per level. Damage is damage is damage, and knowing more than one damage spell per level is largely just sacrificing a spell known. If you must, take a feat to change your elements around to match the situation. The fighter will outdamage you, anyways, so the most efficient way to kill something is usually to cast Haste and just watch the party grind your foes into a pink mist.</p>I might tell someone who's never played pathfinder before to avoid wizard, but honestly, they're only as complicated as you decide to make them.
I recommend wizard and sorcerer because the arcane spell list is fantastic. The only spell you really must learn is Haste. My recent MVPs from each level:
1) Grease - cast on weapons, cast under enemies, no SR
2) Glitterdust - reveals invisible, blinds, targets will, no SR
3) Haste - hands down THE best bang-for-buck spell in the game.
4) Dimension...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-13T01:55:09ZRe: Forums: Advice: PFS - Help with Wife's Fighter Build.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qrpo?PFS-Help-with-Wifes-Fighter-Build#262014-03-09T19:18:42Z2014-03-09T19:18:42Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Gwen Smith wrote:</div><blockquote>For a backup ranged attack, skip the bow and get her some chakrams: for 1 gp each you get a 30ft range increment and do 1d8+Str. If she goes with Quick Draw, she can throw weapons at the same rate of fire as a bow.</blockquote><p>If you plan on never using your ranged attack after level 2, this advice is okay.
<p>If you want a legitimate backup ranged attack, buy a bow. Better range increment, better feat support, and you only have to enchant one weapon to benefit on every single ranged attack you make. The bow is a powerful option. Thrown weapons are not nearly as strong. Plus, fighters have so many feats that the statement that you can throw chakrams as rapidly as you can fire arrows isn't really legitimate. At level 6-7, you can fire four arrows, three of them are at the same, high, modifier. At 6-7, you can still only throw two chakram, and given that you might have to close to get within 30 feet, maybe only one.</p>
<p>Also, buy a +X bow or get Greater Magic Weapon from a wizard, and all of your arrows are +X arrows. Buy a +1 chakram or javelin, and you have a single +1 chakram or javelin. Weapons need enhancement bonuses to keep up at the later levels.</p>
<p>In short, thrown weapons are a patch to get you to level 3. Past that point, if you want a real ranged weapon, buy a bow and, especially if pure fighter, drop a few feats into it.</p>Gwen Smith wrote:For a backup ranged attack, skip the bow and get her some chakrams: for 1 gp each you get a 30ft range increment and do 1d8+Str. If she goes with Quick Draw, she can throw weapons at the same rate of fire as a bow.
If you plan on never using your ranged attack after level 2, this advice is okay. If you want a legitimate backup ranged attack, buy a bow. Better range increment, better feat support, and you only have to enchant one weapon to benefit on every single ranged...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-09T19:18:42ZRe: Forums: Advice: PFS - Help with Wife's Fighter Build.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qrpo?PFS-Help-with-Wifes-Fighter-Build#172014-03-08T16:50:16Z2014-03-08T16:50:16Z<p>If you're going to do the quickdraw shield trick, then I'd highly recommend going archery over javelins. It will give her something worthwhile to spend her feats on, and as an even moderately-competent archer she'll devastate most encounters.</p>
<p>But I've beat that horse to death. PFS really doesn't require build optimization beyond "don't make awful choices." HOW you play is just as important as WHAT you play, so play smart. I guess, in both cases, it still just boils down to not making awful choices.</p>
<p>An example quickdraw shield/THF/Archer might look like...</p>
<p>1) Quick Draw, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Longsword)
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2) Point Blank Shot
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3) Precise Shot [armor training]
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4) Weapon Spec (Longsword)
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5) Deadly Aim [Weapon Training (heavy blades)]
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6) Rapid Shot
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7) Manyshot [armor training]
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8) Weapon Focus (longbow)
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9) Weapon specialization (longbow) [weapon training (ranged)]</p>
<p>That's a pretty offensively-oriented character, but it's pretty easy to get high AC and decent saves with item investment. Level 7, when your armor training hits +2, she'll be at AC 23 without any magical gear (assuming 16 dex), only full plate and heavy shield. +1 full plate, +1 heavy shield, RoP +1, and AoNA+1 puts her at 27, which is Level+20, or my usual target for "very safe" armor class.</p>
<p>Archery is so strong and fighters have the feats to spare, so I'd at least consider it. It's a great way to get the first full attack on any encounter before the bad guys close to you. Then you get the second full attack with your longsword, too!</p>If you're going to do the quickdraw shield trick, then I'd highly recommend going archery over javelins. It will give her something worthwhile to spend her feats on, and as an even moderately-competent archer she'll devastate most encounters.
But I've beat that horse to death. PFS really doesn't require build optimization beyond "don't make awful choices." HOW you play is just as important as WHAT you play, so play smart. I guess, in both cases, it still just boils down to not making awful...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-08T16:50:16ZRe: Forums: Advice: PFS - Help with Wife's Fighter Build.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qrpo?PFS-Help-with-Wifes-Fighter-Build#62014-03-08T06:02:19Z2014-03-08T06:02:19Z<p>I'd get something other than missile shield at level 1.</p>
<p>And, honestly, I'd give her character something to do when she can't get at the bad guys. Archery is a powerful tool to have, and fighters do it really well.</p>
<p>As such, I'd recommend bumping dex to 14 (armor training makes this non-wasted by level 3 when you can afford full plate) and putting some feats into archery down the line. I would not put feats into armor class, you'll be able to stack that up with equipment alone without sinking feats into it. I'd put feats into boosting offense, and if you feel the need to go defensive with feats, boost her will save.</p>
<p>The standard archery feats are weapon focus/weapon spec/deadly aim/rapid shot/manyshot. I'd pick those up whenever you can sneak them in, and that's really all you need to be an impressive archer. Seeing as how both TWF and archery prioritize strength and dex, you might be able to go TWF sword/shield and archery at the same time, but I'm not sure.</p>
<p>For archer/TWF, maybe...</p>
<p>pre-racial
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Str 16 (10)
<br />
Con 14 (5)
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Dex 15 (7)
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Wis 12 (2)
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Int 10 (0)
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Cha 7 (-4)</p>
<p>Maybe with your level 4 point going into dexterity. Armor training will mean that Full Plate has a max dex of +3 by level 7. Depending on stat requirements for feats, maybe change things around a bit more.</p>
<p>Put your weapon training into whatever you wield in melee and into your bow, and buy gloves of dueling as soon as you can to turn the knob to 11.</p>I'd get something other than missile shield at level 1.
And, honestly, I'd give her character something to do when she can't get at the bad guys. Archery is a powerful tool to have, and fighters do it really well.
As such, I'd recommend bumping dex to 14 (armor training makes this non-wasted by level 3 when you can afford full plate) and putting some feats into archery down the line. I would not put feats into armor class, you'll be able to stack that up with equipment alone without sinking...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-08T06:02:19ZRe: Forums: Advice: Level 11 inquisitor featAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qqp3?Level-11-inquisitor-feat#222014-03-02T04:32:07Z2014-03-02T03:33:45Z<p>What race?</p>What race?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-02T03:33:45ZRe: Forums: Advice: What classes (or multiclass combinations) work best for "ad-hoc" levelling?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qquj?What-classes-work-best-for-adhoc-levelling#62014-03-01T04:46:10Z2014-03-01T04:46:10Z<p>Fighters DO get to retrain feats, though, so it's not quite as bad as that.</p>Fighters DO get to retrain feats, though, so it's not quite as bad as that.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-03-01T04:46:10ZRe: Forums: Advice: Hate Oracle spellcasting saves....Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qqfk?Hate-Oracle-spellcasting-saves#32014-02-26T05:10:08Z2014-02-26T05:10:08Z<p>Try the metamagic feat "persistent spell."</p>
<p>I played a conjurer through Carrion Crown, and one of his go-to spells for the better part of his career was Persistent Glitterdust.</p>
<p>But yes, I'd pick a school or two to focus on, pick offensive spells from that school, and grab the relevant spell focus feats.</p>Try the metamagic feat "persistent spell."
I played a conjurer through Carrion Crown, and one of his go-to spells for the better part of his career was Persistent Glitterdust.
But yes, I'd pick a school or two to focus on, pick offensive spells from that school, and grab the relevant spell focus feats.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-26T05:10:08ZRe: Forums: Advice: PFS Paladin BuildAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qq9t?PFS-Paladin-Build#202014-02-26T04:13:02Z2014-02-26T04:13:02Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">CELLWOOD wrote:</div><blockquote>Do you all think that it would be best to replace Greater Mercy with another Extra Lay on Hands?</blockquote><p>Absolutely. Although, by the time you hit level 5, you'll have 4 levels of data and be able to make a better choice.CELLWOOD wrote:Do you all think that it would be best to replace Greater Mercy with another Extra Lay on Hands?
Absolutely. Although, by the time you hit level 5, you'll have 4 levels of data and be able to make a better choice.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-26T04:13:02ZRe: Forums: Advice: Need critique/suggestions for my PFS Offensive Casting Cleric.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpoz?Need-critiquesuggestions-for-my-PFS-Offensive#422014-02-22T22:19:46Z2014-02-22T22:19:46Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Sir_Wulf wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Be warned: The rules suggest that most masterwork items will only provide their +2 bonus under limited circumstances. Most items should not be useful for every possible use of a skill. </p>
<p>As an example, my barbarian's masterwork intimidation tool (a necklace of expertly preserved thumbs, harvested from unfortunate souls who got on his nerves) will only help him intimidate those already uneasy about the possibility of barbaric violence. It might just make a troll feel snackish or a Shoanti tribesman pull out his own unsavory relics. </blockquote><p>Well, that depends on the flavor of the item. Sure, if the item is intended to have an effect on other characters, then the state of the other character will be the determining factor in whether or not the item functions.
<p>If you're going for full-on mechanical optimization, though, then that's why it's important to flavor the item such that it has an effect on YOUR character, thus making him more effective at whatever it is that he's trying to do. Make them function as a psychological boost to performance. (There's real-world science behind this, too.) How you dress has a very real impact on how you behave and carry yourself.</p>
<p>Let's say, for example, that your character had grown up a noble's brat who had to spend time in court, but noticed that the diplomats who performed effective negotiations always wore a certain kind of circlet, robe, or signet and thus associated competent diplomacy with a certain symbol. Naturally, by wearing a similar item, your character will feel more competent and perform better at diplomacy. Or, by wearing a mask, your character feels more fearsome (or at least is reassured that he can take the mask off if things fail and thus be less recognizable as the intimidator) and thus will behave in a more fearsome way.</p>
<p>Whether or not the item functions also depends on how it's sold to the DM at your table for the event. DMs like to see people role-play, so at least have fun with it. Or, if you're just out to optimize, trick the DM into thinking you did it for character reasons and it's more likely to fly.</p>Sir_Wulf wrote:Be warned: The rules suggest that most masterwork items will only provide their +2 bonus under limited circumstances. Most items should not be useful for every possible use of a skill.
As an example, my barbarian's masterwork intimidation tool (a necklace of expertly preserved thumbs, harvested from unfortunate souls who got on his nerves) will only help him intimidate those already uneasy about the possibility of barbaric violence. It might just make a troll feel snackish or...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-22T22:19:46ZRe: Forums: Advice: Need critique/suggestions for my PFS Offensive Casting Cleric.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpoz?Need-critiquesuggestions-for-my-PFS-Offensive#242014-02-21T03:48:47Z2014-02-21T03:48:47Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">My PFS Lavode De'Morcaine wrote:</div><blockquote><br />
<br />
Except when you want it, you almost always want the whole party to have it so the barbarian isn't dominated to attack you. So eveyone seems to take the communal or circle variations. And your back to not being able to quicken it. </blockquote><p>I don't think the existence of better versions of the same spell means that the first level is any less useful. In higher-level games, PFE is a second saving throw against a mind-controlling effect. But, ideally, the wizard would just be winning initiative every time at that point and actual conflicts would be a thing of the past.
<p>Now, I agree that Quicken Spell isn't as good for clerics and isn't as good in PFS, so it's not a good choice. But PFE is an amazing first-level spell, and I've seen it save a party even in higher-level combats.</p>My PFS Lavode De'Morcaine wrote:Except when you want it, you almost always want the whole party to have it so the barbarian isn't dominated to attack you. So eveyone seems to take the communal or circle variations. And your back to not being able to quicken it.
I don't think the existence of better versions of the same spell means that the first level is any less useful. In higher-level games, PFE is a second saving throw against a mind-controlling effect. But, ideally, the wizard would just...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-21T03:48:47ZRe: Forums: Advice: Need critique/suggestions for my PFS Offensive Casting Cleric.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpoz?Need-critiquesuggestions-for-my-PFS-Offensive#202014-02-21T02:25:03Z2014-02-21T02:25:03Z<p>Oh, and I'd go for channeling positive energy and a charisma of 12-ish. It'll leave your party in better shape and give you more stat points to distribute elsewhere. Channeling usually ends up being an end-of-battle heal, or something where a little positioning can do most of the work of selective channel.</p>
<p>Channel+items = efficient healing/party buffing
<br />
Offensive spells = well, your offense.</p>
<p>It's been my general impression that channeling for damage never really seemed worth the action it took to execute. At third level, 2d6 with a pretty low will save for half just isn't that much. A rod-empowered fireball (lesser rod) is gonna put it all to shame. Lesser persistent rods will also work on your fireballs, making them harder to avoid.</p>
<p>That's not much gold, and it'll produce much higher output than negative channel while leaving you with the ability to positive channel and heal your teammates.</p>
<p>I'd go something like
<br />
Str 10-12
<br />
Con 12-14
<br />
Dex 12 (efficient with plate mail)
<br />
Int 7
<br />
Wis 19
<br />
Cha 12 or so</p>
<p>I know that int 7 isn't popular, and it leaves you with less options, but the math isn't as unfavorable as some people make it out to be. I will warn you that this next bit is pretty cheesy, but it's legal by PFS rules. Tank your intelligence, pick 2-3 skills, and just spread out your points and make up the difference with masterwork items. Stuff like eyeglasses for perception, ceremonial dress for diplomacy, facepaint for intimidate, surgical tools for heal, and so on. They're only 50 gp apiece, and it helps you get the equivalent of a higher intelligence score for a few gold pieces.</p>
<p>compare an int 10 character at level 2 with no masterwork items (so non-cheesed) to an int 7 character at level 2 who's shamelessly dropped 100 gp to improve his lot in life.</p>
<p>10 int: 2 skill points per level, dumped in 2 skills, meaning +2 to 2 skills.
<br />
7 int: 1 skill point per level, spread out into 2 skills, with items for +3 to two skills.</p>
<p>Granted, over the life of the character, the 10 int character will do better with skill points. But you're trading something like an occasional +1 to a skill roll for +1 to all spell DCs, or +1 hit point per level, or something that's much more powerful. Yes, having more skill points is a good thing, but there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage done by a low intelligence. The DCs on the skill checks in modules do not assume masterwork items, and those are the DCs you have to beat.</p>
<p>I haven't actually run the numbers on this, but for offensive casters, I like to feel safe so I can just unload my spells. That means good AC (Level+18 at least), good saves (Cleric rocks at this, add in dwarf to be awesome), and good HP (again, cleric is pretty good here).</p>
<p>I mean, offensively, clerics lag behind wizards. You've got to make that up somehow, and that's with features like your domains for spell selection, your capability to wear heavy armor, and your superior saving throws/durability.</p>Oh, and I'd go for channeling positive energy and a charisma of 12-ish. It'll leave your party in better shape and give you more stat points to distribute elsewhere. Channeling usually ends up being an end-of-battle heal, or something where a little positioning can do most of the work of selective channel.
Channel+items = efficient healing/party buffing
Offensive spells = well, your offense.
It's been my general impression that channeling for damage never really seemed worth the action it...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-21T02:25:03ZRe: Forums: Advice: Need critique/suggestions for my PFS Offensive Casting Cleric.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpoz?Need-critiquesuggestions-for-my-PFS-Offensive#172014-02-21T01:49:40Z2014-02-21T01:49:40Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">My PFS Lavode De'Morcaine wrote:</div><blockquote>Do you have a 1st level spell that you think will be decisive when you are fighting level 12-14 opponents? </blockquote><p>Protection from Evil.My PFS Lavode De'Morcaine wrote:Do you have a 1st level spell that you think will be decisive when you are fighting level 12-14 opponents?
Protection from Evil.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-21T01:49:40ZRe: Forums: Advice: Need critique/suggestions for my PFS Offensive Casting Cleric.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpoz?Need-critiquesuggestions-for-my-PFS-Offensive#162014-02-21T01:48:05Z2014-02-21T01:48:05Z<p>Doesn't have a lot to do with feats and stuff, but I'd look for some cheap lesser metamagic rods. Persistent Spell is good, and only 3000 gp. A persistent calm emotions can end an encounter, and several good offensive cleric spells are levels 3 or below (blindness/deafness, for example).</p>
<p>I've got a caster cleric, and I went dwarf and heavy armor. I'm keeping my AC at around 20+level or so, and buying rods and staffs. I'm using prestige (after saving enough to get resurrected) to pick up scrolls like Freedom of Movement and Death Ward so that I don't have to keep them prepared, thus saving my slots for really generic stuff. He's got rods of Extend Spell (for 10 min/level buffs) and persistent spell (for debuffs), wands of bless, cure light wounds, protection from evil, and comprehend languages... I guess the main gist of this paragraph is that you can really fill out a cleric with wands and scrolls, leaving you with a lot more prepared slots for your offensive stuff while still letting you fill the traditional party buffer role when you're called to it. I've selected his domains for the spells they have and the functionality they add to the cleric spell list, so I use pearls of power to get more domain spells and thus the ability to dip into the wizard and druid lists more often for buffs and battlefield control.</p>
<p>Oh, and unlike homegames that may go into 15+, because PFS caps at 11-12, your 3rd-level spells (and by extension, your lesser rods) stay relevant for the life of your character.</p>Doesn't have a lot to do with feats and stuff, but I'd look for some cheap lesser metamagic rods. Persistent Spell is good, and only 3000 gp. A persistent calm emotions can end an encounter, and several good offensive cleric spells are levels 3 or below (blindness/deafness, for example).
I've got a caster cleric, and I went dwarf and heavy armor. I'm keeping my AC at around 20+level or so, and buying rods and staffs. I'm using prestige (after saving enough to get resurrected) to pick up...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-21T01:48:05ZRe: Forums: Advice: Teleportation Creativity!Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpq3?Teleportation-Creativity#72014-02-20T21:54:18Z2014-02-20T21:54:18Z<p>I would teleport into random houses at night and lick the food in their pantry, or shorten the leg on one of their chairs by a quarter-inch.</p>I would teleport into random houses at night and lick the food in their pantry, or shorten the leg on one of their chairs by a quarter-inch.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-20T21:54:18ZRe: Forums: Advice: How much does an adventurer know about magic?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpcj?How-much-does-an-adventurer-know-about-magic#162014-02-18T02:27:48Z2014-02-18T02:27:48Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Zhayne wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Axebeard wrote:</div><blockquote>common adventurer</blockquote>Kind of a contradiction in terms, innit? </blockquote><p>No.Zhayne wrote:Axebeard wrote:common adventurer
Kind of a contradiction in terms, innit? No.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-18T02:27:48ZRe: Forums: Advice: How much does an adventurer know about magic?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpcj?How-much-does-an-adventurer-know-about-magic#102014-02-17T23:38:47Z2014-02-17T23:38:47Z<p>I'd expect a common adventurer to know about magic what your average person knows about computers, or medicine.</p>
<p>I know that computers handle data and work really fast, but I can't really code, and I couldn't make sense of much code if I saw it. Your average person on the street probably knows that antibiotics kill bacteria, but likely would still ask for antibiotics for a common cold despite the fact that the commonly-prescribed azithromycin doesn't work on viral upper respiratory infections. They may not even have a cold!</p>I'd expect a common adventurer to know about magic what your average person knows about computers, or medicine.
I know that computers handle data and work really fast, but I can't really code, and I couldn't make sense of much code if I saw it. Your average person on the street probably knows that antibiotics kill bacteria, but likely would still ask for antibiotics for a common cold despite the fact that the commonly-prescribed azithromycin doesn't work on viral upper respiratory...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-17T23:38:47ZRe: Forums: Advice: Rationalizing paralysisAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qpct?Rationalizing-paralysis#62014-02-17T23:30:52Z2014-02-17T23:30:52Z<p>I imagine regeneration or even Cure X Wounds of a high-enough level would probably repair even profound neurological damage by restoring function to damaged tissue.</p>
<p>Or, you know, you could just SAY that he's tried those things and they haven't worked, and all of those attempts have bankrupted him and forced him into adventuring to either afford higher-level spellcasting or find a new way to fix his condition. It's almost like you're making the DM's job easier by giving him adventure hooks.</p>
<p>—edit—</p>
<p>This idea appeals to me because it gives the DM, beyond adventure hooks, something mysterious to work with. I like there being stuff in the game world that the players don't entirely understand yet. Your characters are experiencing this world and its dangers for the first time, and there's a certain fun in learning along with them. Because, yeah, Regeneration SHOULD work. I wonder why it doesn't, and what would?</p>I imagine regeneration or even Cure X Wounds of a high-enough level would probably repair even profound neurological damage by restoring function to damaged tissue.
Or, you know, you could just SAY that he's tried those things and they haven't worked, and all of those attempts have bankrupted him and forced him into adventuring to either afford higher-level spellcasting or find a new way to fix his condition. It's almost like you're making the DM's job easier by giving him adventure hooks.
...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-17T23:30:52ZRe: Forums: Advice: Dual-Wielding Light Crossbows as a SorcererAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qoce?DualWielding-Light-Crossbows-as-a-Sorcerer#222014-02-10T06:36:18Z2014-02-10T06:36:18Z<p>If you want to dual-wield crossbows, I recommend casting color spray and then coup-de-grace'ing your now helpless opponents with your crossbows point-blank. As a bonus, you even get to win the fight!</p>If you want to dual-wield crossbows, I recommend casting color spray and then coup-de-grace'ing your now helpless opponents with your crossbows point-blank. As a bonus, you even get to win the fight!Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-02-10T06:36:18ZRe: Forums: Advice: Tweaking the core Rogue classAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qm5k?Tweaking-the-core-Rogue-class#42014-01-27T17:05:40Z2014-01-27T05:37:08Z<p>Don't give the rogue full BAB. Here's my approach:</p>
<p>Level 1 rogue class feature, call it something like "Combat Advantage". (Yeah, I know it's also a 4e term.)</p>
<p>"Combat Advantage (Ex): Whenever a rogue attacks a target that is denied its dexterity bonus to AC, or whenever a rogue flanks a target, the rogue gets a +1 bonus to attack rolls against that target. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 rogue levels attained after the first (5, 9, 13, 17)."</p>
<p>This means that when the Rogue is in a position to sneak attack, the rogue gets an attack bonus comparable to full BAB without actually giving the rogue full BAB and its resulting iterative attacks. It also means, however, that the rogue still needs to play like a rogue to benefit from this class feature. It lets the rogue shine when he gets into flank (As he should), but still makes him work for it.</p>
<p>Rogue level/Combat Advantage Attack Bonus
<br />
1/+1
<br />
5/+2
<br />
9/+3
<br />
13/+4
<br />
17/+5</p>
<p>Also, giving a rogue a strong Fort save wouldn't be a bad idea. Reflex is already the least important save in the game.</p>Don't give the rogue full BAB. Here's my approach:
Level 1 rogue class feature, call it something like "Combat Advantage". (Yeah, I know it's also a 4e term.)
"Combat Advantage (Ex): Whenever a rogue attacks a target that is denied its dexterity bonus to AC, or whenever a rogue flanks a target, the rogue gets a +1 bonus to attack rolls against that target. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 rogue levels attained after the first (5, 9, 13, 17)."
This means that when the Rogue is in a...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2014-01-27T05:37:08ZRe: Forums: Advice: What spell would you build your wizard/sorcerer around?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qfn1?What-spell-would-you-build-your-wizard#152013-12-09T02:13:30Z2013-12-09T02:13:30Z<p>One spell? Chain lightning. With spell perfection, dazing spell, and the 4x focus feats (elemental and spell), you have a ridiculously high DC save-or-lose that targets every enemy on the battlefield.</p>
<p>And at high levels, you're fighting huge monsters with low reflex saves.</p>One spell? Chain lightning. With spell perfection, dazing spell, and the 4x focus feats (elemental and spell), you have a ridiculously high DC save-or-lose that targets every enemy on the battlefield.
And at high levels, you're fighting huge monsters with low reflex saves.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-12-09T02:13:30ZRe: Forums: Advice: Specific magic weapons/armor that are worth using?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qdw2?Specific-magic-weaponsarmor-that-are-worth-using#282013-11-30T07:38:10Z2013-11-30T07:38:10Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">master_marshmallow wrote:</div><blockquote>If you call it mithral, it is a house rule. Per RAW it is legal to have the armor made of mithral, and the benefits stack. </blockquote><p>You've sort of stepped up from "it's not unreasonable to call it RAW" to "It's RAW" without any intervening change.
<p>You're making an assumption about how the magic in Celestial Armor works, anyways. I haven't actually read the text in a while, but if I recall it doesn't say that the max dex bonus is a result of any sort of modifier applied to the base max dex bonus of the armor. It just comes out and says what the max dex bonus is.</p>
<p>So, you could say that whatever material Celestial Armor is made out of, it always has whatever max dex bonus is listed in the rules. After all, the armor is first made out of a material and then enchanted, and the enchantment might not modify the max dex bonus, but set it.</p>
<p>Because it's not clear what the actual benefit of the enchantment of Celestial Armor is (it's a black box, we see the output only), you can't really say what stacks with what. Also, in the examples provided in the book, the enchantment bestowed on the item interacted with the item in a different way than the Celestial Armor enchantment interacts with chainmail, so I think that you, too, are operating in the territory of house rules. Which is fine, but it doesn't really look like there's a definitive answer one way or the other.</p>master_marshmallow wrote:If you call it mithral, it is a house rule. Per RAW it is legal to have the armor made of mithral, and the benefits stack.
You've sort of stepped up from "it's not unreasonable to call it RAW" to "It's RAW" without any intervening change. You're making an assumption about how the magic in Celestial Armor works, anyways. I haven't actually read the text in a while, but if I recall it doesn't say that the max dex bonus is a result of any sort of modifier applied to the...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-30T07:38:10ZRe: Forums: Advice: Which 5th level spell for my cleric?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qeqi?Which-5th-level-spell-for-my-cleric#42013-11-30T07:20:51Z2013-11-30T07:20:51Z<p>Leave the slot open. Take 15 minutes between encounters and either prepare a spell the party needs at that time (raise dead) or re-prepare a spell he's already cast.</p>Leave the slot open. Take 15 minutes between encounters and either prepare a spell the party needs at that time (raise dead) or re-prepare a spell he's already cast.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-30T07:20:51ZRe: Forums: Advice: PerceptionAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qed3?Perception#152013-11-26T19:44:37Z2013-11-26T19:44:37Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">DrDeth wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Well, if you don’t dump INT & Wis, and take a RP trait or Feat rather than one that adds to DPR, then you can have all the perc you need for daily tasks. </p>
<p>This is part of the cost for building a optimized min/maxed DPR rocket tag monster. </p>
<p>A little while ago I was in a advice thread and a newbie was advised to Dump wis & int down to 7 for his paladin. Not surprisingly, he couldn’t make any of the dozens of perc check the DM asked for during the game, and wasn’t happy. </p>
<p></blockquote><p>Ooh, I like this game. Let me try and reverse the post. •clears throat•
<p>Well, if you don't dump skill points, traits, and feats on something as un-mechanical as flavor, you should have all the attributes and resources you need for daily tasks.</p>
<p>This is the cost of feeling like you need crunchy game mechanics to tell you who your character is and how to role-play him.</p>
<p>A little while ago I was in an advice thread and a newbie was told to invest a feat into skill focus (knowledge(religion)) because his paladin used to be a religious scholar. He couldn't hit any of the monsters the DM threw at them during that game, and wasn't happy.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>I know I'm being a jerk and that was way too snarky, but your post was only tangential to the thread and seemed like a way to rant about other people enjoying the game in a different way than you do.</p>
<p>And, honestly, someone playing a paladin should probably go into a game expecting to fail a lot of perception checks. It's not a class skill, wisdom is not that important for them, and they don't get very many skill points anyways. A paladin who's min-maxed for combat and a paladin who isn't are going to have extremely similar perception checks and are going to miss all of the difficult (see: important) checks anyways, so min-maxing for combat isn't going to have that big of an effect. </p>
<p>Now I'M tangential to the thread, so I'll chime in: I don't feel like perception needs to be handed out for free. I do, though, give most 2-skill-point classes 4 skill points per level. (I boost the rogue, too, giving them, among other things, attack bonuses to mimic full BAB when they sneak attack).</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong with my tasteless parody above, I encourage players to role-play. The reason why I hand out those extra skill points is because skill points don't break the game, are generally fun and, for players who use their character sheet as a jumping-off point for ideas, it can help them get involved in role playing. "Uh, I've got 2 points in craft(carpentry), I'll go talk shop with a local carpenter for a while."</p>
<p>Traditional rewards for encounters are experience and treasure, but there's always room to do something different. Maybe after they get ambushed or solve a trap, give each character 1 skill point (2 if they have 6+ by class level-up). Some of them are bound to put it into perception. Or not, in which case 1 skill point isn't really going to change much and you just don't do it again.</p>DrDeth wrote:Well, if you don’t dump INT & Wis, and take a RP trait or Feat rather than one that adds to DPR, then you can have all the perc you need for daily tasks.
This is part of the cost for building a optimized min/maxed DPR rocket tag monster.
A little while ago I was in a advice thread and a newbie was advised to Dump wis & int down to 7 for his paladin. Not surprisingly, he couldn’t make any of the dozens of perc check the DM asked for during the game, and wasn’t happy.
Ooh, I...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-26T19:44:37ZRe: Forums: Advice: 9th level feat for cleric?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qctw?9th-level-feat-for-cleric#92013-11-14T04:39:21Z2013-11-14T04:39:21Z<p>Heavy Armor Proficiency, and buy some cool full plate.</p>
<p>Alternately, spell focus in your favorite offensive school. 5th level and above cleric spell blasts are alright, so evocation wouldn't be awful.</p>Heavy Armor Proficiency, and buy some cool full plate.
Alternately, spell focus in your favorite offensive school. 5th level and above cleric spell blasts are alright, so evocation wouldn't be awful.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-14T04:39:21ZRe: Forums: Advice: Describing Hit PointsAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qcm8?Describing-Hit-Points#72013-11-12T05:28:43Z2013-11-12T05:28:43Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">rgrove0172 wrote:</div><blockquote><br />
<br />
What about healing. A Cure Light Wounds spell would mend the nasty wound mentioned to the low level character above. I mean it literally closes the wound, stops bleeding, fuses the flesh, attaches the blood vessels etc. While the exact same spell on a high level character does what exactly? Rests them a bit? Makes them feel a bit fresher? </blockquote><p>I just now read the extent of your post, and realized that I basically described the tiring guard you talked about.
<p>I feel like tiring guard meshes with clerical magic extremely well. A character's loss in hit points represents wounds and energy, sure, and a clerical spell may very well have the same visible effect on a high-level and low-level combatant: Fusing flesh and all that. I'd say that clerical magic, if you're looking for a narrative, can be said to FIRST fuse flesh and heal wounds, and THEN restore tiring guard.</p>
<p>It also meshes with superhuman toughness, as well, meaning that characters who are just THAT resilient can walk around with gaping wounds and still be surprisingly functional. And then, yes, the clerical magic only closes a bit of the wound, but a character with less hit points would never have been able to sustain that "quantity" of wound in the first place, meaning that while the lower-level guy is fully healed, the higher-level guy receives the same amount of would closure from the magic, but merely is missing a lot more flesh or organ function.</p>
<p>Honestly, my approach is to just let the situation dictate the way hit points are represented. Weapons like hammers can mesh very well with hp loss meaning physical damage, because you can just sort of accept that he's been healed "more" when there aren't visible cuts, instead just blunt organ trauma. With bladed weapons, though, we tend to think of "wow 50 hit points worth of cuts must look a lot worse than 5 hit points worth of cuts" and then we get into trouble trying to reason it out.</p>rgrove0172 wrote:What about healing. A Cure Light Wounds spell would mend the nasty wound mentioned to the low level character above. I mean it literally closes the wound, stops bleeding, fuses the flesh, attaches the blood vessels etc. While the exact same spell on a high level character does what exactly? Rests them a bit? Makes them feel a bit fresher?
I just now read the extent of your post, and realized that I basically described the tiring guard you talked about. I feel like tiring...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-12T05:28:43ZRe: Forums: Advice: Describing Hit PointsAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qcm8?Describing-Hit-Points#62013-11-12T05:26:44Z2013-11-12T05:16:58Z<p>Your explanation of what hit points represent hinges on how you envision a PC. Either they're made of the same flesh and blood that you and your players are, or their extreme heroism makes them possessed of superhuman toughness and able to sustain blows that would have dropped anyone in our universe.</p>
<p>So, are they so tough that can they be run through with swords multiple times and still swing back? Then, by all means, imagine that the number of hit points damage a character has taken directly correlates to the grievousness of physical wounds. We don't fight demons and dragons, so there's no telling what sorts of effects fighting those foes has on your ability to sustain blows and keep on going. Supernatural foes produce supernatural heroes.</p>
<p>Alternately, are they maybe just a bit tougher than you or me, but intensely skilled? Then maybe HP is resolve or energy that carries the hero through the fight instead rather than a pure measure of physical toughness.</p>
<p>Sometimes I think of it as a mix of sustained wounds and "fighting spirit," or ability to avoid blows that would have been "the one" that drops them. When I'm operating with this frame of reference, attacks fall into three categories:</p>
<p>1) Misses AC: Attacks that are executed poorly enough to require no extra exertion on part of the character to avoid.</p>
<p>2) Hits AC, does HP damage: An attack that would have hit or been serious, but the character's exceptional training allows him to, through extra energy (hit point) expenditure, twist out of the way at the last moment and continue fighting. May be a grazing blow, indicating that a blow that would have driven through the heart merely clipped his shoulder instead. Either consumes energy or through physical harm hampers the character's ability to avoid future attacks.</p>
<p>3) Hits AC, kills or incapacitates: Having expended his energy, your character can no longer avoid or compensate for the next blow that is similar to those he was able to cope with earlier in the fight, and this runs him through the gut, dropping him to the ground. </p>
<p>If he's dropped from full HP to zero, then the quality of the attack is sufficient to where at full energy reserves and peak condition, his training was not enough to save him.</p>Your explanation of what hit points represent hinges on how you envision a PC. Either they're made of the same flesh and blood that you and your players are, or their extreme heroism makes them possessed of superhuman toughness and able to sustain blows that would have dropped anyone in our universe.
So, are they so tough that can they be run through with swords multiple times and still swing back? Then, by all means, imagine that the number of hit points damage a character has taken...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-12T05:16:58ZRe: Forums: Advice: Stupid gunslingers *grumble grumble*Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qcmi?Stupid-gunslingers-grumble-grumble#112013-11-12T04:57:38Z2013-11-12T04:57:38Z<p>Whatever you do, don't multiclass, or at least into something that requires investment to start working. If you're really worried about being mistake for a spellcaster, don't burn a level and buy wands that will be consumed, just buy a hat of disguise. If your party has a frontliner and you just want straight-up power, Zen Archer is probably the way to go. And if you've got a bow, well, most spellcasters don't run around with their bow drawn. Too busy holding rods, staves, and the like.</p>
<p>The problem with the Monk class is that none of their abilities work together. Flurry of blows is cool, increased movement speed is cool, and teleportation is cool, but you can't flurry of blows on the same round you use your increased move speed, or teleport. Archery solves that problem by making movement speed and teleportation largely irrelevant except as escapes, and zen archery reduces MAD by making dex less important.</p>Whatever you do, don't multiclass, or at least into something that requires investment to start working. If you're really worried about being mistake for a spellcaster, don't burn a level and buy wands that will be consumed, just buy a hat of disguise. If your party has a frontliner and you just want straight-up power, Zen Archer is probably the way to go. And if you've got a bow, well, most spellcasters don't run around with their bow drawn. Too busy holding rods, staves, and the like.
The...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-12T04:57:38ZRe: Forums: Advice: Please critique my Dwarf InquisitorAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qckj?Please-critique-my-Dwarf-Inquisitor#52013-11-12T04:44:21Z2013-11-12T04:44:21Z<p>Don't forget that for inquisitors, Cornugon Smash (I forget the actual name for the feat, but it's something like that) is really useful. It lets you intimidate every time you land a power attack blow, and with the inquisitor's skill boost (and a masterwork tool, scary mask!) you'll be debuffing a lot of people.</p>
<p>Just an extra option to confuse you even more. I agree that wisdom at character generation should be no higher than 14. I, however, would recommend a dexterity of 12 and Heavy Armor Proficiency. Dwarves were meant to wear plate! I think that Improved Initiative is a wasted feat on a melee inquisitor as it is on most bruisers who aren't archers. Whoever closes gets the first hit, sure, but the other guy gets the full attack. Going first is for wizards and other classes who really need to change the battlefield before things get too confused.</p>
<p>I think that Steel Soul is a great feat. Plus dwarves are awesome and really underappreciated. Darkvision, protection from magic and poison (racial bonuses stack, take THAT stinking cloud!), great stat changes... They are really hard to kill or disable. Anyways, if I were building your dwarf, here's what I'd do:</p>
<p>1) Heavy Armor Proficiency
<br />
3) Power Attack
<br />
5/7/9) Furious Focus, Steel Soul or Cornugon Smash in whatever order you want.</p>
<p>At that point, I'd just play it by ear. If I was consistently running out of Bane, then I'd take extended bane. </p>
<p>Stat priority will be Str>=Con>Wis>Dex(12)>Int>Cha. Reflex is the least important save in the game, and it gets less important with a high constitution</p>Don't forget that for inquisitors, Cornugon Smash (I forget the actual name for the feat, but it's something like that) is really useful. It lets you intimidate every time you land a power attack blow, and with the inquisitor's skill boost (and a masterwork tool, scary mask!) you'll be debuffing a lot of people.
Just an extra option to confuse you even more. I agree that wisdom at character generation should be no higher than 14. I, however, would recommend a dexterity of 12 and Heavy Armor...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-12T04:44:21ZRe: Forums: Advice: Am I doing it wrong? (summoning is overrated)Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qbvy&page=2?Am-I-doing-it-wrong#542013-11-06T23:25:34Z2013-11-06T23:25:34Z<p>Before I get started bashing summoning, let me say that Mad Monkeys is an amazing spell, and hilarious to boot. They can steal spell component pouches, rendering wizards harmless. That is the one exception to...</p>
<p>I think that summoning is overrated, at least with a good party. This is becomes apparent when you compare the "utility" people claim to get out of summons with what you can get out of equal or lower-leveled wizard spells. If you're going to play a summoning wizard, to it for flavor, not for power. </p>
<p>There is one situation in which summons excel, and that's in encounters with hordes of weaker enemies. Summons are generally under CR'd and thus are usually unable to hit whatever it is they're attacking, or damage it meaningfully when they DO hit. This usually precludes them from doing combat maneuvers. I've also heard it argued that summons soak up hits that would otherwise go to party members. This may be true with extremely stupid enemies, but even animals are capable of figuring out who the real threats are. When the fighter's landing 3 blows a round for 50 damage apiece, your T rex seems really small by comparison and will be ignored unless the DM throws you a bone and has the enemies to make poor decisions.</p>
<p>This is especially true when your party is well-built or you function really well as a team, and consequently the DM has to bring stronger enemies against you to up the challenge. Summons drop off REALLY fast. </p>
<p>Basically, for any summon spell, there is another tool in the wizard's arsenal that does the same thing better. Summoning spells make it easier to be moderately-prepared for a wide range of situations, but in any one situation there is a wizard spell that does a particular job better than Summon Monster (X). </p>
<p>Want to deal damage? Haste is better than any summon spell of any level.</p>
<p>Want to occupy a wizard in the back lines? Dimension Door with the fighter. Instant application of full attack way overpowers sitting for a round and asking to be interrupted and then finally bringing in a medium earth elemental.</p>
<p>Want to provide cover or control the battlefield? You could occupy a 5x5x5 cube or a 10x10x10 cube with a summon, or you could bring in a wall, a cloud, or a pit.</p>
<p>Want to protect yourself? Bring in a summon that can't hit what you're fighting and thus will be ignored, or turn invisible. Oh, and you turn invisible NOW, and your summon won't turn up until the goblin's already sunk a crossbow bolt into you and disrupted your spell.</p>
<p>Want to provide a flanking buddy? This is probably, at most, worth a 2nd level spell slot. Any time you cast a 3rd level spell or above for the purposes of a flanking buddy, you have wasted a spell slot that could have been Haste, Slow, Stinking Cloud or the like and wasted the action of a 5th level wizard to, in one long round, give a temporary +2 bonus to one character's 2 attacks. Sure, summons provide flanking and other wizard spells don't, but that's not really the point here. The point is that other, low level spells more powerfully affect the outcome of a fight than giving someone flank.</p>
<p>Want to prevent Attacks of Opportunity? Glitterdust will do this better. Walls do this better. Clouds will do this better.</p>
<p>Want to trip somebody? Grease. Create Pit.</p>
<p>Want to disarm somebody? Grease. Added bonus here that they can't pick the weapon back up again or even use it without succeeding on a save.</p>
<p>Point is, most people say that the deck has to be stacked against summons for them not to work. My general experience is that the deck has to be stacked FOR summons and the DM has to play along to make them barely keep up with the other wizard spells in terms of efficacy.</p>
<p>Summons will do a passable job in many situations, but a smart wizard will always have a better tool.</p>Before I get started bashing summoning, let me say that Mad Monkeys is an amazing spell, and hilarious to boot. They can steal spell component pouches, rendering wizards harmless. That is the one exception to...
I think that summoning is overrated, at least with a good party. This is becomes apparent when you compare the "utility" people claim to get out of summons with what you can get out of equal or lower-leveled wizard spells. If you're going to play a summoning wizard, to it for flavor,...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-06T23:25:34ZRe: Forums: Advice: Keeping wizards alive at low levels in Society gamesAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qbvq?Keeping-wizards-alive-at-low-levels-in#132013-11-06T16:35:27Z2013-11-06T16:35:27Z<p>Levitate makes you immune to melee enemies.</p>
<p>Alternately, get more offensive magic? Conjuration is an amazing school and can remove multiple enemies from a fight with a single spell. Disabled enemies don't attack you, or at least not very well.</p>Levitate makes you immune to melee enemies.
Alternately, get more offensive magic? Conjuration is an amazing school and can remove multiple enemies from a fight with a single spell. Disabled enemies don't attack you, or at least not very well.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-11-06T16:35:27ZRe: Forums: Advice: Can a paladin secretly Detect Evil or Smite Evil without his target knowing?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pj3f?Can-a-paladin-secretly-Detect-Evil-or-Smite#472017-09-09T03:14:17Z2013-03-01T06:03:45Z<p>I don't think it'd be TERRIBLY obvious, and some people or creatures may not know what it looks like when someone uses a spell-like ability. Most probably will, and most who are paying attention to YOU will notice you're up to something funny and many will peg you as using some sort of ability or another. I've been to enough middle school dances to know that it's fairly easy to study someone for a few seconds from across a room without being noticed or making any real contact, though.</p>
<p>Along the lines of whether or not it's rude or a violation of privacy or whatever: Alignment is just another signal that some people give off, even if they're not aware of it. Believe it or not, for people with vision that can detect color, you're giving away information about the color of your hair, skin, and eyes. For creatures who can sense heat (some sort of infravision), you'd detect as a heat source. It's not really a violation of privacy to detect what color someone's hair is, or to detect that they have brown eyes. If people decide they want to detect as another hair color, they dye their hair or cut it all off. Likewise, they can 'dye' their alignment or just mask it entirely if they want to appear different than they actually are.</p>
<p>I guess it boils down to the fact that you're not really detecting evil 'on' them even if you have to use the ability any more than you use your eyes and ears 'on' somebody, even if you have to put on glasses or turn on a hearing aid to do it.</p>
<p>—-edit—-</p>
<p>re: should I do it all the time?</p>
<p>I wouldn't. Bogs the game down. Playing divination spells up as horribly rude is a little too reactive for my taste, but I'd probably reserve it for lone women lost in the forest, the noble that lives on the hill, and other such plothookish cases.</p>I don't think it'd be TERRIBLY obvious, and some people or creatures may not know what it looks like when someone uses a spell-like ability. Most probably will, and most who are paying attention to YOU will notice you're up to something funny and many will peg you as using some sort of ability or another. I've been to enough middle school dances to know that it's fairly easy to study someone for a few seconds from across a room without being noticed or making any real contact, though.
Along...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-03-01T06:03:45ZRe: Forums: Advice: Why do DMs frequently ban Synthesist Summoners?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pi46&page=3?Why-do-DMs-frequently-ban-Synthesist-Summoners#1092013-02-25T19:25:50Z2013-02-22T23:00:44Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Seranov wrote:</div><blockquote><p> That doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I honestly can't see why people would get frustrated or angry about the guy in their party, who they are ostensibly friends with, being able to help the party through lots of disparate situations.</p>
<p>It's like some people would rather fail. </blockquote><p>It's so nice that you're above everything ever, but I can definitely empathize with DMs who have a hard time balancing games against summoners or people who grow frustrated at a summoner being better at things their characters are supposed to be the best at.
<p>Sarcasm aside, sometimes it's hard to see things from the perspectives of others; I'll try to shed what light I can on the situation. Most people do not enjoy playing superfluous characters, and the synthesist summoner can make a LOT of characters superfluous. Imagine, if you will, that you are playing a fighter with a big sword. You really want to play this character because you like dealing a lot of damage. Every resource you have from this character is put towards dealing damage. Feats, ability scores, weapon choices, and so on. Everything in which your character is invested is designed to maximize his damage output. You even bought a really high strength score!</p>
<p>Then, along comes a synthesist summoner. He deals more damage than you do. He also has more hit points than you do, AND can cast spells that buff himself and the rest of the party, or provide convenient escapes from multiple situations. He's also got great people skills and can heal himself and fly.</p>
<p>Why is your character still even here? What do you even contribute anymore now that the sole reason for your character's existence is done better by somebody else who also has more abilities on TOP of the ones that overshadow yours? That's frustrating. You'd probably feel like your character is insignificant and doesn't have much effect on the outcome of fights or social situations, whereas the synthesist summoner affects the outcome of both of those in very significant ways. You know what? You'd be right. That summoner is having a much more significant impact on the course of the campaign than your character.</p>
<p>People play these games for a variety of reasons, but "I want to feel like my character is standing around watching someone else do everything better than him" is rarely one of them.</p>Seranov wrote:That doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I honestly can't see why people would get frustrated or angry about the guy in their party, who they are ostensibly friends with, being able to help the party through lots of disparate situations.
It's like some people would rather fail.
It's so nice that you're above everything ever, but I can definitely empathize with DMs who have a hard time balancing games against summoners or people who grow frustrated at a summoner being...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-22T23:00:44ZRe: Forums: Advice: Inqusitor with Reach? - PFSAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2phy2?Inqusitor-with-Reach-PFS#62013-02-20T21:53:59Z2013-02-20T21:53:59Z<p>Ancient Osiriani is the weird language that I remember popping up a fair amount in my days in PFS.</p>
<p>One thing you might consider is tanking dex to 12 and taking heavy armor proficiency. You'll lose 1 AoO per round if you take Combat Reflexes, but you'll gain full plate.</p>
<p>Here's what I'd suggest:</p>
<p>Half-Elf </p>
<p>Str 16+2
<br />
Dex 12
<br />
Con 14
<br />
Int 12
<br />
Wis 14
<br />
Cha 7</p>
<p>1) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Fouchard
<br />
1) Heavy Armor Proficiency
<br />
3) Power Attack
<br />
3t) Shake It Off
<br />
5) Cornugon Smash or Combat Reflexes or something, I dunno.
<br />
6t) Outflank</p>
<p>Might also look into feats that give you additional usages of bane so that you can have it going all day every day. Bane on a +1 weapon makes it strike as cold iron and silver against your bane targets.</p>
<p>You should be able to afford some Four-Mirror Armor to start and a masterwork intimidation tool (I like the flavor of demonic-themed facepaint, or some gruesome surgical procedure to give you a forked tongue or something)</p>Ancient Osiriani is the weird language that I remember popping up a fair amount in my days in PFS.
One thing you might consider is tanking dex to 12 and taking heavy armor proficiency. You'll lose 1 AoO per round if you take Combat Reflexes, but you'll gain full plate.
Here's what I'd suggest:
Half-Elf
Str 16+2
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 7
1) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Fouchard
1) Heavy Armor Proficiency
3) Power Attack
3t) Shake It Off
5) Cornugon Smash or Combat Reflexes or...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-20T21:53:59ZRe: Forums: Advice: Free action teleport?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pfzy?Free-action-teleport#412013-02-20T21:38:44Z2013-02-20T21:38:44Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Nadalis wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Can someone explain why dimensional agility won't work with the Teleportation school special ability. I understand that dimensional agility states "when casting dimension door" but the teleportation school mentions that you "teleport as if using dimension door." I feel the ability doesn't ans shouldn't state that you "cast dimension door" because it is an ability. Since your action acts like dimension door would it certainly qualify for the dimensional agility ability. I find it a little silly for us to expect a literal reading and expecting us to only use the teleportation school ability to qualify only if it read:</p>
<p>Shift (Su): At 1st level, you can teleport to a nearby space by casting dimension door. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You must be able to see the space that you are moving into. You cannot take other creatures with you when you use this ability (except for familiars). You can move 5 feet for every two wizard levels you possess (minimum 5 feet). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.</p>
<p></blockquote><p>It's just a YMMV situation. I, and many others, think it's fine to allow it to work. I even think it's RAW. I believe that the idea that it doesn't work comes from the fact that the devs came out and specifically said that it DOES work with some other ability, but didn't mention Shift. Just make sure you wait until wiz 7 and DD is on your spell list to take the feat.
<p>It even makes sense logically. Shift works like Dimension Door. Your character can take actions after Dimension Door. Therefore, your character can take actions after Shift.</p>
<p>There is one valid concern, though. Once the wizard hits about level 10 or so (at which point things might have spiraled out of control already), it becomes a very powerful ability that can be used to pop around the battlefield 25 feet at a time. It takes away your swift action, which gets in the way of quickened spells, but being able to teleport out of grapple or the reach of a nasty foe to cast a spell or continue moving is an extremely strong ability.</p>
<p>It's possible that the devs have come out and specifically axed the combo, but I haven't been paying attention. Until they haven't, it's up for interpretation and table variation. Were I to hazard a guess, the majority of those who don't want it allowed do so, at root, for power reasons and then stake their claim on the fact that the feat doesn't specifically mention Shift. Power-wise it's a perfectly valid concern, though, but it's tough being called the DM who nukes things just because they're too strong.</p>Nadalis wrote:Can someone explain why dimensional agility won't work with the Teleportation school special ability. I understand that dimensional agility states "when casting dimension door" but the teleportation school mentions that you "teleport as if using dimension door." I feel the ability doesn't ans shouldn't state that you "cast dimension door" because it is an ability. Since your action acts like dimension door would it certainly qualify for the dimensional agility ability. I find it...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-20T21:38:44ZRe: Forums: Advice: Carrion Crown PC adviceAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ph6u&page=2?Carrion-Crown-PC-advice#732013-02-17T22:18:19Z2013-02-17T22:18:19Z<p>I'm almost at the end of CC, and it's been really fun. In my experience, stealth is really only something that's "necessary" if the DM is looking to give the rogue something to do.</p>
<p>Go with a bard and get yourself some solid party-buffing action. Carry a few different damage types so you've always got a stick to swing once you've started to sing.</p>
<p>Oh, I guess someone should pick up Disable Device at some point. That's a nice thing to have - so just make sure somebody in the party's got it.</p>I'm almost at the end of CC, and it's been really fun. In my experience, stealth is really only something that's "necessary" if the DM is looking to give the rogue something to do.
Go with a bard and get yourself some solid party-buffing action. Carry a few different damage types so you've always got a stick to swing once you've started to sing.
Oh, I guess someone should pick up Disable Device at some point. That's a nice thing to have - so just make sure somebody in the party's got it.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-17T22:18:19ZRe: Forums: Advice: THE list of lesser known low level spells are still awesome later on.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ph4q?THE-list-of-lesser-known-low-level-spells-are#422013-02-13T23:30:50Z2013-02-13T23:30:50Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">bookrat wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Tiny Coffee Golem wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Re bookrat:</p>
<p>That could work. Of I were dm I'd allow it with some sort of artistry roll. </blockquote>Would you still require such a roll or skill if the wizard was specialized in the illusion school? Not that mine was - I've never actually played an illusionist. </blockquote><p>The problem here isn't really how good the wizard is at crafting something that looks close or far away, it's depth perception. Your brain, because you have two eyes, is pretty good at figuring out how far away things are from you by virtue of how your eyes have to move to focus in on it. Only in very unique circumstances, like the optical illusion of the moon looking bigger on the horizon because of its proximity to other landmarks, does something like this work.
<p>So, sure, you could make the dragon look like it's moving in a way that's far off, and you could make it small. The image would still be perceived by the person's brain, even if they failed their save, in a way that would make it look like a very small dragon that was nearby. In the same way you don't look at a jet flying on a cloudless day and think it's tiny and really close or a slow-moving nearby fly and think it was really big and far away, you wouldn't think the tiny nearby image of a dragon was actually far away and very large, unless you also had some sort of compulsion on the creature itself. (Or no depth perception.)</p>
<p>Now, a creature with no depth perception, like a cyclops? Sure!</p>bookrat wrote:Tiny Coffee Golem wrote:Re bookrat:
That could work. Of I were dm I'd allow it with some sort of artistry roll.
Would you still require such a roll or skill if the wizard was specialized in the illusion school? Not that mine was - I've never actually played an illusionist. The problem here isn't really how good the wizard is at crafting something that looks close or far away, it's depth perception. Your brain, because you have two eyes, is pretty good at figuring out how far...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-13T23:30:50ZRe: Forums: Advice: THE list of lesser known low level spells are still awesome later on.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ph4q?THE-list-of-lesser-known-low-level-spells-are#412013-02-13T23:24:05Z2013-02-13T23:24:05Z<p>Obscuring Mist. There are a LOT of deadly spells that are targeted (finger of death, horrid wilting, etc.) and this saves your party from them all.</p>Obscuring Mist. There are a LOT of deadly spells that are targeted (finger of death, horrid wilting, etc.) and this saves your party from them all.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-13T23:24:05ZForums: Rules Questions: Hostile Juxtaposition and Non-damaging offensive magicAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pgfj?Hostile-Juxtaposition-and-Nondamaging#12013-02-07T22:41:04Z2013-02-07T22:41:04Z<p>Do you all think you can use the spell Hostile Juxtaposition to swap out of being targeted by a spell like Dominate Monster or Flesh to Stone? The trigger for the teleportation effect in the spell is "You create a dimensional link to the target creature. When attacked or the subject of a spell that deals damage to you," you can swap places.</p>
<p>My deep-down perspective is that the intention is to let you get out of attacks (things that need attack rolls) and damaging spells, NOT non-damaging offensive magic, but I want it to allow you to pop out of everything because, dagnabbit, I'm playing the wizard in question here!</p>
<p>I mean, I REALLY don't know, I just have an idea. It sorta depends on how they mean the term "attack." Is a dragon breathing on somebody 'attacking' them? What about a Balor dropping blasphemy? Is he attacking anyone? (So does the term 'attack' necessarily imply an attack roll?)</p>Do you all think you can use the spell Hostile Juxtaposition to swap out of being targeted by a spell like Dominate Monster or Flesh to Stone? The trigger for the teleportation effect in the spell is "You create a dimensional link to the target creature. When attacked or the subject of a spell that deals damage to you," you can swap places.
My deep-down perspective is that the intention is to let you get out of attacks (things that need attack rolls) and damaging spells, NOT non-damaging...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-07T22:41:04ZRe: Forums: Advice: Ranged and Melee Fighter?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pg2n?Ranged-and-Melee-Fighter#232013-02-06T23:28:03Z2013-02-06T23:28:03Z<p>You know, a ranged fighter works fine in melee past a certain point. Point Blank Master, the Snap Shot line, and Combat Reflexes give you reach, damage, and range all in one convenient package.</p>You know, a ranged fighter works fine in melee past a certain point. Point Blank Master, the Snap Shot line, and Combat Reflexes give you reach, damage, and range all in one convenient package.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-02-06T23:28:03ZRe: Forums: Advice: GM not having fun with AC-optimized partyAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pctk&page=3?GM-not-having-fun-with-ACoptimized-party#1422013-01-18T00:10:21Z2013-01-18T00:10:21Z<p>I don't think that "arbitrarily" increasing rolls is necessarily being lazy or bad so long as you reward the players for the increased challenge they're facing. This is much easier to do by-the-book if you know the system well, but you could just throw a few class levels on your baddies to buff 'em a bit and boost the exp to match.</p>
<p>A couple of fighter or barbarian levels WILL increase the challenge rating, but it'll also be a way to add power and variety to the enemies your party faces. At least, if they care to look for variety. The extra feats and attack bonuses your NPCs pick up could give them other options, like trip or disarm - so this isn't all just flat +X to hit and damage we're talking about here.</p>
<p>If you feel comfortable enough with the system to guess at what a couple levels of fighter would look like (+3 fort, +11+2xconmod hp, +2 to hit, a couple of feats), then you don't even need to worry about the nitty gritty for an enemy that's going to meaningfully exist for 4 rounds.</p>
<p>It's not too much different than making enemies arbitrarily smarter. Either way, you're increasing the challenge from a set point. Enemies playing smarter with actions like Aid Another balances out because, in the end, there are less attacks coming at the PCs each round. Adding class levels to enemies balances out by increasing rewards.</p>I don't think that "arbitrarily" increasing rolls is necessarily being lazy or bad so long as you reward the players for the increased challenge they're facing. This is much easier to do by-the-book if you know the system well, but you could just throw a few class levels on your baddies to buff 'em a bit and boost the exp to match.
A couple of fighter or barbarian levels WILL increase the challenge rating, but it'll also be a way to add power and variety to the enemies your party faces. At...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-01-18T00:10:21ZRe: Forums: Advice: Super buff party!Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pdjp?Super-buff-party#22013-01-16T22:20:43Z2013-01-16T22:20:43Z<p>I really don't think a party where every character is focused on buffing everyone else in the party would have any more success than a standard party.</p>
<p>Eventually, somebody actually has to focus on killing the enemy, and the problem is that the resources that go to focus on killing are instead being focused on buffing your allies.</p>
<p>Plus, early on, channeling is a very efficient way to heal the party - it's most crucial at level 1, when the evangelist misses out. Also, losing medium armor, especially at low-levels, is a pretty big deal unless you've got ridiculous point buy or have focused almost entirely on dexterity, which makes buffs on your cleric's attack and damage from other party members wasted, as he doesn't have the strength to capitalize. You could run an archer cleric, but archery is really feat-intensive, especially for a cleric (who doesn't get bows by default anyways). Also, Aid Another is a pretty useless ability so long as it takes a standard action, especially when it's soaking the standard of your beatsticks. Also, the Fortune hex could only work once per ally per day. You could get a war-trained mount and cackle all game long directing it as a free action, but that'll get you reprimanded by your DM pretty fast.</p>
<p>Focusing on buffs loses a lot of punch to each individual character, and I don't think it's worth it. If having an entire party like this focusing entirely on buffs achieves 10/10 buff effectiveness, then having just a specialist wizard and a vanilla cleric casting buffs will get you to 8/10 buff effectiveness and the rest of the party (and those two characters) has a lot of resources left over to more than make up the difference.</p>
<p>It's an interesting idea, but at first blush seems less effective than characters who are just solidly-built or optimized in their own right.</p>I really don't think a party where every character is focused on buffing everyone else in the party would have any more success than a standard party.
Eventually, somebody actually has to focus on killing the enemy, and the problem is that the resources that go to focus on killing are instead being focused on buffing your allies.
Plus, early on, channeling is a very efficient way to heal the party - it's most crucial at level 1, when the evangelist misses out. Also, losing medium armor,...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-01-16T22:20:43ZRe: Forums: Advice: Treasure placement questionsAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pd8p?Treasure-placement-questions#82013-01-16T00:52:22Z2013-01-16T00:52:22Z<p>Harry, you've partially described the action point system from Trailblazer. Action points are set up (certain number per level, no rollover) as an expendable resource that can basically be transformed into other resources (rerolls, roll modifications, other effects based on feats, hit point recovery, spell recovery, etc.).</p>Harry, you've partially described the action point system from Trailblazer. Action points are set up (certain number per level, no rollover) as an expendable resource that can basically be transformed into other resources (rerolls, roll modifications, other effects based on feats, hit point recovery, spell recovery, etc.).Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2013-01-16T00:52:22ZRe: Forums: Advice: Best opposition schools for wizardsAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ox4m?Best-opposition-schools-for-wizards#62012-09-23T07:59:29Z2012-09-23T07:59:29Z<p>Take Evocation as an opposed school.</p>
<p>Gust of Wind is a useful spell in the odd circumstance, but makes a great scroll. It's a once- or twice-in-a-campaign spell, though, so it's best carried around as a scroll.</p>
<p>Wall of Force is the first evocation spell I really miss, and guess what you can take with your bonus feat at 10, right after you get access to it? Opposition research! So if you really want to cast a lot of Wall of Force, there's your answer.</p>
<p>That having been said, I'm playing a conjuration wizard who took evocation and enchantment as opposition schools, because the first Evocation he really wanted to cast was a 5th level spell. Necromancy is also a good choice, but there are some spells that can really come in handy. (False Life and Control Undead come to mind.)</p>Take Evocation as an opposed school.
Gust of Wind is a useful spell in the odd circumstance, but makes a great scroll. It's a once- or twice-in-a-campaign spell, though, so it's best carried around as a scroll.
Wall of Force is the first evocation spell I really miss, and guess what you can take with your bonus feat at 10, right after you get access to it? Opposition research! So if you really want to cast a lot of Wall of Force, there's your answer.
That having been said, I'm playing a...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2012-09-23T07:59:29ZRe: Forums: Advice: Why are archery centered builds so great?Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2od5c&page=4?Why-are-archery-centered-builds-so-great#1822012-09-12T19:33:07Z2012-09-12T19:33:07Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">voska66 wrote:</div><blockquote>That should be harder to do than just firing arrows normally.</blockquote><p>It IS harder. That's why it costs a feat.voska66 wrote:That should be harder to do than just firing arrows normally.
It IS harder. That's why it costs a feat.Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2012-09-12T19:33:07ZRe: Forums: Gamer Connection: New playersAxebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ouub?New-players#22012-09-12T19:29:02Z2012-09-12T19:29:02Z<p>Friendly Local Gaming Store. Basically any place that sells board games, card games, dice, and/or comic books will have several regulars who will be willing to play if you can beat a DC 5 diplomacy check.</p>
<p>••Edit••</p>
<p>Alternately, grab your regular friends (or friends from work, if regular don't suffice) and get them started on newbie-friendly games like Fluxx and Bang, then move into games like Settlers of Catan, then once you've taught them that you know some good games, start introducing Pathfinder. Or just move straight into Pathfinder if they've read any high fantasy.</p>Friendly Local Gaming Store. Basically any place that sells board games, card games, dice, and/or comic books will have several regulars who will be willing to play if you can beat a DC 5 diplomacy check.
**Edit**
Alternately, grab your regular friends (or friends from work, if regular don't suffice) and get them started on newbie-friendly games like Fluxx and Bang, then move into games like Settlers of Catan, then once you've taught them that you know some good games, start introducing...Axebeard (alias of Joshua Smith 887)2012-09-12T19:29:02Z