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Alright, I know this might sound like a stupid question, but will material released under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatible licence be open for use in Pathfinder Society, even if only on a case by case basis?

This question came to my mind after looking at some of the previews for Adamant Entertainment's Tome of Secrets. Some of the stuff in there is looking pretty solid.

I can obviously understand if the answer is "no:" approving material outside the Pathfinder core would be a hassle since the people in charge of running the Society would suddenly have to inspect all the material for any material that may potentially break the balance of the Society. I'm just speculating, I guess.

Okay, this little brainstorm is based on the Beta rules, so it might not be a viable combo in the final version, but here goes: most races now grant the character weapon proficiencies in at least some martial weapons. A Cleric with the Magic domain and a Wizard with the Universal specialization gains an ability called Hand of the Apprentice, allowing them to use an ability similar to mage hand at will to make attacks with a weapon on foes within 30 ft.

A character with both could supposedly, given two rounds, activate both abilities and suddenly have two weapons whirling around them, attacking nearby enemies. Humans and elves are good choices for this, but for extra fun use a dwarf (flying axes and warhammers for everyone!) or a half-orc (greataxes and falchions are awesome for this purpose).

Does anyone else have any weird/awesome builds based on the rules as we know them thus far?

Okay, since the Bard preview thread has disappeared I'm going to start a new one about a couple of questions and issues that I have with the Versatile Performance ability. There are namely two issues that I'd like to address:

First of all, how does Versatile Performance interact with spells that give bonuses to skill-checks? Some spells, Jump and Glibness being the first to come to mind, grant bonuses on specific skills. Assuming that you have a Bard with the Versatile Performance ability related to Perform (Comedy), whichs supposedly lets him use that skill in place of Bluff and Intimidate checks, and he cast Glibness on himself, would he gain the +20 bonus from the spell on Perform (Comedy) checks he makes in place of Bluff checks to tell a lie or would he actually have to use the Bluff skill with the aforementioned bonus?

I can actually see both arguments as having some merit: On one hand you could say that since you're effectively just using your Perform (Comedy) bonus on a Bluff check you would gain the said bonus on it, but on the other hand one could argue that since you're effectively just using the Perform (Comedy) skill to invoke the effects of the Bluff skill you wouldn't gain the bonus.

My second question is about how Versatile Performance interacts with feats that affect these skills or rely on them. First of all, the Dazzling Display feat allows you to make an Intimidate check against all foes within 30 feet who can see you. Could a Bard with Versatile Performance in Perform (Comedy) make a Perform (Comedy) check in place of an Intimidate check in this case?

As a second example, there's the Intimidating Prowess feat, which allows you to add your Strength bonus in addition to your Charisma bonus on Intimidate checks. Assuming the same Bard yet again, would he gain his Strength bonus on his Perform (Comedy) checks used in place of Intimidate checks in this case?

While I am looking for an official answer I'd also like to invite other people's opinions and input on this, just to see what the general consensus on these things might be.

Also, in light of the Versatile Performance ability I'm now convinced of the fact that the Joker is a Bard with Versatile Performance in Perform (Comedy). ;)

Okay, since the Bard preview thread has disappeared I'm going to start a new one about a couple of questions and issues that I have with the Versatile Performance ability. This is in light of the fact that in about a month I'm going to have to start converting my Pathfinder Society character into the Pathfinder ruleset and I've desided to reskin my Wizard as a Bard (simply because he's a very talkative guy and it'd be nice to finally get some mechanical support for his loud mouth and bad jokes). There are namely two issues that I'd like to address:

First of all, how does Versatile Performance interact with spells that give bonuses to skill-checks? Some spells, Jump and Glibness being the first to come to mind, grant bonuses on specific skills. Assuming that you have a Bard with the Versatile Performance ability related to Perform (Comedy), whichs supposedly lets him use that skill in place of Bluff and Intimidate checks, and he cast Glibness on himself, would he gain the +20 bonus from the spell on Perform (Comedy) checks he makes in place of Bluff checks to tell a lie or would he actually have to use the Bluff skill with the aforementioned bonus?

I can actually see both arguments as having some merit: On one hand you could say that since you're effectively just using your Perform (Comedy) bonus on a Bluff check you would gain the said bonus on it, but on the other hand one could argue that since you're effectively just using the Perform (Comedy) skill to invoke the effects of the Bluff skill you wouldn't gain the bonus.

My second question is about how Versatile Performance interacts with feats that affect these skills or rely on them. First of all, the Dazzling Display feat allows you to make an Intimidate check against all foes within 30 feet who can see you. Could a Bard with Versatile Performance in Perform (Comedy) make a Perform (Comedy) check in place of an Intimidate check in this case?

As a second example, there's the Intimidating Prowess feat, which allows you to add your Strength bonus in addition to your Charisma bonus on Intimidate checks. Assuming the same Bard yet again, would he gain his Strength bonus on his Perform (Comedy) checks used in place of Intimidate checks in this case?

While I am looking for an official answer I'd also like to invite other people's opinions and input on this, just to see what the general consensus on these things might be.

Also, in light of the Versatile Performance ability I'm now convinced of the fact that the Joker is a Bard with Versatile Performance in Perform (Comedy). ;)

I was just looking over the Intimidate skill in the Beta and noticed that a character's saving throw bonus against fear no longer affects the difficulty to Intimidate them. I also cross-checked this with abilities that give saving throw bonuses against fear (i.e. halflings' racial bonus, the Fighter's Bravery, the Paladin's Aura of Courage) and none of them seemed to indicate that this would be so.

What I'd like to know is whether this was just an oversight in the Beta or whether the rule has been changed. If the former, no problem, if the latter, well, I find it odd that Fighters and Paladins who are supposed to be fearless warriors should be as easy to Intimidate as their cowardly Rogue companion. ;)

I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes to come up with really odd character concepts for the society in their free time. So, post your more left-field character ideas in this thread.

Mine:

A chaotic neutral worshiper of Calistria who serves Cheliax, not because he wants to see Hell on Golarion, but because of their promises of really out-of-there carnal pleasures.

Having skimmed through the Pathfinder Campaign Setting I noticed that there is a new combat maneuver that can be used in conjunction with the Osiriani khopesh and the temple sword (both allowed since they're equipment from the campaign setting). I was simply wondering whether this maneuver could be considered "within the rules" for Society games or whether it's out of bounds like all the non-equipment crunch in the book?

Having skimmed through this scenario now (haven't run it yet) I simply have to vent about one minor thing:

Other than that minor gripe this seems like a really solid scenario.

All in all, I look forward to running this scenario.

EDIT:

Call me weird if you like, but I'm personally very curious about what sort of characters people are playing in the Society around the world. I'm also very curious about character trends in terms of how class/race correlates with a character's faction and such. So, I'm making a call for the first ever Pathfinder Society census!

Since I am sure that many Pathfinder Society players are present on these forums, I am posting this here. Below I have filled out a sample census form with data for my own character. I would like to welcome you to follow in suite.

Name: Shah Rivar
Race: Gnome
Gender: Male
Class: Wizard (Illusionist]
Faction: Qadira
Alignment: Neutral

For Clerics I'd also welcome information on the deity you have chosen for your character. Just write it in brackets next to Cleric in your class entry.

What is the aim of this? Just to sate my idle curiosity and to see what kind of trends people are following with their characters... and also so I can find which single combination of race, class and faction is the rarest so I can make a super special character. ;)

One of the things I miss about the 3.5 Warlock is my favourite build, the Glaivelock, built around the eldritch glaive power. 4e already has its own melee Warlock in the form of the Hexhammer (which I think is a terrific example of practical optimization and a cool concept to boot), but since the concept can get a bit tired I've decided to take a crack
at providing an alternative for those who don't like playing dwarves and wiedling warhammers all the time.

Eldritch Glaive [Warlock]
Prerequisites: Warlock, Eldritch Blast class feature
Benefit: You can channel the eldritch energies you master into a knife of pure arcane energy to use eldritch glaive.

Eldritch Glaive:Feat Power
You slash your foe with a blade of dark, crackling eldritch energy.
[b]At-Will * Arcane, Implement
Standard Action Melee touch
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma or Constitution vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d10 + Charisma or Constitution modifier damage.
Increase damage to 2d10 + Charisma or Constitution modifier at 21st level.
Special: This power uses the same ability for the attack as your eldritch blast power.
This power counts as a melee basic attack. When a power allows you to make a melee basic attack, you can use this power. You can also make opportunity attacks with it.

Now, a bit of analysis:

Before Paragon tier a character with this feat is much better for melee damage than a Hexhammer for damage output, since his attack targets Reflex and doesn't require Strength for damage or hitting. This is somewhat reduced by the fact that the character can't enjoy the benefits of proficiency bonuses or Dwarven Weapon Training. On the other hand, the character is also much less dependent on magical weapons and can use a shield in his other hand whereas the Hexhammer is pretty much tied to the hammer+rod combo (which is, again, corrected by Adventurer's Vault which features the Pact Hammer). The character's basic melee attacks can also enjoy the benefits of rods and wands the character finds. The Hexhammer does become a more reliable damage-dealer at Paragon Tier once he picks up Hammer Rhythm.

For reference, the Hexhammer can be found here.

Comments?

I know, I know, the feat isn't available to players yet due to it not being in the Player's Handbook, but since it's clearly in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta (and I hope it's still there in the finalized version) it'll most likely be available for year one.

Now, I know that the rules explicitly do not allow evil characters, but what about evil familiars? For an example, could a Lawful Neutral Wizard have an imp familiar? As per the feat itself it would be acceptable (since the Wizard is one step away from the imp's alignment) but I'm just wondering whether this would constitute a breach of the alignment clause. Then again, we already have Lawful Neutral Clerics of Asmodeus so I wouldn't consider this too much of a stretch.

[Note: While I have lifted a part of the title from a piece of satire by Jonathan Swift this thread is not to be read in a satirical voice. I simply picked the title because it's catchy.]

I am certain that I am not the only one who is going to miss the scores of alternate character classes from 3.5 that we will not see in Pathfinder since doing so would infringe on copyrights. I understand the legal implications full well but I still can't help but feel that fans of Beguilers, Scouts, Warlocks et al are going to feel shafted for this. Yet I believe that with Pathfinder's fresh take on the 3.5 ruleset these classes could be easily emulated through using a feature that is already part of the system. Are you ready for it?

Feats.

Yes, it's as simple as that. Most of the alternate classes outside of the core are really just reimaginings of established classes with different class features, features which I think could easily be converted into feats without losing game balance while at the same time pleasing fans of these classes.

The first class I would like to tackle is the Beguiler (since it's one of my favourites): if there's one thing that differentiates a Beguiler from a Sorcerer or a Wizard (apart from a very limited spell-list consisting mostly of Enchantments and Illusions) it's the Beguiler's signature ability, Cloaked Casting. Now watch as this ability is converted into a feat:

Cloaked Casting:
Your spells become more effective when cast against an unwary foe.
Benefit:
You gain a +1 bonus to the spell’s save DC when you cast a spell that targets any foe who would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not).

The Rationale:
Cloaked Casting makes for a perfect feat when you compare it to its closest counterpart, Spell Focus: both feats give a situational bonus to a spell's save DC, the difference being that Spell Focus gives a bonus on all save DCs of a certain school of spells while Cloaked Casting only works in a limited number of situations. While Cloaked Casting works on spells of any school it is of more limited usage unless the character finds an effective way to negate an enemy's Dexterity bonus to AC. For the abovementioned reasons I would consider this feat on par (perhaps even weaker) than Spell Focus.

The next class I will try to tackle is the Scout. The Scout is effectively just a repackaged Rogue with abilities relating to the wilderness and with its Sneak Attack ability replaced with Skirmish. Now, the general consensus (at least in Character Optimization circles, comprising many people who really know how to crunch their numbers) is that Skirmish is a solid ability at lower levels but at higher levels is simply worse than Sneak Attack since it can not be used in conjunction with iterative attacks. With these things in mind, I present you with this:

Skirmish:
You rely on mobility to deal extra damage and improve your defense.
Prerequisite:
Sneak Attack +2d6
Benefit:
You can deal half your Sneak Attack damage on any attacks that you make during any round in which you move at least 10 feet. The extra damage applies only during your turn and only applies against living creatures that have a discernible anatomy.
You also gain a competence bonus to Armor Class during any round in which you move at least 10 feet equal to half the number of Sneak Attack dice you have. The bonus applies as soon as you have moved 10 feet and lasts until the start of your next turn.
Special:
The damage from Skirmish and Sneak Attack do not stack. In any situation where you would meet the necessary conditions for both Skirmish and Sneak Attack use the higher damage instead.

The Rationale:
While seemingly powerful at first sight, Skirmish as a feat is balanced by several factors: first of all, you may first acquire it at 3rd level, at which point it effectively offers you a free +1d6 damage and +1 AC in every round in which you move. Note, however, that the requirement to move prevents you from doing certain things: on a turn you use Skirmish you may not, due to the action economy of 3.5, reload a crossbow or a sling (traditional weapons of the Rogue) or draw a thrown weapon. Unless you have invested in Quick Draw or Rapid Reload you may only apply this tactic every turn with melee attacks, leaving you susceptible to Attacks of Opportunity for moving. Elf Rogues will of course get the most mileage out of this ability since they will have free proficiency with bows which oddly enough require no time to reload.
Now, it is at higher levels that this ability becomes much less impressive. While dealing half your Sneak Attack dice in damage every round you move may seem attractive, it is less so at higher levels when iterative attacks set in. Remember, movement in 3.5 prevents you from performing any of the following actions: attacking with two weapons and performing multiple iterative attacks due to high BAB. Furthermore, you are still suscept to the same limitations you were at low levels: no Quick Draw or Rapid Reload means no using this every round and even if you could use Skirmish every round you would be much better off going for multiple Sneak Attacks.

Tune in next time where I consider some more classes that are deserving of a Pathfinder RPG treatment!