ShadowChemosh's page

Fire as She Bears is first. Then I have to set up a website, etc. Then the KUG.

I am excited to see something good come of the RC stuff as I thought it was a great idea when mentioned on the Sinster forums. =)

Looking forward to it and will be picking it up ASAP when it's out.

Mark Moreland wrote:

buzzby wrote:

Dark_Mistress wrote:

You're not the only one... though we might be the only two. :)

Three.

I'm there with you, folks.

Me too.

Still waiting too.

Hmmm... would punching up the "The rangers might be in trouble; they're good guys, so you should go help them!" solve some of the problems?

I solved this using the letter Lisa wrote for her group. Got my players all interested in going to Turtleback Ferry.

I have a community created add-on for Hero Lab for the ARG play test rules. This add-one will allow you to create races without having to use the HL Editor. The creation rules follow the ARG play test rules exactly.

For the full details please see the ARG playtest add-on post over at the Hero Lab forums. The post includes a step by step guide for the install which is very easy to do.

This is created by the community for the community so it is 100% free. The add-on *should* not require any data sets past CORE but that is hard for me to test so I am not 100% sure actually.

Thanks

2a) Though one idea here is their could be window authority issues actually. Their is a reason why HL gets placed into C:\HeroLab and not C:\Program Files\HeroLab. So instead of a rename those with an issue plz copy the SGG_Dragonrider(2011.05.08).hl to your HeroLab\Download folder. Then double click on it from their as that will should remove any window authority issues.

Sigh can't edit posts on this forum.

So the above is for the older version of HL BEFORE v3.8 which moved all the files around.

Hero Lab program is now stored in C:\Program Files\HeroLab.

The data files are now stored in:
Windows 7 - "C:\ProgramData\Hero Lab\data\pathfinder"
Windows XP/Vista - "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Hero Lab\data\pathfinder"
Note: You can always find the "data" folder containing the user files by going to the Tools menu within Hero Lab and choosing Explore Folders->Program Data Folder.

For those that installed SGG_Dragonrider(2011.07.08).hl which is the latest version you can do the following to delete it/remove it from HL if you want.
From inside of HL go to Tools->Manage Third-Party Updates... Select the dragonrider and click delete.

I got this warning

** spoiler omitted **

I would recommend contacting HL support actually as that is a crash of the main program. You can email them at support@wolflair.com. The importer and stuff is all built by Lone Wolf so any issues that come up I can't help with at all. =(

I'm confused by some things ShadowCemosh wrote:

There is a reason why HL gets placed into C:\HeroLab and not C:\Program Files\HeroLab. So instead of a rename those with an issue plz copy the SGG_Dragonrider(2011.05.08).hl to your HeroLab\Download folder. Then double click on it from their as that will should remove any window authority issues.

My Herolab is in C:\ProgramFiles\Herolab

The above is a little out of date as HL v3.8 moved the location of its files to be more standard. So yes HL.exe is now in Program Files and the download directory is now in a hidden folder on most versions of windows.

The data files are now stored in:
Windows 7 - "C:\ProgramData\Hero Lab\data\pathfinder"
Windows XP/Vista - "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Hero Lab\data\pathfinder"

Hope that helps.

Breaking bones would have no impact on HP as it should affect ability scores. This is the best way to show the effect of this kind and makes sense as a person with a broken arm/Clavicle will be exactly like you said unable to use his strength.

This also works great for when torturing a PC as you don't affect the characters HP you affect the ability scores instead. Personally feel that breaking bones is torture actually which can then even effect mental ability scores.

In such a case it takes many days or a Restoration (lesser or greater also) spell to get ability damage fixed. Much worse then a simple cure spell can do which again shows how much more sever the damage is.

To the OP. If the group wants to keep the player don't do stuff to inflame the issue. Instead make use of the rules lawyer instead.

The DM casts a spell and not 100% sure how it affects work ask the rules lawyer to explain it. If your just trying to get on with the game does it matter who is *Right*? If it does not matter who is *exactly* right just go with the way the rules lawyer says the rule works.

This means less arguments and the rules lawyer gets to have fun also. The group has more fun as the game moves at a faster pace. The DM has more fun as a whole lot of stress went away and he has off-loaded some of his work on to a player. Its a win win.

Hope that helps.

I have found that inviting a person over to make a character with me is a great way to interview a new player. I first start out with info about the group, play style, current characters and then any house rules we use.

I then go over the character creation rules. At this point most gamers begin talking about what kind of character they may want to play and I get a good sense of what kind of person/player they are.

I have also learned that the above process goes much smoother and faster than trying to do it across email. Any questions the player has are answered right away and they get a in person sense about why we have certain house rules.

The point being that its a no pressure way to get a new person talking and communicating which is a great way to judge if they will really fit in with the group.

I have posted Joey Virtue's latest files to d20pfsrd in the "Pathfinder Adventure Paths" folder with the name "Second Darkness v1.0 (2011.09.19).hl".

You may notice this is NOT a zip file this time but a .hl file. A .hl file is a Hero Lab Import File. This will make importing of community add-ons much easier. After downloading simply double click on the .hl file and Hero Lab will start prompting you to install the new data set. This importer will install all the files into the correct locations for you.

After the import process the .por or character files will be found in your "\portfolios\pathfinder\" under a new folder called "Second Darkness".

To remove these imported files you will be able to go to "Tools->Manage Third-Party Updates..." and see what .user files where installed and set them to be removed.

I just forwarded Joey Virtue's files to ShadowChemosh, Cutter, TheAndromedaStrain, and shiverscar. Unfortunately, my email to Eretas bounced.

I got them Thanks!

Hey Guys glad you like this stuff ill get all the stuff updated and send out a new export to shadow so anyone can get them

Awesome! I have posted what John Woodford sent me to d20pfsrd in the "Pathfinder Adventure Paths" folder with the name "Second Darkness Chapters 1-6 NPCs.zip" I marked them as the 2011.02.15 version.

When you get the new release ready send over and I will upload the new version.

Thanks so much for this Joey!

ShadowChemosh wrote:

pipedreamsam wrote:

Blood Transcription** - A pretty creative way to add more spells to your familiar. It doesn't rely on saves so this is a spell I carry one or two scrolls of before going into a dungeon. Note that it does not require the target to be humanoid, but it does have the evil descriptor so cast sparingly. Without the scribe scroll feat this is pointless.

Except the spell says "you gain the knowledge of this spell for 24 hours. During this time, you may write it down (or teach it to your familiar, if you are a witch)"

If you are going to quote use the whole text.

Blood Transcription wrote:

"During this time, you may write it down (or teach it to your familiar, if you are a witch) using the normal rules for copying a spell from another source.

Normal rules still require you to convert it into a scroll and feed it to your Familiar, so still keeps the same need for scribe scroll.

The spell clearly says what options you can do. You may either A) Write the spell down (ie scroll) or B) Teach it to your familiar if you are a witch.

What you quoted says that to do this I need to make a Spellcraft check (DC15+Spell Level) the NORMAL rules for a faimilar to learn. It does NOT mean that you need a feat to convert it into a scroll first for a useless step. This specific rule in the spell overrides the generic rule found on page 68 of the APG.

Happy gaming!

edited: I am tired so edited post to fix/remove wording that made the post sound hostile. Not my intent. I really don't see the spell working the way you do. Maybe some day we will get an official FAQ but until then I take the spell to allow direct addition to your familiar making it a great spell.

Blood Transcription** - A pretty creative way to add more spells to your familiar. It doesn't rely on saves so this is a spell I carry one or two scrolls of before going into a dungeon. Note that it does not require the target to be humanoid, but it does have the evil descriptor so cast sparingly. Without the scribe scroll feat this is pointless.

Except the spell says "you gain the knowledge of this spell for 24 hours. During this time, you may write it down (or teach it to your familiar, if you are a witch)"

Their is a large growing list of Hero Lab files, both add-ons and module data sets, created by the community for the community. It can be found at d20pfsrd.

If anyone has a copy of the mentioned files in this thread I would be happy to put them up on the site so everyone can get to them.

send to shadowchemosh(at) yahoo (dot)com

Thanks

My wife also swears by GoodReader.

I love GoodReader. I use it for both work and reading paizo PDFs.

Same as previous post

Anything???

Nope not a sound. My players are taking bets on if Skull and Shackles or Razor Coast comes out first. =)

Sorry to say this but you are adding rules to 3.5 that never existed. The extra damage from SA NEVER added to ability damage or level drain. Here is the full text:

SNEAK ATTACKS Any weaponlike spell can be used to make a sneak attack, including ranged spells used against targets within 30 feet (just as with any other ranged sneak attack). A successful sneak attack with a weaponlike spell deals extra damage of the same type as the spell normally deals. For example, a 10th-level rogue/3rd-level wizard who makes a successful sneak attack with Melf's acid arrow deals 2d4 points of acid damage, plus an extra 5d6 points of acid damage for the sneak attack (with the spell continuing to deal acid damage as normal in subsequent rounds). The exception is spells that deal energy drain or ability damage, which deal negative energy damage on a sneak attack, not extra negative levels or ability damage. For example, a 5th-level rogue/8th-level sorcerer who makes a successful enervation sneak attack bestows 1d4 negative levels and deals 3d6 points of negative energy damage. If a sneak attack with a weaponlike spell results in a critical hit, the spell damage is doubled, but not the extra damage (as with any sneak attack critical hit).

The same for feats like Point Blank shot:

Point Blank Shot: You get a +1 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls with ranged spells that deal hit point damage at ranges of up to 30 feet. Spells that deal only ability damage, bestow penalties on ability scores, or deal energy drain gain a +1 bonus on their attack rolls but get no bonus on damage.

In the PHB(page 93):"....For example an empower magic missile deal 1-1/2 times its normal damage(roll 1d4+1 and multiply the results by 1-1/2 for each missile.)"

It is telling you to rolling the 1d4+1 and multiply that, not roll 1d4 and only multiply the 1d4.

The confusion with the example is that MM does 2-5 damage which is its variable number. Where Ray of Enfeeblement only has 1d6 as variable and the plus is a static number that increases with level.

Anyways that is why the the Empower issue has been around sense 3.0 days. So it is nice that PFRPG has finally settled that issue.

That if you roll a 1 when activating a magic item with UMD you can't attempt to activate it for the rest of the day.

Actually it's if you roll a 1 and still fail to activate the item then you can't use the item for 24 hours.

From d20pfsrd
Try Again: Yes, but if you ever roll a natural 1 while attempting to activate an item and you fail, then you can't try to activate that item again for 24 hours.

My initial import effort was through the "Tools|Import Files" menu option. The file was in the Downloads folder of HeroLab when I imported it, and it generated an error very much like the one posted here (though I cannot swear the codes were the same).

Not the recommend way to do the import actually. As even if successful you have to do a full restart of HL now. The steps I have listed above is the better way to go. As step one actually says to not have HL running.

So I tried doing the import the way you listed using my clean CORE data set and the import ran without issues. I did a restart to HL and the Dragonrider source appears correctly.

I assume, as you didn't give the error, that you mean to say HL did a hard crash? If so I think you have a problem with Hero Lab and you should report the issue to Lone Wolf actually.

After that, I saw the Super Genius Games entry in the User sources, and selected it, but I see no Dragonrider class in the class list.

You actually selected "Dragonrider" not "Super Genius Games" correct? Not that you should be able to actually. Hmm actually the only way you could select SGG would be if you have a very old version of Hero Lab.

If you go to "Help->About Hero Lab..." you are running V3.6g correct?

Hey All,

I am the one that put this together for Owen. I am trying to understand the issue as I currently can't duplicate it at all.

Renaming the file should not be needed as I have used this type of naming convention before.

Let me start by going over the steps to get this into Hero Lab.

1) Close down HL if it is open. HL should NOT be running initially.

2) Double click the file SGG_Dragonrider(2011.05.08).hl their really should be no reason to rename it.

2a) Though one idea here is their could be window authority issues actually. Their is a reason why HL gets placed into C:\HeroLab and not C:\Program Files\HeroLab. So instead of a rename those with an issue plz copy the SGG_Dragonrider(2011.05.08).hl to your HeroLab\Download folder. Then double click on it from their as that will should remove any window authority issues.

3) HL will start and present the Import Window. This window tells you what data set the import is going to go into and what will be imported. So you will be able to see that two files will be added to your data set.
-PFRPG_SGG_Dragonrider.user
-PFRPG_Sources.1st

So their is NO WAY that this can corrupt ANY character you have previously built. So when you tell it to import and get the warning message it is safe to proceed. HL ALWAYS says this as it is possible for a import to actually have .por (Portfolio/Character) files but I doubt SGG will ever have a need for that.

The 2 files simply get placed into your HeroLab\data\pathfinder folder. So anytime you feel like removing them you can just go to that folder and delete them.

4) After the import is successful you should be asked which game system to start. Pick Pathfinder and on the "Configure Your Hero" window their will be a new Parent source under User Content that says "Super Genius Games" and under it will be the "Dragonrider".

5) Put a check mark next to Dragonrider and press OK. You will now find the Dragonrider class in HL.

6) If when starting Pathfinder game system ANY error message happens then HL will go into Safe Mode and stop loading ALL .user files. So for those that said you see "Super Genius Games" but not dragonrider this could be the reason. So did anyone get a error message and what was it?

So now that is out of the way. I would ask anyone with a problem to go through those steps above again. If you get ANY error message please be so kind as to fully copy/paste the info into this thread and I will try to help.

@Min Bein'Meleth Rámalóce - With your Access Violation could you let me know what you did? Otherwise that type of crash really needs to be reported to Lone Wolf actually as nothing in a .user file can/should cause HL to actually Hard Crash.

@Kevin - I am interesting in learning from your experience in this area. You should still have my email so shot me a message. I do use this exact method to give new House Rules out to my gaming group and never have had an issue actually.

Thanks

I just wanted to share that I did get an email from Nick this morning actually.

Hi Nick,

Regarding Razor Coast I wanted to know if the plan is still to release it? Seems like all I have read sense the website went down is about refunds on the Paizo boards. So is refunds all one can get now or is the product actually going to come out this year?

I have been promising my players a Pirate like campaign with Razor Coast for a long time and wanted to know if I need to look else where to fulfill that need. So a simple response here or the Paizo board would be nice for those of us still waiting on the product.
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/licensees/sinisterAdventuresSAWebsiteDownWillWeEverSeeTheRazorCoast

Thanks

Got this back this morning.

Hi Tim!

Razor Coast is still on the boards! Its coming out at the end of the summer hopefully! The website is doing a revamp and going up again soon for the last stage of Sinister (before I shut it down) – only RC and Anarchist Gamemaster Cookbook are coming out – everything else is cancelled.

Nick

So he is alive and has plans to release RC. I just wanted to share with others is all and still hopeful to get to run this adventure one day.

Thanks

Count Duck wrote:

+2/+2. Flurry of blows is a specific monk ability. Only improving with Monk levels

That is incorrect. I know this because the question keeps coming up. The problem is that the text that provides the answer is in the conversion document, and not in the rule book.

...

Their is also an official FAQ that covers this exact question. It can be found HERE

Still have room for one more.

Unless I am missing what you guys want the Official FAQ already has an entry for this very issue located HERE.

Does training an animal using Handle Animal to be Combat Trained (pg 98 in the Core Rulebook) grant it Light Armor Proficiency?
No, using Handle Animal to train an animal, or mount, in this way does not grant it a free bonus feat. It is not unreasonable, however to assume that an animal specifically designed to be ridden (such as a horse or dog) could be purchased with Light Armor Proficiency as one of its feats (swapping out Endurance or Skill Focus respectively) for the same cost. (JMB, 10/21/10)

We are looking for new players for a new campaign just starting out at level 1. We are using the Pathfinder RPG rules with just the Core Rules and Adventurer's Armory allowed currently. We are 30+ age group that game every other Saturday from 5pm to 11pm in Romeoville, IL.

This is a brand new campaign(first session was 11/6/10) with level 1 characters. The module is Crypt of the Everflame from Paizo. It will be a pretty standard game using the rules as written as they are new to the group as a whole. So this is a great opportunity to learn the new Pathfinder RPG with a fun group.

If interested or have questions please email me at ShadowChemosh(at)yahoo(dot)com.

I just looked and can't find anything on this. I hope a Dev sees this and addresses it soon. It's actually affecting playtest results.

See Jason's Post HERE.

You can use your AoO to trip a creature that is standing up from prone, but it has no effect, since the AoO is resolved before the action is completed, meaning that the creature is still prone. Once the AoO resolves, the creature would stand up normally.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

Thanks. Glade to know that nothing changed from 3.5 to PFPRG that would actually allow someone to be continuously tripped.

My group is in the middle of Chapter 4 of Rise of the Runelords. We meet every two weeks and game for about 6 to 8 hours. Its been about two and half years. Do to work, kids, or holidays, we do cancel the occasional session.

The only thing is I do add a decent amount of extra stuff, usually involving roleplaying, so we have not stuck exactly by the AP. As long as players are having fun those extras can take up several sessions before we are back on track where the AP thinks we should be.

Use to be spellcraft, but now its Knowledge(Arcana)

Identify a spell that just targeted you
Knowledge(Arcana)
DC 25 + spell level

You are correct, that be 15, typo{I am not sure how I got 25] moment.However zuri's +2 holy unholy axiomatic anarchic would be a total of +8 on ability making it 24 not the stated 7. To add it to a +1 weapon then yes it is CL 7. However the rules state weapon crafters must also have a CL of 3 times the ability or enhancement bonus, which ever is greater.

Actually Zuri is right in this case as its only the highest of the CL. So +2 times 3 is CL6. The other abilities are NOT enhancements and use the CL listed for the special ability which is CL7 for all those. So the CL required to create that weapon is only CL7 not 24.

That's the silliest of them all. Looks like no wizard is EVER gonna have a Staff bounded, go figure.

Just wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page about wizards and quarterstaff's as its a double weapon. James Jacobs has said its legal for them to wield the double weapon as a one handed weapon(per core rules) and cast spells. So go forth and bond those quarterstaves.

... It's additional explanation to clarify the way rules work—that's a FAQ if it's anything....

As you have such a nicely worded explanation I think I will add it to the FAQ actually.

ShadowChemosh wrote:

If the damage is piercing then it does not matter WHAT or WHERE the damage is coming from as its piercing damage. Which means against a creature with DR 10/Slashing or Bludgeoning it would have to do MORE than 10 points of damage to get through or it will be resisted.

This is no different from a creature with Acid Resistance that gets hit with Acid damage. It does not matter what is doing the acid damage it will get resisted.

You clearly did not read my post.

I read it all right, but I guess I am getting something else out of it. it sure sounds like you want all spells to do SPELL damage that bypasses all DR regardless if it actually does physical damage(ie Bludgeoning, Slashing, or Piercing).

I was trying to explain why spells do not work that way as written. Sorry if I was not helpful...

.... Leaving them as written is best, in my opinion.

If we leave them as written then they work as James Jacobs is explaining. What your asking for is a nice house-rule and it may even make things faster, but its not how 3.x including PFRPG actually works.

... A good example is the aforementioned ooze. The spell might bypass the DR of a hypothetical ooze that has DR/slashing or bludgeoning, but still the "effect" of the spell is similar enough to piercing damage that effects that trigger off of piercing damage normally, such as splattering nasty blood or splitting an ooze, would occur.

If the damage is piercing then it does not matter WHAT or WHERE the damage is coming from as its piercing damage. Which means against a creature with DR 10/Slashing or Bludgeoning it would have to do MORE than 10 points of damage to get through or it will be resisted.

This is no different from a creature with Acid Resistance that gets hit with Acid damage. It does not matter what is doing the acid damage it will get resisted.

That is a complete 180 from the way it worked in 3.5. Ice Storm only split the damage types to allow for the spell to do damage even against creatures with resistance or immunity. And the Conjuration angle doesn't hold water as Ice Storm is Evocation [cold]...

--Vrock of Ice

Sorry that is exactly how it worked in 3.x and nothing in PFRPG changed the way it would work. Which is also why their is no need for Errata either. Errata is for when their was a mistake put into the rules. What James is saying is not changing or fixing any mistakes he is just doing a nice job of explaining the way it works using different wording.

Oh.

So a character without Medium Armom proficiency could wear a Mithril Breastplate with no penalties, and Tumble away to their heart's content?

This would have been true in 3.5 but not in Pathfinder. They made a slight change so that while Mithril Breastplate is light for purposes of movement it still requires Medium Armor proficiency.

PRD: Mithral
Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. This decrease does not apply to proficiency in wearing the armor. A character wearing mithral full plate must be proficient in wearing heavy armor to avoid adding the armor's check penalty to all his attack rolls and skill checks that involve moving.

Wanted to share my place test of the witch. As I have been my groups main DM for over 5 years I have little chance to be a player. So I took Jason's idea and created a witch as a villain. So this play-test will be from the DM's perspective of the class. Though probably not as helpful as when its a PC as NPC's simply don't last long enough to really get a feel for the class. Also many of the abilities are tailored for PC use and not NPCs.

I was inspired to use the witch when I read the Coven hex ability as my group was about to run into the three hags of Hook Mountain in the Rise of the Runelords AP. So I replaced one of the Annis hags with a little sister elven witch. She is a level 8 witch meant to take on a party of six 8th level PCs. The hags also had a Graveknight(PF26 pg84), 4 advanced ghasts, 3 advanced Dolgaunt Monks (Eberron Campaign Setting). The combat took place on a frozen swamp terrain that covered 120 squares by 150 squares. I used the frozen map from the D&D Gargantuan White Dragon(Icingdeath) mini for the terrain.

We are still mostly using 3.5 rules with many Pathfinder changes. So in example the fighter class is pretty much pathfinder and we also allow many extra books including Book of Nine swords. The group consists of the following: Half-orc Fighter(Orc Double Axe), Hadozee Scout 6/Ranger2, Gnome Warlock, Goliath Spiked Chain Fighter, Dragonborn Favored Soul(with Houserules), and a Human Warmage. The half-orc fighter is what I have to balance against most as he is +18 to hit and does a base damage of 1d8+16 plus 1d6acid damage. Not including what he does vs giants. The funny part being he was doing so much damage with Power Attack he actually removed it from his character to take Improved Two-Weapon Fighting.

The witch stats are as follows:

I found the hexes to be nice and very flavorful, but not as powerful as her spells. Having an unlimited ability to off-set limited spellcasting is very nice for a PC. As a NPC villain I didn't think I would have many chances to use them actually. This turned out to be true as the only ones I ended up using where the Coven hex and the Ward protection hex which she gave to one of the annis hags before combat started.

The spell selection of the witch I thought fit very well with the theme that I wanted to build. They have a good number of control or combat hindrance spells, but very little in direct damage. Where I think they really need help is some better protection spells. At 8th level her whole list of protection spells was mage armor and cat's grace.

In comparison at Fort Rannick the group took on a ogre sorcerer who had a large number of protection spells. She had so many protection spells that the party spent almost a minute(10 rounds) taking her down. So I was very worried about a witch with a low AC of 19 and no significant hit points.

To help make sure the hags and witch lasted a little while longer I put up a modified wall of force that allowed the hags to cast out of, but prevented spells and a people in. The wall required a skill challenge to take down and the party easily handled doing this once they got near it.

The Combat
This combat lasted a total of 14 rounds and took six and half real hours to play through. So not going to go into full detail of it all. The witch's spells turned out to work like I hoped for and caused numerous slow downs to the party as they traversed the frozen landscape. She had little in the way of actually stopping the party or causing significant amounts of damage. Some of this was hammered by the range of many spells as the party stayed both spread out and far away from the hags and the cauldron while they mopped up the minions.

Once the shield wall was taken down the Half-orc fighter charged in ignoring the annis hags completly and went after the witch. The half-orc used Dual Strike(CAd) and easily hit the witch doing 49 points of damage(as both ends of the double axe hits) and are witch is left with 5hp. At least the party felt threatened by the witch as the half-orc player started yelling for someone to kill the sticky elven b***. When the warmage went he hit with four magic missiles and down goes the witch.

So no real chance to use any of the hexes as she didn't last long enough at such close ranges. Not that I think she would have lasted much longer provoking AoO's. I also think that sense she had a Maximized Ray of Enfeeblement ready that she would have used that over a hex as it was better at taking the fighter down a peg and could be cast defensively.

In hind sight I should have added the 8 levels of witch to the annis hag to give her more survivability or at least more than one round when directly confronted. Though it was fun to build her as if it was an actual PC.

Hope the above helps in some way.......

So in 3.5 touch attacks do not provoke.

This is exactly the same in PFRPG. Touch attacks do not provoke unless of course your a witch using a Hex attack. ;)

Its Range Touch Attacks that provoke an AoO in both 3.5 and PFRPG. The only thing PFRPG did was nicely spell this out exactly so no more huge arguments about it. Personally I am very happy they made it nice and clear now and of course its easy to houserule out if you disagree.

The miscast only happens when you are activating an item or scroll that you have NO idea what it is and hence the Activate Blindly separate section. If you already know what a scroll is, usually by using read magic, then their is no miscast of the spell even on a natural one. Rolling a one only prevents the use of that specific scroll from being tried again for 24 hours.

Activate Blindly: Some magic items are activated by special words, thoughts, or actions. You can activate such an item as if you were using the activation word, thought, or action, even when you're not and even if you don't know it.

I do not believe that spell-like abilities are subject to the normal concentration rules. No where is it said that damage interrupts the user or that they can be "cast" defensively.

Spell-like abilites are in almost every way exactly like a spell. The only difference is that they have no verbal, somatic, or material component. So just like a spell they can be interrupted, they can be cast defensively, and like a spell they provoke AoO's.

A creature's writeup will list the caster level of the spell-like ability and in PFRPG that gives you the Concentration roll.

Just wanted to add that as far as I know, if you're not proficient in medium armor then the mithril breastplate even with a lower acp will still reduce your speed. Which IMO is one of the main reasons for shelling out the extra cash for mithril armor.

Proficiency in armor has nothing to do with your speed being reduced. A character without medium army proficiency that is wearing a mithral breastplate still treats it as light armor for purpose of movement. Now they could still have their speed reduced if they have a very low Str score and are past their light encumbrance, but it is not being caused by not having the feat.

Most mithral armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. This decrease does not apply to proficiency in wearing the armor.

I agree about wands not working, but scrolls are a different case. As been shown before scrolls are exactly like casting a spell. So feats like Augment Summoning can be used with scrolls. With that in mind the Elemental bloodline ability could be applied to spells cast from scrolls.

Q: Augment Summoning Feat. If I scribe a summon monster scroll and I cast a spell that I scribed, do my summoned creatures get modified by my characters' Augment Summoning, or do they only affect spells that I cast?
A: (Jason Bulmahn) Augment Summoning does affect monsters summoned using scrolls. Reference casting scrolls "Determining Effect" portion of the scrolls description. "A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way."[Source]

The status of Vital Strike on Spring Attack has went from "officially no" to "unofficially yes and we may errata it to yes." So while it appears Spring Attack my be changed to say "an attack action" to allow Vital Strike (or maybe they will just change VS?)

Can you let me know where that got said? I read every post Jason Bulmahn and James Jacobs make every day and I never saw anything about spring attack either way.

So a link to where it got said would be really great.

Thanks

... This is a gray area in the RAW, basically a PC who has managed to have 2 readied weapons in one hand....Otherwise, you WILL get that PC who wields two spiked gauntlets and 2 daggers each made of different special materials and each with different enchantments to effectively wield 4 readied weapons at once...

I see nothing in the rules to stop this exactly from happening. The enforced rule would be TWF so he could only get one primary attack and one secondary attack (without higher BAB or feats). The character could choose the weapon for the primary attack (dagger or gauntlet) and the same for the off-hand. He would not get four attacks

The only thing this saves a character from is drawing a different weapon and in this case a weapon that only does 1d4 damage. To pull this off effectively the character needs a Dex 15, at least one feat, and thousands of gold worth of material for his four weapons. Even if we add oversized-TWF (complete adventure) and exotic Bastard sword we are still looking at only 1d10 damage with two separate weapons and only 1d4 for the gauntlets. Plus the cost of special materials and magic cost for 4 separate weapons.

I am still more concerned with the two-handed fighters or barbarian that have focused their feats like power attack and gold into one big weapon. Let the other character have his fun little trick as its a weapon that does only 1d4 damage. While its nice it still comes no where near the what a decent two-handed warrior damage output is. Which also means most times they won't even care if a creature has DR as they are doing so much damage they cut right through.

I don't think the intent of the rules was to allow ranged weapons to be used as melee weapons without extra cost, but I can't show any fast or hard rule quote to back that up.

In complete Scoundrel page 109 has the bayonets for crossbows which does actually turn them into full melee weapons. In Races of the wild they added Elvencraft bows that are allowed to be used a quarterstaff (longbow) or club (short bow). As their are special rules given later in the WotC books it seems to enforce the idea that normally bows could not be used in melee combat.

Looking at higher levels adds another question if you allowed a crossbow to be used in melee combat. What happens when that crossbow becomes a +1 Flaming crossbow. Does that mean the player also has a +1 Flaming club now for no additional cost? If you rule that it does not affect melee attacks and must be enchanted as separate melee weapon I think it could remain balanced to those not using the splat books.

I am not sure if the Squeezing rules would apply here. I think these rules are for squeezing through a tight opening.

Correct it is also for this too. The examples in the 3.5 book where really nice for this actually. As the example is an ogre (which takes a 10ft area) walks through a hall that is only 5ft wide. Obviously he should be allowed to do this and in such a case it falls under the squeezing rules.

Granted that is more straight forward than the little areas on the OP map example, but still this should work just fine. Plus the rules are already in the book and nicely balanced.

Fighting space is very important in combat and while standing still you don't need a 5ft area add in dodging and swinging swords that are up to 4+ feat in length and you sure need that space.

For a RAW answer squeezing is the closest and easiest method to use during actual play. The other idea is to just ignore those little areas of the map and say they are just fluff, but I personally like having to deal with the environment on top of the creatures in a battle.

I believe the object granting cover has to be between you and your enemy to grant cover.

Yea I agree as I just can't see it working in this situation.

Ok, we came upon a dilemma during gaming and it involves when you are allowed to enter a square.

Ok, so I remember reading in a rule book, not sure if it's the 3.5 PHB, D&D FAQ, or whatever (I can't find it now) but it stated if a square was partially taken up then it's ok to enter it.

I'll post a picture as an example:

Entering Partial Squares

So can a character enter a square marked in blue?

Or no?
Would there be some sort of penalties associated with this?

The answer is yes. The rule you are looking for is Squeezing. This lets you move into or through a square that is smaller than your normal space. So a medium creature going into your blue squares would be squeezing. A small creature would be a bit tough to call, but by RAW they also need a 5ft square so they would be squeezing also.

Also, according to the rules, standing in such a square actually provides cover to enemies attacking you in melee, since a line drawn from a character that passes through a solid object on ANY corner of a square provides cover. (which is odd, especially considering if the "cover" is "behind" your character)

Thanks for any feedback.

Going by your example I don't think those areas provide cover as that would negate the penalty caused by squeezing.

Shield, Light; Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it."

Notice no rules for casting a spell.

Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can't make a shield bash with a buckler.

You will notice that their are rules for casting with a buckler.

If he's using a light shield and casting a standard action spell, he can still get his AC bonus because as part of his move action he can ready his shield (assuming he has a BAB of +1 or higher) per note 3 on page 183.

You can't cast a spell with the same hand that is wielding a light or heavy shield. This can only be done with a buckler and PFRPG specifically says you lose the AC bonus for a round. So I really doubt that the bigger light shield would allow you to get away with what the buckler can't do.

Now what is not clear is the exact type of action it is to move your weapon from your main hand to your light shield hand. Many people want it to be free in which case you can move your weapon to your light shield hand cast your spell and move the weapon back. On page 11 of the 3.5 FAQ it is said for this exact situation that its a move action to move your weapon to a different hand. In which case you can cast your spell, but would not have a melee weapon in your main hand until next round at the cost of two move-actions.

Q: My DM says that my cleric has to drop his morningstar to cast spells. Is he right?

A: Yes and no. To cast a spell with a somatic (S) component, you must gesture freely with at least one hand. (PH 140) A cleric (or any caster, for that matter) who holds a weapon in one hand and wears a heavy shield on the other arm doesn’t have a hand free to cast a spell with a somatic component (which includes most spells in the game). To cast such a spell, the character must either drop or sheathe his weapon.

Another simple option is for the cleric to carry a buckler or light shield instead of a heavy shield. The buckler leaves one hand free for spellcasting, and you don’t even lose the buckler’s shield bonus to AC when casting with that hand. The light shield doesn’t give you a free hand for spellcasting, but since you can hold an item in the same hand that holds the light shield, you could switch your weapon to that hand to free up a hand for spellcasting. (You can’t use the weapon while it’s held in the same hand as your shield, of course.) The rules don’t state what type of action is required to switch hands on a weapon, but it seems reasonable to assume that it’s the equivalent of drawing a weapon (a move action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity).

Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can't make a shield bash with a buckler.

Just to make sure everyone is on the same page, but while you don't take the -1 to hit when using a bow and buckler you still lose the AC the buckler provides. This is changed from 3.5 rules where you got to keep the AC.

So when casting a spell or using any weapon in your off hand, including two-handed weapons (ie bows), you lose the bucklers AC for a round. As it does not matter which hand you use a bow in as its a two-handed weapon by the rules.