Kodger's page

There are several free books that you can download from Paizo. The first is the PFS Guide 4.3 and the second is the Shattered Star AP Player's Guide.

Shattered Star has the Pathfinder Society traits from Seekers of Secrets.

The Field Guide was meant to replace Seekers of Secrets as a required book for PFS.

Kodger

If you go with four levels of Scout, take Janni style. Of course, you need to take Improved Unarmed Strike but the style reduces your AC penalty from charging by one and reduces being flanked by one.

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Kodger

You have to look at 16th level. Assume their best ability score is 20. Both use a d8 weapon. We’ll ignore magical pluses since they should be the same.

I would go Weapon Master 4 Urban Barbarian 1 Aldori Swordlord PrC 1 Duelist 10.

The Duelist’s damage would be d8 plus Duelist (10), Dexterity (5), Rage (2), Weapon Specialization (2) and Weapon Training (1) for d8 + 20. Note that the 10 points of Duelist damage would not apply to anything immune to critical hits.

The Sword and Board Fighter would get d8 plus Power Attack (10), Strength (5), Greater/Weapon Specialization (4), and Weapon Training (3) for d8 + 22. Compared to a Duelist, you lose 5 points of BAB to Power Attack but get 2 back from Weapon Training and 1 from Greater Weapon Focus. You could drop one level of fighter to take Urban Barbarian. Raging would give you an extra +2/+2.

I would like to play a Duelist in Kingmaker. The closest I have come to this build is Free Hand Fighter 8, Aldori Swordlord PrC 1, and Duelist 2, in PFS.

A Duelist is fun to play. A great weakness for them is being feinted. The fighter has a much better flat-footed AC.

I did this off the top of my head, so there may be errors and omissions.

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Kodger

Why not make pre-gens part of Superstar 2014?

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Kodger

I really wanted to know if any of the traits would be transferred to other factions.

Dalsine's missions combined insanity and depravity. His successor takes a more rational approach.

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Kodger

What will happen to the faction traits?

One of my characters took Grand Lodge to gain KN (Local) as a class skill.

Most of my characters are Taldor Faction. I chose it (partly) because I was amused by the thought that the higher ups resembled Londo Mollari (Babylon 5).

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Kodger

@mpli

Could you explain why Furious Focus is so bad?

Would it be better for a fighter who has lots of feats and can swap out bonus feats?

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Kodger

@proftobe

Four levels of monk will only leave you at BAB +5 when you need +6.

Possible is Freehand Fighter 5/Aldori Swordlord PrC 1/Duelist 10. If you are going more than 16 levels, you might want to take another level of Swordlord.

Instead of Freehand Fighter 5, you could do Weapon Master 5 or, even, Weapon Master 3/Urban Barbarian 2.

Thanks,

Kodger

Hi,

Elsewhere on these boards, someone suggested taking Urban Barbarian.

The Advanced Race guide allows you to replace Intimidating with Endurance.

Also, Magical Knack is a useful trait for an EK.

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Kodger

Some of the flip mats are available from European retailers/wholesalers. I have Googled several German retailers with maps.

You can also buy the pdf of the map and have it printed by FedEx Kinko's.

Your favorite hobby store probably has old D&D miniatures for sale.

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Kodger

Gamers have trouble adapting to discipline and hierarchy.

Have him put on latrine duty while the other PCs go into town for a good time. Role play the digging. If you need to introduce a plot hook, have him find something like an unexpected body or a casket.

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Kodger

A Lore Warden doesn’t need to take Medium Armor Proficiency. A mithral breastplate reduces the armor check penalty to 1. Take one of the traits Armor Expert or Sargavan Guard. Either will reduce the ACP by 1. Thus the Lore Warden will take a penalty but it will only be zero! (Thanks to Mergy for this suggestion.)

If you are playing PFS and take Sargavan Guard, I recommend taking the Defender of the Society trait which gives you +1 AC in medium or heavy armor. It is found in the Faction Guide and the Shattered Star Player’s Guide, which is a free download.

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Kodger

Tell the player the truth: a bird does not have a vagina – it has a cloaca.

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Kodger

Armorer or blacksmith both use heavy hammers. Farriers had hammers to shoe horses and sometimes carried large axes to put down injured horses.

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Kodger

For each of my PFS characters I have a spreadsheet called Sources. It begins with a listing of classes, feats and traits that I am using that are not in the core rulebook and the name of the book in which they appear. (I also carry printouts of those traits and feats.)

I then list everything (BAB, etc.) that contributes to my attack with my primary weapon. I get the total by using SUM. I do the same for my AC. And I have even done this for my damage output.

All this can be printed on one 8½ x 11 sheet, usually the back of the third page of my character sheet.

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Kodger

An Aldori Swordlord PrC at 6th level is a good choice for Free Hand Fighters who use Weapon Finesse. They immediately gain Aldori Sword Mastery which gives them a +2 deflection bonus. They also can add their DEX bonus to damage. I would suggest a second level of this class because you gain bonuses to Dazzling Display.

After doing this, you can take one or more levels of Duelist.

You should also take two more levels of Free Hand Fighter to gain a fighter bonus feat and another +1 to your deflection bonus.

The Aldori Swordlord PrC requires a lot of skill points – probably you need a human with an INT of at least 12. Another drawback is that the Aldori sword is an exotic weapon.

Thanks,

Kodger

In PFS, I am playing a Free Hand Fighter 7 Duelist 1 with Aldori Sword Mastery. Through the proper use of traits and feats, he really feels like a swashbuckler.

This character was developed before Paths of Prestige. Now, I would go Free Hand Fighter 5 Aldori Swordlord PrC 2 Duelist 1.

thanks,

Kodger

Dragonamedrake,

First, thanks for all the work you have put into this guide.

Second, Defender of the Society only works with medium and heavy armor.

Third, I am looking forward to your analysis of the Pathfinder Society campaign traits. Some of my fighters have taken Expert Duelist (Taldor) which gives a +1 trait bonus to AC when adjacent to a single foe. However, I realize now that an Urban Barbarian would make better use of it. Her Crowd Control gives a +1 dodge bonus to AC when adjacent to two or more foes!

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Kodger

Hi all,

I was wondering: What skills does an Aldori Swordlord receive above and beyond those that a fighter gets?

I'm almost certain that I will get this book but I'm wondering if I'll need a level of Duelist to get acrobatics.

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Kodger

The idea can be found in Chaosium's Runequest from around 1978.

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Kodger

I’m sorry that I was unclear. I meant that fighter archetypes, of the sort that tend to produce finesse fighters, generally give up weapon training as such. I had Free Hand Fighter and Mobile Fighter in mind.

Nobody has made this mistake yet, but a rogue’s weapon training is not a class feature.

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Kodger

None of this helps finesse fighters. As far as I can tell, the only finesse fighter that can use the gloves is the Aldori Swordlord archetype.

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Kodger

In Faiths of Purity, the paladin code of Torag says:

I am at all times truthful, honorable, and forthright, but my allegiance is to my people. I will do what is necessary to serve them, including misleading others.

Take a look at The Wrath of Khan. Spock shocks Saavik by making untrue statements over an open channel.

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Kodger

I presently have a Free Hand Fighter 6/Duelist 1. Of my five remaining levels, at least one or two will be Fighter. I took Aldori Dueling Mastery which has four prerequisite feats.

I think you have to think ahead in terms of feats and traits.

You could achieve a similar effect earlier by going Beast Master (Ranger) 1 Free Hand Fighter 11. I feel the skills are what make a swashbuckling character work.

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Kodger

I would like to see a Finesse Ranger Combat Style. It would include things like Weapon Finesse.

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Kodger

@DSXMachina

Life of Brian

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Kodger

@ Eric Brittain
You have it exactly!

@Daniel Luckett
I agree entirely that you need the Golarion connection.

I can't see Paizo wanting to do an entire book on "short" Prestige Classes. But they could occasionally put one into the player's companion for an Adventure Path.

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Kodger

@WKNolen I know that you can advance beyond 12th level. I don’t want to, primarily, because I feel the best part of Pathfinder is the middle levels.

@Tirq Anything can be started but how many can be finished by 12th level? I’m even considering a low templar character but I’m disinclined to go beyond 12th level.

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Kodger

I think PFS works well and I’m quite happy with it ending at level 12. However, characters do not have capstone abilities, the way they would if they went to level 20. A similar sense of completion might be achieved if you could find the right prestige class. However, there are only 10 prestige classes that can be completed by level 12.

The Additional Resources lists five of them as available for PFS: Balanced Scale of Abadar, Halfling Opportunist, Inheritor’s Crusader, Pathfinder Savant and Steel Falcon.

The unavailable five are: Brightness Seeker, Chevalier, Justicar, Pain Taster and Sphere Walker. I suspect many, if not all, are disallowed because they were meant for 3.5 games.

There is a new book on prestige classes due soon. A quick peek at the first announcement of the book gave me the impression that these would be your usual 10-level classes.

Would Paizo ever be inclined to do more “short” Prestige Classes? I appreciate that making such classes takes as much thought and effort as making regular PRCs.

Conversely, future Archetypes could aim for pseudo-capstones at levels 10 or 11. For example, my in-progress Cad 1 Guide 11 will get Inspired Moment at level 12. To me, that has the feel of a capstone.

I apologize in advance for any errors, omissions or misapprehensions.

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Kodger

I really applaud Mergy’s efforts to improve PFS players’ understanding of Pathfinder. I know I have improved my play since he began his blog. Moreover, once a week, he shows up an hour early to help tweak players’ character sheets.

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Kodger

Is that really the case and what is your source? I've always assumed the Craft was like Perform.

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Kodger

I’ve never built outside the core classes but I have some reservations about your trait (and faction) choices.

Since the Inquisitor already has Intimidate as a class skill, I not sure why you want to acquire it a second time through Bad Reputation. Sure this is probably the only trait that gives a general +2 to a class skill – this is particularly good for a dwarf. Even so, I think you could get better mileage with a different trait.

I would recommend joining the Grand Lodge faction to get Knowledge (local). This is probably the most useful PFS skill (closely followed by Diplomacy and not much else).

In a home game, a 20-point build will lead to greater specialization. In a PFS game, where players don’t know which classes will be at the table, the 20-point build will lead to more generalized characters.

I share your views completely. None of my five PFS characters started with an ability score below 10.

Thanks,

Kodger

If I understand him correctly, I think we can derive two very good points from Robert Trifts’ comments. First, Paizo wants to make a profit and will not discourage PFS members from buying their products. Second, PFS is not exactly PFRPG. There are some small limitations on players, but, more importantly, the PFS GM is no longer God, able to change anything and everything.

Beginners and casual players often feel overshadowed by the affluent (and compulsive) players who own everything and build everything. Only the optimisers seem to be having fun. What is to be done?

First, if everyone has to become an optimiser, let’s help the process. There has been talk on the boards about character rebuilding at first level. Maybe everyone should be allowed the option of rebuilding their first and second characters before they reach second level.

Second, next year’s adventures will be designed for six players. I think this means everyone in a party will have a lot more to do to avoid a TPK.

Third, optimisers should learn to have fun without overdoing things. I have five effective characters, none of whom has an ability score below 10.

EDIT: Fourth, I second Fleegle's suggestion that the best Game Masters should run for newcomers.

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Kodger

The above statement is in keeping with the consensus on the board. However, this question keeps getting asked because we have never been an official ruling. I’m going to flag this.

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Kodger

Titan Mauler is a possibility at first level.

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Kodger

I once considered taking a Halfling Knife Master with his first level being Titan Mauler.

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Kodger

I am surprised that there has been no mention of the Titan Mauler, barbarian archetype, with its Jotungrip.

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Kodger

The problem is that there is not too much high-level play, at least not here in Toronto. However, what I’m complaining about is the lack of a sense of completion, of arriving at a goal. Prestige classes let you “arrive” before 20th level.

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Kodger

As a PFS player, I would like prestige classes that I could complete. There are ten prestige classes that can be completed by or before level 12. Only five are legal for PFS play: Balanced Scale of Abadar, Halfling Opportunist, Inheritor’s Crusader, Pathfinder Savant and Steel Falcon.

One of the drawbacks to PFS play is that there are no capstones for classes. I don’t expect any action will be taken in this publication. However, shorter prestige classes should be considered for an APG2.

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Kodger

At fourth level, couldn't you take Spring Attack and swap out Cleave for Whirlwind Attack? You could take Cleave again, later.

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Kodger

I ran for three people last night in a tier 3-4 scenario. I used the fourth-level rogue. Usually when there are only three players, I wind up running a cleric, mostly as a healbot. This scenario had a lot of undead so I'm glad the NPC wasn't needed for all the heavy lifting.

Three-player sessions move very quickly. We finished in 3.25 hours, thanks to a fifth-level character playing down. (Also, I usually prepare one or two maps in advance.)

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Kodger

Acid splash is useful when you need to destroy objects. It's not necessarily a first choice but take it when you can.

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Kodger

@Cheapy

Is it official that you can combine urban Ranger and Guide? The urban Ranger gives up favored terrain for favored community. The guide gets Terrain Bond which functions in favored terrain. I can see a GM allowing this but I don’t think PFS would.

Thanks,

Kodger

Mergy,

The only mistake I have made with my Guide was to take Cad at third level rather than second. A Guide's eleventh level ability, Inspired Moment, looks like a mini-capstone. This is the character I want to take to twelfth level.

I like to play swashbuckling finesse fighters. Thus, a Rogue is good choice, being acrobatic and getting sneak attacks' whose frequency can be improved via Improved Feint. But I'm reluctant to take more than eight levels of Rogue.

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Kodger

As one of his players, I cherish Mergy’s grasp of the rules and his kindness in helping me with my character generation. However, I do have my differences with him.

I prefer Guide to Urban Ranger (or any other flavour of Ranger.) My Urban Ranger took Undead as his favoured enemy but has yet to meet any after four PFS sessions. My Guide is always effective against the BBEG. (All this is anecdotal.)

I recently looked at Knife Master with Mergy. He felt that I made a surprisingly good case for it. Today, however, I feel that it is a trap and that perhaps a Swashbuckler with Dervish Dance might do more damage.

I am only doing PFS now, so I only plan ahead to 12th level. I suspect one plans differently for PFS than would be the case for an Adventure Path. To keep up with full magic users, AP players should dip as little as possible. In PFS, one is less likely to be punished for multiclassing.

For PFS at least, there is no harm in taking up to four levels of Rogue.

thanks,

Kodger

In PFS, the Andoran faction trait, Captain’s Blade, grants Acrobatics. There is a similar trait in the Serpent’s Skull Player’s Guide. If you could wait until seventh level, you could take the Duelist PRC.

Another option is the fighter archetype, CAD.

thanks,

Kodger

If you have a laptop with video out, connect it to a large monitor. Also, some flat screen televisions accept signals from computers.

[I’ve never actually tried this.]

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Kodger

Your character resembles Zorro.

I have a half-Orc rogue who is taking two levels of Lore Warden, a fighter archetype. Lore Wardens get Combat Expertise as a bonus feat. She will then take Improved Feint. After first successfully feinting and then hitting, she can use her sneak attack dice. You get sneak attack dice for either flanking or hitting someone who is denied a Dexterity bonus (which is the result of a successful feint).

My PC has Dervish Dance, which allows the use of a scimitar with Weapon Finesse, bases damage on DEX rather than STR and can be used by a Duelist.

thanks,

Kodger

Neil,

My first and only session with you was in the (soon-to-be) fabled last session of Midnight Mauler. We all had a great time and I wish you all the best in the future.

Thanks,

Kodger

@Master Arminas

Thanks! My problem is that I'm strictly PFS.

Kodger