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I am in the process of making a second character for PFS, which will be an Alchemist.

Right now my build is nothing original, was going to go with your standard Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Precise Bombs, etc.

But I am really wrestling right now on what race to start with. I am going back and forth between Elf or Tiefling. Both give the attribute bonuses to the two stats most important to me, but it’s the other aspects which have me torn. I like the Elf because of not only it’s racial traits (immune to Sleep, +2 against Enchantments) but I also really like the given weapon proficiencies, as well. I know bombs do not last forever, and there will be times I just can’t use them, so I like to have the back up of a bow, and prefer a composite longbow over light crossbow as I plan to have a Tiefling with at least a 13 Str.

But I like the Tiefling because the -2 goes towards Charisma and not my Constitution as well as the favored class option. But then I have to go with a light crossbow, which I would have to burn an extra feat towards Rapid Reload down the line.

How important would you say it is on which bow you have? Am I concentrating too much on that? If I am, then what do you consider as good back up option than bombs if run out of them/go against a creature they are not effective towards?

Here are my builds for the two races:

Elf
Str 13
Dex 16
Con 12
Int 16
Wis 12
Cha 10

Tiefling
Str 13
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 10

I know some are thinking I should put my points into Wisdom instead of Strength for my Tiefling, but I do not like tanking out my Str. as I always have carrying capacity issues. And I am also planning on taking Indomitable Faith with my Tiefling so I have some sort of Will save.

Any suggestions and ideas are appreciated. And please feel free to be critical, but if you do so, please say why and what you would suggest instead.

Thank you!

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This is my first time going to Paizo Con and therefore first time using the Lottery system. I’m assuming the area where it has “Your Preference” with the numbered boxes indicate the lower numbers (higher preference) the lottery will look for first when going through your chosen events?

And if you leave a “0” for an event, the lottery takes it as you are not trying to sign up for it?

Also, are you able to choose more than one event as a “1” preference? I didn’t think so, but when two events showed as “1”, I was a bit surprised.

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It is stated in the rules that you may not sell items to other players, however, you can let them borrow or use (consume) one of your items.

I can certainly understand not selling items for profit (increased cost), but why can’t you sell an item to another character at book cost?

I am not talking about wearable items, but mainly consumables. I know more than once it has happened in a scenario where one of the other party members has needed a potion of CLW (CMW) or a toxin.

I am one of the first players who would be willing to use my wand or dump a potion down someone’s throat if it is needed. That is part of what teamwork is, but why can’t the party member be reimbursed for it?

I can understand not being reimbursed for wand charges, that’s just how it works out and is getting a bit nit picky on each charge in regards to gold, but I don’t see why you can’t be reimbursed for singular items like a potion, toxin or consumable item in general.

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How willingly do all of you spend your PP?

I’m 3rd level (7 EXP) and currently have 8 PP and have spent three so far (11 Fame), where a friend of mine has 17 Fame and hasn’t spend any PP.

Do you think it’s better to hoard them, spend them sparingly, or are there those of you who is 10th level and have spent a majority of your PP?

What is your recommendation on saving PP?

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4 people marked this as FAQ candidate.

The text for the Efficient Quiver states:

It has three distinct portions, each with a nondimensional space allowing it to store far more than would normally be possible. The first and smallest one can contain up to 60 objects of the same general size and shape as an arrow. The second slightly longer compartment holds up to 18 objects of the same general size and shape as a javelin. The third and longest portion of the case contains as many as 6 objects of the same general size and shape as a bow (spears, staffs, or the like). Once the owner has filled it, the quiver can quickly produce any item she wishes that is within the quiver, as if from a regular quiver or scabbard.

Now please bear with me on why I am posting this in Pathfinder Society, instead of the Rules section, but the reason will be made clear in a moment.

My question is, are you able to put arrows in the other two compartments as well, and pull them out in the same manner as you would in the named (60) arrow compartment?

I have checked the FAQ for clarification (there is none) and have done a search on posts to see what others have said on the matter, there have been varying opinions, but in the end it says “DM’s decision”.

My problem with this, and why I have posted this here, is because this is for my PFS Ranger and I could varying rulings, from different GMs, from one session to another.

So I ask the PFS GMs, what is your consensus on this situation and how would you handle it?

I will be going to PaizoCon and then GenCon in August using my PFS Ranger, so I could very likely be at one of your tables. :)

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This is my first PaizoCon, and I would think PFS events would be easy enough to get into, but I’m not sure how much in demand they are.

I know at GenCon they sell out unless you are lucky enough to get in with a generic. Yes, Paizo always does a great job getting generics in, but it’s still more demanding that I would prefer, so I always want to get the actual event tickets.

Are PFS events easier to get into at PaizoCon? Can I walk up to the PFS area and immediately sign up for an PFS scenario? Or is it luck of the draw with PaizonCon’s version of generics?

One of the reasons I am asking is event sign up for GenCon is this week, and I have picked my PFS events (for my wishlist). I am trying to coordinate in not having the same scenario for my character (as I know it is not allowed) between the two cons.

Yes, I could start up a new character, but I am actually trying to catch up to a friend of mine who is 3-4 experience points ahead of me, he will be going to GenCon with me and I would like to be even with him, or at least close.

Of course if I die, the point is all moot, anyways. :)

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I apologize if this had been brought up before, but I did a search on this and nothing had come up.

See in Darkness-Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, including that created by spells such as deeper darkness.

The way I read this, there is no limit on vision, like there is with Darkvision. You can see as far out as line of sight, just like it works in daylight. You also see in color, as well.

Our DM agrees with this reasoning, but I will admit, there is part of me who feels this is extremely strong. But I think the main part I feel it works this way, and our DM agrees, is because of the 'you can see perfectly in darkness of any kind.

Do you agree? If not, how do you rule this at your table?

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I know there was at least one in 3.5, but are there any magic items in Pathfinder that give a bonus to your spell penetration?

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I was looking over the Ultimate Equipment again last night and noticed for the first time that under the Headband of Vast Intellect, that any of these found, the DM should roll randomly between all of the knowledges for the skill(s) that would be on the headband.

For awhile now I have been planning on crafting one of these headbands (just have been saving up the funds for it). But I had planned on putting Perception in my headband.

My question is, is that not really what is intended for the headband? Is it supposed to be only knowledge based skills?

Yes, I’m aware it’s really up to my DM in the end, and it sounds like the knowledge based skill(s) are only the case when actually finding the headband as loot, but I know when my DM sees that last line under the item, he’s going to want to go by the book and give only knowledge based skills to craft into the headband.

If that what he rules on, then that’s what it is, but I really think it would make the headband pretty limiting.

To the DMs, how do you run it in your party?

I was reading over the Goblinworks blog in regards to merit badges and I just wanted to see if how I am reading it is how everyone else understands it.

In the tabletop Pathfinder RPG, you earn the benefits of a level all at once as you hit an experience point threshold. In Pathfinder Online, we've turned the system on its head: instead of using experience points as a prerequisite for improving in a skill, improving skills are part of the prerequisite for gaining new abilities. Your character must earn all the things needed to qualify for a new "level," and then you're rewarded with a special bonus. If you want to be a better rogue, you do roguish things and train roguish skills, and at a certain point, you receive a special merit badge recognizing a development milestone, rewarding you with a benefit for your persistence. Like class levels in the tabletop game, there will be 20 of these rewards available for each class type, creating a way to simulate a 20-level progression within our uniqusystem.

From how I read that is there will be a total of 20 merit badges, and that's it, but when speaking with friend on the subject, he feels there will be merit badges when you develop far enough in a skill, AND a merit badge for each ‘class’ level on top of that.

I do hope it is more along lines of my friend said, as we will receive more rewards/merit badges that way, but I am not so sure it will work like that.

What do the rest of you think?

There has been threads on character creation, many on PvP, what the economy should be like and the differential of PFRPG to PRO. However, there have been no threads on skills. Or if there have, I have missed them.

Granted, we haven’t been told a lot about them, but that’s why I started this thread. I am curious to see how you think they will be handled, or, how you want them to be handled.

The blog establishes that skills are based on an archetype, which are similar to the classes from the Core Rulebook. Each archetype will have it's own skill tree.

In a sense, this sounds similar to EVE. Where even though I have not played it, I have been told that is EVE has thousands of skills that are super specialized. And each of those skills build onto higher tiers that have even more skills.

I am guessing PFO will work similarly from how the blog describes:

improving skills are part of the prerequisite for gaining new abilities. Your character must earn all the things needed to qualify for a new "level," and then you're rewarded with a special bonus. If you want to be a better rogue, you do roguish things and train roguish skills, and at a certain point, you receive a special merit badge recognizing a development milestone, rewarding you with a benefit for your persistence. Like class levels in the tabletop game, there will be 20 of these rewards available for each class type, creating a way to simulate a 20-level progression within our unique system.

To me, it sounds like “levels” (and where you earn a merit badge) could be similar in how the tiers work in EVE.

But another question, and one important to me as I plan to play a crafter, but will crafting have it’s own archetype? ‘Crafter’ is not a class from PFRPG, so it can’t fall under the examples of the archetypes (Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, etc). I’m assuming (hoping) a crafter will have his own tree of skills.

How do you think skills will work? Do you feel they will work differently than what I indicated? How do you hope they will work?

And Ryan, if you wish, please feel free to put forth any comments (or information). :)

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Yay, another goblin, you can never have too many goblins!

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I had read this on Goblinworks site in the FAQ:

Will PvP (player-vs.-player aggression) be allowed?

Characters will be able to attack rival characters in most parts of the game world. In many circumstances, though, unprovoked aggression may carry severe in-game penalties.

I have debated on trying out Pathfinder Online (when it is released) but this actually kind of concerns me. The impression I get from reading this is that PvP is going to be very much part of the game, whether you want it or not.

I've never been a fan of PvP, and the MMOs I've played I have always played on non-PvP servers.

I was hoping PFO would have something similar, but it doesn't seem like this will be the case. I know it's early, and I don't know how it will work yet exactly, but the last thing I want is someone being able to attack me, I would much rather only deal with PvE.

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The way our group has always played Permanency is that all spells that are made permanent are susceptible to Dispel Magic, whether it is made permanent on yourself, someone else or an object.

However, I saw this at the end of the Permanency spell:

Spells cast on other targets are vulnerable to Dispel Magic as normal. The GM may allow other spells to be made permanent.

Does that mean only spells made permanent on other people (than yourself) or objects are susceptible to being dispelled? Or can spells made permanent on yourself (on the caster) be dispelled, as well?

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5 people marked this as FAQ candidate.

The rules are pretty clear that when a spontaneous spellcaster attaches a metamagic feat to a standard action spell, it becomes a full round action.

However, how does that work with Cold Ice Strike (I don’t know of any other swift spells)? Does it also make it a full round action? Does it upgrade one step up (i.e. a standard action) or does it not change the casting time at all?

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Some of you may have seen my help thread in 'Advice' on my 5th level Sorcerer. I had asked suggestions on my feat selections.

Several had said to cut down on my craft feats, and the Fighter/Ranger had offered taking Master Craftsman and would take over the Craft Magic Arms and Armor, which I originally planned on taking.

My question is, he only has Craft: Armorsmithing. Does that mean he can only make magical armor? Or does he also get the benefit of the "Arms" portion of Craft Magic Arms and Armor, as well? As the feat covers both?

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I am a 5th level Sorcerer with the Arcane bloodline. I have planned out my feats until 20th level, but was looking to see what others felt on my choices, and what suggestions you may have.

A little backstory. We are a monster group (Hobgoblins) that was driven out of our lands in the north from a powerful orc leader (BBEG). We have now established a small, hidden community, and being monsters, cannot go and buy items like normal (magical or mundane), so we have had to become self sufficient. We have established some ties with other nearby settlements, including attaining an ally in a relatively high level Paladin of 10th level (too long a story to tell here). But for the most part, we are on our own.

We have all the crafting and profession skills that are needed to build, repair, hunt and basically survive on our own. The land we live on is a relatively large continent (think Australia) completely surrounded by water, so we also do seafaring adventures, and even have our own keelboat now. But we need to be careful and remain hidden, not only due to the strong orc leader is starting to exert himself in our area (same one that drove us out further north), but we have to watch out for the (somewhat) nearby human towns and patrols, as well.

And to be clear, we are not evil. We are a neutral faction that split off together when running from the strong orc leader. It is the only way we would have been able to make nearby allies, especially with the Paladin.

I will now show my build:

Str 14
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 12
Wis 10
Cha 19 (w/ +2 headband)

Spells

1st Level - Magic Missile, Colorspray, Sleep, Mage Armor
Bloodline Spell: Identify

2nd Level - Glitterdust, Scorching Ray
Bloodline Spell: Invisibility

Feats

Due to the need for our self sufficient nature, I have chosen (and will choose) Magic Item creation feats. Therefore, I don't really want to switch these outs for anything else. Also, because I am of the Arcane Bloodline, I have decided to take a lot of metamagic feats to take advantage of the bloodline.

Metamagic feats are something new to me as I have never really used them before, so I thought it would be fun to try them out.

Here are the feats I have taken:

1st Deepsight
3rd Craft Wonderous Item
5th Craft Wand

Here are feats I am planning to take:

7th Craft Magic Armor and Arms, Still Spell (Bonus feat)
9th Empower Spell
11th Maximize Spell, Spell Focus (Bonus Spell)
13th Quicken Spell
15th Spell Perfection
17th Spell Penetration
19th Greater Spell Penetration (Haven't decided yet on bonus feat)

What I am asking is any suggestions, tips of other feats, keeping in the focus of my character that I have described. Or, if you feel the feats I have chosen are decent, please suggest if you feel a different order is more appropriate in how I choose them.

If you do suggest other feats, please, please suggest what feats you would replace them with. There are many feats I would like to take, but the difficult part is figuring out which ones to take out for the new ones. Right now I like my selection, but if you feel another feat is better, please suggest which one you would take out for it, and why you think the new feat would be better than it.

Finally, please do not suggest races, bloodlines or anything that I can no longer take or that is already established for my level. I appreciate it for future 'new' builds, but I am looking for suggestions on what race and bloodline I currently have.

Thank you to those taking the time to read! And thank you for any suggestions or tips. :)

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I am playing a Sorcerer and decided to go down the Arcane Bloodline route. Due to the benefits of the bloodline, of course I am going to be taking some metamagic feats.

I have played my share of casters, but have never gone down the metamagic feat route before. Never liked adding levels to my spells before, would just prefer to cast the higher level spell.

However, I thought I would at least give it a try and see how I liked it. And especially since I chose the Arcane bloodline, it would be a waste not to (take Metamagic feats).

I am planning out my Sorcerer for his higher levels, and I am torn on Empower Spell and Intensified Spell. I am thinking of taking Empower Spell right now, and possibly adding Intensified Spell if we go Mythic level.

I like Intensified since it is only +1 to spell level, but you have to have that many spell casting levels for the added (5) dice. With Empower, you don’t need the additional spellcasting levels. It is also an additional 50%, not just 5 dice.

What I would like to do is take Empower now, and switch out with Intensified later on. But the only character that can ‘retrain’ feats are fighters, so that is out.

My question is, is it worth it to hold out for Intensified later on, when I have the spellcasting levels to use the additional 5 dice, or should I just take Empower now instead and forget about Intensified? Or finally, should I end up taking both?

Suggestions are appreciated.

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I had the opportunity to look over the events for Gen Con this year, and will say I was very pleased on the PFS event selection.

I had heard the number of events (and the room) was increased quite a bit, but I did not have an idea it was that much. That is great!

I am hoping that on event sign-up day, it isn’t like last year. I was right there during sign-up and submitted my ‘Wish List’. My screen locked up with ‘Loading’ and when the screen finally came up, I was signed up for one of my events (had signed up for 5 PFS), the rest were all greyed out.

It did finally work out and I was able to get into the events, as Paizo did a great job in getting in people with generics, but I would like to avoid having to do that this year if possible.

So I am just saying I am hoping event sign-up doesn’t fill up as quickly, or is as crazy, as last year.

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Has anyone else experienced when writing a post with multiple paragraphs that once you finally submit the post, it sometimes condenses the paragraphs together? There is no spacing between the paragraphs. However, if you go to edit it, it still shows the spacing between both paragraphs. I have found no workaround for it.

It is not a huge deal, I just thought I would throw it out and see if I am the only one experiencing this.

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Our party just made 4th level in our last session. I am a Sorcerer, and I am debating on which 2nd level spell to choose. I am of the Arcane Bloodline, so I will pick up Invisibility next level as a freebie.

I am debating on Web, Glitterdust or Scorching Ray.

Suggestions?

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I’m not really sure what forum this belongs, so I stuck it here as it deals with storing Paizo products.

But my question to the community, for those who purchase the GameMastery Map Packs and Flip Maps, how do you store them?

As you can see in my list of subscriptions, I have started up a GameMastery Map subscription, and am looking of a good way to store my Map Packs and Flip Maps.

I was thinking of putting the map packs in a clear sleeve, similar to how you store a comic book, but was hoping for something smaller, more akin in size to the actual map packs. But I am not even sure if something like that is made, and if it is, where you can buy them.

As for the flip maps, I guess I could store them on their own, just stacked on one another, as they are pretty durable, but if someone else has a better suggestion, I am certainly open to it.

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During our session on Saturday, we were in a situation where we needed to attack an orc encampment and trying to do so as quietly as possible due to other encampments that were nearby.

Before I could suggest casting the “Sleep” spell (I am a Sorcerer) our fighter of the group jumps up and suggests it first. Our DM said “Do you have Spellcraft?” (Which he knows he does not). The DM warned him if he makes a suggestion like that again out of character, he would be docked minor xp.

The player who had the fighter made the argument that he has seen me cast it before so he is aware it can be done. My question to all of you, how do you handle a character, who does not have Spellcraft, make suggestions on spells that he has seen cast before multiple times?

Should he be able to bring it up? Or is he forever barred to make reference to the spell name or suggest a spell due to he does not have Spellcraft? Our DM indicated it would have been ok if the fighter came across with something along the lines of “Hey, can you do that magic that makes them fall asleep?” (or something similar), but not use actual spell names.

How does your DM handle that? Or if you are a DM, how do you handle it?

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Not long after Ultimate Magic was released, there was more than one thread that popped up in regards to the spell Cold Ice Strike. How unusually powerful it seemed, giving the same effect of Cone of Cold, but as a swift action, and only as a 6th level spell.

One of the devs (I believe Jason), had commented that they would look into this. Has there any been any resolution in regards to this as far as we know?

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I did a search and could not find this being asked already.

The Core Rulebook and SRD make reference to 'casting from wand'...

Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action

However, does this truly fall under the same rules of when being able to cast a spell? Do you need your primary ability to the level of the spell (on the wand) to cast it? Can a Sorcerer with a 13 Charisma cast Stoneskin off the wand?

At first I would have said no. It is the way my GM has always treated it. In that you needed your primary ability to be the spell level that is on the wand, just like when casting a spell that you know.

But when using a wand, you can do so without provoking an AoO and you can use it while being grappled, both of which you cannot do if you are truly casting a spell.

Also, under the skill Use Magic Device, to use the Emulate ability score, it only refers to scrolls. If you needed to have your primary ability high enough to cast the appropriate spell on a wand, wouldn't 'emulate abilty score' cover wands as well?

What is the actual RAW in regards to this? And how do most of you handle this in your campaigns?

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And what I mean by spellcaster is the more 'squishy' type. Not one that is stronger or has a good Escape Artist. At higher levels, you have means to fly and be invisible, which really lessens your chance, but it seems the last couple of sessions my lowly 3rd level Sorcerer has been grabbed. I usually in the past have done a good job of keeping away.

So what are suggestions? Are there options once you are grappled? Like with an item? Or a worthwhile spell to cast that doesn’t have Somatic components?

And for higher levels, in that chance you do get grappled, what are the best means of escape with a spell/item?

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We just finished a mission where we earned a reward where we can pick a Wizards Guild to craft us any magic item worth 16,000 GP. Our DM will allow us to kick in extra gold pieces if we want to get something more expensive. I have around 43,000 GP extra. Anything is allowed from official 3.5 books. The Complete series, Magic Item Compendium, DMG, etc.

My question is, what is your suggestion on an item? I am 16th level (cast as a 15th level Sorcerer). I am thinking about picking up a Metamagic Rod, Maximize (1st-6th level). It is 54,000 GP and would take most of my remaining funds.

I have also thought about maybe a +2 Charisma book or getting a +6 Charisma cloak, although I have a Cloak of Resistance +3 that has really helped me out on more than one occasion, so I am really hesitant about that.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

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First want to say, as subject line indicates, this is for our 3.5 campaign, not involved with PF at all. I couldn’t find anything 3.5 only related (and understandable, as this is a Paizo website). So to those from Paizo, if you find this isn’t appropriate, then I understand if you want to lock it.

However, in regards to my situation, we just finished a mission where we earned a reward where we can pick a Wizards Guild to craft us any magic item worth 16,000 GP. Our DM will allow us to kick in extra gold pieces if we want to get something more expensive. I have around 43,000 GP extra. Anything is allowed from official 3.5 books. The Complete series, Magic Item Compendium, DMG, etc.

My question is, what is your suggestion on an item? I am 16th level (cast as a 15th level Sorcerer). I am thinking about picking up a Metamagic Rod, Maximize (1st-6th level). It is 54,000 GP and would take most of my remaining funds.

I have also thought about maybe a +2 Charisma book or getting a +6 Charisma cloak, although I have a Cloak of Resistance +3 that has really helped me out on more than one occasion, so I am really hesitant about that.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

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The Masterwork Backpack from the Adventurer’s Armory book raises your carrying capacity up 1. Obviously that is anything that can actually fit in the backpack.

However, how does that work, exactly? If you can fit ‘everything’ in the backpack, it makes it simple as your carrying capacity is effectively 1 higher. But the backpack, from what I understand, is about the same size as any normal backpack. So how does it actually work splitting your strength for carrying capacity? Split between your normal carrying capacity and your +1 from the Masterwork backpack?

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I wasn’t sure if this goes in this forum or not, but as part of the question would deal with Kingmaker, I figured to put it here.

But my main question is how useful are APs information-wise, if the GM is not going to use them to run the players through it? I hear the APs are chock full of good info, but are they worth the purchase on their own for the info, or even giving ideas?

I’ve been debating on purchasing an AP for awhile now, and I think I will just to get an idea what one is like for usefulness (besides using the actual adventure). Like with the Kingmaker, I hear there is info on kingdom building, which I think involves just stand-alone structures, as well. Or no? Is it just constructing a larger and more general size kingdom?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

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The magic item creation rules state that you are allowed access through another spellcaster or magic item to meet the prerequisite of a spell or spells that are needed to complete the item.

My question is, is that only for non-spell trigger/completion items? Or can I do it with them, as well?

For example, could I create a wand, that I do not have the spell for, but use the assistance of a spellcaster that does have the spell?

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I am aware that RAW supports other spellcasters assisting during crafting. There is mention of it under the item creation rules, but it is very short in being just a few words in parenthesis.

I could have sworn there is a more detailed description (a short paragraph) in the rules in regards to other spellcasters assisting, but I cannot find it. Could someone point out the quote in the book or SRD that indicates as such?

Or let me know it isn’t there and therefore I am seeing things. :)

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It has been determined that the CL of the magic item is not the CL used to determine the DC when crafting the item. It is actually determined by the spell(s) that are in the magic item.

In the case of the rings of Spell Storing, they all require the same 4th level spell, Imbue with Spell Ability. Does that mean they all have the same DC when crafting each one? To me, that doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially since the ICL is progressively higher (5th, 9th and 17th).

I’m assuming there is no official ruling on this and would be a GM call. If so, what would you (as a GM) rule this as?

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You may have seen my post asking for recommendations on metamagic feats for my Sorcerer. I thank those who posted, many of you gave very helpful suggestions.

I am now asking for recommendations on what item creation feats you recommend.

Just a very short synopsis of the situation in our campaign. Our party members are all monsters (mostly hobgoblins), so therefore it is very difficult for us to go out and purchase supplies in general, but especially magic items. We really don’t have the means to buy magic items anyways as of yet, because we are pretty poor, but it would be an eventual problem.

However, we are pretty self sufficient for this reason. We pretty much have most of the crafting skills taken care of and I am taking item creation feats to cover (most of) our magical needs (when we have the funds for it, our DM is pretty stringent on money, which I kind of like).

Craft Wonderous Item and Craft Magic Arms and Armor are definite. And I actually have already chosen Craft Wonderous Item as we just reached 3rd level.

I was debating on Forge Ring as well, but after looking at the list of rings, where there are a handful of ones that are great, I don’t know if there are enough where I want to take a feat for it.

At first I was not going to take Brew Potion as I was under the impression it worked the same as spell completion/trigger items in that you could only brew potions that you actually knew/had prepared. However, after being pointed out in another thread that is not the case, in that you can take a +5 DC modifier for spells you don’t know, Brew Potion is one I am thinking about as well, as it can be very useful.

Another one I am debating on is Craft Rod. At first it wasn’t on my radar, as again, I was mistaken that you needed to know the spell (if the rod requires one) to craft it. But again, you can take a +5 DC. The only problem with a rod, is even though anyone can use one, a large majority of them are beneficial only to casters, referring to the metamagic rods. Great for me and our Fighter/Wizard, but the rods with metamagic abilities are useless to the rest of our party members.

Finally, where I would like to be able to take Craft Wand (love wands), it really is not worth it as I am a Sorcerer and I can only craft wands for spells I know. Same reason Scribe Scroll and Craft Staff are out.

So it really comes down to choosing Forge Ring, Craft Rod or Brew Potion. Some may say “Take all”. But where I do want to be a magic item crafter, I do want to be useful in combat as well, and therefore not pour all my feats into item creation feats. So I am putting the limit of three item creation feats.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

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I have a 3rd level Sorcerer with the Arcane bloodline. Even though I know what they can do, I’ve never really used Metamagic feats as I never liked the drawbacks they impose (full round casting, increased levels). The main reason I took the Arcane Sorcerer was some of the other abilities it has and I also like the bonus spell selection.

However, as the abilities of the Arcane bloodline is geared towards using metamagic feats, I figured I would give them a shot and ask others what your opinions are which one(s) I should take.

I am thinking of Still Spell, as it can be taken as a bonus feat from my bloodline. I am actually a bit surprised the bloodline only has one metamagic feat as an bonus feat option, considering it is aimed at metamagic feats.

What are others suggestions? Suggestions are also appreciated in maybe some feat(s)/spell(s) combos.

Thanks.

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I’m not even sure where to put this. I am guessing this forum as the direct question is asking in regards to contact info towards a developer/developers for Paizo.

I know you can contact customer service directly via phone or email related to customer service issues. But I would like to be able to email Paizo in regards to rules questions, if at all possible.

I can understand the developers are busy and would be swamped if they received hundreds of rules questions to answer, but the one I have is a Yes or No answer.

And before you ask, what I am asking for the debate has been brought up more than once on the Rules Forum and each time has turned into an argument on which is correct by RAW. So there has never been a resolution. It has also been FAQ’d more than once and no results from it.

I am just a bit frustrated and would like to hear an official Yes or No response, as that is all it takes and I can take that answer to my DM.

Thank you.

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I have seen mentioned in other threads that if you put a limitation on a magic item you are crafting, you can bring down cost of creating the item.

However, I have looked in the book and the SRD under magic item creation and just cannot find the modifier (in cost) for the limitation. I am sure I am just not seeing it, could someone please point out the page number in the book or link the SRD?

Thank you.

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Several months back I had made mention of starting up my first PF campaign, which was actually a bit different in us being an all monster party. Some posters had expressed they would be interested in hearing later how it turned out, so giving an update now.

Never have done the all monster party before and we were all intrigued how it would work out. So far, really enjoying it.

Our party consists of a Fighter, Inquisitor, Ranger, Sorceror (myself), Rogue and a Fighter/Wizard (going to eventually take the Eldritch Knight PrC). All of us are Hobgoblins, with the exception of the Fighter/Wizard, who is a drow.

What the story is we were all part of large clan that was attacked from a combined effort of other clans and we are some of the remnants (The drow was originally our slave in the clan). As for our alignment, we are all straight neutral. Our DM decided to go this route instead of evil to keep it simple with the problems evil has associated with it. Things like interparty fighting, giving us the option to form alliances with classes that can detect evil (i.e. Paladins). He wanted us to be at a point where we were not forced to do 'x' action because we are a certain alignment. So we all felt neutral was the best choice.

After our attack, we found a run down, but well hidden village that we claimed as our own. Not only is our party neutral, but the remaining monsters that banded with us. There is about 40 of us in total, half of that is women and children. So we basically have our own settlement going.

It's been fun so far, but challenging as we have no means to go to a general store and buy even the most basic supplies. So what we have had to do is become very self sufficent as a tribe/community. We have pretty much all of the trades covered. A fisherman, carpenter, stone mason, 2 weaponsmiths (1 is a duergar NPC, the other our Rogue), an Armorsmith, bowmaking and leatherworker.

There is one more we have, but can't think of it right now. One we don't have covered is farmer. But with our location it is difficult to do so as we are located in a swampy region. We aren't literally in a swamp, our village is on hard ground, but we don't have any surrounding area big enough to farm. Besides, it would also draw unwanted attention from nearby towns if farming fields began popping up. So we basically fish and hunt for our food.

Our recent session was actually a very beneficial one in helping us make a big step forward in our continuing prosperity. We basically found an ore mine so we can finally start putting our armorsmithing and weaponsmithing to use.

The situation behind attaining the mine is interesting in that we made a deal with the spellcaster undead (necromancer) in the mine. She doesn't mind if we inhabit the mine, as long as we leave her alone and at times bring her more dead bodies (to reanimate). She will also let her skeletons do the mining for us. Works out for us. One thing a couple of us, myself included, are concerned about is her acquiring too big of an undead army. So we will have to be careful how many bodies we bring her. Make sure her numbers are kept relatively low.

The mine is in a good spot because it is hard to get to being on the other side of a river and only one bridge in the area. There are is a goblin tribe on the same side of the mine, but they leave it alone due to the stories of the mine being haunted (i.e. undead).

To top it off, we actually have a troll (it was already there) who lives under the bridge and requires 10 gp for safe passage. We thought of dispatching the troll, but thought about it more in that it would be better to keep him for more security. And we promised to give him a bonus if he killed anyone refusing to pay the toll, to not eat the bones (so we could give them to the necromancer). lol

So, now we have a supply route. Don't plan on transporting too much ore so it doesn't draw attention. But things are looking promising now. :)

Sorry for being so long and thanks to those who took the time to read!

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I just wanted to get a clarification on the difference of ability damage and ability drain, and which one affects the stat directly.

From my understanding, ability damage does not actually lower the stat itself, but as the name implies, does damage where it will give you minuses for every 2 points of damage you take.

For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability.

Now, ability drain does actually lower the stat, from how I understand it.

Ability drain actually reduces the relevant ability score.

So what I am trying to clarify, and what I believe, is ability drain the only one that would affect the prevention of a feat if your ability was lowered below the feat requirement? For example, with Power Attack and lowering your Str. below 13?

Or would neither (damage or drain) affect your abilities in that sense?

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And what I mean by unique is one that is not in the book.

There is of course a large chart under magic item creation that gives rules on how to do this. However, I still have some questions.

What I want to do is eventually craft (through Craft Wonderous Item) a magic item that will boost my Spellcraft. There is no existing item in the book I know of that already does this, so this is why it would be unique.

The price seems pretty simple, it would actually be comparable to a "Cloak of Elvenkind". It will most likely be a +5, but I am even debating on +10. But either way, the rules say it is skill bonus squared x 100 GP. So if I went with the +5, it would 2500 GP.

Now that alone seems simple enough. However, what slot do you determine it goes in? I know certain ability bonuses are associated with certain body slots, but what about skills and what would be be best for Spellcraft? I was thinking of putting it on goggles of some kind. Or, would that be the wrong slot?

I am just trying to figure out the slot that would not be out of place as I will most likely only be wearing these goggles when crafting my own magic items.

My next question is, what spell would be associated with this item? In the item Cloak of Elvenkind, Invisibility is used. What spell would you use for Spellcraft, if one is needed?

And my final question, at the bottom of the chart, one of the siddenote numbers (4) indicates continuous items are charges x 100 (which the cloak would be), why isn't that worked into the price? The Cloak of Elvenkind only has the skill bonus squared x 100 worked out for the price (2,500 GP). I ask about the cloak, because again, the goggles I am thinking about are pretty much going to be the same thing, except maybe the spell required (if there is one).

Sorry for the long post.

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I first want to say, this is not a rant at all. It is a concern for me (and I am sure for others as well) on the game I have come to really enjoy playing. I bring up these concerns (or maybe it’s considered one general concern) as I want to see the issues resolved.

But what I am referring to is the vagueness on several of the rules I am seeing. I have seen (and participated in some) threads where the RAW is not clear. Stealth is a big returning issue, magic item creation has come back more than once and recently there was a large thread on what is the specifics of how lighting works with the use of the Darkness and Deeper Darkness spells. I am not going to rehash the conversations/questions right here, if you wish to see them, you can do searches on them. There is a current Stealth conversation going on the front page under “Rules”.

But I am seeing in these threads often “RAW says this, but in the situation of ____ RAW is unclear.” Or, people will be quoting passages out of the book/SRD and you would think it would make it more clear, but unfortunately the quotes only make it more confusing as they sometimes contradict one another (the magic item creation rules is one known for this). I am going to steal someone else’s quote in regards to the main issue with Stealth, because he explains it very well:

there are a lot of rules presented (and not all of them in the Stealth section - which complicates matters). These rules, as presented, have gaps in them. They do not always agree with other elements of the game, at least not in any intuitive way. They are confusing - and I don't consider that a matter of personal opinion, it's evidenced by the large amount of people who have posted to the various Stealth threads over the last year or so that are confused. The PFRPG Rules are great, no doubt about it. In this one area, though, they lack clarity - and as I've said upthread, this isn't good for the Core Class (rogue) for whom this is essentially a Class-defining ability. Are fighters asked to be confused about the mechanics behind swinging a sword, or to formulate house rules for it? That's why there's a problem.

I understand that making a rules intensive system like Pathfinder you are not going to be perfect. I totally understand that. But something I had heard James Jacobs say once (and I don’t have the quote handy) is the rules in Stealth, were left vague on purpose to leave each DM incorporate the rules what is best for his campaign.

And even though that only applied to Stealth, I wonder if that is also the case in other areas as well, in intentionally leaving the rules vague. Well, this worries me. I would much rather you give us the detailed rules, and if a DM does not like them, he can change them how he sees fit. Because if you leave it vague, then you have the same threads popping up asking the same questions and people having the same arguments in “The RAW says ‘this’, but I am sure the RAI are ‘this’.

And yes, I understand that is going to be more work, but at least speaking for myself, I would be willing to wait the extra time for the more detailed rules and extra playtesting.

What has already been started with the FAQs are a great first step. It is good to see this, but on the other hand, what I see with the FAQs is an answer to a specific circumstance, than filling in the gaps of some of the rules. No offense meant, but some of them need to be rewritten with added detail (again, mainly Stealth and magic item creation) along with maybe more examples. And I just don’t see this happening. And what really worries me is future rules (for classes/abilities/feats,etc) being intentionally left vague.

I want to say again, I only bring this thread up because Pathfinder is a game I have come to really enjoy playing, and it is not meant as a rant, but to something I would love to see resolved. I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

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Yes, I know you are all thinking I am nuts for even asking. The effects of Color Spray are absolutely phenomenal. I can certainly see why people like it. But what really turns me off is the 15’ cone. That is such a dangerous distance for a 6-8 HP squishy arcane caster.

Of course the idea is to take out whomever is within the 15’ distance. But what I am thinking of is the original encounter distance, you need to work your way up to them and if they see a caster trying to ‘stealth’ his way up to them, he becomes a prime target. Even if they don’t come running up to you, they hit you from range with arrows/bolts.

Sleep I like because you can hit from good range. I know this next spell is not looked upon favorably by many, but I like Magic Missle. It is guaranteed damage and again, more importantly, you can hit from a relatively safe distance.

I really like Color Spray, but please convince me on the viability of using it safely in combat. And I am talking about a 1st or 2nd level caster, where you don’t have the higher level spells to help protect you.

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Dispel Magic indicates under Targeted Dispel:

One object, creature, or spell is the target of the dispel magic spell. You make one dispel check (1d20 + your caster level) and compare that to the spell with highest caster level (DC = 11 + the spell's caster level). If successful, that spell ends. If not, compare the same result to the spell with the next highest caster level. Repeat this process until you have dispelled one spell affecting the target, or you have failed to dispel every spell.

Now if you are targeting someone, do you always have to go to the highest level spell? Could I let’s say target Fly instead of Stoneskin?

With how the spell reads, it makes it sound like you have to go after the highest level spell first and work your way down.

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So no suggestions?

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I was wondering if there is going to eventually be something similar to the Magic Item Compendium for Pathfinder? Yes, I know, you could use the one from Wizards, but it would be nice to see abilities geared towards PF directly, especially with changes in several of the skills. But besides that, I know my DM and he probably is not going to allow 3.5 material.

Would love to see one eventually, as I am planning on taking several crafting feats and it would always be nice to have more options.

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And what I mean by that is are you able to identify an existing spell (or spells) on another player or opponent?

For example, you go into combat against another caster, is there a spell that allows you identify what protection spells they may have up so you know what to target? I know Dispel Magic peels the highest level spell off, but what if you want to target a specific spell? Like with Stoneskin, it is something you will not know they have on them except through trial and error. I know Detect Magic can detect what spell school aura is there, but I mean identifying specific spells.

In 3.5 we have played you don't know, and you just have to 'figure it out', but I was wondering if that has changed in Pathfinder.

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I have been doing a lot of reading lately with the rules and with previous threads on the crafting of magic items.

I know you cannot make a spell trigger/completion magic item unless you actually have the spell prepared or is part of your known spell list. There is no way to get around that, from what I understand, even with a +5 DC.

And that is fine, but I want to clarify what is considered a spell trigger/completion magic item. From what I have read, they are considered as scrolls, wands and staves.

However, when reading up on making each of the items, they all say:

If spells are involved in the prerequisites for making the item, the creator must have prepared the spells to be cast (or must know the spells, in the case of a sorcerer or bard) but need not provide any material components or focuses the spells require. The act of working on the item triggers the prepared spells, making them unavailable for casting during each day of the item's creation. (That is, those spell slots are expended from the caster's currently prepared spells, just as if they had been cast.)

This one was from crafting wonderous items, but you can switch out 'item' with scrolls, wands, rings, etc. Otherwise they all say the same thing.

My problem is the descriptions for all of them say you need the spells, all say the same thing as scrolls, wands and staves, which are the ones that spells are mandatory.

Which makes me think crafting ANY item you need the spell when required, and can't even use the +5 DC if you don't have it.

My situation is I am a 1st level Sorceror, and would like to take Craft Wonderous Item and Forge Ring, but I am not going to if the spells are mandatory as my known spell list is limited.

Can someone point me in the right direction where it is only for scrolls, wands and staves are the only items that absolutely need to know the spells? And where you can take the +5 DC for not having the spell for crafting wonderous items and rings?