daviscd's page

How long does it take a Captain to make an inspirational speech?

How long for a pilot to make evasive maneuvers?

Gunners to lock on to a target?

Engineers to repair critically damaged systems? 5 minutes to 1 month (5 years military aviation electrician experience)

This is why it's undefined.

It's so the GM to make it whatever suits the story.

Thanks, I must have missed that.

In Pathfinder according to James Jacobs when your score increases to the point the modifier goes up it affects you retroactively. Such as HP and skill ranks per level. Is this still a thing?

daviscd wrote:

KingOfAnything wrote:

It's a hover drone, not a hover-and-shoot drone. Seems like it does just what it says on the box.

Then why are it's free mods flight system x2 and WEAPON MOUNT?

Every drone comes with at least one weapon mount; that doesn't mean that they have to use it every turn.

If you want a fully autonomous weapons platform, you should use a different drone chassis until you get Expert AI at Lv7. I recommend the Combat Drone chassis. You can use its free weapon proficiency to get Longarm or Adv. Melee proficiency right away (or the ability to switch-hit with small arms and basic melee, if that's your style) and it comes with TWO weapon holders (melee arm or weapon mount) AND minor DR.

The Hover Drone, on the other hand, WILL require some maintenance to make use of all its systems at once (until Lv7). In exchange, it can stay out of reach of non-flying targets' melee attacks indefinitely. That's a very powerful ability to have at early levels, all things considered. I'd buy that for my move action each round (until Lv7).

Again I agree, but look this will eventually come up for me or a player. I just want an answer for when it does. A simple yes or no for if a hover drone shoots while flying does it just fall? And why did they go with this option?

Actually, as a tip: the hoverdrone is at its best if you donate both your move and swift action to it.

Since Acrobatics is its class skill, it can use the swift action to hover in place. :)

If you have perfect maneuverability, you can hover automatically without attempting a check, though you can hover as a swift action instead of a move action if you succeed at an Acrobatics check (there is no penalty for failure).

The drone doesn't have perfect maneuverability though, it only has average.

It does seem odd that the hover drone does a lot better when not using hover as a tactic. It seems way better for it to always fly up to some perch and then fire on enemies from up there. Now granted there won't always be a perch, but the majority of the time there probably would be.

Maybe we should rename it to the perching drone.

See I can respect that actually, and I know a lot of others have also said this.

I just found it odd a drone known for flying has issues doing that. Especially since a weapon mount is a free mod it gets.

It's a hover drone, not a hover-and-shoot drone. Seems like it does just what it says on the box.

Then why are it's free mods flight system x2 and WEAPON MOUNT?

daviscd wrote:

Again it's not about the choice, it's about being put into a situation where there is no other choice. I'd like to have an answer for just in case.

I don't understand why you keep asking an answered question though. The rules are pretty clear?

It's seems to me everyone is saying use Master's Control, land, or don't shoot. No one is actually answering the question of if a hover drone shoots, does it end up being out of luck and falling.

No one is giving a simple yes or no answer to that.

Here's an example of a situation a player can face and as a GM I would like to know if i make them roll or just deal with the drone falling.

I force the party to split into solo paths, and for the Mechanic I have them captured and restrained to a HELPLESS state, thus no move or standard actions. I have the player then play as the drone, hover drone of course, trying to save him. The drone finds the Mechanic, but the only way to save him is to shoot a target that is only visible when flying 60 feet in the air. So the Drone flies up on the first and second rounds, the next it fires.... at this point it has used it's one action. Does it fall and take 6d6 damage, and thus make for a bad "hover" drone? Or where the developers going for something else?

Again it's not about the choice, it's about being put into a situation where there is no other choice. I'd like to have an answer for just in case.

Page 400, 1d6 per 10 feet fallen, to a maximum of 20d6.

All I'm saying is that a stealth or combat drone can stop to attack on their own. Yet if a hover drone does then by RAW it is going to take fall damage.

daviscd wrote:

FLite wrote:

Darkling36 wrote:

FLite wrote:

I am pretty sure this is intentional. Either use your master control, perch, or don't shoot.

Remember, your drone can fly, but it doesn't *have* to fly. It has a perfectly good 30 foot land speed too.

I am sure if they meant it to have effortless hover, they would have 1. said so, 2. given it perfect maneuverability, not average.

But you still have to use actions even with perfect fly, at least a swift action. Just seems odd to bother with a specificity flying drone, specifically with a weapon mount, so the clear intention is that it flys and attacks, but if it shoots it crashes. I wouldn't have much issue if it had the camera mod instead of the weapon. I'd just feel like it was a generally inferior scout, but still had possibilities. But having flight and weapons as the must haves seems very ill planned.

It is an armed scout.

It doesn't crash if it shoots, you can use master control and give up your move to (effectively) get an extra standard. It can fly to high ground and shoot. It has a lot of options even before you get to 7th level.

Again I made this with keeping in mind Master's Control is out of the question.

But master control is the part of the class feature that lets the rest of the class work.

That is like starting a question in pathfinder by saying "Yes, I know that 99% of the time, my character will have both hands available, but for that 1% of the time when I only have one hand free, how does two weapon fighting work. It says right there in the name that I can 2 weapon fight, so I should be able to do that all the time, even when I only have one hand."

Look I'm saying oh no were up against "X" it's shooting a never ending stream of fire at us. My Mechanic has to keep moving to stay out of it, as well as drink a serum to stay in the fight. But now my drone only has one action and we know "X" is low on HP so I want to attack.

Note that the hover drone has a land speed equal to its fly speed, so it does have the option to land if the mechanic doesn't want to waste actions keeping it in flight on future turns.

True, but that kinda defeats the point of a "HOVER" drone.

Androids wrote:

For effects targeting creatures by type, androids count as both humanoids and constructs (whichever effect is worse).

Healing doesn't target by type.

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but Mystic Cure targets one living creature. An Android from what OP is saying is both that and a construct. And constructed says treat as both, but for the worst. Mystic Cure wouldn't affect a construct and Mending wouldn't affect a living creature.

So yeah I can see where the problem lies.

Strike Back (Combat)
You can strike at foes that attack you using their superior reach
by targeting their limbs or weapons as they come at you.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You can ready an action to make a melee attack
against a foe that attacks you with a melee weapon, even if
that foe isn’t within your reach.

Same as you would if the enemy was attacking with a reach weapon.

I've been in a combat as a mechanic with a flying drone and it was pretty smooth. My character was an active participant, and held his own with the others, maybe even did a little better.

Sure, I don't get full attacks (either me or my drone) but I still get two attacks, and with higher bonuses to hit than someone doing a full attack. I think that's the balance they were after.

Would it be keen if my drone just floated there without an action? Sure! But I think that's more power than they intended the drone to have.

This is game balance at play I think, and it seems (so far in my limited experience) to work well.

Let me guess, Master's Control you get a standard (attack) and the Drone gets a move and standard (attack)? That's fine and all, but what I'm asking is if the Mechanic has to move, like out of a hazard, and takes a standard to use a serum or something. Then all the Drone has is a standard or a move, if it attacks does that mean it falls out of the sky? Since it doesn't have a move or swift to roll any kind of fly check to stay up.

Darkling36 wrote:

FLite wrote:

I am pretty sure this is intentional. Either use your master control, perch, or don't shoot.

Remember, your drone can fly, but it doesn't *have* to fly. It has a perfectly good 30 foot land speed too.

I am sure if they meant it to have effortless hover, they would have 1. said so, 2. given it perfect maneuverability, not average.

But you still have to use actions even with perfect fly, at least a swift action. Just seems odd to bother with a specificity flying drone, specifically with a weapon mount, so the clear intention is that it flys and attacks, but if it shoots it crashes. I wouldn't have much issue if it had the camera mod instead of the weapon. I'd just feel like it was a generally inferior scout, but still had possibilities. But having flight and weapons as the must haves seems very ill planned.

It is an armed scout.

It doesn't crash if it shoots, you can use master control and give up your move to (effectively) get an extra standard. It can fly to high ground and shoot. It has a lot of options even before you get to 7th level.

Again I made this with keeping in mind Master's Control is out of the question.

I am pretty sure this is intentional. Either use your master control, perch, or don't shoot.

Remember, your drone can fly, but it doesn't *have* to fly. It has a perfectly good 30 foot land speed too.

I am sure if they meant it to have effortless hover, they would have 1. said so, 2. given it perfect maneuverability, not average.

You have a good point, and I've been considering that as well. But that's why I'm asking to get the clarification that it seems more and more people want.

Also yeah I plan on using Master's Control like 99% of the time, this is for the other 1%. Or dealing with Rule Lawyers, lol.

I'm truly hoping for this to find it's way into the FAQ, an errata, or just have an official ruling on here.

daviscd wrote:

MakuTheDark wrote:

daviscd wrote:

So a drone only gets a move or a standard action. I know the Mechanic can override this with Master's Control, but that's not the point for this scenario.

So as a Hover Drone with a weapon mounted how do you attack without falling during flight? Seeing as to hover is done as a move action, but you can't move if you attack.

Since it has a fly speed, I would imagine to start hovering is a move action, but once it is in the air, it is constantly hovering without a constant need for an action to be spent to keep it in the air.

HOVER

Safe flight typically requires momentum. If you wish to stay in place, or hover, while flying, you must attempt an Acrobatics check as a move action. If you fail, you fall.

So without using Master's Control, you have to use a move action to hover. Thus not getting a standard action to attack.

But it is a swift action if you succeed at an Acrobatics check.

But a Swift Action is used as part of a Move Action. So if I shoot while flying, thus using my ONLY action as a drone, there is no move to roll for this.

daviscd wrote:

So a drone only gets a move or a standard action. I know the Mechanic can override this with Master's Control, but that's not the point for this scenario.

So as a Hover Drone with a weapon mounted how do you attack without falling during flight? Seeing as to hover is done as a move action, but you can't move if you attack.

Since it has a fly speed, I would imagine to start hovering is a move action, but once it is in the air, it is constantly hovering without a constant need for an action to be spent to keep it in the air.

HOVER

So without using Master's Control, you have to use a move action to hover. Thus not getting a standard action to attack.

With only a standard or a move why waste the move to attempt to hover? Cannot shoot, poor chance at hovering at lower levels, the only viable option is to move at this point.

Seems kinda odd to me is all, having to land to shoot.

It's in the rules to build new equipment you need tools, time, and UPBs. If you scrap a similar item (AKA the old gun) you can use 10% towards the cost as UPBs.

That's Master's Control, again for this scenario the Mechanic had to move and use their standard action, leaving the drone with only one action.

So a drone only gets a move or a standard action. I know the Mechanic can override this with Master's Control, but that's not the point for this scenario.

So as a Hover Drone with a weapon mounted how do you attack without falling during flight? Seeing as to hover is done as a move action, but you can't move if you attack.

With the release of the Pathfinder Unchained book and the addition of the new skill variants and such is there any chance we'll see new character sheets to reflect these changes?

Well if you go by the way the NPC Codex puts it then you get attacks with both your main and off and in full attack. So a fighter with a BAB of 11/6/1 using a longsword and shortsword with two weapon fighting, improved two weapon fighting and greater two weapon fighting would have a full attack of 9/9/6/6/1/1. This is by the book and honestly not that bad as at 11th level a fighter could have base stats of STR:15 Dex:19 Con:12 Int:12 Wis:11 CHA:10 with a basic 20 point buy system, level increases and without any magical gear to buff him. So in turn his attacks would be 11/11/8/8/3/3.

Page 135 of Ultimate Combate

Also noted in the text for the whole knock down thing one must still use CMB vs. CMD so still not as easy as it sounds. Also the damage for the guns sounds about right, during my time in the Marines I got Butt Stroked by accident once and even with protective gear on it did some damage.

For those wanting these go ahead and get them, Now! They are absolutely beautiful and well made, I love them.

Approx. several years after 4689AR, I believe this is correct because in The Bastards of Erebus it states that the current mayor took office that year and started rebuilding the opera houses which become a big part of the campaign.

This along with Purity will be amazing, can't wait till the next one comes out for evil and such.

I'm really looking forward to this, it'll help me and the players I GM for out a lot.

This is the one I'm most excited about

These look very interesting I can't wait for them to arrive.

I finally got to do this one the other day and my players loved it. The best part is all my players have been playing table top for years now and always hated APs, but they are having a great time with this one. At first they were like wtf a play? But once they got into it they had a blast. Oh and the rogue of the party in the audition for Dentris having to insult Robahl stole his monocle under his nose and wore it.

Maveric28 wrote:

Awwww.... no fighter/caster class? Dang... I was really hoping for a core class Fighter/Mage type. Multiclassing just doesn't quite have the same feel to it.

Personally, I never liked the "gish" classes, because I see them better modeled via Prestige Classes (Eldritch Knight or Arcane Archer are pretty good choices in my books). Besides, it's to end up with something that makes fighter/wizards a totally suboptimal choice. Ergo, I'm very happy if Paizo stays away from making base classes for multiclass combinations.

I agree on this as well. Though I believe that certain classes do go well together.... but then that is why some prestige classes require multiclassing.

Seeing what Paizo has given us so far I am really looking forward to this one. I can't wait to see what they compile in here for us.

Eric Hinkle wrote:

I have a fluff-related question here: if Cheliax is ruled by the Church of Asmodeus, then why do they allow good gods and their churches like Erastil and Iomedae to operate openly?

It must be annoying when those meddling paladins of Iomedae start preaching a crusade against the Grotto of Asmodeus just down the way.

This is explained in the book in a very logical way... and paladins of Iomedae try to keep lower profile in Cheliax than elsewhere! (The few that didn't me and Kae sent to the care of our good friends in the Order of the Rack!)

Harsh man, but then again they should of know the risks they were in.

This is awesome, I love it. I make game play go by so much smoother.

This has been very useful for me, as well as my friends, to bring our characters over to pathfinder and continue playing.