ShadowcatX's page

So about a year ago I started a series of posts examining various third party classes and possible builds for those classes. I've decided to pick that back up and now we're going to examine the Occultist class from Radiance House.

The build will be a 20 point buy and examined at levels 4 and 8. I'm not trying to say that this is the only way to play the class, or even the most optimized way to play the class, but it is a way to play the class.

My prior takes on classes:

Mighty Godling

Taskshaper

--------------------------Level 4--------------------------

Level 4 Aasimar (Angelkin) (Could be the dual stat human, but angelkin is better if available, and I've already done a human for this series) Occultist

Str 19 Bab: +3
Dex 12 AC: 18 (10 + 5 armor + 1 dex + 2 insight)
Con 14 HP: 38
Int 10 Fort: +7
Wis 8 Ref: +3
Chr 16 Will: +6

Skills:
4 skills of choice (knowledge (planes), perception and use magic device recommended, other for fluff).

Feats:
Toughness, Iron Will, Flexible Pact Making, Power Attack*, Vital Strike*

* From binding the Tyrant

Greatsword +1: +9 to hit, 4d6 + 7 to damage (using vital strike, not including power attack). (Also not including the profane bonus to strength.)

So what do you do?

Well for starters you've bound General Hessant for the first couple of levels and fought with a free masterwork long sword while throwing around a significant save or suck and the ability to make foes dazed with a melee strike. Not bad for a meleer all considered though your armor class is going to be a bit low (hence the toughness feat).

At third level you could keep doing the same but you should probably switch up to Tyrant Cromwell. But decide who you want to bind up front because you're going to want to gain that +10 to binding from flexible pact making (for making the pact last 5 days) so that you always get a good bind and thus always gain your pact augmentations (probably using it to boost your to strike roll at the moment). (Don't worry about constellation aspects, they're a trap.)

So if you channel the anti-paladin, what are you going to do? Well, the simple answer is kill things. Kill things very, very well. Now if you're thinking "what makes me so good at killing things, because +2 strength part of the time isn't that great," well, you're right, his major granted ability is nice, but it isn't the draw here. Instead the draw is the gaining of Vital Strike.

Now normally vital strike isn't a great feat, but until you gain multiple attacks vital strike is the bees knees, effectively giving you 7 free damage per strike if you use a great sword and a free 4.5 damage if you use a lance (both of which he gives you proficiency in). Also remember, it is perfectly legal to use a lance when you aren't mounted as just a 2 handed weapon with reach.

Rough outline of equipment:
Greatsword +1, Chain shirt +1, cloak of resistance +1

At this level you're sporting an acceptable, though not great, AC, good saves, but very good damage, very likely rivaling the group's barbarian.

--------------------------Level 8--------------------------

Level 8 Aasimar (Angelkin) Occultist

Str 20 Bab: +6
Dex 12 AC: 17 (10 + 4 natural + 0 dex -1 size, +1 deflection +3 insight)
Con 14 HP: 72
Int 10 Fort: +10
Wis 8 Ref: +5
Chr 16 Will: +9

Skills:
4 skills of choice (knowledge (planes), perception and use magic device recommended, last for flavor). Alternatively, you could work towards filling all of Fey Baraddu's totems for the extra +2 by taking only 2 of the recommended skills as well as perform (dance) and survival.

Feats:
Toughness, Iron Will, Flexible Pact Making, Weapon Focus (claw), improved initiative, power attack*, vital strike*

* From the Tyrant

Attack routine (dire tiger form):

2 claws +17 (2d4 + 14 + 2d6) (grab), 1 bite +16 (2d6 + 14 + 2d6) (grab),

Pounce, Rake (2 claws +17 2d4 +14 + 2d6)

Spell like ability: Alter Self.

So now what do you do? Well for starters you bind Fey Baraddu. His major granted ability is beast shape 2 which allows you to pounce. In addition you gain a scaling enhancement bonus on all your natural attacks, which frees up your amulet of the mighty fist to do cool things.

For the second bound spirit, there you have a lot of flexibility, just whoever you take make sure if you didn't get a good bind on Fey to get a good bind on them (use flexible pact making to be sure) because the +4 to damage (and yes, you're now using the pact augmentations for damage because you shouldn't really need the to hit with natural weapons and being strength based). The Tyrant is probably your best bet for swift action strength boosts (which stack with pretty much everything being profane) and the bonus to AC.

33,000 gp.

Amulet of Mighty Fists +2 (Holy) 16,000
Cloak of Resistance +2 4,000
Ring of Deflection +1 2,000
Belt of Strength +2 4,000

Other suggested purchases include a wand of mage armor (or first level pearl of power if you have a friendly caster).

Over all at this level you're playing very similarly to a melee focused druid, where you give up spell casting for a few more self buffs and the ability to wildshape every 5 rounds (rather than X times per day) which allows much more interaction with the party. It seems very solid, but in no way broken.

So we've all seen really bad optimization advice being given out, you know, the stuff so bad that all you can do is laugh at it? So let us all compile it. (Nothing from this site please, we don't want to embarrass anyone.)

1) You don't need strength on your monk, damage isn't important. Dexterity + Wisdom plus things like deflect arrows and crane style are where it is at.

2) Barbarians suck because they get knocked out of rage any time they become fatigued.

3) Barbarians suck because after they get out of a rage they're fatigued and fatigue lasts for hours.

I'm wanting to make make a dungeon based largely on non-creature encounters. One of the encounters I have thought up is inspired by DDO and involves an orb (or orbs) that each have the ability to cast multiple shadow conjuration spells to create illusionary monsters for the pcs to battle. (And while they're battling the illusions the orbs are busy creating more monsters so you have to find and destroy the orb while ignoring the monsters.)

My problem is I can't figure out how to CR it. I mean I could set it up as a magical trap of the appropriate CR for shadow conjuration, but since shadow conjuration is really just casting worse versions of lower level spells it would seem odd to do that. And besides, most traps are fire and forget, where as this is meant to fire every round.

But this is really only one example of what I'm planning. While I'd love advice for the specific instance, I'd also appreciate generic advice on assigning CR's to challenges. Right now the only thing I can think of is see how difficult a challenge it is for my pcs and give it a CR after the fact. . .

What do you think the value of a race point would be in gold pieces? My current thought is somewhere between 2 and 3 thousand gold for an assigned race point.

For example:

Gem of the Ifrits: While holding this ruby red gem in one hand, the bearer gains Elemental Affinity (Fire) as though he were an Ifrit.

GP: ???

I know buying their primary stats up (and grabbing spell like abilities) are dangers of allowing gold pieces and race points to be interchangeable, but as a GM and not allowing the players to craft items I think it could be handled without it getting out of control.

If you summon a monster with a summon monster spell, and that monster has shadow conjuration, is that monster prohibited from using shadow conjuration to mimic a summoning spell?

So I'm thinking about playing a Gunfighter / Paladin build in a pbp game and I was wondering if I could get some help on a build. The game features "guns are everywhere" so I'll have gun training at my first level of gunfighter. I was thinking something like:

Halfling Gunfighter 1 / Paladin (divine hunter) 19

Str 8
Dex 18
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 8
Chr 18

I'd rather have the skill points than a single extra point of grit. I was planning to go gunslinger to start to grab some good skills, and then finish it off with paladin. I really need help with my feats:

Feats:
Point Blank Shot, Precise shot (bonus), Rapid Shot, Deadly Aim

Those will get me to level 5. I'm not much interested in the paladin's casting so I'm not interested in using feats to expand on it.

I know two weapon fighting with firearms is usually a bad idea due to them being 1 handed weapons rather than light weapons so I was thinking about going with a revolver and a light shield or a buckler (I don't recall if the light shield lets me have an open hand for reloading).

Will I need rapid reload? Will I need clustered shots? Has something happened to make 2wf better since I last checked? Any other suggestions?

I seem to remember someone doing some conversions of the old first edition adventures to Pathfinder, but now I can't seem to find them. I was wondering if anyone had a link to them. Heck, it wouldn't even have to be first edition adventures, just some old school adventures.

I remember seeing, not so long ago, something along the lines of a campaign builder's guide book or a world builder's guide book. I'm not sure if it was 3rd party or not (if it is not I apologize for posting this in the wrong forum), but I think I recall seeing some third party names associated with articles in it. What I can't do (for the life of me) is find it now. If someone had the name of it or a link to it that would be much appreciated. I loved the AD&D world builder's guidebook and would love to find the new guide.

So I've been out of the game for the past 6 months, and while I'm not sure if I'm coming back or not I would like a bit of reading material, so I thought I'd come here and find out what's come out in the past 6 months.

So 3pp what have you done lately? Non-3pp what 3rd party products have you especially enjoyed in the past 6 or so months?

So I'm kicking around the idea of making a gunslinger for pbp which means its going to be very slow to level so I'd like the build to come together by level 5, but that's not really a requirement. I'm not asking for a build, I'm asking for a nudge in the right direction, rather that's one of the builds I mention below or some other direction.

Rules:
25 point buy
3 traits (2 from any 1 category)
anything from the srd is fair game.
Emerging firearms
Advanced firearms is okay.

Currently I've got 2 ideas I'm kicking around.

1) Human or Halfling Mysterious Stranger 1 / Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) X.

This build is strange in that it focuses significantly more on charisma than dexterity. I just can't imagine this getting enough attacks in a round to really make the grit ability to add charisma to damage more than just several times per day.

2) Human or Half-Elf Gunslinger 5 / Urban Barbarian 1 / Weapon Master Fighter 4

This is a more standard build focusing heavily on dexterity. It also allows weapon specialization, gloves of battle (or whatever they're called) and furious weapons. Half-elf primarily for the +2 to will saves.

I recall a thread on this before but I haven't been able to find it and I don't recall what decision, if any, was reached.

I know, from the polymorph subschool, that if you take certain forms, your equipment melds into your new form. However, for other forms, such as that of a monstrous humanoid (from monstrous physique), it automatically adjusts to your size.

My question is what happens when there's other changes that are being made? What happens if a magus casts monstrous physique while wearing armor and turns into a gargoyal for example?

Is having an ability that you use with Caster Level = class level the same as having a caster level?

I'm pretty sure it is not, but I wanted to check, just in case.

I'm pretty sure I know the answer, I'm just going to ask and hope I'm wrong.

Is the change shape ability a free action (as other uses of moment of change are) or is it a standard action?

I've looked on d20pfsrd for Rite's classes and so far have been unable to find them. Are they just ninja hidden and I'm over looking them or are they really not on there?

Specifically I'm looking for the taskshaper.

(P.S. This isn't a complaint, far from it, I love both Rite and d20pfsrd.com both groups do a wonderful job.)

Recently I sat down and started thinking, I've got a lot of 3pp classes, but I don't really know what they do. So I decided to make a couple of builds for them, one at level 4 and expanding from that build to level 8. I figured this would give a fair sampling of what the builds are capable of. The builds are a 20 point buy, adjusted for race and for the level ups. This is certainly not me saying this is the only way to play the class. Nor am I saying this is the most optimized build possible.

I wanted to focus my second build on the taskshaper and really see what it was capable of. So let's have a look-see, shall we?

--------------------------Level 4--------------------------

Note: Both builds are presented without equipment as there is vast amounts of choices to make with equipment (perhaps more than any other class). This isn't to say that a task shaper is more dependent on gear than other classes, they're not. In fact, they can do remarkably well with minimal amounts of gear. However, they do have more options, when it comes to gear, than other classes.

If the game focuses around skills more than combat, the task shaper's light armor should be enchanted, otherwise enchant the heavier armor (aiming to get the wild enchantment if your DM will let it work with your shape changing abilities). Also, rings that grant a slight bonus to skills might be a consideration depending on the importance of skills in the game, though I wouldn't spend too much money on them (after all you can get +5 to most of your skills for a moment of change). Also a wand or two might be very helpful to keep on hand. And of course, all the normal goodies for a combatant and or a shape shifter like a magic weapon (or two or three of appropriate materials), amulet of mighty fists, cloak of resistance, etc.

Half-Elf Taskshaper 4

Str 18 BAB: +3
Dex 14 AC: varies with armor
Con 14 HP: 29
Int 13 Fort: +6
Wis 12 Ref: +6
Chr 8 Will: +6

Feats:
Iron Will, Power Attack,

Skills:
Acrobatics +9, Bluff +6, Disable Device +9, Disguise +6, Perception +10, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +9,

Racial:
Dual Mind (+2 to will saves)

Imprint Feats:
Skill focus: Bluff, disguise, disable device, sleight of hand; deceitful; deft hands

Shaped Capacities:
Imprint Class Feature, Improved Imprint Feat,

Moments of Change: 7

So what does it do? Well, right now the task shaper is playing like a character who can, at will, change between fighter and rogue. He's proficient with all weapons and armor and wears heavy armor when expecting combat but trades that out for light armor when he's expecting to deal with traps (or rob a place). He's using moment of change either as a way to boost his strength and/or gain natural weapons, (through alter self) or as a way to boost his skills (through improved imprint feat) or using class features he doesn't have (like maybe some cleric domain powers / wizard school powers).

One important note is the lack of use magic device. This isn't simply because he dumped charisma, instead use magic device is largely unnecessary for a task shaper thanks to their mimicry ability which allows them to use spell completion and spell trigger items without UMD.

What he's not doing is much actual shape shifting. He can transform through various humanoid forms but he's not transforming into lions, tigers, or bears. Yet.

--------------------------Level 8--------------------------

Half-Elf Taskshaper 8

Str 19 BAB: +6
Dex 14 AC: varies with armor
Con 14 HP: 55
Int 13 Fort: +8
Wis 12 Ref: +8
Chr 8 Will: +7

Acrobatics +13, Bluff +10, Disable Device +13, Disguise +10, Perception +14, Sense Motive +12, Sleight of Hand +13, Stealth +13,

Feats:
Iron Will, Power Attack, Combat Expertise, improved unarmed strike

Imprint feats:
Skill focus: Bluff, disguise, disable device, sleight of hand; deceitful; deft hands; Improved Grapple; Greater Grapple; Improved Trip; Greater Trip

Shaped Capacities:
Imprint Class Feature, Improved Imprint Feat, Shaped Attack, Instant Armor

Ability shift:
Shift Condition

Moments of Change: 11

So now how is it playing? Well, much more like a shape shifting monstrosity. You're probably using beast form II at the start of any given fight to grab pounce and charge and attack, then either using it again the next round or using shaped attack to grow two additional natural weapons or improved imprint feat to grab a couple bonus feats to supplement your animal form's abilities.

Unlike most shape shifters, however, if against a creature with damage reduction that they can't easily over come (say 10/silver) he's instead staying in a humanoid form and using an appropriate weapon.

Recently I sat down and started thinking, I've got a lot of 3pp classes, but I don't really know what they do. So I decided to make a couple of builds for them, one at level 4 and expanding from that build to level 8. I figured this would give a fair sampling of what the builds are capable of. The builds are a 20 point buy, adjusted for race and for the level ups. This is certainly not me saying this is the only way to play the class. Nor am I saying this is the most optimized build possible.

I wanted to focus my first build on the mighty godling and really see what it was capable of that other current melee classes are not. So let's have a look-see, shall we?

--------------------------Level 4--------------------------

Level 4 Human Mighty Godling

Str 20 BAB: +4
Dex 13 AC: 20
Con 14 HP: 36
Int 13 Fort: +10
Wis 7 Ref: +10
Chr 10 Will: +9

Skills:
Acrobatics* 7, climb 5, Intimidate* 12, Perception 5, Swim 5, Use Magic Device* 9,

Class skills include bonuses from stats and penalties from armor.

Feats:
Power Attack, Iron Will, Extra Talent**, Combat Reflexes

Lineage Domains:
Liberation

Divine Traits:
Divine Portfolio I** (Battle: Surprising Charge)

Talents:
Force of Brawn**, Retribution**

Equipment:

Masterwork Full Plate,
Great Sword +1
Cloak of Resistance +1
Composite Long Bow
Misc.

* See Force of Brawn
** From Godling Ascendent

Attack Routine: +8 / 2d6+13

So what does this build do? It plays a little bit like a fighter most of the time, he's clad in heavy armor and runs around hitting things with a big sword. The primary differences between him and a fighter are the saving throws, the liberation domain with its automatic freedom of movement effect should he need it, and a CAGM like ability usable 8 times a day. (Yes, at level 4!)

Meanwhile the fighter is going to be better numerically, better AC and have a better to hit and damage.

--------------------------Level 8--------------------------
Human Mighty Godling 8

Str 22 BAB: +8
Dex 13 AC: 23
Con 14 HP: 70
Int 13 Fort: +15
Wis 7 Ref: +15
Chr 10 Will: +13

Skills:
Acrobatics* 11, climb 7, Intimidate* 16, Perception 9, Swim 7, Use Magic Device* 13,

Feats:
Power Attack, Iron Will, Extra Talent**, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Extra Ascendency

Lineage Domains:
Liberation, Rage

Divine Traits:
Divine Portfolio I** (Battle: Surprising Charge), Divine Portfolio I** (Time: Temporal Celerity)

Talents:
Force of Brawn**, Retribution**, Scion of the North Wind**, Channel Energy** (positive),

Ascendencies:
Hex Lord (Flight)

Equipment:

Masterwork Full Plate,
Great Sword +2
Cloak of Resistance +3
Composite Mighty Long Bow +1
+2 belt of strength
Ring of Protection +2
Amulet of Natural Armor +1
Misc.

* See Force of Brawn
** From Godling Ascendent

Attack Routine: +13/+8: 2d6+19
Raged Attack Routine: +15/+10: 2d6+22

So now what's he learned in the past 4 levels? He's flying under his own power 8 minutes per day in 1 minute intervals (enough to cover daily combats at least), he's raging out, he's winning initiative, he's throwing out channels if the party's healer gets low, he's moving up to his speed 4 times a day as a swift action.

Will this be released in pdf format?

Spells:
The dread necromancer casts spells from the dread necromancer spell list rather than the general summoner spell list. Spells known and per day remain unchanged. (Should I cut their spell list down and grant them all spells at each spell level?)

Channel Energy (Negative):
A dread necromancer can channel negative energy as a cleric of a level equal to her summoner level. This allows her to qualify for feats that modify channel energy as though she were a cleric.

This replaces Summon Monster I and further iterations of that ability (Summon Monster II - IX, and Gate).

Command Undead:
The dread necromancer receives command undead as a bonus feat.

Negative Energy Affinity:
The dread necromancer has an affinity for negative energy, it heals her the same as it would an undead. She is counted as both living and undead when she herself channels. (Ie. She heals herself rather she channels to heal minions or channels to harm other living creatures.)

This ability replaces life link.

Abomination:
Your eidolon is undead rather than an outsider. This ability may be used to qualify for feats or anything else as though it were the eidolon ability. (I haven't quite worked all this out yet, but I expect it will be slightly weaker than the general Eidolon ability.)

This ability replaces the eidolon ability.

2nd level:

Undead targeting:
The dread necromancer knows as much about undead as he does about even his own life form. As a result he may target corporeal undead that were once humanoids, or his abomination, as though they were humanoids.

This ability replaces Bonded Senses.

(Unfortunately, I've removed the charm & command type spells from the list, so this really only applies to enlarge / reduce person and the mass versions, IIRC.)

4th level:

Undead Mastery
All undead animated through a spell or spell like ability, other than the abomination, gain a +2 profane bonus to strength and dexterity and +1 hp/hd. At 8th level and every 4 levels there after, these stat bonuses increase by 2 and the hp/hd increase by 1.

This replaces Shield Ally, Maker's Call, Transposition, Greater Shield Ally, Life Bond, Merge Forms and Twin Eidolon. (Unfortunately this leaves several dead levels, I don't like that.)

0: acid splash, arcane mark, daze, detect magic, guidance, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, read magic, resistance

1: Alarm, Ant Haul, bane, command undead, enlarge person, expeditious retreat, grease, hide from undead, identify, inflict light wounds, mage armor, magic fang, magic mouth, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, Lesser Animate Dead, ray of enfeeblement, reduce person, shield, spectral hand, unfetter*, undetectable alignment ventriloquism

2: Animate Dead, Bark Skin, blindness/deafness, Blur, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Create Pit, darkness, Desecrate, detect thoughts, Eagle's Splendor, glitter dust, haste, inflict moderate wounds, invisibility, levitate, misdirection, phantom steed, protection from arrows, ray of exhaustion, resist energy, see invisibility, slow, spider climb, summon swarm, Undead anatomy I, vampiric touch,

3: bestow curse, Black Tentacles, crushing despair, dimensional door, dimensional anchor, dispel magic, displacement, Enervation, enlarge person mass, fire shield, fly, heroism, Inflict critical wounds, Invisibility (greater), locate creature, magic circle against chaos/evil/good/law, magic fang (greater), nondetection, phantasmal killer, protection from energy, reduce person (mass), seek thoughts, spiked pit, stone skin, tongues, wall of fire, wall of ice, water breathing

4: acid pit, baleful polymorph, bull's strength (mass), cat's grace (mass), cloud kill, Create Undead, eagle's splendor (mass), insect plague, magic jar, overland flight, owl's wisdom (mass), planar binding (lesser), slay living, teleport, transmogrify*, Undead Anatomy II, Unhallow, wall of stone, waves of fatigue

5: Acid fog, control undead, Create Greater Undead, creeping doom, dispel magic (greater), ethereal jaunt, finger of death, harm, heroism (greater), hungry pit, invisibility (mass), planar binding, plane shift, repulsion, simulacrum, spell turning, teleport (greater), true seeing, Undead Anatomy III, Wall of Iron, waves of exhaustion,

6: Anti-life shell, dimensional lock, discern location, Energy drain, indendiary cloud, planar binding (greater), protection from spells, teleportation circle, Undead Anatomy IV, wail of the banshee,

I'm currently designing an Inquisitor who dips 2 levels of Wild Rager barbarian. He's a half-orc (working on a high intimidate) and primarily uses 2 handed weapon. He's taking extra rage so he'll have 14 rounds of rage by 4th level.

I was wondering what rage powers are recommended. I'm currently considering reckless abandon (sure its only +1 to hit, but it is still +1 to hit) and maybe superstitious (I've already got a good fort save, and it won't increase my will save).

Maybe I'm dense, how can you have adventures that aren't designed to be played in a specific order when adventures have to be keyed to levels and the levels are all played through in a specific order?

Does Uncontrolled Rage count non-barbarian levels for the DC? I know most class features tend to not count other class levels (Oracle's Curse being a notable exception) but what about the draw backs? If not, could this be an over powered 2 level dip?

I was wondering how useful a barbarian dip would be to an inquisitor. The extra movement, full weapons and of course rage seem like it would be very powerful. And of course the flavor works well, an inquisitor just over flowing with rage at the evil people do in the name of whatever. Of course its sets back all inquisitor abilities a level as well. . .

If I do go with the dip, what would be more useful, the movement in light and medium armor or heavy armor proficiency of the armored hulk? Also, what domains would be helpful (would the speed bonus from barbarian make travel less good)?

I'll be starting at 2nd level on a pbp so it'll be slow advancement. Also its a 17 point point buy so I'm looking at a half-orc and having stats somewhere along the line of:

Str 18
Dex 13
Con 13
Int 10
Wis 14
Chr 7

I'm curious, what are everyone's favorite 3PP items and why?

While I love SGG and Rite publishing, I think my favorite single publication is Dream Scarred Press's Psionics Unleashed. I like psionics in general, and I love their rework of it with all the races and classes pathfinderized. To date, if psionics is allowed in a pathfinder game, I'll probably be playing a psionocist.

A close second is the Imperial Gazetteer Principalities The Principality of Morgau and Doresh, and Realms Subterranean. While I don't care for the vampire side much, the idea of an entire nation of intelligent and powerful ghouls under the very feet of the pcs with its own class system based on how the person's body reacted to the disease that transformed them into a ghoul, some being literal beggars and virtually powerless, to some retaining the full power they had in life and gaining significantly more besides.

For a third item, (and I'm going to stop at 3, though I could go on and on) I'm going to have to say the Loot 4 Less compendium (which really is 3 books in one, but I get to cheat since its a compendium). I bought it when it was on sale and it convinced me to get the whole Loot 4 Less line and I enjoy all of it.

I'm going to start DMing again for a group in my local area and thought I would start with an AP, most likely Kingmaker, but I'm open to alternatives. I don't know the composition of this group or its numbers, it consists of my 3 of friends (who have 3.5 experience but no pathfinder experience) and an unknown number of "other people" who have "DND experience." My friends generally prefer hack and slash with some sand box thrown in, I don't know what the other people prefer.

So I'm asking a couple questions, generic advice for running AP's? (Besides, read the module thoroughly, already working on that one.) Is there something more hack and slash than Kingmaker? Anything else you think might be helpful for a DM who has never once ran a pre-written module?

Was it ever decided rather or not the favored class bonus spells for classes like sorcerer or oracle would be effect words or regular spells if the caster in question is a word caster?

I'm considering a half-giant psychic warrior for an upcoming low level game (starting at 1st). I'm having trouble deciding what path to follow. I really like the skill options from the feral path, and I think feral path will be helpful against high AC enemies. Furthermore, half-giants are rare in this world and so finding properly sized equipment may be difficult so again relying on natural attacks could be helpful.

However, I could take the rich parents trait and start with a pair of masterwork weapons (perhaps a reaching / tripping weapon and a great sword) and just get them enchanted as I level. And it is much cheaper to enchant a weapon than it is to enchant an amulet of natural attacks. (And leaves room for an amulet of natural armor.)

The other path I'm considering is the assassin path, chameleon can help make stealth worth while even with me having a 10 dex and wearing heavy armor, but its yet another power selection and I really don't care for the assassin's powers, though its skills are nice (second only to feral warrior path).

I'm pretty sure I'll be taking aesthetic path as my secondary path so I can get offensive precognition as a path power so I can use it as part of the attack action. (I'm really worried about my attack bonus, especially if I don't use natural weapons.)

So my main questions are:

1) Is either manufactured weapons or claws / bite psionic powers clearly superior or are they roughly equal?

2) If I split my focus between the 2 types of combat (while focusing on combat neutral / psionic feats) will I handicap my character? (Say by taking expanded knowledge: astral construct rather than weapon focus: greatsword or claw)

I've only ever looked at the player's guide (or whatever its called) once, so my knowledge is greatly limited. Initially I was repulsed, it certainly didn't fit my group's style at all. So I haven't touched a 4th ed book since its general release.

However, over the years I've got more into pbp and so now I'm more curious about it, having a larger pool of players. So I have questions and I'm coming here because I believe a few of the people will have answers, and hopefully the rest will be respectful enough not to jump in here just to bash 4th ed.

What is it that makes 4th edition so easy to dm? If someone was going to get into dming 4th edition, what books would they need? I don't recall being impressed with dual classing, mutliclassing, or whatever it was in the first book. Is there some other support to it?

I found a website that already has information from Ultimate Combat (a fair bit of the archetypes) and I don't know what to do about it. Should it be reported to the people in power, and if so how?

I don't want to publish the web address here, as that would only get them more traffic.

A long while ago I came across a song, I believe it would be considered Filk. It was sung by 3 women, and in the song each of the singers played the role of a sister who was wanting to get married, but the other 2 sisters would always tell her negative traits. It was a humorous song.

I was wondering if anyone knew the name of it or perhaps has a link to the group who did it?

How would you handle a blade bound magus who is wanting to use "craft magic weapons and armor" on his black blade. I'm asking this because I intend to be that magus in an up coming game and would like to eventually give it the holy property (as much to bypass DR/Good as anything but I won't turn down the extra 2d6 damage).

Specifically, should it cost money as it would on the level I enchant it? Would you make me pay an increase each time the blade becomes more powerful? Would you allow me to enchant it to the point that it eventually becomes an epic blade? (Ie. Adding +6 worth of the special properties, then leveling up so it becomes a +5 blade for a total bonus of +11.)

I was wondering if an alchemist with a base attack bonus of 8, using the feral mutagen and a monk's robe could make a pair of unarmed attacks (+8, +3) then his normal natural weapon attacks (claw, claw, bite). If so would the multiattack feat reduce the penalty to hit on these attacks? Is the monk's robe even necessary or could he get by with just the improved unarmed strike feat?

I've tried googling and searching the forums but my searching ability seems to be fail today.

I'm considering running an Iron Kingdoms based game (Pathfinder rules) for my local group. I was thinking that I'd like to use an AP the game, perhaps Age of Worms but I'm not sold on that (especially with how different Iron Kingdoms dragons are). So for those of you who know Iron Kingdoms, what APs would be a good fit with that world?

I may be mixing in a bit of the World Born Dead (Elder Evils book) if there's room so if the AP would work well with that it would be a plus.

I'm considering a magus for my first PFS character and I was wondering how well a controlling style magus would work and if a magus could handle doing both DPS and Melee controlling (combat maneuvers) with the same build.

I was thinking the reach and trip ability of the whip, ranged touch attacks from a net might make everything work out pretty decently and that if I focused more on the whip and buffs early on using spell combat (and thus combat casting) wouldn't be as big a deal.

The odds of me getting above 5th level are very low (heck, the odds of me making it to third are pretty remote) so I'd like it to be viable at low levels.

I was thinking half-orc beast hunter (to get whips and nets) with the following stats:

Str 18
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 15 (+1 @ 4)
Wis 9
Chr 7

Feats:
1: Combat Reflexes
3: Power Attack
5: Combat Expertise
5B: Improved Trip

Arcana:
3: The one that lets me make trip attacks at my magus level rather than my BAB.

Skills:
knowledge (arcana), Knoweldge (planes), a craft, spellcraft,

Normally I'd have taken UMD but taking a penalty to the stat and not expecting to reach high levels any time soon I don't see it as truly viable.

Spells:
Probably enlarge person, color spray, and shocking grasp as the mainstay spells.

So my questions are how viable would this character be? I don't want to be a drag on the rest of the party.

I'm curious if there's a pathfinder society in Oklahoma, preferably in Tulsa or Oklahoma City. If so I'd love to know when you play and see about joining in.