Bloodyraven's page

I played a witch to level 17 in Skull & Shackles. Pirate theme blended well, and I was the cook on board as well. Like others have stated, I wanted to play a utility over spamming slumber/misfortune witch as that is my personal style of play (I enjoy doing unique unforeseen actions vs what the min/max adepts tell you to do).

I avoided slumber, misfortune by taking things like "swamp's grasp" and took craft wonderous items to make featherstep slippers for the party. Enemy can't charge/take 5' steps yet my party can.

I concentrated on utilities with my hexes (water lung, prehensile hair, evil eye, cackle, scar on my party to heal, fortune, flight, cauldron, hag's eye, retribution, healing and major healing). And I swapped feats for hexes mostly. I managed to get a +1 conductive crossbow and inflicted retribution/evil eye on enemies at range after buffing/debuffing the party. I flew out of reach, dropped darkness spells and swamp's grasp with low level spells, and lightning bolts were my go-to damage. Spells became highly useful as the only arcane caster, and I supplemented spells with battlefield control.

The witch (like any class) can be fun/boring. It's up to you to be creative and understand your campaign. In a home brew world, you might just want to keep slumber if you are out alone picking poisoned mushrooms in the wild...

^Not every Magus player goes with spamming Shocking Grasp. For one thing, you need to have something else in case you run up against something that's immune to Electricity (for instance, Demons), and for another, it's useful (sometimes more useful) to be able to debuff enemies so that the hard-core martials can clean them up without taking too much damage in return. Frostbite and Chill Touch are examples of low level debuffing spells of this type, and once you get past 1st level, they also give you more than 1 application per casting, each of which you apply with a separate attack.

Iamrubocop : Frostbite is awesome as it has NO saving throw. It automatically (unless the creature has SR) fatigues it. (can't run/charge and -2 STR + Dex).

Now...if you combine this with Rime Metamagic + Frostbite : does all the above AND gives them the entangled condition. (Moves at half speed, -2 attack and -4 dex) and makes them have to roll a concentration check to cast a spell (DC = 15 + lvl of spell)

Now...if you combine those two above with Enforcer feat = All the above two + free action to demoralize (intimidate). IF successful it is also shaken (-2 attacks, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks)...and if it was a critical hit, they are also frightened (-2 STR and Dex)

All of that mumbo jumbo means a total of :

1.) -2 Str (-4 if frightened)
2.) -5 to attacks (-6 if frightened)
3.) -6 Dex (-8 if frightened)
4.) -3 AC (-4 if frightened)
5.) Can't run/charge and 1/2 movement
6.) CMD drops by 4
7.) Concentration Check (15 + Spell)
8.) -4 Saving throws

Not bad for a first level spell + 1 feat + 1 trait (Magical Lineage) or you can use it in a second level slot if you didn't take the trait.

Combine this with disarm/trip and a whip (reach) or the staff as you originally asked.

Make him buy some arrows with fireworks strapped to them. I've never got round to making a bard archer but I always thought it would be funny to do so if I did and now I want to live vicariously through your rich Magus.

Eldritch Archer (Magus) w/Spell Blending : Snap-dragon fireworks for a dazzle effect

Winged Boots = 16,000gp
+3 Comp. Longbow = 18,000gp (Bypasses Magic/Silver/Cold Iron) + 1,000gp for adaptive if a strength character
50 Adamantine Arrows = 3,000gp
3 Wands of Abundant Ammunition = (750gp x 3) 2,250gp
1 Wand of invisibilty = 4,500gp
Effecient Quiver = 1,800gp

that leaves him with 3,450gp to buy ring of protection, cloak of resistance, etc.

If feeling party-buffing happy, buy the divine caster a wand of Align Weapon for 4,500gp (and drop something from the above list like 2 of the AA wands saving 1,500gp) and ask them nicely to buff the bow/other's weapons. It would help with all those pesky Outsiders the box creates. :)

The winged boots keep him out of melee from anything but other flying creatures and/or range (spells/weapons). I prefer avoidance to lugging around armor 'in case' you get attacked.

Bow bypasses most things in the game. Adamantine arrows+wand of abundant ammo+wand of Align Weapon will have all DR covered.

50,000gp doesn't last as long as it did in the old days...

I realise this is a post from march, but I thought it the better place to post than some of the other EA discussions from Dec/Jan.

I've studied Kurald's guide (Thank you for taking the time to write it!) when designing my EA, and like all things, I take valid input and well thought out designs and weigh them against campaign specifics. After playing 5 levels of Hell's Rebels, I have a few pointers to add when thinking about playing this character.

No one ever said you HAD to use the bow to carry your ranged touch spell. You can still cast normally (make a ranged touch or whatever the spell descriptor says) and still shoot the bow thanks to it working like two-weapon fighting. You are capable of buffing yourself, the party, debuffing the enemy, sniping, etc. What I enjoy the most is the flexibility this class allows during each interaction of RP and fights.

"Doing Damage" is only one aspect of this class. I am the only arcane caster in my group, yet that hasn't seemed to slow us down. Access to scrolls and the magus arcana "spell-scars" is a great utility option. (Write down spells you don't need modifiers/Caster Level dependence for, and have them at the ready. You don't need to see them; can be used on the fly as a scroll, and can even memorize from them.) Colour spray at early levels is your best chance of debuffing/stopping the enemy quickly.

For my build, I chose to add Hexcrafter and went Wayang as a race. (2 other players went Wayang and we're all related). Starting stats were : (25pt buy)

STR : 12
Dex : 16 (18 with Wayang racial bump)
Con : 14 (HP's to survive are my thing)
Int : 14 (16 with Wayang racial bump) +1 at 4th level bump to 17
Wis : 10 (8 with Wayang racial penalty)
Cha : 13 (needed for campaign specifics)

Feats: Point-Blank (1), Precise (3), Extra Arcana (5)
Hex/Arcana : Flight (3), Evil Eye (4), Spell Blending (2 1st lvl spells)

Traits: Wayang spellhunter (Snowball), birthmark (for the low Will saves)

Arcane Bonded: Masterwork Composite Longbow Str adjusted +1 (1)

Spells Memorized:
0: Acid splash (my go to for ranged spellstrike), detect magic, detect fiendish presence, disrupt undead

1: color spray, enlarge person, gravity bow (spell blending), vanish, snowball

2: glitterdust, invisibilty, mirror image

Hexes: Flight, Evil Eye

Spell Blending: Gravity Bow, Mage Armor

Armor: +1 Mithral Chain Shirt+Shadow (+5 Stealth) - Until I can enhance my DEX past +6 modifier this is my armor for the campaign.

Magic Items: Pearl of Power 1st lvl (1), efficient quiver, amulet of nat. armor +1, potion of restoration (1), Potion CMW (1)

Wayang does 1d6 with a comp. longbow so gravity bow bumps it to 1d8 and enlarge person bumps it to 2d6 per arrow. Sure...you're casting 2 spells but both are minute spells, so you should have enough time to cast them in a dungeon crawl. Minutes ran out? Scrolls/spell-scrolls arcana (see the value here?)/pearls of power to the rescue.

Intentions are now that I am 5th level, I will add +1 magic and "Conductive" to the bow first; this will allow me to use evil eye ad naseum with every hit (1/round) of the bow AFTER I have successfully hit. This works with evil eye as it is a ranged attack and I am using a conductive ranged weapon. Slumber will be the next Hex I get for the same idea. Round 1 evil eye to ST, round 2 Slumber...if it's still alive. No need to waste snowball until I need it.

At 6th level I will pick up Spell-scars as I see the value in it greatly as I play throughout a day's session. (if only I had grease; Gravity Bow, Mirror Image, Vanish, etc.) This is supplementing the loss of Spell recall as is the usage of Pearls of Power (1).

I am well aware this might not be the 'optimal min/max munchkin' way to build the character...but this build is fun and I am enjoying my first taste of the ranged magus. Thanks again to Kurald for his great suggestions in his guide.

TL/DR : This class is da'bomb yo! Play it!

Don't forget, you can always retrain your feats later on for a cost and time. This gives you some flexibility in case a feat doesn't work out the way you had hoped.

http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1gn

Possess object functions like magic jar. Magic jar has the following:

magic jar wrote:

You can't choose to activate the body's extraordinary or supernatural abilities.

This heavily implies that supernatural abilities are part of a particular body and not the soul as the target's soul is no longer in the body yet it still calls them out as not being options. It's not a direct yes or no. However, it would seem the answer is no, you cannot use supernatural abilities in another body as yours are housed within your body elsewhere while you inhabit another creature or object in the case of possess object.

Actually, it implies the exact opposite. It implies that the supernatural abilities are part of the soul. If it was merely 'body dependent' then anyone who control's the body should be able to activate the su. Since it states that taking over the body, one cannot activate the ex or su of the new body, it stands to reason that the soul takes the ex and su along with them to the new form/when pushed out.

The caveat being the new form requires speech; has to have hair; etc. in order to utilize the witch's hexes.

Retribution, evil eye, fortune, swamp grasp, flight, and/or any other hex that doesn't require anything other than a standard action (no verbal, no materials) should be workable.

Bump

Scenario : Witch possesses a stone statue via "Possess object". Possess object clearly states the witch cannot speak nor cast spells. *Can* the witch use its hexes (su) while in the stone statue? Cackle or any other hex that would be verbal dependant would not be possible, but (su) usually doesn't require V,S,M and is just a standard action.

I'm thinking of : evil eye, retribution, healing touch, flight, hag's eye, swamp grasp, misfortune, fortune, and slumber.

Would the witch, inside the stone statue, be able to use (some of) its hexes?

Bump

Scenario : Witch possesses a stone statue via "Possess object". Possess object clearly states the witch cannot speak nor cast spells. *Can* the witch use its hexes (su) while in the stone statue? Cackle or any other hex that would be verbal dependant would not be possible, but (su) usually doesn't require V,S,M and is just a standard action.

I'm thinking of : evil eye, retribution, healing touch, flight, hag's eye, swamp grasp, misfortune, fortune, and slumber.

Would the witch, inside the stone statue, be able to use (some of) its hexes?

Scenario : Witch possesses a stone statue via "Possess object". Possess object clearly states the witch cannot speak nor cast spells. *Can* the witch use its hexes (su) while in the stone statue? Cackle or any other hex that would be verbal dependant would not be possible, but the description of (su) states that (su) doesn't require V,S,M and is just a standard action.

I'm thinking of : evil eye, retribution, healing touch, flight, hag's eye, swamp grasp, misfortune, fortune, and slumber.

Would the witch, inside the stone statue, be able to use its hexes?

Scenario : Witch possesses a stone statue via "Possess object". Possess object clearly states the witch cannot speak nor cast spells. *Can* the witch use its hexes (su) while in the stone statue?

A Qinggong monk that took 'improved grapple' feat and then at 4th level can take 'true strike' ki ability can apply that ki power to the attack roll for grapple. +20 added to the CMB + Die Roll can make you very effective to grapple. You're looking at 25 - 43 CBM per roll. At 4th level. Repeat for round 2 and you have something pinned and the GM ticked at you.

Add the Shirt of Immolation to enhance your grapples.

While I agree that grappling is more effective the higher you are, by playing a 'non-grappler' grappling feated monk, it can be a nice tool to toss in on the bad guys.

A Qinggong monk that took 'improved grapple' feat and then at 4th level can take 'true strike' ki ability can apply that ki power to the attack roll for grapple. +20 added to the CMB + Die Roll can make you very effective to grapple. You're looking at 25 - 43 CBM per roll. At 4th level. Repeat for round 2 and you have something pinned and the GM ticked at you.

Add the Shirt of Immolation to enhance your grapples.

If you allow content from splat books, then there is one from Kobold Quarterly..."New Paths: The Expanded Monk & Ninja" which has a new monk archetype : Monk of Glorious Endeavour.

It allows for ANY weapon to be used. But only one. If you switch to any other weapon then you have serious penalties (loss of AC, loss of movement, etc.) so the caveat here is pick a damn good weapon that you think you'll love for the whole campaign. There is no 'take-backsies' on this one.

I am currently in the build mode of one of these for Carrion Crown using a Meteor Hammer as the focus weapon. You gain set bonus feats depending on the type of weapon. So go nuts with a disarm, trip, reach, etc weapon. Just remember it's all you get. I have typed a synopsis of the class below. I like the hammer for the reach, trip, drag and bonus to AC.

Weapon Type
Bonus Feats - Light
Agile Maneuvers, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, and Weapon Finesse. At 6th level, add Mobility and Sidestep. At 10th level, add Spring Attack and Teleport Tactician.

One-Handed
Blind-Fight, Improved Disarm, and Improved Trip. At 6th level, add Greater Disarm and Greater Trip. At 10th level, add Disarming Strike and Tripping Strike

Two-Handed
Cleave, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, and Shield of Swings. At 6th level, add Furious Focus and Greater Sunder. At 10th level, add Cleaving Finish and Sundering Strike.

Ranged
Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, and Rapid Reload. At 6th level, add Improved Precise Shot and Snap Shot. At 10th level, add Improved Snap Shot and Shot on the Run.

Chosen Weapon: A monk of the glorious endeavor emphasizes unity with his chosen weapon. Whenever a monk wields a weapon other than his chosen weapon, he loses his AC bonus, his fast movement ability and flurry of blows ability as if he were wearing armor or carrying a medium or heavy load (and he suffers normal non-proficiency penalties). A monk of the glorious endeavor may still make unarmed strikes without penalty.

Flurry of Blows: Starting at 1st level, a monk of the glorious endeavor can make a flurry of blows using any combination of unarmed strikes or attacks with his chosen weapon. A monk of the glorious endeavor’s flurry of blows otherwise functions as normal for a monk of his level.

Unarmed Strike: A monk of the glorious endeavor places emphasis on striking with his chosen weapon rather than with his fists or feet. His damage die increases for unarmed strikes, therefore, occur more slowly: 1d8 at 8th level, 1d10 at 12th level, and 2d6 at 16th level. A monk of the glorious endeavor’s unarmed strikes otherwise function as normal for a monk of his level.

Focused Training: At 1st level, a monk of the glorious endeavor receives the Weapon Focus feat. At 5th level, they receive the Weapon Specialization feat. At 10th level, they receive the Greater Weapon Focus feat. These feats must apply to the monk’s chosen weapon.

Style Specialization: Starting at 2nd level, and every four levels thereafter, a monk of the glorious endeavor selects a bonus feat dependent on his chosen weapon’s type: light, one-handed, two-handed, or ranged. All monks of the glorious endeavor add Dazzling Display to the list of feats at 2nd level, Shatter Defenses at 6th level, and Improved Critical and Deadly Stroke at 10th level. All other bonus feats must be selected from Table 1-1: Bonus Feats by Weapon Type. This ability replaces the monk’s normal bonus feats. A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them, but he loses all benefits of these feats when using a weapon other than his chosen weapon.

Distant Grasp: At 5th level, a monk of the glorious endeavor may spend 1 ki point as a move action to call his chosen weapon into his hand. This ability has a range of 30 ft., and it must target a weapon the monk has carried for at least 24 hrs. If another creature holds the weapon, the monk may instead make a disarm combat maneuver check at a –5 penalty to tear it free of the creature’s grasp. The disarm attempt may be made without provoking an attack of opportunity. This ability replaces purity of body.

Unyielding and Unchanging: At 7th level, a monk of the glorious endeavor may spend 1 ki point as an immediate action to gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against effects targeting his chosen weapon (such as warp wood or heat metal) and a +4 to CMD against disarm or sunder attempts until the beginning of the monk’s next turn. This bonus increases to +5 at 12th level, and +6 at 17th level. This ability replaces wholeness of body.

Extension of the Self: At 9th level, a monk of the glorious endeavor may use any feat that benefits his unarmed strikes with his chosen weapon. This ability replaces improved evasion.

Unstoppable Strike: At 11th level, a monk of the glorious endeavor may spend 1 ki point as a swift action to ignore up to 5 points of DR when attacking with his chosen weapon. At 16th level, he may spend 2 ki points as a swift action to ignore up to 10 points of DR. This ability lasts until the beginning of the monk’s next turn. This ability replaces diamond body.

Ascendant Strike: At 15th level, once per day, the monk of the glorious endeavor chooses one target and adds his Wisdom bonus (if any) to his attack rolls. He adds his monk level to all damage rolls made against the selected target for one round. Regardless of the target, ascendant strike attacks bypass any DR the creature might possess. At 16th and every level thereafter, the monk may do this for one additional time per day. This ability replaces quivering palm.

Unity of Form: At 19th level, a monk of the glorious endeavor’s chosen weapon thrums with his spiritual nature. The monk may spend 3 ki points to turn his weapon into an instrument of law for one hour. This functions as the spell holy sword, but the weapon becomes a +5 axiomatic weapon instead, and it emanates a magic circle against chaos. This ability replaces empty body.