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40 posts. Alias of Kryzbyn.



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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

If both classes give a similar class feature (at the same level or not), even though they are named differently (ie vivacious speed and incredible movement) they do not stack, correct?
If both classes give stances, only one stance can be used at a time, correct?

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to these, just making sure I'm not missing some nuance or special circumstance somewhere...


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Just had a couple general questions about the shadow magic trait in relation to spells.
I can see this called out in the traits sections on spell descriptions, but there aren't any specific rules for them anywhere. Is there anything special about shadow spells in 2E? I also noticed a lack of shadow conjuration or the like, was wondering if this is just no longer a thing (except shadow blast), or if it might be coming in a later content/rules supplement.

I like that shadow blast doesn't have the "60% as effective" type rules as shadow magic in 1E, but if I were to recreate the conjuration or other shadow spells from 1E for my table, should I keep that bit or let it go?

Thanks!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

There's been a ton of scuttle-butt about the new shifter class. In about 50% of my home games, we use gestalt. What do you all think would be some awesome gestalt combos?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Good day, everyone. I have a question here, that's pretty involved, and wanted everyone's advice.

This question has to do with the Swashbuckler, primarily with the execution of the Opportune Parry & Riposte deed.
Here is the deed:

PFSRD20 wrote:


Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex): At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature’s result, the creature’s attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature’s attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach. This deed’s cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the number of panache points a deed costs.

The question or idea has partly to do with the cost of using this deed.

1) You spend 1 panache to use an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry.
2) If you successfully parry, you can then spend an immediate action to attack, if you have at least 1 panache point in your pool.

You must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made.
My gripe with this is cost vs. benefit. You are spending a point of a resource to activate an ability, before you know if the attack will even hit.
I think this takes away some of the ability of the player of the swashbuckler to manage their resources or use of this ability.

I asked my GM to allow me to make a BAB-based check to see if the attack was worthy of spending a panache on or not, to give more control over this class ability and its usage.

My GM has listened to my gripe about this, and has offered up a possible house rule as a compromise that eases the choice to use this ability a little bit.

His proposal is:
Instead of declaring to use this ability after the attack is announced, and before the roll is made, the swashbuckler must declare when he is going to use this ability before the full result is given. If the incoming attack won't hit touch AC, the swashbuckler gets the sense he is in no danger of the attack hitting, and can make a better informed decision about whether to try to parry that particular attack vs. others in the round. The riposte portion of the rule remains the same.

So instead of having absolutely no idea whether or not the attack will hit, and blindly spend panache just in case it does, he can at least get the sense on whether the attack even comes close to hitting him at all before deciding to parry.

I thought this was a good compromise, and may not do over much, but at least hits that will go way wide of hitting will be a bit more obvious to the swashbuckler, and he can spend his resources more wisely.

My GM wanted me to post this compromise here, and ask you fine folks if there are any potential problems this may cause that we haven't considered.

Thanks in advance!


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

So...I have this character. She is a mildly insane, LE young woman in her early twenties, who for all intents and purposes is a bronze dragon, and a dread devourer. Don't ask, would take way too long to go into...
Needless to say, after a bizarre adventuring career, and with her mind opening to some pretty odd things thanks to her devourer abilities, she has a bit of free time on her hands.
After everything that has happened to her, she still remembers her life before her adventuring, and the dreams she had of family.
Obviously with being undead, the normal methods won't work, and she has no desire to keep a "husband". The kind of children she would have is actually immaterial to her, she just feels the desire to propagate, and create unique life in the process. Her own line, if you will.
SShe's tried to make undead dragon-humanoid hybrids, but those are just minions, and although intelligent, are 100% under her control and don't feel like children to her.
So, now she's set upon possibly breeding a new type of dragon that would breed true somehow, using her own eggs (she can polymorph to harvest them), and has the seed of an elder Copper dragon male (not the mightiest of breeds, but will do for now) available, but it wouldn't quite be "her" enough...she's looking for ways to breed in some of the abilities of her devourer into the dragons as well, to make it unique.

So, I'm looking for advice on how, mostly RAW with some RAI, she may be able to do this without hand-waving it, or if it would even be possible.
Any suggestions and process to use would be greatly appreciated, and even speculation on what the final outcome would be like is welcome.
She literally has all the time in the world (universe?) to attempt this.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Anyone else playing this?


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Hey, all! I've been working on this one for a while, and finally got it to the point I wouldn't be too terribly embarrassed for others to look at this or provide constructive criticism.

In short, this is a WIS based 6th level divine caster caster with spell combat and spell strike, that is heavy on the necromancy theme.
The fluff for this, in a nutshell, is someone who studies necromancy stumbles upon some ritual or forbidden tome or the like, and unwittingly opens themselves up to a dark entity or power or maybe even a dark tapestry type old god. The result is having their arcane talent burned up (or stolen, perhaps?) and replaced with a connection to this being, that provides destructive necromantic powers of entropy, decay, and some...odd...powers that mock mortal life in general.

Let me know what you think about the theme and execution here. I'm looking for some good, constructive feedback, so I probably won't respond to anything snarky (unless it makes a good point).

EDIT: The spell list still needs a bit of work. There are copy/pasted buff spells I need to remove from the list I used :(

Here is the link: The Bonedancer


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

As of right now it's called the Skirmisher...but I'm not married to that name. Take a look and PEACH away...

Spoiler:
Skirmisher
(Swashbuckler Archetype)
The flashy fighting isn't only for gunslingers or pirates. There are those that use their guile and panache to great effect in the wild, striking either with quick blade strikes or quick arrow shots. He knows how to move in an out of melee combat, with either his short bow or his short sword, opening up opportunities for his comrades that other archers can not.
Class Skills: Replace Knowledge (local) with Survival. Replace Sleight of Hand with Stealth.
This alters the swashbuckler's class skill list.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Skirmishers are proficient with simple weapons, short swords, and all short bows, as well as light or medium armor but no shields.
However, he may only use "skirmisher weapons" (daggers, hand axes, short swords or short bows) with his deeds.
This alters the swashbuckler's weapons and armor proficiency.
Intuitive Panache (Ex): Each day, a skirmisher gains a number of panache points equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1) and Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), instead of just her Charisma modifier.
Unlike other swashbucklers, a skirmisher gains no panache from a killing blow. She gains panache only from scoring a critical hit with a skirmisher weapon. This ability alters the panache class feature.
Deeds: A skirmisher gains the following deeds, each of which replaces an existing deed. In order for the skirmisher to use any deed with his short bow, he must be within 60 ft. of his target.
Opportune Striker (Ex): As long as the Skirmisher has at least one panache point, he threatens the squares around him with his short bow, and may make attacks of opportunity with it without provoking attacks of opportunity. Also, if he spends a panache as a swift action, he may shoulder his bow and draw an allowed melee weapon, or sheathe his allowed melee weapon and draw his short bow. If the skirmisher has the quick draw feat, he may draw or sheathe both allowed melee weapons, if he fights in a manner that uses two melee weapons.
This replaces opportune parry and riposte.
Skirmisher's Mettle (Ex): At 1st level, a skirmisher can spend 1 panache point when he makes an Acrobatics, Climb, Stealth, Survival or Swim check to roll 1d6 and add the result to the check. He can do this after he makes the check but before the result is revealed. If the result of the d6 roll is a natural 6, he rolls another 1d6 and adds it to the check. He can continue to do this as long as he rolls natural 6s, up to a number of times equal to his Dexterity modifier (minimum 1)
This replaces derring-do.
Evasive Striker (Ex): At 3rd level, a skirmisher with at least 1 panache in his pool no longer provokes attacks of opportunity while firing his short bow in a threatened square.
This replaces opportune menacing swordplay.
Mobile Striker(Ex): At 7th level, a skirmisher with at least 1 panache point can move up to half his speed while shooting his short bow, as long as he moves at least 5 ft. between shots. Also, he may spend a panache as a swift action and move up to half his speed, and make a full attack with his melee weapons.
This replaces superior feint.
Skirmisher’s Edge (Ex): At 15th level, while the skirmisher has at least 1 panache point, he can take
10 on any Acrobatics, Climb, Stealth, Survival or Swim check, even while distracted or in immediate
danger. She can use this ability in conjunction with the skirmisher's mettle deed.
This replaces the swashbuckler's edge deed.
Clustered Shots (Ex): At 15th level, the skirmisher may spend 1 panache point as a swift action. He can as a full-round action make one attack roll with his short bow at his highest attack bonus. When he does, he makes the attack against the target’s touch AC, and ignores all damage reduction. He resolves damage by rolling damage as if he had hit with a number of shots allowed by his base attack bonus. Only add precision damage once.
This replaces perfect thrust.
Practiced Archer (Ex): At 19th level, when the skirmisher has at least 1 panache, he can ignore half of any ranged penalties he may incur.
This replaces stunning stab.
Skirmisher's Focus (Ex): At 1st level, the skirmisher gains Weapon Focus (short bow) and Point Blank Shot as bonus feats.
This ability replaces swashbuckler finesse.
Speedy delivery (Ex): At 2nd level, the skirmisher can use bursts of speed when he need them. For a number of rounds per day equal to half their level, the skirmisher may add 10 ft. to his base speed. At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter, this burst increases by 5 ft. to a maximum of an additional 30 ft. at 18th level. These rounds need not be consecutive.
This replaces charmed life.
Deadeye Stalker (Ex): The skirmisher is adept at placing his shots precisely where he intends to. At 3rd level, the target of his ranged attacks only gains +3 AC from soft cover from other creatures.
At 7th level, this decreases to +2 AC from soft cover.
At 11th level, this decreases to +1 AC from soft cover.
At 15th level, the skirmisher denies the target of his ranged attacks soft cover from creatures completely.
At 19th level, the skirmisher is considered a flanking partner for all allies within 60 ft. while using his short bow.
Skirmisher Training (Ex): At 5th level, a skirmisher gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 bonus on damage rolls with short bows and short swords. While wielding a short sword or a short bow, he gains the benefit of the Improved Critical feat. These attack and damage bonuses increase by 1 for every 4 levels beyond 5th (to a maximum of +4 on attack rolls and +5 on damage rolls at 17th level).
This ability replaces swashbuckler weapon training.
Skirmisher Weapon Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, when a skirmisher threatens a critical hit with a short bow or short sword, that critical hit is automatically confirmed. Furthermore, the critical threat range increases by 1, and the critical modifier of the short bow and short sword increases by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example). This ability replaces swashbuckler weapon mastery.


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Hey all!
Got a question here...

At 7th level you get:

d20pfsrd.com wrote:

Dual Weapons (Su)

At 7th level, a mindblade can maintain two psychic weapons at a time or a psychic double weapon, though each weapon (or each end of a double weapon) has an enhancement bonus 1 lower than normal. Starting at 12th level, each of the two psychic weapons (or each end of a double weapon) instead has an enhancement bonus 2 lower than normal. When using two-weapon fighting with two psychic weapons or a psychic double weapon, the mindblade can use her spell combat ability as though she had a hand free.
This ability replaces medium armor.

Emphasis mine.

Does this mean:
A) If I were to take two-weapon fighting, I could, in a full attack, use all the melee attacks this affords and cast a spell with spell combat; or
B) Get all the two-weapon fighting attacks, and save one off hand to use for casting with spell combat; or
C) If I want to use spell combat, I only get the main hand attacks, and one spell, and lose all offhand attacks for the spell.
Or phrased another way:
A) +20/+15/+10/+5 | +20/+15/+10 & spell
B) +20/+15/+10/+5 | +20/+15 & spell
C) +20/+15/+10/+5 | spell


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Good day fellow gamers!
The group I play with uses gestalt, and I haven't played a Paladin in a while, so I wanted to make a Paladin of Sarenrae for a future game.
We use:
Gestalt
Stat array of: 18, 16, 16, 14, 12, 10
Automatic Bonus Progression (may make some weapon bond, magus arcana, or warpriest abilites moot, as enhancement bonuses won't stack)
Possibly a tier or three of mythic (nothing mythic at first level, though).

Leaning toward Aasimar for the race, but looking for advice for the other half of the gestalt. I'm looking for a Paladin that uses Sarenrae's favored weapon, and is a somewhat flashy fighter. In roleplay, he will try to emulate Sarenrae's tenets as much as possible (as much as his LG alignment will allow), being kind and merciful, but able to throw down with the scimitar when redemption is impossible. I'll be using the obediences and Paladin code for Sarenrae as well.
I'm leaning toward inquisitor or magus, possibly warpriest, but am looking for other ideas as well. Any archetype could be considered, for either side, and have used Oath pallies before...
What would mesh well with Paladin, and work well with a scimitar and shield build? Are there race ideas I should consider other than Aasimar?
How do I best incorporate fire into his combat?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

The "Ask Ashiel Anything" thread seems to be locked. Is this under review?


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

This is pretty great! Anyone else watching it?
LINK


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

So without getting into the back story of why I am asking this question (unless it becomes important later), if something grants you the use of another class' ability, like in the case of Amateur Gunslinger or Amateur Swashbuckler granting you the use of one deed of your choice, may that choice be from an archetype of the class you are choosing from, or must it be from the unmodified class itself? Would you allow this if it is not RAW, and if so/not, why?


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

There's a 3rd party product on RPG now called Path of Shadows, that has a new base class in it, and some archetypes for other classes in order to play shadow magic based characters.

Usually, 3rd party stuff ends up here in the store threads, and has reviews, but not for this product.

I'm wondering if anyone else has purchased this and what their thoughts were on it?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

For a gestalt game, I'd like to play a shadow warrior type: a magic using martial caster that is into "shadow" stuff.

I'm thinking magus/ninja/shadowdancer at the moment...this is for an evil campaign. Only CRB races.

What do ya'll suggest?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Within the following guidelines how would you best recreate Arthas as the Lich King?
Gestalt rules are allowed.
Core races only.
No 3pp.
CRB, APG and ACG classes allowed.

For those of you who have no idea who I speak of,basically he is a martial/caster who can crate/summon undead (lots).
His powers focus on the unholy and necromantic, although there is alot of disease damage there as well.

I'm leaning Anti-paladin (the undead focused archetype possibly) and either Bones Oracle or Undead bloodline Sorceror.
Wanted to see what the creative minds here can come up with!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Alchemists are not casters, and can not use meta-magic with their extracts, benefit from spell focus feats, or use items like pearls of power.

The FAQ says:

FAQ wrote:

Alchemist: Is an alchemist a spellcaster for the purpose of crafting magic items other than potions?

As written, no, alchemists are not spellcasters, and therefore can't select feats such as Craft Wondrous Item.
The design team is aware that this creates some thematic problems with the idea of an alchemist creating golems and so on, and plan to examine this in the future.

I was wondering what the mechanical reason for this decision was. They certainly look like 6th level casters on paper, just with a different flavor of "extracts" vs "spells".

I have a player who would like this to work otherwise, and since this isn't for PFS, I'm inclined to agree. However, I would really like to understand what it is about Alchemist extracts that gave the devs pause in allowing such things to be used for this class.

EDIT: Also, are there extract or alchemist specific feats/items that make up for not being able to use these things?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Hello!
A friend of mine has offered to run Mummy's Mask and allow gestalt characters. I like the Inquisitor for utility and skill monkey reasons, but am having a hard time finding something that jives well.
I've looked at swashbuckler and paladin. I've seen other threads here that mention Inquis/ranger. ACG, ARG (pre-mades, not custom races) and APG, and Psionics Unleashed (ultimate) are all allowed.
I want to be able to support, damage, and overall be useful to the party.

So far, we also have a Cleric/Shaman, Monk/Ninja, and Barbarian/Psi Warrior.

Help me find race and class combo with Inquisitor to keep up with and support these guys!

EDIT: The GM has allowed rollign stats as well, and I've got 18, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14.

The overall idea here from the GM is not to worry about power levels or balance, but to have fun. Anyone scoffing at the power level here, well, it doesn't matter.


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I've made a few homebrew classes and with minor tweaks, they end up alright. This one has been sitting in my head for a while, so I put all of the ideas I had on paper, and came up with this:
Mesmer table
Mesmer class info

I need some help, as even after a week or so, this still seems clunky, and broken.

Concept:
My version of the Memser is a psionic class that uses a specialized form of astral constructs, in addition to some party buffing, crowd control, and enemy penalizing, and doesn't completely suck in combat.

It became obvious almost immediately that a direct translation from the video game was not going to be possible. Mesmers in the game use illusions, which mechanically have their own baggage. So, I chose to use psionics and the astral construct, as they actually have form, can be damaged, can't be 'disbelieved' away, and can be "shatter"ed (detonated for damage or other negative or beneficial benefit).

I think even though it's rules clunky, you'll be able to see what I intend for each class ability. I'm hoping with some help from ya'll I can get this where either I'd like it to be, or where it needs to be.

Thanks in advance :)

EDIT: this uses DSP's Psionics...


Hello fellow Paizonians!

As has come up in another thread discussing how long it would take for a civilization to recover from being bombed into the stone age, I have an idea for a game that I'm going to run for a few of my friends.

The basic premise is a race of humans (more or less) have had a inter galactic empire, then due to internal chaos and bad practices, were dismantled by a hostile, and incredibly advanced alien race.

I have written a background story, or loose history of those events leading to the downfall of the empire. I'd like constructive feedback, please. This may take 5-10 minutes to read, so thank you in advance those that take the time.

Pre-History of the Revanus Cluster:

Early exploration and expansion:

Millenia ago, the race known as Humanus ruled the cluster of galaxies known now as the Revanus Cluster through powers of the mind. Even the lowliest Humanus was able to manifest abilites to help them in their day to day work, from farming to architecture to space exploration.

They originated on a planet whose name has faded into obscurity, and over an indeterminate span of time, began to reach out to the stars from their home world. They first settled on their world's own moons, then other worlds near their own sun and their moons. As their expansion grew, so did their understanding of celestial and interstellar mechanics, allowing them to leave their sun's influence, and reach out to other suns and their influence. With their combined mental and technological mastery, they were able to spread to dozens of systems, then hundreds. They kept united as a people through the use of gates that kept them connected, one system to the next, communication was never hindered. Things learned in one region of space would be shared with the other worlds in another.

After centuries of this expansion, they ran into their first sentient species that was not Humanus, in the outer reaches of their own galaxy. These creatures at first were wary of their until then unknown neighbors, but after being assured that their only reason for being there was for knowledge, they started to share information, each what the other race had observed in their exploration, and secrets of the universe. The humans tried to train the others on the use of the mind, as they had, but were unsuccessful.
It seemed it would be a gift they alone could have. A few other species were discovered, and then their own galaxy, named Garavis, held no more secrets for them or their new allies to discover. Now they had their sights on the nearby galaxy of Baramis.

Conflict and Alteration:

The humans and their allies began their exploration of the new galaxy in earnest. From past experience they'd learned how to do so efficiently, and so split up into smaller groups of explorers to cover more area. So, the teams went out, and all was going as planned, until one of the groups failed to report back in a timely manner. Concerned, other teams went to investigate, fearing an accident or malfunctioning equipment, and instead found the wreckage and slain bodies of their comrades. At first a system failure was blamed, as the last thing they expected was the act of another hostile race. But, as evidence was gathered, it became evident that this was the case. Envoys were sent out, to find the representatives of this potential ally to clear up any misunderstandings and offer an arm of friendship. Not only were each of the Envoys rebuffed, they were killed, and sent back in derelict craft.
This possibility was one the allies and races had not considered: meeting an overtly hostile race that was uninterested in peace or the exchange of knowledge. Exploration ceased, and scouts and spies were sent to investigate this unknown enemy. The scouts that weren't discovered and killed learned this race was brutal, and savage, and had ruled their galaxy with an iron fist, using their knowledge to conquer. They also learned that they too, were looking to expand into another galaxy.
This could not be. Millennia of peaceful expansion and gathering of knowledge was at risk. They changed their focus from exploration to conflict, and began limited skirmishes against this new enemy along the edges of their space, learning war-time tactics and in what ways their technology could be shaped into weapons of war. For decades, the conflict went like this: a few groups of ships would be sent, get into limited skirmishes, and report back what worked and what didn't. The enemy, long secure in their domination, saw these skirmishes as the desperate act of a culture unprepared for war, and prepared their armadas for expansion into Garavis.
The first group of enemy warships that arrived found little to no resistance as they secured the area for the rest of the fleet. As the rest of the fleet came in through hyperspace, all seemed to go as planned.
As the fleet as a whole moved further in, the allies' new war fleets had been surrounding the space around the enemies fleet, and outnumbered them 100 to 1. They had used localized gates to allow pinpoint FTL travel for their capital ships and their fleets. One last time, the allies sent a ship asking for parlay. When the enemy ships opened fire on it, the entirety of the allied fleet folded into weapon range, and obliterated the enemy armada, in one concentrated barrage of energy. They gathered survivors, and learned as much as they could of their new enemy, as the enemy sent fleet after fleet into Garavis.
They learned their enemy was as much a child of war as they were of knowledge, and the only way to end the conflict was either the extinction of this race, or their complete and utter defeat.
The enemy did not make it easy, however. They too learned things about the allies and adapted. The battles soon were not so one-sided, and a full scale conflict arose between the two galaxies.
Over two centuries the battle raged, and finally the allies had driven the enemy back to their homeworld.
On the threat of annihilation, they surrendered, and were occupied by the allies.
With the war over, many had hoped their exploration could begin in earnest again. Indeed some exploration did happen again, but this time it was with a fleet of warships providing protection.
This conflict had shaken they very psyche of the allies, and even more so the psionic humans. They started to consider options that would have never occurred to them, hostile ones, thanks to the last two hundred years of conflict with the enemy. They, for better or worse, would now be forever changed, and would not realize till later, this was when they were truly defeated.

“Contemplation” and the revision of the Humanus psyche:

During the two century war, as the engines of exploration were turned into engines of war, some of the brightest minds of the Humanus mystics wondered if their mental prowess could not also be changed, or at the very least turned into the direction of defense. A call went out, to all of the explored worlds and regions, for mentalists to come to the home world and begin to contemplate the things to come.
A great place of thought was constructed as those from around Garavis gathered to begin their great work. “How could we use our minds in the effort to defend ourselves and defeat the enemy?” they thought. Over the first few decades, slight advances were made, developing mechanical entities that could increase a single mind's output. Some had developed a shield that could repel almost anything, simply by hardening the space around them. Others found they could use their minds to not only move much larger things than previously needed, but to also manipulate energy itself.
Some of these discoveries were incorporated into the war machine, a single contemplative being able through the use of technology, defend an entire capital ship themselves, or a small fleet of lesser vessels.
These discoveries are what ultimately turned the tides of war securely into the allies' favor, as the enemy simply could not understand how these things occurred, or how to counter them. The enemy referred to these mind warriors as 'witches' and fear began to defeat them as much as the enemy.

As the war moved on, the contemplatives continued to explore other uses and abilities of the mind.
One crucial point of discovery was when they learned they could infiltrate the minds of others, and manipulate them. Those with strong, but unfortunately weaker minds than some of their peers could be indirectly influenced. This of course was frowned upon, but some serious contemplation took place, as a means of diplomacy. Could we instead of getting into conflict after conflict, simply force them to see reason? Could this breech of their sovreign indentity of self be permitted in these circumstances, a far better option than lives lost due to war? Much discussion was had, but in the end, the elders rebuked those that followed this line of study, and declared it taboo. So, it's study went into the shadows.
But the overall argument was never fully settled. The contemplatives once joined in purpose fractured into factions, at first those who were against the perversion of their mind gifts to such ends, and those who believed it was better than the loss of war. Then as other things that were deemed questionable were discovered, other factions arose, in favor and against. When the line of study led to being able to manipulate themselves, to increase their power, resistance to the elements, and even weaponry and the vacuum of space the conclave of thought was abolished, as they believed they had gone too far.
Any further study was to cease and desist under the penalty of exile. This was not taken well, but was for the most part accepted...

Further conflict and expansion:

The Humanus-led allies took the systems in the Baramis galaxy with ordered precision, and began for the first time rule a conquered enemy. Some of the previously subject races of the enemy welcomed their new leaders and were welcomed as equals into the allies' fold. The enemy though, proved reluctant to submit fully. Rebellions and guerrilla wars erupted in various places, as these problems with the enemy began to take more and more of the allies' focus, some humans began to question the loyalty of the other non-Humanus races. Would they too, eventually mutiny? This idea was dismissed as absurd at first, but as the rebellions continued to happen, and Humanus lives were lost, this line of thought became to worm it's way through the Humanus' psyche.
The Humanus minister of the conclave of allies declared himself Emperor of the Humanus Supremus empire, and the lines of power shifted throughout the alliance. Former equals of non-Humanus genetics were demoted to lesser roles, while being promised that none of the freedoms they enjoy today would be rescinded,as long as they remained loyal. All across the galaxies, curfews and martial law was instituted in order to maintain the peace they had so long fought for. Members of the contemplative sects that were formerly shunned for invasion and manipulation of minds, were incorporated into the legions, and began to serve as secret police, at the request of the Emperor, and known by only a few others.
As martial law was enforced, there were surges of rebellions, not only in Baramis, but also in Garavis space among races that had been allies for eons. However, due to the presence of the secret police, the leaders of these riots and uprisings were soon ferreted out. The Emperor declared such dissension treason, and was punishable by death, and had those caught punished accordingly.
Over decades, local system lords were raised up and put in power by the Emperor, who then began to recruit members of the enemy as underlings, hoping to learn how they used to keep their conquered races in line. As these members proved themselves, they began to be elevated into places of power again, and treated as slightly less than equals. This angered the other races, who had both been there as part of the alliance since the beginning, and those that were previously oppressed by the enemy.

Meanwhile, in secluded sectors of the galaxy, Humanus contemplatives still gathered illegally, studying these paths that were declared taboo and gathering their own power. They watched the conflicts arise, and the Emperor seize hold of conquered space, but did not act. They were so close to unlocking all of their inner potential, they did not risk exposure. They continued to unlock the secrets of the origins of their powers, and expand them. The time would come when they who were the epitome of what it meant to be Humanus would take control, but...
They were not ready, yet...

“The Fall” of the Humanus Empire:

As the Humanus Supremus empire solidified it's grip on the two galaxies, it looked at the third and largest galaxy in the cluster, Revanus, as the next ground to conquer. Plans were drawn, logistics ironed out, and fleets and their commanders were selected for the honor of the first foray into Revanus.
As the first fleets left Baramis and Garavis staging points to Revanus, rumors of wide spread anarchy and rebellion began to spread from the inner most areas of both galaxies. Ships that were to be sent on to Revanus were redirected to these trouble areas. Investigators were sent, but returned without their fleets claiming to the Emperor that “it was nothing”, and the rumors were false. A former contemplative himself, he could tell that they had been manipulated, and sent more ships and the strongest among his secret police to find out what was happening in his Empire.
The formerly oppressed races took advantage of this chaos as the moment to uprise, but any hopes of liberation died when they heard the news of twelve contemplatives returning to the capital with all of the fleets that had been sent to squash the rebellion, and declaring the Emperor unfit. The Emporer in his hubris demanded they come and see him and challenge him directly, and they did. They each folded into the Emperor's palace and delivered their challenge. In anger, he attacked them, with his mind and weapons, neither of which seemed to have any effect on those that would depose him. With a simple wave of their hands, he was rent, and left in pieces on his own floor.
They declared themselves Humanus Deitus, inheritors of all of humanus history and space, and took over the Empire. Those that were still loyal to the Empire took up arms against the Deitus. The largest fleets in the Empires history were mobilized, and sent to the place the Deitus gathered. When they folded in, they saw the fleet of ships the Deitus had come to the capital with, in formation quite far from the planet, in fact too far to lend any aid.
Seeking to exploit this apparent error, the fleets prepared to bombard the world. Twelve lone figures arose from the planet, without suits or ships to protect them from space, and attacked the fleets themselves directly. They rent the hulls of the ships, deflected the energy cast from them, and were seemingly impervious to attack. After twenty minutes of fighting, the flag ship, all of her escorts and the entirety of their fighter compliment had been utterly destroyed. Of the major psychics that came against them, none survived intact, having been stripped of their power. The commander next in line of the remainder of the fleet surrendered, unable to believe what he had witnessed.

The Rift and The Psychic Wars:

The Deitus relocated to the capital world to rule the Empire. They began a recruitment effort to find others that had the potential to become what they had. The conclave of thought was re-opened and began training. Humanus exploration had all but ceased under the rule of the Deitus, and surprisingly, so did any thought of rebellion or dissent. People were able to do as they pleased, but always under the threat the Deitus presented.
Soon the conclave began to churn out folks with the potential to be similar in power to the twelve, and everything was proceeding as the Deitus had planned. The Humanus race was changing, moving toward their potential!
Nobody really knows what happened, whether there was a personal slight or if one of the Deitus outright attacked the other, but the Rift happened, and the conclave was destroyed in an apparent power grab by one of the twelve and their followers. The twelve split into factions, and began to fight each other in the open, among the stars and worlds of the Empire. They unleashed the full fury of their power at each other, and they learned quickly they were not unkillable. There was a slight pause in the battles as the first among them fell, but someone rose to take up his master's grievance and position, and the fighting continued. The wars raged on, with unspeakable horrors being unleashed upon worlds and systems during the conflict.
These “Psychic Wars”, as they were called, lasted only 11 years. During that time 9 of the Deitus and most of all of their followers were now dead or lobotomized, and countless worlds had been laid waste as they were used as battlefields for the psychic gods. Of all of the original Deitus, only 3 remained. After seeing the destruction they had caused, the remainders called cease fire, and met. They looked at what had become of themselves and their race, their original alliance and this supposed Empire. This was not the legacy they wanted to leave. This is not what was meant to be. In shame, all of them left.

The Judgment:

The Empire fell into chaos, as the Deitus left and created an enormous power vacuum. Many smaller players made power grabs, some remnants of the Enemy took power, some of the original alliance races simple went to their home systems, jaded at what had become of the alliance.

In the meantime, the fleets that had been sent to Revanus galaxy had started their mission of exploration during the time the psychic wars were ravaging their home galaxies. After surveying the first few systems and finding nothing, they sent word back, and awaited further orders that never came. They decided to send a ship back home to report, and pressed on. After the Psychic Wars had ended back home, they finally encountered evidence of a starfaring race. A single mechanical probe, awaited their arrival in the next system. It queried them, asking who they were and what they wanted. The commander of the exploration fleet responed, saying they were representatives of the Humanus Supremus Empire, and would they like to accept their hand in friendship. Hold please, was the only response they received.
Then a single individual appeared on the bridge of the lead vessel. He addressed the ship and it's captain:
“You of the Humanus are known to Us. We watched you as you went out into the stars, learning. We also watched you as you conquered. We have watched as your own mental power has corrupted and laid waste to billions of sentients. Your quest into the stars ends here. We will end your influence, and rid the Universe of your corruption. The Humanus will be forgotten, the clock will be reset. Never again will you influence the Universe. This is Our judgment. Thus will the sentence be carried out.”

The individual left, and the probe exploded, destroying the entire fleet there.
The Ones swept into the Baramis and Garavis galaxies, and destroyed anything Humanus. Architecture, space stations, terraforming, all of it was destroyed or undone. The fleets remaining had not seen anything this technologically advanced, and their Deitus were not there to defend them. They could not stop them, and pleas for mercy or surrender were ignored. Trillions of Humanus were destroyed.

The other races were left in chaos, having all of their collaborative work with the Humanus destroyed, and being restored to their own home galaxies, forcefully. In less than one month, all evidence of the Humanus was erased from recorded history. Eons of work had been undone in one fell swoop.

The other races believed the Humanus were wiped from existence by a higher power for the evil they brought into the Universe...

The Ones kept some of the Humanus alive, and genetically treated them to stunt the development of their mental powers. Around only 500 of the trillions of Humanus were left, and they were deposited on an out of the way planet that could support them, with absolutely nothing to aid them...

I'm trying to anticipate any glaring holes in the story that may come up and bite me later.
I'm not looking for formatting or grammar advice, or what handful of Tropes this may or may not be using, but I understand the need to point them out. Please send those concerns to me via PM if you must.

Looking forward to the feedback!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

FACEPALM

edit: I in no way believe this justifies slippery slope arguments.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Has anyone run a Rokugan game with the Pathfinder ruleset?
Did you make any changes?

I'm thinking of trying to run something similar, political considerations/intrigue and honor being the driving force for the characters. But I don't want a 'everyone roll a samurai' kinda game.

Any suggestions?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

For a quickie game a friend of mine is doing, I came up with the idea of doing a Urban Barbarian/Brutal Pugilist build. He's a bar tough that,s occasionally the bouncer or the bounced :)
He's 3rd level now, and after 5th level he has all of the benefits of both archetypes, and maybe he could benefit from some levels of rogue.

Brandon McCullough
Human
STR 16
DEX 18
CON 18
INT 10
WIS 10
CHA 8

BAB +3
Hp 46
Feats: Weapon finesse, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved grapple
Rage powers: Brawler

The idea is that he controlled rages, adding to dex, increasing his to hit and AC; Then he grapples, punching his opponent or other unarmed attacks, quickly incapacitating them, then moving on.
He will take greater brawler at 4th rage power, and Dragon Style for 5th level feat.

Where to go from here?


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Article posted by Yahoo! today suggests more and more people with incomes over 1 million are renouncing their citizenships to avoid the larger percentage of their income that is being taken in taxes.

Link


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Please, if you have not already, remember to vote Nov 6th!

If you do not reside in America, you may disregard this message ;)


1 person marked this as a favorite.
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For some neat and good news here in OTD.
Two gorilla brothers, seperated for 3 years, recognize each other when reunited and display some pretty human emotion.

LINKY


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

The Black Eyed Peas were good?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
PRD wrote:
Energy Body (Su): As a standard action, you can transform your body into pure life energy, resembling a golden-white fire elemental. In this form, you gain the elemental subtype and give off a warm, welcoming light that increases the light level within 10 feet by one step, up to normal light. Any undead creature striking you with its body or a handheld weapon deals normal damage, but at the same time the attacker takes 1d6 points of positive energy damage + 1 point per oracle level. Creatures wielding melee weapons with reach are not subject to this damage if they attack you. If you grapple or attack an undead creature using unarmed strikes or natural weapons, you may deal this damage in place of the normal damage for the attack. Once per round, if you pass through a living allied creature's square or the ally passes through your square, it heals 1d6 hit points + 1 per oracle level. You may use this ability to heal yourself as a move action. You choose whether or not to heal a creature when it passes through your space. You may return to your normal form as a free action. You may remain in energy body form for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level.

What can you do/cannot do with this power? I think my players and I are reading too much into this. Any helpful input will be welcome.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I was going to post this in the Government Folly thread, becasue the current topic was already about sexual deviants, but it ate my post, so I thought I would start a new thread as to not further clam up BT's thread.

I was going through youtube today, and ran accross this story about John Gardener, a convicted rapist and murderer.
John was convicted of raping and beating to death two 13 year old girls.
He had a prior, of raping another 13 year old girl some years earlier.
I would assume that he served his time from the first conviction, 'paying his debt to society', and was released. Some time later, he succumbed to his urges again, and raped two young women. Now, I'm assuming that he didn't want to go to jail again, so he murdered them to keep them quiet.
Was this justice? Should there have been more appropriate punishment that could have prevented two more rapes, and then murders? Where do we draw the line for these kinds of crimes, where more is done to protect further possible victims? What do we as a society do without going overboard to prevent this?


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CC patron defends internet cafe users from armed robbers


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I've agreed to direct a one shot nWoD game for a friend for his birthday. Anyone know where I can find one with a handful of pre-gens?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Link

TL;DR: Tree ring data suggests Roman area temps were the same if not higher than temps in current decade...and has been warmer.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Idea came up in another thread. PEACH, please.

Ascetic Monk
There are monestaries that train monks to take advantage of arcane secrets as they train their bodies for martial combat. These monks combine spell power with their improved physique to great effect. They shun the use of any manufactured weapon or armor, using onthier bodies and spells in combat. Where brothers of other orders may invest in enlightenment, these monks focus on battle and offence.
Weapon Proficiency: An ascetic magus is proficient with unarmed strikes only. He gains the unarmed strikes feat, and does 1d6 base damage with his unarmed strikes.
This increases at 4th level to 1d8, and increases by one step every 4 levels thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th, 20th.) Small ascetic magi start with 1d4 and large with 1d8. This replaces a magus' normal weapon proficiencies.
Ascetic Armor: An ascetic magus shuns anything that limits his mobility or extra protections for his natural grace. He gains an Armor class bonus to his AC equal to his Int (or Wis if you want to keep it a wis caster...which is wierd for arcane) bonus as an insight bonus to his armor class. He loses this bonus if he wears any armor or is medium encumbered, or in any other instance in which he loses his dex bonus to AC.
At 7th level his skin becomes hardened from countless exercises. He gains a +2 natural armor bonus to his armor class, and this increases to +4 at 13th level.
This replaces the normal armor prociciencies, medium armor and heavy armor.
Ki Pool Same as monk, replaces spell recall.
Bonus feats Must choose from item creation, metamagic or monk feats (listed under the monk class). Replaces normal Bonus feats.
Arcane repairation Works as wholeness of body as a monk, except the magus may use either a ki point or an arcane pool point to heal his level in hit points. Replaces Fighter Training.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Has anyone done a conversion of the Ordained Champion PrC from Complete Champion to Pathfinder?
I recently dug out my 3.5 splatbooks and was reading through them again, and ran across this really, really nice PrC.
It looks, at a glance, able to just be directly converted, but then I saw the bit about giving them a Paladin's smite v.s. all alignments, at the cost of one of his daily channels.
Has anyone else looked at this for conversion?


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Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Here is the latest:

Zen Weaponmaster
A master of blade, club or halbred, these men and women train to wield weapons as an extension of themselves. Some choose to use wield two weapons, or a single blade, or even pole-arms.
Regardless, in combat they are all equally deadly.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Zen weaponmasters are proficient with their chosen weapon. The zen weaponmaster monk chooses any one simple, martial or exotic weapon, and this becomes their chosen weapon. This is in addition to their normal weapon proficiencies.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a zen weaponmaster can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action, but only when using his chosen weapon. He may not use his unarmed strikes or any other weapon.
A zen weaponmaster’s flurry of blows otherwise functions as normal for a monk of his level, with the exception that he may use all of his flurry attacks with a single weapon.
When using flurry of blows, the zen weaponmaster must be using a melee weapon with which he has the Weapon Focus feat. A zen weaponmaster applies his Strength bonus (not ½ Strength bonus on offhand attacks) on all damage rolls made with flurry of blows, even if he is using a weapon two-handed (not 1 ½ Strength bonus).
Bonus Feats: At first level, a zen weaponmaster gains Weapon Focus for their chosen weapon as a bonus feat.
All other zen weaponmaster’s bonus feats must be taken from the following list: Combat expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Power Attack, Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Cleave, Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Mobility, Vital Strike and Weapon Specialization.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, Spring attack, Two weapon rend* and Two Weapon Defense*.
A zen weaponmaster monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them. These feats replace the monk’s normal bonus feats.
Perfect Strike (Ex): At 1st level, a zen weaponmaster gains Perfect Strike as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. A zen weaponmaster can only use Perfect Strike with his chosen weapon. At 10th level, the monk can roll his attack roll three times and take the highest result. If one of these rolls is a critical threat, the monk must choose one of his other two rolls to use as his confirmation roll. This ability replaces Stunning Fist.
Ki Weapon (Su): At 5th level, a zen weaponmaster may spend 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action to change the damage dice of his chosen weapon to that of his unarmed strikes. This lasts
until the start of his next turn. For example, a Medium zen weaponmaster’s shortsword normally deals 1d6 damage; using this ability, his shortsword deals 1d8 damage until the start of his next
turn. This ability replaces purity of body.
Dance of Blows (Ex): At 7th level, while flurrying, a zen weaponmaster may take a 5' step between each attack, up to half his movement. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
At 14th level he may move up to half his movement and still use flurry of blows. This ability replaces wholeness of body.
Zen strike (Su): At 11th level, a zen weaponmaster may hit targets that he might otherwise miss. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, the zen weaponmaster can ignore concealment. By spending 2 points, he can ignore total concealment or cover. By spending 3 points, he can ignore total cover. These effects last for 1 round. This ability replaces diamond body.
Ki Focus weapon (Su): At 17th level, as long as he has at least 1 point of ki in his ki pool, a zen weaponmaster may treat his chosen weapons as if it was a ki focus weapon, allowing him to use his special ki attacks as if his chosen weapon were unarmed attacks. This ability replaces tongue of the sun and moon.

*These feats will work only while flurrying, as it emulate the two weapon fighting rules.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Right?

Faceplam worthy, but thought I'd share :P


5 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Wanted to do something with swords and polearms that wasn't exactly covered by the weapon master or the kensai archtypes. Please critique.

Blade master
A master of edged steel, these monks train to use swords and other slashing weapons as an extension of themselves. Some choose to use two swords, or a single blade, or even pole-arms.
Regardless, in combat they are all equally deadly.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blade masters are proficient with all slashing simple and martial melee weapons in addition to their normal weapon proficiencies.
Flurry of Blows (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a blade master can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action, but only when using a slashing melee weapon.
A blade master’s flurry of blows otherwise functions as normal for a monk of his level, with the exception that he may use all of his flurry attacks with a single weapon.
When using flurry of blows, the blade master must be using a slashing weapon with which he has the Weapon Focus feat. A blade master applies his Strength bonus (not ½ Strength bonus on offhand attacks) on all damage rolls made with flurry of blows, even if he is using a weapon two-handed (not 1 ½ Strength bonus).
Bonus Feats: At first level, a blade master gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat.
All other blade master’s bonus feats must be taken from the following list: Combat expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Power Attack, Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus.
At 6th level, the following feats are added to the list: Cleave, Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Mobility, Vital Strike and Weapon Specialization.
At 10th level, the following feats are added to the list: Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, Spring attack, Two weapon rend* and Two Weapon Defense*.
A blade master monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them. These feats replace the monk’s normal bonus feats.
Perfect Strike (Ex): At 1st level, a blade master gains Perfect Strike as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. A blade master can use Perfect Strike with any sword. At 10th level, the monk can roll his attack roll three times and take the highest result. If one of these rolls is a critical threat, the monk must choose one of his other two rolls to use as his confirmation roll. This ability replaces Stunning Fist.
Ki Blade (Su): At 5th level, a blade master may spend 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action to change the damage dice of his slashing weapon to that of his unarmed strikes. This lasts
until the start of his next turn. For example, a Medium blade master’s shortsword normally deals 1d6 damage; using this ability, his shortsword deals 1d8 damage until the start of his next
turn. This ability replaces purity of body.
Dance of Blades (Ex): At 7th level, while flurrying, a blade master may take a 5' step between each attack, up to half his movement. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
At 14th level he may move up to half his movement and still use flurry of blows. This ability replaces wholeness of body.
Zen blade (Su): At 11th level, a blade master may hit targets that he might otherwise miss. By spending 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action, the blade master can ignore concealment. By spending 2 points, he can ignore total concealment or cover. By spending 3 points, he can ignore total cover. These effects last for 1 round. This ability replaces diamond body.
Ki Focus Blade (Su): At 17th level, as long as he has at least 1 point of ki in his ki pool, a blade master may treat his slashing weapons as if it they were ki focus weapons, allowing him to use his special ki attacks as if his slashing weapons were unarmed attacks. This ability replaces tongue of the sun and moon.

*The idea is that these feats will work only while flurrying, as it emulate the two weapon fighting rules.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Been thinking of changing this to be based on caster level rather than spell level.

What do ya'll think?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I was recently at the Coliseum, a FLGS here in Ralston, NE.
They've recently moved into a new building, and a friend of mine and I went in there to check it out.
To make a long story short, we talked with the owner about Pathfinder, and he mentioned how he would like a PFS game to meet there in one of his gaming rooms.

I don't know what the normal process is for this. No offense, but I enjoy a game with more freedom than PFS offers, so I would not be interested in running or playing in a PFS game, but I figured I'd throw this out there to see what the normal process is and see if anyone would want to get in touch with this guy or if he already has reached out to you all.
I've forgotten his name, atm, but I can get more info if it's needed, or ya'll can just give his store a call.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

It says under the bombs that "this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit..." but what bonus damage? Is this just a copy paste error from sneak attack? The bombs aren't bonus damage...

Goblin Squad Member

One of the (few) things I thought was neat from Rift was the ability to multiclass.
As this is based off of pathfinder, I think theres an assumption there that you will be able to do so.
Mechanicly in an MMO I don't believe this is easy from a "balance" standpoint, and adds a whole other level of complexity to the balance equation.
So I figured I'd ask, if you have classes, are ya'll looking at having multiclassing be an option? If you go skill based, will this just be a natural side-effect, that you could end up a fighter/mage/thief if you just work all the necessary skills?

What's the plan?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Saw this article on yahoo, thought I'd share...

Yahoo! wrote:

10 Workplace Myths Busted

By US News– Thu, Nov 17, 2011 2:32 PM EST.. .

By Alison Green

For a place that we spend so much time in, there are a surprising number of myths about the workplace. Here are 10 of the most common myths about work life, debunked.

1. Myth: If your boss is unfair or hostile, you might have legal recourse.

Fact: It's not illegal for your boss to be unfair or a jerk. It's unwise, but it's not illegal. The exception to this: If your boss is being a jerk to you because of your race, gender, religion, or other protected class, then you do have legal options. But most jerky bosses act like jerks because that's just the way they are, and that's legal.

2. Myth: The First Amendment protects your ability to say what you want at work.

Fact: The First Amendment prevents the government from restricting your speech, but not a private employer. In most states, an employer can fire you for what you say at work, or even outside of work. (An exception to this is if you're organizing coworkers about wages or working conditions.)

3. Myth: HR's main function is to help employees.

Fact: HR is there to serve the needs of the business; its loyalty and responsibilities are to the employer. In some cases, that means helping out employees--because it's in the best interests of the employer to retain great employees, hear about and address bad managers, stop legal problems before they explode, and so forth. But plenty of other times, what's best for the employer is not what's best for the employee, and the best interests of the employer will always win out.

4. Myth: HR has to keep things confidential if you request it.

Fact: HR reps aren't doctors or priests; you shouldn't assume confidentiality when talking to them. If an HR rep hears information that she judges needs to be shared or used to address a situation, her job obligates her to do that. A parallel: Imagine you're a computer programmer and you learn there's a serious bug in the software you're working on. If you do nothing, you'd be being negligent and not doing your job. It's the same thing with HR.

Now, in some cases, you can talk to HR in confidence if you explicitly work out an understanding of confidentiality before you share. But there are also cases where HR is required to report things (such as concerns about harassment or illegal behavior), no matter how vehemently the employee requests confidentiality.

5. Myth: An employer needs to warn you or at least give you a reason before firing you.

Fact: Unless you have an employment contract (which most employees in the U.S. don't), you're considered an at-will employee. That means that your employer can fire you at any time, without warning, for any reason or no reason at all. Your boss can fire you because she doesn't like your laugh or the color of your tie. The only exceptions: You can't be fired if the reason for your firing is your race, religion, sex, national origin, or membership in another legally protected class.

6. Myth: You can't get unemployment benefits if you're fired.

Fact: People often think that only laid-off employees are eligible for unemployment benefits. But in most states, fired employees can collect too, as long as they weren't fired for intentional misconduct. (In other words, being fired for poor performance won't generally make you ineligible.)

7. Myth: Employers can't give references beyond just confirming your title and dates of employment.

Fact: Giving detailed, honest references is legal. It's true that some companies, in an effort to avoid the headache of nuisance lawsuits, have implemented policies that they'll only confirm dates of employment and title. As a result, many people have come to believe that it's actually illegal to give a bad reference. But corporate policies aren't the law. They're often not even followed by the companies that have them. It's both legal and common for employers to give detailed references--and a surprising number of references are either lukewarm or bad.

8. Myth: Your employer can't require you to attend work-related events outside of regular work hours.

Fact: Whether it's a client dinner or a training class, your employer can indeed require you to attend events outside of your usual work hours.

9. Myth: If you disagree with a performance review, you should refuse to sign it.

Fact: Signing a performance review doesn't mean you agree with it; you're simply indicating that you received it. (And if you're uncertain about that, you can always voice your disagreement and write, "Signing to acknowledge receipt only.") Refusing to sign has no practical purpose and will just get you labeled as adversarial and difficult.

10. Myth: Salaries are set fairly.

Fact: A coworker doing the same job as you might make more or less than you for doing the same work. Salaries vary for all sorts of reasons: one person was a better negotiator than the other when first being hired, or the job market was tighter when she was hired, or she has a particular degree or skill set that the company rewards, or the budget for her department is different than yours, or her boss is a nightmare and the company pays people working for him a premium.

Link


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I was in the last 3 Betas, and am currently in one.
Were any of you other faithful Paizonians involved, and if so, what did you all think?

EDIT: The testing agreement is still in place, so don't post anything from the tester forum here, or link to it. That's still protected.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Can a caster that knows this spell use it to become a Ravener?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I'd like some input on what a good module to run for level 20 characters would be, whether its actually for level 20's or not isn't important, it just neds to be easily scaled up in power level.
Need one to run from by tomorrow night!

Any imput is welcome!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I dunno how many of you have played EQ2, but I was looking at trying to make an archtype for druids that is like the Fury class.
Has anyone already done this?
The EQ2 RPG for 3.5 is just...horribly done, imho, so even though I've looked, I did not find a whole lot of inspiration.

For those of you that haven't played it, it's a druid that is more focused on the destructive forces of nature, having access to alot of fire and lightning based spells, and things like that.

They can spaeshift, but it's one form only (a large cat), and they aren't a slouch at melee, buffing their attacks with fire and lightning damage.

Any ideas/thoughts?

If there's an existing combo of things that will get the same effect, please share your ideas!

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