A few quick thoughts to add onto a couple of good ideas already mentioned.
First instead of making the BBEG invisible make the cover he's behind invisible (an object within 100 lbs/lvl of the caster) ... the heavy oak table they've flipped over or statue, for example. Want to really mess with him then have what's behind the table be the Projected Image mentioned above. First and maybe more attack rolls striking invisible total cover then moving to fire on an illusion should be fun at least once.
Second if you use Wall of Stone use a Stone Shape to make an arrow slit in your wall.
And how's his Acrobatics skill? Grease the area then force him to move ((by using cover (invisible cover?) most likely)).
Where is it written that it uses my reflex if greater?
Not seeing the pertinent portion in CalethosVB's post so I dug around a bit more. Note the last sentence of the quote (bolded) but note also the card may supercede the normal rules (I'm unfamiliar with critical system used):
From the CRB, Smashing An Object:
Quote:
Saving Throws: Nonmagical, unattended items never make saving throws. They are considered to have failed their saving throws, so they are always fully affected by spells and other attacks that allow saving throws to resist or negate. An item attended by a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the character (that is, using the character's saving throw bonus).
Magic items always get saving throws. A magic item's Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses are equal to 2 + half its caster level. An attended magic item either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus, whichever is better.
Depends on the skill in question. Each skill lists it as such:
Quote:
Action: The type of action using the skill requires, or the amount of time required for a check.
Taking 10 and or 20 have their own rules.
quote from CRB:
Taking 10 and Taking 20
A skill check represents an attempt to accomplish some goal, usually while under some sort of time pressure or distraction. Sometimes, though, a character can use a skill under more favorable conditions, increasing the odds of success.
Taking 10: When your character is not in immediate danger or distracted, you may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure—you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn't help.
Taking 20: When you have plenty of time, you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, if you a d20 roll enough times, eventually you will get a 20. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20.
Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes 20 times as long as making a single check would take (usually 2 minutes for a skill that takes 1 round or less to perform).
Since taking 20 assumes that your character will fail many times before succeeding, your character would automatically incur any penalties for failure before he or she could complete the task (hence why it is generally not allowed with skills that carry such penalties). Common “take 20” skills include Disable Device (when used to open locks), Escape Artist, and Perception (when attempting to find traps).
Another vote for Haste ... with a couple additional thoughts to ponder. What does the Sorcerer plan to get and what will the other wizard be adding to his book(s)?
Let's see for my Loremaster (a 3.0/3.5 character) I'd usually have the following long term spells, 10 min/lvl or greater durations, sticking to the PHB (or PF CRB these days) and going off 8+ yr old memories.
Permanency: Arcane Sight, See Invisibility, Darkvision
Telepathic Bond (permanent with one other individual) also via Permanency
Nondetection
Greater Magic Weapon (available)
Detect Scrying
Mages Private Sanctum (available) +/- Secure Shelter
(or Mages Magnificent Mansion)
Prying Eyes (or Greater Prying Eyes)
Overland Flight
Contingency (typically linked to Teleport/command word to a 'safe' location upon being triggered)
Mind Blank
Moment of Prescience
Depending on circumstances:
(Extended) Protection from "Energy" (of whatever I expected to go up against)
(Extended) Stoneskin
False Vision and/or Screen
Seeming
Veil
Sequester
Instant Summons
Dimensional Lock
(Extended) Foresight
(Extended) Prismatic Sphere
Always had Limited Wish available in some form as well. Usually both memorized as well as in scroll form. Since the group was often without any divine caster it often saw use for any non wizard/sorcerer spell that might be handy for the circumstances but in general for its ultimate versatility in coming up with what might be needed among the entire 5th level and under spell list.
Archers on average do the most damage. They almost always get full attacks.
This.
No an archer won't generally out damage a melee fighter using full attack. The difference is the archer rarely doesn't get a full attack and often will get one when the melee character isn't as the melee fighter is forced to move from one target to the next to continue attacking. And that's not theory crafting that's personal in game experience, my two highest level PC's in Living City play were an archer and a greatsword using melee fighter. Two of the most common reasons a melee fighter will have to move while the archer won't: Foes using 10ft or greater reach and foes who are spread around the battlefield for any of a number of reasons such as not wanting to eat the spell casters AoE of death. Neither is a particularly uncommon situation to find.
I basically agree with you Diego. The real issue lies at the core of Illusion spells in general. They involve a lot of GM judgement call as to what exactly falls under 'if interacted with'. Does smoke from a campfire trigger it once it drifts up and out of the AoE of the illusion for example? Noise, smell and sound - how much before one starts to think it lies beyond the scope of what the spell will hide and prevent 'interaction' with from occurring. This is a Hidden Campfire not a Screen or Mirage Arcane spell. I certainly have no issue with how your gaming group interprets it (I'd happily both GM it that way and play under that ruling) but one of the ways a GM could reign the spell in if they felt it necessary is their interpretation of "if interacted with and study carefully". Would it be unreasonable to consider one to be interacting as soon as the spell starts to prevent one from hearing, seeing, smelling etc. things assuming no special measures are being taken by those potentially interacting with the spell? Consider this not just in light of Hidden Campsite but Major Image, Hallucinatory Terrain, Illusory Wall, Mirage Arcana and on up in levels till you reach Screen which is the highest level Illusion (glamer) spell in the CRB.
Quote:
You make the area around a campsite appear to be a thicket of untouched and forbidding foliage,
You are by the nature of the spell 'creating' something that, at minimum, is visually interacted with along with masking a whole slew of sights, sounds, smells, etc. involved with a normal camp site. While I may agree with your home ruling as quite reasonable I also would have a hard time disagreeing with a GM that said a foe that could see the nasty but illusory thicket and claim that as justification for "interacting" was not also being reasonable. Consistency here is the mark for the GM to shoot for I think.
Suppose, for example, the party has camped and used Hidden Campsite. A band of orcs comes wandering along, not specifically looking for or tracking the party. The lead orc sees the "forbidding foliage" and decides to route around the area. The orcs all troop happily and obliviously around the campsite with its quieter and now very alert party. Have the orcs interacted with the spell, they changed course to deliberately avoid the thicket after all?
And yes, my argument, if you have read the fist post is about the Op comment: "such a simple spell that doesn't have very far reaching consequences".
is perhaps understating the spells consequences I also think the response is bit strong ... it seems to be overlooking the fact it does allow a Will saving throw when interacted with just like any illusion (glamer). That Will save isn't granted after walking (stumbling?) into the area that already makes the illusion go bye bye (per last line of the spell description). It's granted, like with any illusion, when interacted with by the creature(s), NPC's or PC's. In that sense it is perhaps weaker than Tiny Hut where the those within will remain concealed even after any 'interaction' has begun.
If the occupants are making noise (normal camping level noises), cooking with a fire etc. and not just sitting very still and very quiet in a cold camp in a suitable area then I'd say the approaching foes are getting that Will save for interacting. Start shooting and I'd say the Will save is an auto success and 'poof' there goes the illusion.
I was wondering if this is a valid scenario. Party of adventures place a portable hole on the ground, bull rush an enemy into it, then pick up the hole, and leave him to suffocate. Unless the villain has a means to travel through planes, he should be trapped right?
I would also be concerned about the creature or NPC sundering the Portable Hole from the inside. I know it would be the first thing my PC would try if the foes used such a tactic on me ... grab a dagger or whatever and start slashing. Dumped into the Astral is quite likely a better outcome than suffocating trapped within my foes Portable Hole.
And I doubt you ever will unless it is in a campaign where access to alternatives is difficult at best. Commune for instance is in every way superior (and likely deliberately so).
The penalty to success rate/usefulness is out of whack, it is either inconsequential or far too severe a penalty depending on if it can be removed early or not. If that penalty is in fact not removable (which I agree seems the case) I wouldn't risk any DC I could fail ... which in turn makes it a very unreliable spell unless you have multiple ways to learn the answer. In which case why use it? Are you going to spam the outer planar powers to get enough responses to rely on it? That doesn't sound like a good idea to me (they resent you asking just once never mind several times daily).
At best if it were my wizard he'd have to be dirt poor, between 9th and 12th level and feeling desperate to even consider it. More wealth and I'd either pay someone else to cast it for me or buy a scroll of Commune for someone else to use. At 13th+ I'd be very likely to grab Limited Wish and use it for a Commune instead.
Well the description of Widen changed if nothing else:
Quote:
Widen Spell (Metamagic)
You can cast your spells so that they occupy a larger space.
Benefit: You can alter a burst, emanation, or spread-shaped spell to increase its area. Any numeric measurements of the spell's area increase by 100%. A widened spell uses up a spell slot three levels higher than the spell's actual level.
Spells that do not have an area of one of these four sorts are not affected by this feat.
Note there's still a mistake in the text (which confused me at first as I had no knowledge until RD's post of the previous description of Widen) i.e it still says "one of these four sorts" even though the fourth (line) no longer exists in the description.
EDIT: On a tangential note I've often thought a metamagic feat which increases/manipulates the 'x' of: "one creature/level, no two of which can be more than 'x' ft. apart" such as in Haste, Mass Cure Light Wounds and Magic Missile was missing from the options in the game.
Yes, I know your thread title says "Permanent" but even the Dodge feat is not permanent, you lose it any time you're denied your DEX bonus to AC.
Or otherwise fail to meet the prerequisite of this feat or any other of the mentioned feats, by getting Ability Drained or Damaged for example.
Ability damage does not actually lower the ability score in PF but gives you penalties associated with the ability instead, ability drain does actually lower the ability score.
I don't think Pathfinder changed this rule. I think it came from 3.5, but it's probably a good thing they didn't decide to allow Personal spells as potions.
Correct. As I recall it was changed (errata) sometime between 3.0 and 3.5.
The Ring of Protection adds a +1 deflection bonus to AC so it does add to the CMD.
From the CRB combat section under CMD:
Quote:
A creature can also add any circumstance, deflection, dodge, insight, luck, morale, profane, and sacred bonuses to AC to its CMD. Any penalties to a creature's AC also apply to its CMD.
*thinks back to his very first AD&D experience ever in the late 70's and recalls what happened when an utter novice to the game grabbed the pre-gens in the back of the adventure module*
Oh it certainly can be though my perceptions may be ever so slightly colored by ... errrm ... events.
When selecting new spells I tend to think of them (very generally) in terms of Offensive, Defensive and Utility then pick so as to give myself options for each within a given level of spells. Obviously some spells can serve more than one function and I often lean towards these as my initial choice(s) among a level of spells.
Generally my first choices would be among these:
Disintegrate - strong utility (battlefield shaping, barrier elimination) and damage potential.
Greater Heroism - very strong buff, will help offensively, defensively and with utility.
True Seeing - enough said.
Antimagic Field - about as strong a defense against magic as you can get at this or any other level.
Contingency - strong flexible defense and utility though I'd be more likely to wait on this as a sorcerer (vs a wizard).
Freezing Sphere - what's not to love about a 40 radius effect, particularly in light of your elemental and selective rods.
Acid Fog - No SR, no save all you need is a way to keep them in the area
Not as familiar with PF (vs 3.5 spells) but the Cold Ice Strike Rynjin mentions above would go shooting towards the top of the list for a blast type caster ... 4 blast spells in 2 rounds (without even using your quicken rod) is a lot of potential pain available on call.
Thinking back how to the 3.5 version of Resilient Sphere (mobile and therefore hamsterball ability vs the immobile PF version) and noting that the PF version unlike Wall of Force and Forececage doesn't specifically call out the it has HP and Hardness (you're left assuming that "functions as a wall of force" means it has similar stats if any).
If that's the case you are asking the wrong question(s). It should be "How do I remove the darkness/concealment bonus from this flying opponent or other opponent I can't get into melee with?".
The heartseeker enhancement. It is only a +1 equivalent and has many useful scenarios. If the party invests in it, darkness/fog become tools, not obstacles, and invisible opponents are much less dangerous.
I would not put it on my primary weapon, but would certainly consider it for a secondary weapon, such as a bow.
Exactly. Not quite doable for the above party but one of my favorite tricks for my 3.5 Archer was Deeper Darkness + True Seeing with me at the center of the darkness. Also the ability Seeking on ranged weapons is in PF (and is also a +1 enhancement ability).
Point is as a whole the party needs to deal damage effectively when they can't engage in melee for whatever reason as well as when in melee.
for all of you calling us stupid i want to point out we do have ranged weapons and can most likely hit him given enough time.
but I dont want to spend 4 hours worth of time rolling d20 in a row hoping for the % to roll in my odds to hit him.
i am looking for diferrent solutions.so I don't want to waste my Saturday night.
If that's the case you are asking the wrong question(s). It should be "How do I remove the darkness/concealment bonus from this flying opponent or other opponent I can't get into melee with?". Or "How do I improve my ranged damage output?" (since 50% concealment amounts to halving your damage output over time). The real issue here isn't flight as much as the group can't get into melee with the foe and is being forced to deal with a foe who has concealment at range. They could just as easily be on the other side of a crevasse, standing a top the cliff of the box canyon you're in, behind the merlons of the curtain wall you're below, or any other of the numerous situations adventurers are likely to encounter that inhibit or prevent your ability to close to melee.
I can see the point on balance but...it just seems wrong that ONLY Rogues/Ninjas can Sneak Attack. Why can a Wizard not pull out his dagger and try to creep up behind someone and jam it through the back of their neck?
As I said, I take the point on balance but there's got to be a better way without erecting such arbitrary barriers.
It has less to do with balance as it does that this is a high fantasy game not a modern military game. And what's good for the gander is good for the goose, flip it around and use the same sort of ambush by the local goblins and other bad guys against the party. So while I feel your frustration it definitely falls under the category of houserules and more than likely a very grim and low magic type campaign.
If I did introduce a mechanic it would likely be something along the lines of Kalridian's suggestion and be based around a Coup De Grace vs an "unaware" target where unaware was defined as essentially a form of helpless. Then anyone would have a chance ... those with precision damage would just be more deadly. Make sure your players are also aware that the foes would have the ability as well as things like sentry/guard duty during rest periods gets even more critical to maintain properly (2+ PC's always on 'duty' for example) or you'll likely end up with some upset players when the group gets TPK'd.
Ah, I think "ending" your move in an illegal square clears it up for me. So, I think standing and taking all the AoOs (-4 for prone) with perhaps a Total Defense to offset prone. I don't think squeezing is an issue since you can move past creatures normally without undo penalty. Once standing, I have not ended my movement and take a 5ft step. Leaving a difficult terrain square doesn't cost you extra. That would be the full action if done with Total Defense.
If I had no where to move, then things would get interesting. I would need to either acrobatics, bull rush or overrun my way out of there to get to legal spot before the end of my turn. But upon failure and a legal spot 10ft away, would I just pop there?
Pretty much what the Accidentally Ending Movement in an Illegal Space seems to imply. Could end up 20+ feet away if it was a narrow hall full of combatants. It doesn't specifically say so but I'd also only consider it the nearest legal if it was a direct route you could take if there were no other creatures to consider ... that is move you 20ft down the hall vs 10ft the other side of a wall into a room which would require 50ft of movement to get there otherwise.
A few the come to mind fairly quickly:
Any dragon capable of casting 4th level sorcerer spells (i.e. Scry)
Hag Covens don't specifically have Scry but have a number of Divination school spells and you could swap out spells.
Nymphs cast spells as a 7th level Druid (which includes Scry)
Both Planetars and Solars cast spells as Clerics of sufficient level to cast Scry.
Pit Fiends can use Greater Scrying at will
Balor Lords have the potential to use Scry
If you consider the character squeezed then is the goblin also squeezed? If not why not? Would you consider a character doing an Overrun to be squeezed if attacked at the moment they pass thru the square of their foe?
@Hendelbolaf - You pretty much have the right of it.
Quote:
Ending Your Movement: You can't end your movement in the same square as another creature unless it is helpless.
Neither the PC nor the goblin has yet ended their movement in the same square while their foe was not, in fact, helpless. They ended up that way at the end of another PC's Action (standard action - channel energy). But this is why I was saying "You must have a course of action(s) in mind which would result in you being the sole occupant of a square"
:) Just sunk in ... is the other PC still in this square (waiting for their turn as well) or has their situation been resolved already? If not then I'd say Saker's character must take actions which end up with neither friend nor foe in his square.
And this from the CRB Special Movement Rules:
Quote:
Accidentally Ending Movement in an Illegal Space: Sometimes a character ends its movement while moving through a space where it's not allowed to stop. When that happens, put your miniature in the last legal position you occupied, or the closest legal position, if there's a legal position that's closer.
Might be simplest to unpile the scrum and move everyone to the nearest legal space in initiative order starting from the point at which everyone became "illegally" in the same space.
If I follow you the player (and the group as a whole) is unaware the item is intelligent and thinks the thoughts he receives is because the item gives his character the ability to read minds (more or less at will ... which ought to raise red flags). When, in fact, the item does the mind reading then passes along whatever it thinks will benefit itself the most. Correct?
You must have a course of action(s) in mind which would result in you being the sole occupant of a square (either this one or an adjacent one). If you attack from prone and that attack is not one which forces the opponent from the square you will then be limited to either using Acrobatics to attempt to leave the square or crawling out of the square. You could not use a 5-foot step to leave. If you stand up as your first action (a move action) then you must use an attack which could force the foe from the square if successful (Grapple, Bull Rush or Overrun) or you must continue by moving from the square to a 'legal' space/square. Even if you only move 5 feet this is NOT a 5 foot step but a 'second' move action.
The only way I'd allow you to move from prone to another square while standing up (move action) and then attack (standard action - attack) is with a successful Acrobatics check. And if I had to come up with a DC it would likely be the foes CMD + 10 (+5 for leaving a threatened square and +5 more for standing up in the process) +/- additional drms for other foes threatening the space(s). And as far as I know I just made that up, there are no rules detailing the mods for doing that exact thing.
You could draw separate AoO's from standing up, from leaving a threatened square, failing the acrobatics check and or not having the appropriate feats when attempting one of the combat maneuvers. Failing the acrobatics check could leave you right where you started ... with a goblin grinning down at you getting ready to stabbity stab you with Trusty Rusty's sharp pointy end :D
Edit: Just realized ... yes a -4 to your CMB for attacking from prone and no, no additional penalty for being squeezed (I wouldn't consider you squeezed, particularly by the foe in your square, cozy maybe but not squeezed)
Who brought up Coup de Grace? Why is that relevant?
Why is Telepathy with an unconscious person so crazy of an idea?
Professor X does it all the time.
What LazarX said above. Telepathy in PF far as I can tell (and 3.0/3.5 for that matter) is purely contact with and between the conscious minds of its users. Earlier versions of D&D did have spells (Rary's as I recall and presented in the hardcover Greyhawk Adventures) that would go 'deeper' into the subconscious/unconscious minds of a target. Even those spells as I recall weren't communication as much as mental invasion for information gain.
It's certainly not a crazy idea ... its just a 'spell chain' or area that is undeveloped in 3.0/3.5 and PF.
Geas - how is the problem in your spoiler a problem? I'd think her HD would be the issue. She's 10 HD.
Lesser Geas has the HD limit, allows a Will save, and takes 1 round to cast.
Geas has no limit, no save, and takes 10 minutes to cast.
That's why I said find a way to cast Geas.
Manacles of Cooperation
Get the monk to agree to a teleport, and take them to a prison where you will have time to cast the spell.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Yeah I figured belatedly he meant to link Geas/Quest not Lesser ... still not sure I follow what he bolded as being the issue. Seems like CT is the issue plus a Monk who'll be onto what he's up to fairly quickly. I wasn't disagree that it was a sound idea just not following how the part he bolded was a problem. Sorry for not being clearer on that and scrolling a bit further while editting under time pressure(heading to work)
Making the monk run thru Acid Fog can be mean. You can then keep dim dooring to the other side on her.
When it comes to blows feel free to drop a Mind Fog within the area of the Acid Fog. Should make the Mind Fog a complete surprise hiding its presence and if it works make her much more vulnerable than she's used to being. Topping it all off with Enervate should help to make the Mind Fog work as well. Even if she saves you could come away with several of the party whose Will saves aren't so great out of the fight.
Geas - how is the problem in your spoiler a problem? I'd think her HD would be the issue. She's 10 HD. Guessing you meant to link Geas/Quest not Lesser then I see issues thou not the one you mention
Yeah by 13th we are getting into some serious spell power and versatility with 7th level and under spells. Can you narrow it down some for more specific thoughts. A single end of adventure boss fight? Several encounters over the course of several adventures? Indoor or outdoor (extraplanar)? Wealth and access to items - what sort of limits there? School of wizard?
And my Loremaster had Permanency - Telepathic Bond. Speak is a Free Action. Probably should be "Communicate" is a Free Action (Drow hand signalling anyone) but that would be RAI. I would be in the group saying, in general, you can not take Actions if you are unconscious.
Telepathy in the Bestiary is a Supernatural Ability which defaults to use as a Standard Action unless otherwise indicated.
For me any activity requiring conscious activity is quite obviously not going to happen and I think this is where LazarX is having problems with taking serious the question of whether Telepathy is doable or not ... seems rather obviously not possible. What is it that causing you to wonder if Telepathy somehow might be possible if you are unconscious?
Though I have had "conversations" with roommates who were asleep and at least once, a longer conversation with a friend right after they had a seizure. In none of these cases did the other person have any conscious recollection of the conversation later on.
Someone who is Coup de Grace'd is not automatically dead (if that is what is meant by "it's over for that character"). In fact for the aforementioned Loremaster hopefully his Contingency has kicked in and his now badly wounded, unconscious and helpless body has, by now, safely teleported away:
Quote:
Coup de Grace: <snip>
You automatically hit and score a critical hit. If the defender survives the damage, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die. A rogue also gets her extra sneak attack damage against a helpless opponent when delivering a coup de grace.
Might be a 'near impossible' Fort save DC 295 (or whatever) but there is always that possibility of rolling a natural 20.
I want both the Rods and the Feats for my high level casters. Some spells will routinely get memorized with the feat(s). The Rods get held in reserve to use as needed to modify spells as the situation demands.
And then for me there's the question of just how many Rods are you carrying (and how)? Rods weigh in around 5 lbs and must be held to be used/activated. That Rod of Quicken isn't nearly as useful if your off hand is currently holding your Staff of Power while your main hand is free so you can cast spells. What are you going to do, drop the Staff of Power, then hmmmm ... , use a move action to get the Rod in hand so you can Quicken spell X? Does your GM consider you armed if you are carrying a Metamagic Rod (many are considered weapons but none of the MM Rods carry any such description in their text)? Do a lot of us hand wave some of these issues away? Guess my point is Rods are great and all but do have some limitations (primarily that of needing it in hand to activate) which serve to make the feats useful.
Didn't mean to knock ya, only that there are great multi-save spells out there. :p
Not a bit of animosity felt.
I'll second that "yoink" ... played a LOT of wizards over the years, even used it on objects but it never occurred to me to use it on a door to see into the room. My first thought reading it was Wow! followed by must be a catch like weight limit ... but at 100lbs/level of caster it would have to be a pretty heavy door to not be legal target.
As said in multiple ways above you don't 'need' a tank, you (they) need tactics. There's darn few ways to force any creature to attack a specific target particularly without saves. And you are the GM it sounds like in your OP. The GM ALWAYS makes the creatures decisions so it's up to you (or the GM) how they respond with the goal of everyone having fun. Nothing says you can't have the current 'engine of descruction' spread the love around taking 6 attacks vs 6 characters and not 6 attacks all dogpiled on one character, for instance, especially if the players/characters are making a reasonable effort to adapt to not having whatever role, such as tank, the party may lack.
If you are unconscious and you fall under water do you automatically hold your breath?
No. How could you? That doesn't even make sense.
From Wikipedia under drowning: "Upon water entering the airways, both conscious and unconscious victims experience laryngospasm, that is the larynx or the vocal cords in the throat constrict and seal the air tube. This prevents water from entering the lungs."
Saying it makes no sense it going overboard. I think there can be a discussion about this. Perhaps you can hold your breath in this way while unconscious.
Scarcely matters ... you are going to die fairly rapidly (unless you regain consciousness or are otherwise rescued) as either you A) suffocate from not ventilating properly as the spasm prevents not only water but air/oxygen from entering as well or B) the laryngospasm subsides and water then enters your lungs. In any case laryngospasm is not a conscious response, you aren't 'holding your breath' in any typical meaning of the phrase (which would refer to voluntarily stopping the movement of the muscles used to move air into and out of your lungs).
In addition to putting it inside something more durable, you could make it out of more durable materials. This is going to increase the cost of the spellbook in all likelyhood. A standard spellbook is made of parchment. Nothing says it can't be 100 pages made of Adamantine sheets or Dragonskin or you get the idea. I had one idea a while back of a world where all the "spellbooks" were in fact tatoos on owning Arcanist's slaves (bringing a whole new meaning to escaped slaves or stolen spellbooks).
Enchant it (Craft Wondrous Item) ... that is make it magical, which in itself makes it harder to destroy nevermind what sort of enchantments you invest it with.
Secret Chest, Illusory Script, Secret Page, Sequester, Instant Summons could all be used to further protect the spellbook (if not directly making it more durable). Probably more than a few other spells as well.
Moment of Prescience: It's both "long duration (1 hour/level) and not (or until discharged) but almost a certainty to make 1 attack miss at the levels one can cast it (+1/level insight bonus to AC). Definitely one my Wizard always had on hand.
Foresight (10 min/level): +2 insight bonus to AC (among other things).
Not mentioned (Ilja mentioned it in passing) I imagine because it is assumed the character will have a +5 armor bonus but Magic Vestment (1 hour/level): +1 enhancement bonus to ones armor or shield. Again my high level casters tended to carry this (either memorized or as a scroll) as well as Greater Magic Weapon in case something very unfortunate happened. Or to turn the +1 weapon/armor/shield with multiple enhancements into a +5 weapon/armor/shield with multiple enhancements.
Short Duration spells -
The various "Hand" spells - Interposing Hand, Forceful Hand, Grasping Hand, Clenched Fist and Crushing Hand (all 1 round/level): can all provide a +4 cover bonus to AC vs a single target.
Holy Aura (or other alignment variants): offers a +4 deflection bonus plus stuff. Deflection bonuses to AC are easily picked up elsewhere but ... .
Forcecage (and place a Wind Wall where appropriate vs ranged attackers) can pretty well negate a lot of incoming "mundane" attacks. At minimum you've got a cover bonus (per Forcecage description).
Repulsion: Is worth mentioning as while not +AC can be useful against many of those foes who want to get in your face and melee ... and they need Will saves to avoid its effects, something those sort of foes aren't usually as good at making (vs Fort saves).
Next couple ideas aren't spells per se but provide nice extra AC for casters that generally stack with bonuses from most other sources:
Any defending weapon can lend up to its enhancement bonus as a bonus "that stacks with all others" to their AC. Make it a dancing weapon as well and keep both your hands free to do whatever.
I'm reading thru this thinking but what if I'm actually an evil Ranger Lich, lot of folks assuming the Lich is a wizard/arcane caster. A 20th level Ranger (favored enemy human, of course) might be a rude surprise when the PC's go to melee the lich. (Hi! I'm a Master Hunter and you are my favored enemy 'save or die')
A very high level of skill in disguise (mundane disguise) is definitely the way to go if you want to beat True Seeing. A lot of Bluff probably isn't a bad idea either.
Edit: note that for a Lich Disguise and several other skills become class skills as well. Heh, a Lich with a +8 racial bonus to Stealth and Hide in Plain Sight to boot.
I guess that is going to depend a bit on whether this is for PFS rules (of which I'm no expert) or home campaign and the individual GM. Scientifically speaking (a dangerous thing considering this is both magic and not even magic of this world, so to speak, but of another plane of existence) everything in the universe is in motion ... planet earth is hurtling about our Sun which in turn is moving etc. etc. so even that 'immobile' point of origin is, if anything resembling earth physics applies, is actually moving as well thru its multiverse. It is going to come down to the individual GM whether you can treat whatever large mobile object you happen to be on as if it is an immobile platform for purposes of a spell and whether you can teleport onto it, cast Clairvoyance that "follows" the ship's cabin, or be the target of a Prismatic Sphere which stays centered around the captains quarters. Generally it seems as if inanimate objects (flying castles or ships and the like) allow such spells to be used while keeping relativistic position with the object. On the otherhand things like targeting a Roc or other large creature often don't allow it but also tend to fall more often into the home rules department. Large island-sized Sea Turtles come to mind, for example, as a likely exception.
Also it isn't really anchored to anything ... by game mechanics its got a point of origin 'fixed' by where the caster is regardless of what they may or may not be standing on, levitating above or flying over (or swimming thru or under) unlike, for instance, Invisibility which can target an object (where it might be more accurately described as anchored). The caster could be flying with no solid object within 200 feet of them and have no issue casting the spell. Heck given the level at which a caster can generally use Prismatic Sphere there's no guarantee there's even air around the caster, they could be suspended in a vacuum in "deep space" or moving thru magma well below the surface of the world. So strictly speaking you could dig up and move a couple hundred tons of rock around your Sphere and the Sphere wouldn't go anywhere as it isn't anchored to the terrain it's anchored to the point of origin which is a game mechanic concept/term to describe a point in space (and probably even time if you wanted to take it that far :D ).
EDIT: Also if it isn't fairly obvious already this would be my interpretation as a GM of how it works. For instance I don't consider the spell to be blocked by the surrounding terrain ... it forms a complete sphere entirely around the caster at the moment of its casting (there's differences in terminology between the d20 SRD "excluded" vs PF OGC's "occluded" for example and both terms in my opinion leave all sorts of things 'weird' at best). I don't want to deal with the complications of things like is the caster now vulnerable to, for example, an Earthquake spell if they are standing within the sphere (vs flying and could they even be flying?). Obviously the intent is no an Earthquake spell won't effect them but then why the words excluded or occluded in the text - what is the meaning or reason behind including that wording in the spell? Is the caster essentially blind? They are surrounded by an opaque sphere after all, can they even see the ground? Okay I'm rambling ... the spell is in many ways vague but it hasn't mattered much as 1) most folks don't get to or play at that level or 2) they do but by then are quite comfy making up their own home rules to fill the gaps if and when they do reach and play at that level.
It's an immobile spell effect, centered on the point of origin of the square the caster was in when they cast the spell. It's not actually on any object just a point in space so you can't pick it up and move it around. The only real choice you have is which corner of your square you select as the point of origin of the spell.
I'm a much more familiar with 3.5 so unsure about the Eidolon portion of the question but a familiar would share the spell effect and both of you could move in and out freely far as I know. But again it's immobile not something either of you could reposition regardless.
Are there other instances a player can be caught flatfooted? Also does the player lose only their dex bonus to ac if caught flatfooted or am I mistaken?
There are a lot of ways to lose or be denied your dex bonus besides being flatfooted.
Some of them (but not all) include:
Running without the Run feat.
Being Blind (without the Blind Fight feat)
If Invisible your foe is loses Dex (and you get +2 to hit them)
Cowering
Pinned
Stunned
- many of the above are Conditions from the Combat Modifiers table.
Note that Helpless sort of contradicts itself, the table indicates you are denied your Dex bonus. The Glossary says you have an effective Dex of 0 (and hence a -5 modifier.) when helpless. Either way the bad things that happen when you lose your Dex happen at least as much if not more so when helpless.
The table also has rather odd wording that seem to imply that being denied and losing your Dex bonus are two separate things (they each have their own superscript entry). While certainly two things can be very similar (such as having a +2 bonus to hit or your opponent having a -2 AC) I've never actually been able to figure out if there is any difference at all (some weird edge case or whatever) between 'losing' and 'being denied' other than choice of words.
Refuge - 7th level cleric spell (CRB) which will transport either them to you or you to them depending on how you set the spell up when cast.
Another useful spell for a bodyguard concept is Shield Other (or a Ring of Friend Shield) would enable you to at least take a portion of their damage. The spell has range limits (close), the magic item does not.
There was an enhancement in 3.5 ('Called' I believe) that allowed one to instantly don armor - looking to see if PF has the equivalent.
EDIT: Doesn't appear PF has the equivalent of "Called". Called armor (or shield) works only within the plane, not across planes.
Another potentially very useful spell is the wizard spell Telepathic Bond which can be made permanent (with Permanency) which would allow you to remain in telepathic contact as long as both of you are on the same plane.
1) Not sure what the official rules are but seems reasonable to allow.
2) Again not sure if there's RAW but I'd allow you to at least attempt to set hay, roofs, pools of lamp oil etc. assuming the target is flammable. The spell Flame Arrow clearly states you can do so. Just won't set a creature on fire. Shock is a little less clear but again if it's something reasonably conductive I don't think it would be unreasonable to allow a limited AoE around a point of origin but for less damage something akin to splash damage (and likely you'd have to be deliberately attempting to do this vs shooting at a foe and missing)
Dang Ninja's running all over.
A flat price means no you don't have to increase the weapon's enhancement. It means you pay the same whether you are adding it to a +1 bow or a +5 Flaming Holy Ghost Touch weapon. In this case an additional 1000gp
Orc is blocking doorway. Human rogue (lvl 2) tries to tumble past gain flanking for the sneak. Blows tumble check badly, draws AoO, Orc crits with Great Axe. Rogue is now a level one Elf Rogue :p Yeah reincarnate!
