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I have a questions with Line of effect I hope you can help me with.

I currently have a Psion (Telepath) and Cleric in my weekend game and I was wondering how you resolve line of effect. I have no issue with how it deals with barriers and solid objects. However I am at a loss as to how it should deal with soft targets, like another characters, PC, NPC, bad guys. Also are these spells or powers that do not require line of effect?

Ha, i like that.

They should make a DM's Corner on the boards here.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Karuth I like the way you think. If he wants to make a weapon like this it would have to be done through the spell storing weapon ability. The thought of charges per day or instantaneous duration versus use activated are good ideas as well

I will have to take this one item at a time. I think this advice should be able to nip most o this munchkin crap in the but.

I will be the first to admit that I am not an expert in item creation. I am currently DMing a group in which the players are approaching the level where they will be able to craft magical weapons and armor. I can see the storm on the horizon. I have several questions that I hope you all can help me with.

One of the players in particular is very big into item creation and will come up with all kinds of stuff. Often I find his potential items to be troublesome. I feel like he is often trying to bend the rules to suite his particular idea at one time or another. While I know as the DM I can just reject anything, I would prefer to have reason and rules to support by choice.

Several of his recent ideas revolve around wanting to put damage spell on weapons. He has brought forward dagger of shocking grasp, arrow of burning hands, etc. I don’t see how having a dagger which does 5d6 electrical damage is ok. Based on the calculation he showed for the item it will cost him 5 000 gp to make this dagger. That is equivalent to a +2 dagger. For now I can prevent this by setting up the rewards in such a way to prevent him from getting the gp amount needed to make the item. However eventually he will be able to do this. Does this seems legit?

Another item he makes in nearly every campaign is a ring of spellcraft. Wearing it gives him a bonus to spellcraft which makes creating items easier in the future. I know the only reason he makes it is so he can make more item easier.

Lastly nearly every single item creation feat has at one point or another a line stating that a caster much of the spell they would like to use currently prepared or in the case of bards and sorcerers known. Once the item is made the spell is expended. How does this work with using spells from another source such as a scroll, or another spell caster? How does this work with taking an additional +5 on the final spell craft check and know even knowing the spell or the possibility of knowing the spell or having the caster level needed?

I currently have a cleric in my game who is following a god from the Norse pantheon. Currently he is using a divine focus which according to him is on his sword.

I've always thought of the divine focus to be something that is worn around the neck or wrist, or ring. I never thought it could be a weapon, or on a weapon.

Does this sounds legit? I've looked for rules on Divine Focus and have not found much.

In my last match we had several Cartyatid Column monsters. In regards to their Shatter Weapon ability how would this effect some one who uses natural attacks, such as a monk or animal companion?

Can their un armed attacks be "broken". These does seems plausible since the broken condition is just a -2 to attack and damage, as well as adjustment to critical hits.

Thoughts?

Sounds a lot like the sorcerer i have in my group, same goes for the Psion.

I will admit there was some bad luck in the encounter. In this case with the exception of the Psion the other spellcasters and Monk were separated from the rest of the group.

Still two level 9 PCs and one level 10 PC should have been able to deal with this.

If a character is engaged in melee and is shot from behind at range. Can they “react” to the attack? I always thought that your Dex bonus was basically due because you were moving around on the balls of your feet so to say bobbing and swaying in combat. If you are focusing on the monster in front that is trying to kill you , you can’t be focusing on what is happening 30 ft behind you.

Losing Dex bonus to AC is not that difficult.

Change to situation to a melee one. The rogues move in behind the PCs flanking him. If they get for example two attacks, they should both be considered sneak attacks, no?

My party consists of a Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Psion/Fighter, Arcane Archer, Sorcerer Dragon Disciple.

From the pre built NPC listed in the Gamemaster guide a Level 10 human fighter would be considered a Cr 9. Something I think that a groupd of 6 players, 3 lvl 10, 3 lvl 9 should be able to deal with out issue. I had him there more as a stumbling block than anything else.

In this encounter the NPC caught the Fighter, Psion, and Arcane Archer away from the others, several rounds away. The Archer was taken down first, while the fighter could now beat the High Ac easily the Psion blasted away as it does best. The NPC fighter was a sword / shield mix focusing on both with feats.

Eventually the encounter ended because they all realized that focusing on Will save spells / powers would be a better choice.

I know that in a surprise round they can only get one action off. I was thinking more along the lines if they catch the PCs while flat footed for a full round. There are a myriad of spell/abilities that will take away a PC dex bonus. Also from what I have read a Dex bonus is only applicable if the character can react to the attach.

I don’t see any mention of sneak attack being restricted to attacks from stealth.

Change the suitutation around a bit. Have the rogue wielding a rapier, or dual short swords. If they were flanking their target or caught then with no dex bonus to AC then they could conceivable do a sneak attack on hit hit?

My group has 6 players and they tend to either break into pairs or small groups to take down enemies. While I know this can end up biting them in the backside eventually. In last night’s match my PCs were able to deal with the undead, necromancers, and enemy guards that were sent their way. But when they came across a fighter the same level as them he carved through them easily.

I will admit there were a few bad roles on their part and some questionable tactics. However the NPC fighter was the same level as half the party members and one level lower than the rest. While in the end they were victorious if it was not for a few “corrected” dice roles on my part most of the party would have gone down.

This should have been an average encounter. More so considering the group was fully rested prior to this. I have noticed that the Fighter in Pathfinders is a strong step up from vanilla 3.5, but someone this encountered felt horribly skewed against the PCs.

Any advice?

For an upcoming encounter I have create a rival adventuring Party that my PCs have gone worked with in the past. Currently they have chosen opposite sides in a local conflict. There are two level 10 Rogues in this party.

I have equipped them with Composite str 3 shortbows, +1, shocking, flaming.

With the rapid shot and many shot feats they have 3 attacks, with a total of four arrows.
I’ve read over the sneak attacks rules and my questions is this.

If/When these Rouges get into sneak attack position they will end up doing (3d6 +4 +5d6)
+ (3d6 +4 +5d6) + (3d6 +4 +5d6) + 3d6+4, each.

That is a total of 27d6+16, with average damage it is 93 damage in one round, to say nothing rolling higher than average. Min damage is 39.

Does this seem right? If I were to throw in another few weapon feats the damage would only get larger.

I’ve chosen to do the following.

For the Contacts of Spellcraft. I’ve allowed the -10% reductions in cost based on the restriction that Knowledge Arcane requires 7 ranks(or however many ranks matching the bonus requested for spellcraft.)

I’ve rejected the -30% reduction in cost, because I can’t find any way for this to be implemented by a player in a meaningful way that actually works as a restriction.

As for a spell base, having one makes sense to me and it is comparable to most of the other skill boosting items out there. In this case I have allowed my player to use Fox’s Cunning. It’s of suitable low level that it does not have much of an impact on his ability to create the item but it helps it make sense to me.

I have applied a similar stance on this player’s other proposed creations.

I have to say, I love the pathfinder’s system in general. What I have seen of item creation thus far is that it can and most likely will become a much more important and commonplace part of adventuring. Especially compared to 3.5. As such it has become a more powerful tool for the PCs, one that I don’t think they should be deprived of. Only heavily scrutinized.

I have been DMing my first pathfinders game without much trouble until recently.

My players have gotten to the point that they are creating magical items and it has raised several questions.

In the item creation entry, under “other considerations” it lists a two ways to lower the cost of an item by giving it some restrictions.

Currently my player wants to create a item to give him a boost to his spellcraft skill. Most certainly this is to make it easier for him to create items in the future.

With an bonus of +7 this gives him a maket value of 4 900 Gp, and a creation cost of 2450 Gp.

Adding the following restrictions,

5 ranks of spellcraft required for use, -10 %
Usable only by a Sorcerer, -30 %
Total reduction -40 %

At first glance this does not sit well with me. Can you place a skill restriction on an item that add a bonus to the same skill? Does the total reduction get applied to the market price? Or the Construction price? I have read on some posts that these reductions only apply to the Mark Price in regards to the sale of magical items and have no bearing on the construction of the item.

I’ve reviewed other skill boosting items and there is always a spell involved, that in some way gives a bonus to the related skill or end use desired. I have not been able to find one for a bonus to spellcraft. Is there one that could apply? If not I do not know if this item should be allowed. I know that this item is being created solely to allow the player to make items in the future easier.

I am currently DMing a pathfinders game. My PCs have gotten to the point where they are now starting crafting various magical items.

I’ve looked over the rules for this an noticed a number of changes from 3.5 D&D. My main concern is that from what I have read the final DC to make an item can be increased by 5 for each prerequisite not know. The only exception being the item creation feat in questions.

That said , with the wondrous item creation feat, at 3rd level a PC can make an item with a 9th level spell and a caster level of 18 and only have to add 10 to the spellcraft DC.

Granted that the Gp and time cost would most likely make this impossible. And that the spellcraft DC would be very high. It is possible according to the rules.

Is this correct?