There are, IMO, a few reasons why something like this would happen. I don't know about others, but in my experience, a monster having surprise against the party tends to make things hard enough that it almost justifies a +1 CR at low levels (under about 5). I know that these things are supposed to be built into the CR of the monster, but this is just personal experience talking. Secondly, you're referencing a demon. Demons tend to be similar to dragons in that they are supposed to be HARD. At the risk of starting a fire, I would dare to say that they (and dragons) are very close to CR-whatever ELITE monsters. Fast attack, d10's, SR, DR, good saves, special abilities, the whole package. A fight with a demon is something that tends to be memorable, even at low levels.
One of the reasons that a lot of DMs that I know dislike low-level games is that the balancing act of providing a challenge without completely wrecking the party is harder to pull off...a 2nd level party should be fighting something like a Quasit (or Dretch) - it's not very glamorous, but it is appropriate. I personally like to use low-CR demons as supporting monsters for later encounters - their innate challenge makes them more useful than other monsters of similar CR later in levels.
All that said, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go with it. The gods of chance are fickle, and sometimes fate just has it in for your party.
Alright, I'll give this a try. As a disclaimer, my build choices required me to do a lot of this by hand, so there are probably errors (hopefully not too many though).
AC 43, touch 32, flat-footed 37 (+6 Dex, +8 armor, +5 deflection, +3 natural, +7 Wis, +3 Monk, +1 insight)
HP 260 (8d8+10d10+136); +126 con, +20 toughness, +20 favored class
Fort +25, Ref +20, Will +21 (+3 vs. fear, +4 vs enchantment)
Defensive Abilities Evasion, Bravery +3; Immune Sleep
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +33/+28/+23/+18 (2d8+21) flurry of blows +33/+33/+28/+28/+23/+18 (2d8+21) flurry of blows with ki +33/+33/+33/+28/+28/+23/+18 (2d8+21)
Ranged mwk composite longbow +23/+18/+13/+8 (1d8+9/x3)
Special Attacks flurry of blows, redirection (8/day)
Spell-Like Abilities barkskin (self only, 1 ki), feather step (1 ki), gaseous form (self only, 2 ki)
STATISTICS
Str 29, Dex 22, Con 24, Int 15, Wis 24, Cha 14
Base Atk +16; CMB +27 (+29 disarm; +32 reposition; +31 trip; +30 bull rush, drag) ; CMD 53 (55 vs. disarm/reposition, 61 vs. trip)
Feats Boar Ferocity, Boar Shred, Boar Style, Combat Reflexes, Combat Style Master, Deflect Arrows, Disarm, Improved, Monastic Legacy, Reposition, Improved, Skill Focus (Sense Motive), Snake Fang, Snake Sidewind, Snake Style, Toughness, Trip, Greater, Trip, Improved, Unarmed Strike, Improved, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike), Weapon Specialization (Unarmed Strike)
Skills Sense Motive +33, Perception +33, Acrobatics +27, Escape Artist +27, Stealth +27, Intimidate +23
SQ flowing dodge, elusive target, ki pool (11 points, magic)
Gear Belt of Physical Perfection +6, Bracers of armor +8, Headband of inspired wisdom +6, Amulet of mighty fists +5, Monk's robe, Dusty rose ioun stone, Cloak of resistance +5, Winged boots, Wayfinder, Ring of Protection +5, mwk mighty +9 composite longbow, 20,000 gp
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Redirection (Ex) At 1st level, as an immediate action, a flowing monk can attempt a reposition or trip combat maneuver against a creature that the flowing monk threatens and that attacks him. If the combat maneuver is successful, the attacker is sickened for 1 round (Reflex DC 21 to halve the duration), plus 1 additional round at 4th level and for every four levels afterward (to a maximum of 6 rounds at 20th level). The monk gains a +2 bonus on the reposition or trip combat maneuver check and the save DC for redirection increases by 2 if the attacker is using Power Attack or is charging when attacking him. The benefit increases to a +4 bonus and an increase of the saving throw by 4 if both apply.
Unbalancing Counter (Ex) At 2nd level, a flowing monk’s attacks of opportunity render a struck creature flat-footed until the end of the flowing monk’s next turn (Reflex DC 21 negates).
Flowing Dodge (Ex) At 3rd level, a flowing monk gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each enemy adjacent to him, up to a maximum bonus equal to his Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).
Elusive Target (Ex) At 5th level, as an immediate action, a flowing monk may spend 2 points from his ki pool to attempt a Reflex save opposed by an attacker’s attack roll to halve damage from that attack. At 11th level and above, the flowing monk suffers no damage on a successful save, or half damage on a failed save. If the attacker is flanking the monk, the flanking opponent who is not attacking becomes the target of the attack. Use the same attack roll, and if the attack hits the new target, that creatures takes half damage (or full damage if the attack is completely avoided). Any associated effects from the attack (such as bleed, poison, or spell effects) apply fully even if the attack deals only half damage.
Close Control (Ex) At 2nd level, a brawler becomes skilled at forcefully moving his opponent around the battlefield. The brawler gains a +1 bonus on bull rush, drag, and reposition combat maneuver checks. The brawler also gains a +1 bonus to CMD when attacked with the bull rush, drag, and reposition maneuvers. These bonuses increase by +1 for every four levels after 2nd (to a maximum of +5 at 18th level).
Close Combatant (Ex) At 3rd level, a brawler gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +3 bonus on damage rolls with weapons in the close weapon group. Both of these bonuses increase by +1 for every four levels beyond 3rd (to a maximum of +5 on attack rolls and +7 on damage rolls at 19th level).
Menacing Stance (Ex) At 7th level, a brawler constantly harries and distracts his enemies. While adjacent to the brawler, enemies take a –1 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty on concentration checks. These penalties increase by 1 for every four levels after 7th level (to a maximum of –4 on attack rolls and –7 on concentration checks at 19th level). Creatures do not take these penalties if the brawler is dazed, helpless, staggered, stunned, or unconscious.
No Escape (Ex) At 9th level, taking a 5-foot step out of the area of a brawler’s menacing stance or moving out of the area of a brawler’s menacing stance with a withdraw action provokes an attack of opportunity from the brawler.
The Justification:
Though this is not the strongest CR 17 build I have ever seen, I think that it is a solid one (especially for a BBEG). This is a build that could stand toe-to-toe with an equal level party, at least for a few rounds. Half-elf was an obvious choice for the 2 favored classes, and as a front-liner with half of his levels at d8, this is almost a requirement. The Brawler fighter benefits synergize nicely with the unarmed monkishness. The lack of clean escape options helps with those hit-and-run types. The brawler also brings a nice front-loaded hit/damage bonus that can't be ignored and fighter feats/weapon spec helps the DPS here.
The Qinggong flowing monk part, I believe, makes this really shine. Barkskin (as an 80 min. buff) is awesome, as is the feather step ability (which allows you to ignore difficult terrain). Gaseous form is an exceptional (if costly) method for dealing with problems that don't have a direct solution. Specifically, this allows for a quick escape from combat, as well as a quick escape from the dreaded Grapplebarian (tm). Under the right circumstances, this build can generate a LOT of AOOs. Redirection, Greater Trip, and Snake Fang are your best friends, and those AOOs have the added benefit of making the target flat-footed. Add in the bleed damage from the boar style feats, the ability to alter your damage type to any of the 3, and the Sense Motive AC substitution, and you have a nice attrition build.
Just as important, however, is that this guy can stand on his own in a fight. AC 43, while not the best, is still pretty good, and as a monk, touch and flat-footed ACs are still excellent. 260 hp can take a beating as well, though there might be an issue with 2-handed fighter builds. That being said, however, Elusive Target was made for those situations, and there is always Gaseous Form in case things get too heavy. Damage output is good, but not spectacular. You'll probably land 4 or 5 hits in a round, for a total of ~8d8+85 or so, but with the AOOs that you can generate, your actual number of attack rolls in a round could be as high as 13.
Overall, I think this is a solid build. I am actually keeping a copy of this to use in the future as a solo enemy for a small party. As a PC, you would definitely pull your weight as a front-line damage dealer, and as an NPC, paired with some goons designed to take advantage of prone enemies and AOOs, could be quite horrifying. In either case, the person(s) on the other side of the table will spend a lot of time yanking their hair out.
Maybe this has been answered already and I am off my game for searches, but is there any official source that points to whether or not you lose archetype replacement abilities if you no longer qualify to use the base ability you are giving up? For example, if I played a Guide archetype ranger (giving up Evasion for Ranger's Luck), do I lose access to Ranger's Luck if I wear heavy armor?
Interesting build, so what your saying is you prefer to take all or half the damage from reflex save effects and have an extra point of armor and (at most) 20 more hit points instead of guaranteed half or no damage instead and still get the extra 20 hitpoints by burning the spare feat?
Being a front-line build, AOEs are less likely to come up except in specific circumstances (like the goons all having energy res). Also, as a ranger, you will be getting Evasion and Imp. Evasion as class features already, it just takes a bit longer. Also, since you get reflex primary, you are less likely to take that full damage until you get to that point.
In addition, having a bit better wisdom means that your will saves will be better, as well as AC (from wisdom bonus), and you will have more spells per day. Since rangers get Barkskin (a 10 min/lv spell), an amulet of nat armor is somewhat of a waste. An AOMF is also sort of a necessity for any natural weapon build.
Just to add my own 2 cents to the conversation, dragons are comparatively poor spellcasters. Yes, they have spells. Yes, they have usually have decent charisma scores. That being said, they generally can't get spell DCs nearly as high as the DC for their Frightful Presence ability or their breath weapon. Add to those the raw devastation of a dragon's full attack, and it makes sense to me that a dragon will use its spells for either combat support (buff/control) or as a last resort.
This isn't to say that dragon's can't be competent spellcasters, only that they usually have far better options than a standard action spent on a spell.
It's worth noting that there may be value in the Sacred Mountain monk variant for this build. Not only does Feral Combat Training still apply, but you also get a +1 nat. armor bonus, and Toughness as a bonus feat to help offset the feat-intensity of this build.
That is definitely an option, personally I would prefer holding on to the Evasion ability instead. Since we are stacking this with Ranger I'd choose to wear the Mithril Breastplate until picking up the monks robe. Fixes the AC problem and doesn't cost me a class ability I can't replace with an extra feat or temporary buff (potion/wand/spell).
Aye. I can see where you're going. I would personally prefer the higher wisdom, better spellcasting, no armor, rely-on-HP-combined-with-reflex-primary-to-get-through-AOEs build though ;)
It's worth noting that there may be value in the Sacred Mountain monk variant for this build. Not only does Feral Combat Training still apply, but you also get a +1 nat. armor bonus, and Toughness as a bonus feat to help offset the feat-intensity of this build.
Hey Kyle,
I was messing around with the newest version and catching up on thread posts, and I had 2 items:
1. When importing a custom monster from a saved combat (cmpt file in my case), it adds to the custom DB just like I would expect. The problem is that you cannot edit those imported critters unless you add them to a combat. It's not a huge deal, but it would be awesome if the bestiary.db file were hooked up to the master monster list. EDIT: There is also no way that I can see to delete a custom monster (aside from a manual edit to the bestiary.db file).
2. Regarding startup times, have you considered using .gz compression on the XML files and just decompressing internally? The GZipStream class makes this relatively easy, and since most of your load time appears to come from disk reads, I suspect that it would decrease load times substantially at the cost of only trivially more processing overhead. Just using the gzip defaults, the compression ratio is around 80% overall. The core bestiary file alone goes from 11 MB to 1.6 MB.
In any case, keep up the good work, it's looking real good :)
A lot of this disparity, I think, comes from other options available. For the most part, all arcane casters get are their spells. Sure they get some other utilitarian things, but nothing terribly impressive. Other casting classes, on the other hand, get a multitude of other things that they can do. Referring specifically to the 9-level classes, druids get wild shape, an animal companion, and medium bab with L+M armor and shield proficiencies. Add in the ability to cast their spells in armor and you can see why they might get the short end on spell options. The same holds true for the cleric. Medium BAB, L+M armor with shields, domains (plus their domain spells), not needing rest to prepare spells, and other options all combine to make a larger spell list unnecessary.
The second consideration is that while the wizard can hypothetically learn every wizard spell in the game, clerics and druids have full access to their entire spell list when they prep. That alone is worth good deal in my opinion, as they do not have to waste time or resources in expanding their pool of spells that they can prepare, and can find just the right spell for any situation if they know what is coming.
Hmm... Psionics are "at-will" powers. I kinda like it. They would have to be balanced against magic, so a lot weaker than most spells.
So a first level Kineticist could get, say, mage hand, a 1d3+level/2 ranged touch attack (telekinetic punch) and possibly +1 AC, all usable at will. A telepath would have mind link, thought shield (+2 will save vs. mind effecting...
This is the idea I was after, but more like this (as a Telepath class power):
Psionics wrote:
Empathy:
Your natural talent has manifested in the ability to feel the moods of other people around you. As a standard action, you may make a Concentration Check (DC 15) to pick up on the moods of creatures around you. Success means that for a number of minutes equal to half your psion level (minimum 1 minute), you gain a +1 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks, as well as rolls against any effect that attempts to trick or deceive you (eg. Feint, spells from the Illusion(glamer) and (figment) subschools, perception checks vs. sleight of hand, etc, but not Dominate or Charm Person, which manipulate rather than deceive) against any creature that this power affects. This bonus increases by an additional +1 for every 4 psion levels you possess. This bonus does not function against any creature with the mindless trait, nor does it function against any creature that is immune to spells with the Emotion descriptor.
This is a very rough draft of the ability, and I am not sold on all aspects of it, but this is the kind of thing I think could work as a flavorful at-will power that isn't game-breaking
How is this any different than casting Heat Metal on a fighter wearing full-plate?
Heat Metal wrote:
A creature takes fire damage if its equipment is heated. It takes full damage if its armor, shield, or weapon is affected.
Heat metal exploits a weakness in a fighter (that they rely on heavy, metallic armor).
Heat metal does not strip away all of a fighter's bonus feats for 24 hours.
This is different because Feeblemind impacts every kind of character class in the same way - reducing stats to 1. It doesn't simply remove a class feature.
And, as you said, a first level spell and a fifth level one exist on different planes of power. There's genuinely no comparing them.
Even then, feeblemind is immediately fixable (Heal will do just fine), whereas there is no mechanism for the druid to regain use of their class abilities. By some arguments I have seen on this thread so far, people would be alright with a first level spell that denies use of sneak attack and rogue talents (ref. negates), denies access to rage (fort negates), or one that denies spellcasting and channel energy (will negates).
One of the issues with this spell that I see is that at low levels (where this is still an available spell), you are far less likely to make your save. Feeblemind (at level 5) comes with the territory of mid-level tactics, but a level 1-5 druid may only have a +8 to +10 versus a DC 15 - 18 spell. Hardly an "Only a Nat 1 fails" scenario, and then your druid player gets to spend the next 24 hours of game time as an aristocrat with a pet.
I think the unfair part is that most higher level spells that remove class abilities to this extent have some sort of way to mitigate those effects, if not mid-combat then at least within a few rounds of the end of combat. Heck, even death is only a status effect after a while.
My problem with psionics has always been that you can simply blow as many of your highest level 'spells' as you can until you run out of PP, then you force the rest of the party to stop. IMHO, psions should be able to do their thing all day without regard to power points, and they should have abilities that directly build off eachother.
So your solution to prevent the psion from Nova-ing and them making the party rest is to let him SPAM Nova? Hell, why don't we just make a new rule that all spellcasters can cast as many spells per day as they want ?
Actually, that is exactly the point. If a psion's abilities are designed with the understanding that there /is/ no limit to the number of times per day they can be used, you can end up with a balanced system. I am coming at this from the angle of a fighter. A fighter's abilities are balanced on the assumption that he can swing his weapon as many times per day as he likes. Since that core understanding is at the heart of Combat feat design, it works out. I think you may be stuck in the style of thought that says a) Psions are casters and b) caster power must increase exponentially with level
My husband is actually at work on an alternate psionics system in the form of feat trees. Not sure when he'll be ready to actually show it to the public, but even so.
Oddly enough, I was just about to post this same thing. I am working on a homebrew psionics system that makes use of feat trees and the 'lego' style class customization method(rogue talents/rage powers/magus arcana/etc). My problem with psionics has always been that you can simply blow as many of your highest level 'spells' as you can until you run out of PP, then you force the rest of the party to stop. IMHO, psions should be able to do their thing all day without regard to power points, and they should have abilities that directly build off eachother.
I thought that DR from separate sources did not stack (even if the same type). For instance, a 19th level fighter with DR 5/- from class does not get DR 8/- from wearing Adamantine Fullplate (the armor master archetype seems to indicate this, if nothing else). The number of rage powers you give up is a drawback, but I think that is too little to give up considering how useful the prerequisite rage powers are. I want to say that AMIB's interpretation is the correct one. It would make more sense to me and still be pretty powerful without stepping on anyone's toes. I was hoping that I was reading it wrong, and it would be nice to eventually see a developer clarification as to what this does.
I hope that I am reading this wrong, but it appears that the Dragon Totem rage power path essentially replaces (and improves upon) the entire Invulnerable Rager archetype. It reads (to me) that if you have all 3 Dragon Totem rage powers (achievable by 10th level), then you essentially have DR 8/--, <<Some Element>> Resistance 16, Perception and Save bonuses, and flight.
A 10th level Inv. Rager, by contrast, has DR 5/--, Endure Elements to one environmental type, and energy res 2 versus either fire or cold. And you get all that without having to give up Trap Sense (meh), or Uncanny Dogde/Improved Uncanny dodge.
I understand that the Dragon Totem path is pretty specific, and speaks for all of your rage powers up through level 10, but I can't help but feel that the Dragon Totem gets a better deal (Animal Fury and Intimidating Glare being useful in their own right). It looks like the rage power's intent may have been to scale the Enery Res only, but that isn't how it reads to me.
Just a few more items that my fellow DMs and I found while poking around:
No drowning rules in the rules section. If they are somewhere else in the app, I can't find them, but this is something that comes up (eerily) often in my campaigns
The half dragon template, when added to a creature that already has claw/bite attacks, adds nonsensical entries to the attacks part of the statblock. Specifically, I used a half-dragon girallon and the statblock reads: bite +14 (1d6+8), 4 claws +14 (1d4+8 plus rend), 2 bites +14 (1d6+8), claw +14 (1d4+8)
This one is more of an enhancement for those of us who like keyboards - each tab except the Combat tab has a list/searchbox combo on the left side of the window. Can you tie a Focus() call to the click event on each of those other tabs so there does not have to be an explicit click on the search field?
Another enhancement request - Tab order for a lot of the fields in each tab is kind of off. Player/Monster entries and Initiative order entries are not tabbed through. I know this is kind of nit-picky and dynamic tab order can be a bit tricky, but it sure would be nice if you could find time :)
I am not too terribly familiar with good bard builds, but for a debuff bard, you may want to consider the Court Bard. Being that a lot of your best abilities as a bard come from sticking with bard, I would recommend not multi-classing into fighter (losing 4 levels of bard is 2 spell levels and bardic performance options). If you want a mutli-class option, Witch may be better for a dip for a hex or 2, and it also meshes well with a good intelligence score (which you could get by dropping wis and dex).
As a completely separate note, when I read the title of your post, my coffee-addled brain saw: Charisma based beard :P
The most recent death, oddly enough, wasn't even my fault. Our intrepid party had made their way through the fort. Slicing, dicing, blasting, smiting, and otherwise chopping their way to the sanctum of the BBEG (an Ogre Barbarian), the players were high on the feel of impending victory. After kicking in the door and charging in with guns blazing (figuratively speaking) a savage melee ensued. Smiting arrows flew, judgement was pronounced, and the raging barbarian and stalwart fighter hacked and chopped their way to the enemy on the other side of the room.
Battle was joined for a time, with each side giving as good as it got. Steel rang against steel as the Ogre hacked at the armored warrior, and screams of pain echoed from the rafters as the party's barbarian laid into the ogre with frightening swings. As the Ogre reluctantly gave ground, it appeared that the party had once again overcome the odds set against them and would emerge triumphant.
Unfortunately for the party's barbarian, the gods had other plans in store for him. With the Ogre barbarian almost defeated, the fighter rolls a critical miss. Since we use the Crit Hit/Crit Miss decks, he draws his 2 cards. His options are
Nearest ally is struck with a critical threat, roll to confirm
Confused for 1d4 rounds
Obviously, not wanting to stab an ally, he chooses the confusion effect (which I roll a 1 for the duration). The rest of the round goes predictably, but the Ogre is still up, hanging on by a thread (5 HP). It comes back to the fighters turn, who then has to make his confusion roll. The result: Attack nearest creature, which ends up being the party's barbarian.
Ordinarily not a big deal, as the barbarian still had a reasonable amount of HP left, but unfortunately, the fighter rolls a natural 19 (with a greatsword). Worse still, the confirmation roll was a natural 17. Since the weapon is only a x2, he draws 1 card. Decapitation. The barbarian is forced to make a fort save in the mid 30s or lose his head. Needless to say he did not make the save, resulting in a headless dwarf twitching on the ground.
The party did still defeat the Ogre, and the fighter is seeking therapy, but it still makes me laugh every time I think about it. So, a toast to the characters that die to entertain us, and a salute to the players that make them dance.
For what it's worth, I am currently playing a sorcerer with 0 ranks in spellcraft. I switched him over to using Words of Power, which seemed more appropriate, but before that happened we were just using the standard spellcasting rules. To reflect the lack of spellcraft (or Kn: Arcana for that matter), my character just made up names for his spells. In combat, I would cast "Seeking light arrow" instead of Magic Missile, or "Friendship" instead of "Charm Person". I don't really have an objection to the fighter calling the Sleep spell "Sleep", but I think it opens up some interesting (read: funny) opportunities when the fighter tries to explain his ideas for what the casters should do in terms of what the fighter calls the spells
I remember when I first stumbled upon this app, and I have to say that it has definitely come a long way. Kudos to you for keeping on it and for listening to the community :)
That being said, I do have a short list of things that you may want to consider (no good deed goes unpunished, eh?):
Make the application portable. Currently, I see a CombatManager reg key, but it seems that all of these settings could easily be moved to Application.Settings. This would allow people to install the app to a flash drive and use it in places that they might not have Registry read/write permissions.
I'm not very practiced with WPF, but is it possible to make your main window columns resizable? Currently, the only way to make the Current/Selected stat blocks larger is to resize the entire window.
Import/Export custom monsters. I was having a discussion with a fellow GM this morning (trying to sell him on this app), and he was asking "what if I had a custom monster, and my friend had a custom monster, and we wanted to swap?". Currently, there is no way to do that aside from manual XML editing that I can see.
Different method of loot generation. I don't know if your app already does this, but some of the differential problems with treasure could be solved by generating a raw cash value, then 'purchasing' items with that horde total according to a (configurable?) weighted system that ensures as much of the loot is used as possible.
Treasure by size. It would be nice to see something that would allow for treasure generation by city size. Something that uses the info out of the GMG to determine what specific items are available in this or that city dependent on the city size and wealth modifiers.
Random caster levels on some items. Not sure if I just haven't seen them, but it would be nice if every once in a while the loot generator would throw out a 'Wand of Scorching Ray (CL 9)', or a 'Potion Of Cure Serious Wounds (CL 11)'.
Gold Piece Limit on item generation. It would be nice to be able to manually specify a GP value for the main loot generation algorithm. Right now, I have to specify a level, but it would be killer to be able to define the total value of the haul along with how it is split.
Again, excellent program, and I look forward to future versions. If you are ever looking for some assistance, I would be more than happy to help in whatever way I can.
OK, my original post got eaten, so here is a quick summary of what I came up with off the top of my head:
Goons -- Add in about 6-8 goons of mixed classes that are CR 10 or so (11th level PC classes, 12th level NPC classes). They won't contribute meaningfully aside from providing a meat shield for the BBEG, but that is what they are for. A 12th level warrior has around 109 HP with a 14 con. Sure the fighter can dish that in a single round, but that is a whole round spent not doing the same thing to the BBEG, and a War12 is only sort of a CR 10. Multiply that by 3 or 4, then add in some healers and a ranged/reach goon (ranger/archery fighter/boom sorc, etc), and you have a group that can cause some pretty heavy irritation.
Harrying parties/traps -- Whittle down PC resources. If the PCs haven't gotten a good night's sleep in 4 or 5 days, they are going to be in for some trouble. Additionally, magical/mundane traps can not only serve to for the party to expend resources, but they can be fantastic alarms.
"Cheap" tactics -- Pull out all the stops, even those that are traditionally not used (at least in my games): Feeblemind, Nightmare, Planar Binding, etc. Stay away from evocations unless you are spec'd for them
"Break the rules" -- There is nothing that says your BBEG's fortress of hate and soul crushing despair (tm) has to obey any laws of magic or physics. Rooms with variable direction/intensity of gravity populated by monsters that know how to navigate it, anti-magic rooms, sentient Iron Golem anti-paladins, persistent fog clouds in a room with a teleportation trap that sends the party back to the entrance, etc... Don't be afraid to go outside the standards for an epic combat. Perhaps the BBEG is the only one allowed extra-dimensional movement within the sanctum.
Cheat Death -- Maybe the BBEG also has a clone of himself sealed away on another plane, requiring the party to do some research to discover this lest they have to fight the guy again. Just do the party a favor and only have one clone...having a dozen is just cheese (I'm looking at you, you copyright protected entity that starts with M and rhymes with Anshoon). Maybe when the BBEG dies, the 'real' BBEG (some manner of outsider, for instance) bursts through his dead body to confront the party (now for my final FINAL FORM!).
These are just the things I thought of off the top of my head, so I know you can probably come up with better if you take some time to think about how your party usually does things. The important part, IMHO, is to create a completely unexpected set of circumstances that force the players to use their skills and abilities to the utmost, possibly in ways that they didn't expect. Try reading up on the class features of the characters in your game. Try coming up with ways to use those abilities that your players have not used before. Above all, read up on your BBEG. Make sure you understand the benefits and limitations of your caster (especially an illusionist) and his allies.
I didn't see this anywhere on the "master list", and my group may have been the only ones confused by this, but even though the Summon Monster/Summon Nature's Ally spells have a range of Close, that only dictates where the creature can come in to play. Once it has been summoned, there is no limit to how far it can go from the caster.
I'm not a developer, but I would say that the Save: Will Negates see text implies that the text itself gives the conditions of the save. Since the text says
SRD wrote:
...must make a Will save against the spell’s effect in order to perform its next action.
I would rule that this means the will save only needs to happen the next time the creature thinks about performing an action. In any case, a second level spell that uses the caster's standard action, then offers 2 consecutive saves to shake off the effect, allows an additional save each round to shake, AND has a 1 round/level duration seems woefully underpowered (see Hideous Laughter for a comparable-effect spell).
Not cheese per se. What I am looking at is can a character make an attack of opportunity when they are under an effect that says that they can take no actions. Specifically, if I cast Command (with the HALT command) on a PC (or bad guy, depending on which side of the table I am on), can that PC (or NPC) make an attack of opportunity on someone who runs by?
I was pretty sure this is where the question was coming from. The AoO doesn't have a stated action type. But, an AoO is pretty much always in the form of what would otherwise take an attack, which is an action. In the few occasions where it has come up, I've ruled that a character that cannot take actions for whatever reason cannot make AoOs either. This seems in keeping with the spirit of things. YMMV.
Ordinarily, I would agree wholeheartedly. In this case, however, there is a companion spell (Forbid Action) for which a forum post appeared asking what that spell could do that Command::HALT could not. It got me to thinking, and I theorized that a creature commanded to halt could, with a certain interpretation, be allowed to make an attack of opportunity, but a creature targeted with Forbid Action::Attack would most definitely not be allowed to make one.
Now, this would seem to imply that an AOO actually takes no action at all, but I can see an interpretation that argues that it is a free action. Is there an official answer for this somewhere else in the forums or in the SRD/PRD, or am I the only one who has ever been this nit-picky about it?
I would say it is its own special kind of action.
Why is this important? I usually find when these question come it because someone is about to cut the cheese, if you know what I mean. (Not saying that's the case here; just asking, because sometimes it is easier to answer when you have the entire question.)
I guess it most closely fits Miscellaneous Action.
Not cheese per se. What I am looking at is can a character make an attack of opportunity when they are under an effect that says that they can take no actions. Specifically, if I cast Command (with the HALT command) on a PC (or bad guy, depending on which side of the table I am on), can that PC (or NPC) make an attack of opportunity on someone who runs by? The specific, relevant text is:
SRD wrote:
Halt: The subject stands in place for 1 round. It may not take any actions but is not considered helpless.
My point is not to try weaseling into or out of anything, but knowing my group and my players, they are likely to figure this one out eventually.
My search-fu is failing me at the moment, and after reading several dozen threads covering nearly all aspects of and opinions regarding AOOs, I have yet to find the answer to the question of 'What kind of action is an attack of opportunity'? According to the SRD:
SRD wrote:
Sometimes a combatant in a melee lets her guard down or takes a reckless action. In this case, combatants near her can take advantage of her lapse in defense to attack her for free. These free attacks are called attacks of opportunity
Now, this would seem to imply that an AOO actually takes no action at all, but I can see an interpretation that argues that it is a free action. Is there an official answer for this somewhere else in the forums or in the SRD/PRD, or am I the only one who has ever been this nit-picky about it?
I guess that theoretically, you could use Forbid Action on a falling/flying creature. The 'Halt' option could possibly be considered impossible for such a creature, causing the spell to automatically fail. Not sure how often this would come up in play, but it is a difference.
I don't think the "halt" command would fail on a flying creature. The creature would simply stop trying to move (and would thus begin to fall). There's nothing to prevent command from having a creature "approach" you through a wall of fire for example, so I see no reason why a creature wouldn't yield to the "halt" command, even if doing so were obviously going to be harmful.
A strict interpretation of RAW would disagree with you, as the text reads:
Halt: The subject stands in place for 1 round. It may not take any actions but is not considered helpless.
In the most literal sense, it is impossible for a creature in the air to stop moving and stay in one place because doing so would cause it to start falling, which is movement away from the square (cube?) it was in. As I said before, I don't see this being an actual issue in most games, but there are some edge cases where it could be applicable.
I guess that theoretically, you could use Forbid Action on a falling/flying creature. The 'Halt' option could possibly be considered impossible for such a creature, causing the spell to automatically fail. Not sure how often this would come up in play, but it is a difference.
You cannot use two-weapon fighting with Daring/Dashing Strike. Well, you can, but you will not receive the bonuses on the off-hand attacks.
The class is thought as using one one-handed weapon exclusively. Also, no Power Attack allowed. I allowed two-weapon fighting as sort-of an option because one friend kept pointing out that having a defensive main-gauche in one hand was a very much used fighting style for fencing.
I would probably make that a bit clearer in the class description then.
Swashbuckler wrote:
Daring Strike (Ex): ... When making a daring strike with a one-handed weapon in her main hand, a swashbuckler cannot apply the damage bonus of this ability to attacks with an off-hand weapon or use a shield other than a buckler...
Emphasis mine, but this seems to imply that as long as you are wielding a light weapon on your primary hand, you do get your level to damage with your off hand :)
2: Daring Strike is uh... wow. I get that you're trying to encourage a certain playstyle that isn't often used, but that mechanic doesn't feel like the way to do it. I'd rather just make it a flat Int or Cha to damage, up to a max of the character's level, personally. Having it equal to level seems far too powerful to me.
I second this. Level to damage is really powerful, as it adds multipliable damage without any investment by the character. Imagine a character that has this with two weapon fighting using kukris. That is a lot of damage that can scale up very quickly with a high crit weapon. In addition, there does not seem to be any other limiting factor. All things appear to suck this damage down without limits or restrictions (no Rage rounds, no flanking required, no favored enemy, etc). It just seems off to me to have a character with a 10 str dealing 7d4 + 175 damage, with crtis moving that up probably closer to 10d4 + 210 or so.
When you combine that damage output potential with the extra AC, the defensive goodies (Uncanny Dodge/Imp Uncanny Dodge specifically), and the fighter hit dice just make this class look too good.
Under normal circumstances, the party would be relying on the characters that have Spellcraft in class to identify items, understand magical effects, and so on. That being said, just because you have access to the skill does not mean that it is a requirement. I am currently playing a Serpentine bloodline sorcerer that specializes in command and control that doesn't have a single rank in Spellcraft OR Knowledge: Arcana, and it hasn't really been an issue.
