So a scenario played out last night in the RotR game I'm GMing that originally ended with one dead player but was rewound due to a curious turn of events.
RotR Chapter 2 Spoilers:
So it's Chapter 2 and the PCs are desperately trying to follow Iesha as she makes a beeline for Aldern. Everything's going ok until they get pincered by the goblin ghasts and the 4 ghouls from the side passage. I allow certain standing orders as I'm aware that my players, playing only once a week, can forget things that their characters, who live the adventure never would. The character (a sohei/rogue) in question has the Sihedron medallion and has a standing order that he activates the False Life effect when he reaches 50% health, unless he tells me otherwise. The PCs have fought the ghouls from the farms and made high Know(religion) checks, so they were familiar with the ghoul tactic of CDG on a paralyzed target.
So the PC gets paralyzed by a ghast for 2 rounds. His turn comes and goes, and then a ghoul shifts in and starts a CDG, but is split in half by the Oracle's AoO. Another ghoul then shifts into range and completes the CDG (no combat reflexes on the Oracle) but only rolls 6 damage. Even so, the rogue fails the 16 Fort save, and that appears to be that.
However, directly after the combat, as I'm assuring the player that the character can be rezzed easily enough and that he can help me during the short time his character will be down, the player playing the sorcerer mentions the False Life effect. This is obviously one of those situations where the character would have thought to try this last ditch gambit, even though none of us, myself included, had.
After some rules digging and conversation, I can't find any reason to say that activating the False Life effect is anything but a purely mental action. Even if the roll was minimum, that would be 6 temp hp, which would have completely absorbed the damage in the first place. Since the rogue never actually took damage, I ruled that there was no system shock, and so no Fort save was needed. The rogue lives yet again (this is not the first time he's been on death's door.)
While I'm confident in my ruling and am not likely to change it, I'm curious as to what others would rule given their interpretation of the rules at play here. If the damage from a CDG fails to pierce a temp hp shield or even DR, do you think the creature should still have to make a Fort save or die, and why would you rule that way? If you do, what should that DC be and why?
GM here. To clarify AFM is not planning on bringing everything the party owns with them in this project. It is primarily a loot transport tool, for getting items from dungeon to sale, and making sure that if they have to retreat and rest they do not leave any particularly strong (read, magical) equipment for any remaining enemies to scavenge and use against them again.
I personally endorse the idea, as it evokes Pratchett's hilarious sapient pearwood Luggage. We're just trying to iron out how much it should cost, what the dimensions would be, suggestions to improve it, and if there is anything we've overlooked.
The Oracle in the party also has close ties to Pharasma, so undead are right out.
I don't have a super lot to contribute, I can just say that based on my experience as a GM and player in campaigns high enough that flying is routine, the Z axis adds an exponential level of headache to a battlemap. I've come up with a few ways to try and track it, but they've all got flaws.
Jotungrip (Ex): At 2nd level, a titan mauler may choose to wield a two-handed weapon in one hand with a –2 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. The weapon must be appropriately sized for her, and it is treated as one-handed when determining the effect of Power Attack, Strength bonus to damage, and the like. This ability replaces uncanny dodge.
The bolded text is reminding us how the Str bonus to damage works, not creating an extra disadvantage for an ability which is meant to be an advantage.
I'm confident which way the devs will rule on lances wielded one-handed.
So, just to be sure, you're agreeing with Detect Magic?
Spell combat is not TWF and never has been. If it were then those feats would apply as would those penalties but they do not. You just get to make two attacks at a certain, static penalty. It's TWF-like in a comparative sense but has never been a child of that mechanic.
Yes. Just like Flurry of Blows.
No. TWF is a full attack action. Not full round. Spell combat is full round. Thus, it can not be TWF. FoB is a full attack.
Full Round is a general classification, Full Attack is a sub-category within that classification.
Spell Combat is based off TWF, much like FoB, and falls under the general classification of Full Round. The FAQ made it a distinct action type rather than retaining the Full Attack action type shared by both TWF and FoB. This is the inconsistency.
Considering Spell Combat already is inconsistent in that it allows a Magus to do something no other class in the game can (essentially make a full attack while casting a standard action spell), I think the loss of a single attack from Haste is small peanuts, personally.
The game allows for lances to be wielded two-handed from horseback, dealing insane damage (especially on a charge), so why not allow a greatsword? I know the physics of it is a little wonky, but the character isn't going to be dealing any more damage than a lance-wielding character. Indeed, he'll do less (since a lance deals x2 damage on a charge, or x3 with spirited charge).
So, is it a "realism" issue or a mechanics issue? I can understand perhaps the first, but as stated above, the second doesn't really add up.
That's not correct. The lance is a two-handed weapon that can be wielded 1-handed when mounted - gaining all the benefits of PA etc. but allowing use of a shield...
Read the rules again. Lances can be used one-handed from horseback, but that's not to say that they cannot be used two-handed; it's entirely optional (hence the word "can", as opposed to "must"). You can use a two-handed weapon from horseback by succeeding a Ride check to guide your mount with your knees.
To back up Detect Magic, there's also historical context for a 2 handed grip on a lance before the vamplate was developed.
James, I've got a question that I would greatly appreciate your input on.
RotR Spoiler:
My group is running RotR, and last game defeated Nualia. They have a habit of taking enemies alive for information, and so while waiting for her to regain consciousness, they discovered her journals and learned her story. A significant portion of them now sympathize with her past and are dead set on trying to redeem her. I'm at a complete loss as to how to deal with it. Is she too far gone to Lamashtu? What would you suggest?
Would I do better overall if I retrained into falchions or something? While I would hit for less overall damage on a crit, I would crit a fair deal more often.
The math has been done on this question several times, and iirc, a x4 weapon and an 18-20/x2 weapon have the same DPR (assuming similar weapon damage die, which scythe and falchion have). The greater threat range becomes more of a boon when you start having effects that you can apply on critical hits (the Critical Feat tree), but your damage output will always be so close (on average) as to be negligible.
oh hey, I forgot to mention that the 4 Horsemen are NOT supposed to be demons (whatever), they are actually God's angels sent to usher in the Apocalypse. They aren't evil, they are doing their collective jobs as angels.
That's the thing, angels are supposed to be terrible beings, and not always on the side of humanity. Remember that. See, Pathfinder got it wrong in this instance. Also, the definition of daemon is not an evil one, PF swiped it because it sounded cool. They are in fact neutral spirits that have never been human (they aren't ghosts) and tend to lean toward good because Good is just fine with them existing as they please, so long as they harm none. It's Evil that Good has a problem with, because Evil won't allow ANYONE to be left alone in it's quest.
At least, all of that is according to Judeo-Christian folklore.
I'm pretty sure Daemons were (initially at least) just a renaming of the Yugoloths of DnD, since that term wasn't OGL. But they could have picked a more appropriate term, you're right about that.
EDIT: Hilariously enough, a wiki search reveals that Daemons are a return to the original DnD name for the creatures, which were later rebranded Yugoloths. Learned something new today.
Even if it worked, Dirty Tricks are specifically called out as penalties that can be overcome by spending a move action. So it doesn't seem to be a terribly good use of time when Blinded will give you almost the same thing for less actions.
Edit: Unless you had GDT, as above poster mentioned. Which would then put it in the realm of probably too good. There's also nothing in the general terminology of Sickened that automatically makes the condition stack into Nauseated. So I'm pretty sure the ability would have to specifically state that they could stack to produce Nauseated.
I have a group of players in about the same place and I can say Thistletop is probably one of the most dangerous dungeons I've ever GMed. My group did very well, until the Yeth Hounds. One member each failed to their Bay attack, with the oracle/fighter getting 6 rounds of panicked and the witch 4. It was only through a clever use of herding those two players into the Tentamort's hunting grounds and defending in the two bottle necks against a CR 10 encounter (the bays alerted, Lyrie, Nualia & her 3rd yeth hound, Orik [who I took pity on the party on as he decided this was a prime distraction to slip away and make his way to Korsova on], and Bruzthalmus.
They did manage an epic escape with only the Oracle going negative (and thanks to his Die Hard from Unbreakable, not going unconscious) as they leapt in the ocean, managing to hide long enough that the yeth hounds were called off. They then limped back to Sandpoint and rested, and are now level 4, which is good because they'll need it against the now-on-alert remainder of the forces.
I'm trying to make sense of it, so that when my players, ask me why their rez does not help them. I can give a better answer then, "cos RAW says so..."
The problem is that RAW *is* your only reason to deny their resistance to environmental damage. As Wraithstrike pointed out, it even calls out *fire* as being *an extreme in temperature that deals lethal damage.* There is no rationalization you can give to deny energy resistance works against nonlethal environmental damage other than "it's RAW."
Why won't enlarge person affect a tiefling??? Tieflings are humanoids. 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 head, stands upright?
Tieflings are after all humans with outsider heritage.
@RedDogMT
Please understand, if I am unconcern about running a fair game, I won't be posting this question on the rule's forum. It is because I don't want to undermine my players, that I am trying to understand this game mechanic.
As for your sorcerer example. While he is clearly not burning. The fire would be making him lose body fluids from the very hot fire and getting very thirsty. That can explained why he is taking non-lethal damage.
As for other creatures like Fire Elementals, they are Immune to fire. Which is another question.
Tieflings are Outsider(native), not Humanoid(x), which is why Enlarge Person does not work.
As for this nonsense about losing body fluids, it's just that, nonsense. Heat is heat. Damage done to you is through an increase (or decrease in the case of cold) in temperature, weather it's nonlethal (because it doesn't directly kill body tissue yet) or otherwise. Resistance is more than just "my skin doesn't burn." Your entire biology is geared to be able to withstand a certain degree of temperature (as represented by the number resisted). I'm fine with people using RAW, just don't try to pretend it makes sense. Because it doesn't.
I can't sight an official source, but I believe the ruling is that fire resistance applies to damage from heat or fire, and cold reistance applies to both cold temperatures and other cold. This means the 1d4 nonlethal damage is reduced by the reistance and if completely negated the other effects of heat do not apply to the creature.
Logically, how would it make sense if a creature can happily let the fire burn it up to 5 points of damage without worry, but heat that causes less damage than that will tire or exhaust it? It doesn't make a lick of sense to do that.
It starts making even less sense if you bring Elementals into the mix. An entity whose natural plane of existence is a never ending inferno with only a few outposts of "normal" temperatures (such as the City of Brass) is still susceptible to heat stroke? Please.
I'm not a professional jumper. How do I know I can reliably do a standing broad jump of 6 feet? Because I had a discussion with Jonathan Tweet in the Wizards of the Coast office, we measured out 5 feet, and I jumped it. Over and over again. With an average Str (3E used Str for Jump checks) and no ranks in Jump, I got 5+ feet every time. Jumping 5 feet horizontally is DC 5, doubled to 10 because I didn't have a running start. Taking 10, I got it every time. That's why those values are in the 3E Player's Handbook: I demonstrated to Jonathan Tweet that an average person can reliably jump 5 feet as a standing broad jump. We measured and tested this. It's scientifically verified: Sean K Reynolds can reliably do a standing broad jump of 5 feet. If I were a D&D character, character-me would know that he can do a standing broad jump of 5 feet. And player-me would know that my character, character-me, can do that. And me knowing that isn't metagaming.
A first hand account on how they developed the rule is sufficient?
An interesting tangent to that quote is the fact that back when I first started getting into weight lifting a few weeks ago, I was able to correlate deadlift weight into a rough estimate of in game Str score based on the carrying capacity table. A deadlift pretty much fits the definition of "Lift Off Ground" (can pick it off the ground but not over the head, only stumble around 5 feet per six seconds while holding it)and a 200 lb deadlift will put you at a whopping 10 Str. I know a lot more people that can standing broad jump 5 feet than deadlift 200 lbs.
I think what made Pugwampis *so* unfun for my players, and slightly for me, is that given their power level, they primarily only serve to lengthen a combat that is pretty much already decided. I mean, they still can't hit the broad side of a barn, and so barring any crazy home rules like your fumble example, they just lengthen combat, but not necessarily make it more lethal. It turns "oh man this is serious" into "this is a pain the ass." And no one likes those combats.
After playing through the first chapter of Legacy of Fire, I'm surprised my players didn't mutiny. A friend and I had an idea of a BBEG duo of a pugwampi witch that was trundled about in a baby vest by a gnoll barbarian, but that's just mean.
You not only need to be in a party with another Barb who is raging, but you'll always have to stay within 5 feet of each other. If that breaks for even a round, you're going to be fatigued and then won't be able to use SR again until the fatigue wears off.
Can a Thessalonian Specialist benefit from "Opposition Research" Discovery??
Short Answer: No.
Rules Support:
Thassilonian Specialist wrote:
...A Thassilonian Specialist can never prepare a spell that is in one of his prohibited schools—he treats these spells as if they were not on the wizard spell list.
Opposition Research wrote:
Select one Wizard opposition school; preparing spells of this school now only requires one spell slot of the appropriate level instead of two, and you no longer have the –4 Spellcraft penalty for crafting items from that school.
It's not harder for you to prepare opposition school spells as a TS, the spells are actually no longer even on your list. It's impossible to learn them. Therefore OS does nothing.
There's a reason Blood Money is only found in one spellbook in the entirety of RotR. In the right hands it's possibly the most broken spell in the game.
There's a reason every Thug build I've ever seen focuses on Enforcer and not Cornugon Smash. Enforcer is unique in that if you succeed at the Intimidate check, you make the target shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt. That makes it incredibly easy to meet the 4 round mininmum to instead make the target frightened. In order to do the same thing with Cornugon Smash, you'd have to beat the Intimidate DC by 15+ (1 round for beating the DC +1 round per 5 you exceed). It's not impossible, but it's just so much easier to do with Enforcer.
EDIT: I just remembered the Thug's 1 round increase to shaken. That makes it only the DC+10 to get to the magic 4 rounds, which is more manageable, but still, Enforcer makes it a foregone conclusion.
I disagree on a fundamental level with the writers, and I didn't claim to be coming from the book when I answered. I don't care what you think of that. The book is wrong. His GM is right in my opinion.
Seeing as how this is in the Rules Questions forum, you need more than just "I disagree because I don't like it" to back up your assertions. People want evidence not opinions.
I, Wraithstrike, and several others have both shown how DM detecting Invis is both RAW, RAI, and not an optimal way to counter the spell.
Seriously, it's a concentration duration cone that takes 3 rounds to actually find something. It's not a game breaker.
I agree with your GM as well. I'd never let Detect Magic detect an illusion. An invisible person is invisible because they have a mind effecting enchantment that makes you not notice them.
No matter your stance on DM and Invis, this is patently wrong. If it were true, Invisibility would be Enchantment (mind-affecting), not Illusion (glamer).
Being able to pinpoint a creature that's invisible after 3 rounds of concentration (not negating the 50% miss chance, still can't hit them with a targeted spell) isn't terribly broken. And if the creature gets outside of the cone? Those 3 rounds start over.
DM is not a great counter to Invis. Let's stop pretending like it is.
Despite the absolute hate some people have over the fact that there are acts that are evil in and of themselves, as Heaggles pointed out the Blood Drinker feat says in black and white that feeding on unwilling intelligent evil creatures is an evil act. It also says that the target must be alive when the Dhampir feeds off of it. Which means no killing and drinking.
At the very least her behavior indicates a selfishness indicative of CN. By no means are her actions good, according to the rules.
Most spells that affect an area function as a burst, an emanation, or a spread. In each case, you select the spell's point of origin and measure its effect from that point.
A burst spell affects whatever it catches in its area, including creatures that you can't see. It can't affect creatures with total cover from its point of origin (in other words, its effects don't extend around corners). The default shape for a burst effect is a sphere, but some burst spells are specifically described as cone-shaped. a burst's area defines how far from the point of origin the spell's effect extends.
An emanation spell functions like a burst spell, except that the effect continues to radiate from the point of origin for the duration of the spell. Most emanations are cones or spheres.
A spread spell extends out like a burst but can turn corners. You select the point of origin, and the spell spreads out a given distance in all directions. Figure the area the spell effect fills by taking into account any turns the spell effect takes.
i posted Fabricate fixes above. Just go with those.
And spending most of a year to make the finest masterwork armor out of a precious metal is not out of line historically. making something beautiful AND functional takes time. Especially when working with metal harder then steel.
==Aelryinth
Historically, no one in existence has ever been a 20th level alchemist with a 38 Int. You're talking 3rd level Expert, tops, and maybe a 20.
Channeling follows the burst rules for AoE. So there needs to be an unbroken line of effect between the channeler and the person to be healed. An open door on its own would not block a channel, but positioning might.
..........0
_____..........______
..........0
In the above extremely crude diagram, a channel energy used by either 0 would hit the other.
.......0
______...______
...0
In this second case, there is a broken line of effect, and so a Channel used by either 0 would not hit the other 0.
Hunter's Surprise lets you deal sneak attack damage multiple times in a single round - that's the only circumstance I believe that can happen under. If a foe was flat-footed you'd still only get to use your sneak attack damage once under normal conditions.
Enforcer if from the Advanced Players Guide I'm pretty sure.
Then you're in for a treat my friend. Pathfinder did away with that silly nonsense of 1 SA per round. Every time a rogue attacks, if he meets the conditions of fulfilling a SA (target denied Dex or flanked) he gets to add SA damage to every hit he makes. Hunter's Surprise is designed for those cases when you really, really need a full attack SA but can't get into position for one.
Note that if you're moving your speed and performing another move or standard action in the same round, you're hustling. After an hour of doing that in between sleep cycles, PCs will start taking nonlethal damage.
For the record, you could grab the Enforcer feat instead of Cornugon Smash. It's got less requirements (except it ONLY works with Nonlethal Damage) and does the same thing, except you aren't required to use Power Attack.
You know, I could have swore I saw Enforcer in the build, but you're right it's not there.
Enforcer only works on nonlethal, it's true, however if you succeed at the Intimidate check, you make the opponent shaken for 1 round per point of damage you dealt them, instead of 1 round +1 per 5 you beat the DC by. It's insanely good if you're building an demoralize style character (which you, OP, appear to be).
If a creature somehow manages to pass the CDG save or die (trust me, it won't happen on anything but a nat 20), being knocked out by nonlethal is not the same as being put magically to sleep. Such a creature can only become conscious if its nonlethal damage is reduced under its current hp. So CDG away.
Dreadful Carnage doesn't proc off nonlethal damage, as it does not actually deduct from your HP. When nonlethal equals current hp, the target falls unconscious, but they are not at 0 hp, and so Dreadful Carnage doesn't proc.
This scenario came up with one of my players prepping for Rise of the Runelords. I honestly have no RAW to back up my decision, as it's incredibly vague. I did decide that you can only deal lethal damage with a gauntlet. However, since UAS is not limited to just fists, the character in question (a monk) could deal nonlethal with other parts of his body.
In the end this ruling does make it harder to deal nonlethal to creatures with DR, but I couldn't see any reason to justify allowing a gauntlet, which is there to change a person's damage from nonlethal to lethal, could deal nonlethal without penalty.
YMMV, and someone may have more info that invalidates my stance.
JJ also mentioned that if it served the greater storytelling aspect, he sees no problem doing something similar to what you appear to have done (make it "appear" destroyed by an ambiguous means [falling off a tower, being crushed under a roof] only to come back later.)
Rise of the Runelords Spoiler:
Just remember that once Aldern is destroyed Iesha will be immediately destroyed as well.
I asked JJ about this a long time ago, and he said that while the wording of that ability is admittedly a bit vague, it was intended that you are still able to destroy a Revenant by reducing its hp to 0, just like any other undead. The ability was originally intended to just clarify that once a revenant's murderer is slain, the revenant immediately is immediately destroyed, no ifs ands or buts.
Summoned creatures can't use SLAs that mimic spells with an expensive material component in Pathfinder unless you provide that component, Ashiel. Was a bigger rude awakening to me than the inability to use their teleport.
Edit: Actually, in rereading the spell description while writing this response, I noticed that it simply flat out prevents the casting of any SLA that mimics a spell with an expensive material component. You can't even provide one for the monster, it appears. How droll.
Why not?? SLA's have NO material components.
Spell-Like Abilities Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) Spell-like abilities are magical and work just like spells (though they are not spells and so have no verbal, somatic, focus, or material components). They go away in an antimagic field and are subject to spell resistance if the spell the ability is based on would be subject to spell resistance.
Pay close attention to the rules for Summon Monster. Creatures summoned cannot use SLAs that mimic spells with expensive material components. It doesn't matter that the SLA itself doesn't have a material component. The spell it mimics does, which prevents the creature from using it unless you use a Calling effect, like Planar Binding.
This is also one of the reasons the Pit Fiend is so terrible! It can cast trap the soul on you without having to spew up a gemstone costing thousands of gold pieces. Your soul gets trapped as a soul gem but it doesn't require a gem to begin with!
Ghosts and other beings that magic jar without a receptacle are worse. They possess your body and your soul is in that unfortunate position of having nowhere to go since there is no receptacle for it to be switched into. That's an instant death.
That seems plausible. Though I will admit I would probably rule that you were basically possessed and regained your body when the force left, as as best as I can tell using magic jar as a SLA would also slay the ghost or shadow demon or whatever due to a lack of body if it was interpreted that way. I think possession is probably what was supposed to happen here since there is no receptacle for either subject.
YMMV. ^.^"
Spoiler:
In Moonscar, there's a Greater Shadow Demon possessing a Gold Dragon, who doesn't die if the SD is forced from her body. I know some modules are notorious for having rules errors, though, so I dunno.
You're not Summoning the Archon, you're Calling him with Planar Binding. The Archon has been physically transported to your Plane, and can use all abilities without restriction.
Rest while the remainder of the party mops up a defeated foe? :P
(Also, the penalties of fatigue aren't THAT bad, and if I remember right one CAN enter a rage while being fatigued, so he's got two rounds to do what needs doing without getting into means of combating fatigue/exhaustion.)
Mundane means to removing fatigue is 8 hrs rest. Also last part of Rage:
Rage wrote:
A barbarian cannot enter a new rage while fatigued or exhausted but can otherwise enter rage multiple times during a single encounter or combat.
I guess this requires high level and one trick ponying yourself into a high base die for a single attack instead of say, a bunch of +atk/dmg bonuses that could be used with a Tiger wildshaped Pounce?
I'm 90% sure as well that Furious Focus is referring to the special duration fatigue that Barbarians get for ending a Rage, which is only a number of rounds equal 2x the number of rounds spent in rage. Which would be 2 rounds. Hardly a penalty for 311 damage.
Having a patron deity is irrelevant to an Oracle's power, that's why you're an Oracle and not a Cleric. They are imbued with power by their Mystery, which is relevant to a few gods, but they are not beholden to those gods to use their power: an oracle can have no god at all and still pick any Mystery they want. Your character's power is derived from Battle, which is closely tied to Gorum, but that does not make him your patron deity. The one you worship is your patron deity, and does not, in and of itself, confer any sort of power. Note the many fighter worshipers of Cayden Caileen.
In short, nothing about your character's concept is against RAW, or in my opinion, even RAI.
Summoned creatures can't use SLAs that mimic spells with an expensive material component in Pathfinder unless you provide that component, Ashiel. Was a bigger rude awakening to me than the inability to use their teleport.
Edit: Actually, in rereading the spell description while writing this response, I noticed that it simply flat out prevents the casting of any SLA that mimics a spell with an expensive material component. You can't even provide one for the monster, it appears. How droll.
What Dragon said. SD needs a shadow within 10 feet to use HiPS, and if the enemy has darkvision he can't stealth at all (as the shadow wouldn't give him concealment.)
