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The sig looked like an NK to me so I checked the interior artist list and found it was Nicholas Kay. Here's his website.

Animal Archive lists belt, eyes, and headband as available item slots for serpentine creatures. Limited, but there's a lot of possibility in each of those slots.

Even if the ''bleed conditions'' applies to the scrap bomb, there has to be an initial damage that opens the wound, so this means that it takes X bleeding damage right after the attack resolves and then it takes the X bleeding damage AGAIN on the next turn.

The initial damage is from the bomb but it deals piercing damage instead of fire damage. The bleed is just like any other bleed effect, it starts at the beginning of the target's next turn.

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Looks to me like its gonna be the best Bestiary yet!

BESTESTiary.

Hmm. I reread Greater Grapple and it seems the move action grapple check is when you maintain the grapple, implying only on subsequent rounds. Some GMs might interpret that as not being possible in the round you initiated the grapple with Hamatula Strike. Anyone else see it that way or am I reading too much into it?

Looks like you don't take the -4 to the grapple check when you first hit with the rope dart. The -4 from Hamatula strike is only when attempting to deal damage with the impaling weapon. That means you have an even better chance of impaling them initially and you don't take the penalty when trying to tie them up, either.

I've always wanted to use the rope dart in a build. This is the most creative use I've seen for it. I'm going to have to make a note of this build and try it in my next game.

Also, a goblin feral gnasher is my new go-to choice for grappling. So much biting...

bbt there is a class in kobold quarterly #21 that is called a shaman, which is basically a spontaneous druid caster using the druid spell list (just like oracle for cleric spells). would that help at all?

I bought that issue so that I could have a spontaneous caster that focused on using flame blade. Strangely enough the shaman is not proficient with scimitars.

Donato, I would expect table variation with that as I've had judges rule it both ways.

Technically, that action allows you to tie up your target with a rope. It does not state it you retrieve a rope and then tie them up in one action.

You'd have Equipment Trick: Rope if you're doing this so as long as you were proficient in whips or spiked chains (both are easily accomplished if you're a half-orc) you treat the rope as said weapons, thus legally allowing quick draw.

If a character with the Equipment Trick: Rope feat (and proficiency in whips) were to pull rope from a Robe of Infinite Twine, what is the action? Is it a standard action (usually the case when activating a magic item), or the equivalent of drawing a weapon (either a move, part of a move, or free)?

Lash (Weapon Proficiency [whip]): You can use a length of rope as a whip at no penalty. The piece of rope that is used as a whip must be 10 feet long—length in excess of this must remain coiled or otherwise unused at your feet or side.

The wearer can draw up to 30 feet of twine or up to 10 feet of hemp rope per round from the robe without harming it.

Bolding mine for emphasis.

So, is drawing a 10 foot length of rope from the robe for use as a whip considered drawing a weapon or activating a magic item?

Claw attacks aren't just the pointy nails at the ends of digits doing damage. They're the full hand or limb striking the foe (bludgeoning) and then following through in a raking motion (slashing).

There is also a sneak peek at the Mythic Rules Cover Art in the back!

Indeed! Though some may ask, "Where's Ezren?" I like to believe he's the big red guy in the center and that's just a practice session.

Rohini Soni: Correct, a character isn't flanking just because his allies are flanking.

jakebacon wrote:

Oladon wrote:

jakebacon wrote:

... even though it is denied to everyone else.

Being grappled does not deny you your dexterity bonus to AC against anyone.

You're right. I meant to say being pinned makes the opponent flat-footed.

Again, incorrect. Being pinned denies a character his Dex bonus, but that's not the same thing as being flat-footed.

Aright, you got me there. My first printing Pathfinder Core Rulebook says pinned makes them flat-footed. Obviously there's been an errata. The PFSRD shows pinned as denying dex.

jakebacon wrote:

... even though it is denied to everyone else.

Being grappled does not deny you your dexterity bonus to AC against anyone.

You're right. I meant to say being pinned makes the opponent flat-footed.

And the grappled condition applies a -2 to your attack rolls, but you can still definitely full attack and, since you'd be flanking, get your sneak attack damage as well. The thing to remember that changed from 3.5 to Pathfinder is that you don't occupy the same square as the person with whom you're grappling. You're still adjacent which means flanking still happens. If you didn't have flank you wouldn't be able to sneak attack since DEX isn't denied to whoever you're grappling, even though it is denied to everyone else. A nice "combo" my current group uses is a grapple-focused fighter that pins foes while the two weapon wielding rogue goes to town on the poor chump that's pinned. Very effective when we're up against singular opponents or very small groups.

What you need my friend is Equipment Trick for ropes.

I've been interested in a Cleric of Norgorber, with the Trickery and Death (possibly Murder) Domains... Probably with some kind of reach weapon.

Interestingly, my mate just got the NPC codex and there is a Cleric in there with the exact same set up, described as an assassin.

Basically, instead of rogue skills, you use your spells to the same effect. (Disguise Self, Invisibility, etc.)

Hmm. I've always preferred spontaneous casters because I've found them easier to play. Maybe I can break from the norm and go with cleric. I'll give those domains a look.

Thanks for all the input. The game is set to start this weekend and most of us players are getting our characters together. Normally we stick to core races and a few made for the homebrew setting, but, in an unprecedented move, the GM opened up almost the entirety of the advanced race guide. So, we have a few oddities in the group.

So far the roster includes a dhampir ninja, a hobgoblin grappler (unarmed fighter who'll splash a few levels of rogue), a human bard (need a face, right?) and I'm pretty sure I'll be playing a fetchling oracle (dark tapestry mystery and likely the Stargazer archetype).

The GM allowed me to take the Mute curse from Open Design's Divine Favor - The Oracle. It grants Silent Spell like the Deaf curse and eventually grants detect thoughts and telepathy, but Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate all take a -8 penalty that doesn't decrease. That hurts. I really wanted the cool silent spell feature but didn't want the character to be deaf, but such a blow to my social skills seems like it could really hinder me in a game that's only 30% combat. I'd be able to communicate with sign language (GM says a rank in linguistics covers it) and, from a background story, the GM is allowing me to start at level 1 with Pipes of Sounding for any necessary vocalizing.

Should I bother with the stargazer archetype? Can I really pull off being mute? Is this just a case of forcing a concept at the expense of the build? I stuck with oracle since the dhampir will need a source of inflict spells for healing, but I see the Inquisitor gets those as well. Should I just play a fetchling Inquisitor and save everyone the headache?

Half-Orc has an alternate racial trait called Shaman's Apprentice that gives the Endurance feat in exchange for your racial +2 to intimidate. You were going human just to get Endurance at level 1 anyway, right? Well, go half-orc, get it for free, and it also frees up another feat slot since you don't have to take Racial Heritage to get access to Deathless Initiate.

Of course then you're unable to take Heart of the Wilderness, but by level 20 that's really only 10 hit points worth of negative CON. That may not be an issue at that stage.

Unfortunately the druid spell list isn't an option for Unsanctioned Knowledge.

I once built a goblin serpent shaman that focused primarily on flame blade. Trickery domain gave him all the stealthiness of a ninja and the eventual Eldritch Heritage feats for the Aberrant Bloodline would give him extra reach with touch attacks (i.e. flame blade attacks).

My GM's been playing games like Assassin's Creed 3 and Dishonored and expressed his interest in running what he calls a "long-term assassin campaign." (Which does not necessarily mean an evil campaign)
He's encouraging us to approach character creation with a little more creativity than usual, meaning not that rogues, ninjas, vivisectionist alchemists and the assassin prestige class are out, but that we should consider other classes just as viable for a team of 4 assassins working together from level 1 onward.
Our group's never synergized characters much beyond what roles we fill, so we're also going to try building this team together, capitalizing on teamwork feats and class ability/feat/spell synergy as well.
The setting is a steampunk horror homebrew, with advanced firearms and hardly any armor beyond the light stuff. Divine spellcasting is common, arcane a bit less so, but magic items are rare, usually limited to what the GM chooses to hand out.
So what classes do you think would work for this? Any 4 player combos you've found interesting? Any tips for multiclassing, if at all? (I usually avoid multiclassing but the GM hinted it might help. He didn't elaborate.) Teamwork feats: yea or nay? Is sneak attack almost mandatory for everyone?

Any insight would be appreciated.

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Dhampir Samurai is the name of my Type O Negative cover band.

My largest complaint is also its virtue. It is small and portable, but that makes the name magnets a pain. They are hard to grab with my short finger nails and I just smudge the ink around.

One of my GMs is using a homemade combat pad and he too has trouble grasping the small magnets when he needs to move them. I suggested putting a small bit of tape on one end, stuck to the back of the magnet and folded in on itself to make a small tab. He can grab the tabs with ease and is now able to rearrange the magnets as a swift action instead of a full-round action.

Another GM uses a columnar pad. He writes character and creature names next to their corresponding initiative number on the left side and uses the rest to track monster hit points, status effects, pretty much anything else necessary.

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Now let's move forward with some Razor Coast gaming goodness, Logue-style!!

Sounds like Lou Agresta had a very large share in getting this done. Maybe it's more like LOUgue-style.

Wait. Nicolagresta Lougue. Wow. There's an amalgamation that thrills to no end yet terrifies beyond the capacity for all rational thought.

Not sure how they would interact with Brawling, since monks can't even use brawling.

They can. More restricted access, but doable. Bracers of Armor +1 with Brawling. Costs about 4000 gp.

The feat expenditure might be too much, but I'd love to play a feral gnasher with snatch arrows and feral combat training.

Literally catching bullets with it's teeth.

I'm partial to Sawjaw.

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Death Kneel is what you call it when a character in a movie is mortally wounded, then falls to their knees (usually in slow motion), arms outstretched, with a look of either confusion or serenity on their face before falling over dead.

I agree with the artwork. Both this pdf and *all* of the artwork for Serpent's Skull are fantastic.

So... I just need you hurry up and do more.

Consider me hurried.

Chainsaw!

So, what's the consensus on pronunciation? I'm guessing it's pronounced "Scissor" but I think I prefer "Psi-Zore" since that sounds like a cool He-Man villain.

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Wow, monks just can't catch a break for nothin....

Oh they can catch a break, they just can't throw it back in the same round.

I saw a guy at Gen Con several years back that kept a set of dice in a clear plastic peanut butter jar. He kept it sealed, shaking it and slamming it on the table not unlike bar dice. A little loud maybe, but it assured him nobody ever touched his dice, nothing soiled his dice, and he'd never lose one due to an errant roll.

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Looks like, as written, attacks with battle poi are regular attacks, not touch attacks. Seems they're treated as any other weapon but deal fire damage instead of regular damage. Piranha Strike should apply.

Hmm. A goblin with battle poi and the Burn! Burn! Burn! feat would be quite a terror.

In the past I would shy away from multiclassing, declaring to my group that "multiclassing is multicrappy." But recently I've started exploring multiclass options to build a character that was more than the sum of its parts. I'd suggest first determining what your overall concept is and then choosing classes that best fit that ideal. So if you do want to multiclass, go right ahead; you'll get some very interesting combinations. But don't discount a class based on first impressions. An alchemist can be much more than a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde mad scientist just as a witch can be more than a green crone with a pointed hat.

You're welcome. Glad to help.

Strangler is the feat you're looking for.

Also, a spontaneous caster that uses the druid spell list.

Came to mention this, saw it in the OP. Here's my +1

Advanced Options: Alchemist Discoveries from Super Genius Games has several discoveries that only work when you imbibe your mutagen.

The sohei is intended to be on a mount for most combats and you can't take a full-attack action if your mount moves. At least not until level 14 or later when you pick up the feat that allows you to do so, that is. Wearing armor gives you the option of better protection while charging around the battlefield on your ki-powered mount.

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I fecund the motion.

I think the best class would be an Oracle 1 (Lore, focused trance), Archivist Bard (2) (take 10 or 20), mindchemist 2 (2*Int to Knowledge!), and then the rest wizard.

You'd be rocking those skill checks, but not much else!

For a build that is more feat intensive but has less multi-classing, a mindchemist with the Kirin Style feat chain can eventually take 10, add double INT to knowledge checks, and spend a swift action to add double INT to a single attack that round. Using targeted bomb admixture and Kirin Strike, you could be adding your INT bonus to damage 4 times on a single bomb throw without splashing your allies. Or if you really want to dip elsewhere, 2 levels of monk (master of many styles) and you can get the first 2 feats in the Kirin Style chain without meeting the requirements. If you're allowed 3.5 material I'd suggest the Kung Fu Genius feat from Dragon Compendium so all your monk abilities are based off INT for better synergy.

THAT'S why I couldn't find it in a list of discoveries. Thank you. That was driving me nuts. I knew I saw it, just couldn't find where.

Any insight?

I'm playing a skirmisher/urban ranger as well in my GM's low-magic steampunk/gothic horror campaign. I do quite well without spells and it fits the concept much better. I'm the resident skill monkey so I took skill sage right away, rolling twice and taking the better result has saved me countless times. I followed that with uncanny senses so I can spot all those pesky, lurking aberrations (my first favored enemy) the GM likes to use. We just passed 9th level and I took catfall. It's amazing how often you find yourself falling from high places when rings of feather fall aren't widely available.

I'm having a lot of fun with Skirmisher so far. I'm not sure if it's better than spells but it certainly fits my concept more than casting would.

I could have sworn there was a non-3PP alchemist discovery that alters a bomb so that it does no splash damage but doubles the added INT bonus to damage against the primary target. Is this real or am I just imagining it?

On a related note, if I'm using the Explosive Missile discovery, can I use other bomb-altering discoveries on the exploding ammo? I realize it has no asterisk but I'm not sure if it's technically a bomb or just adding bomb damage to a ranged attack.

DR is your friend against archers.

Actually DR will stop returning your calls now that archers can get Clustered Shots.

If the initial blast hits, the foe's Will is broken and he becomes our party's b$%%!. If it misses and he gains a day's immunity to the Eye and the jinx... well, there'll be other options.

Evil Eye can be used over and over, no immunity if they make the save. Malicious Eye states that when they fail their save against the Evil Eye you add the effect of the jinx to the Evil Eye effect. You're not actually using your jinx. You're free to jinx them if you so choose, even if they save vs. the Evil Eye.

First, yes cackle will extend the evil eye even if they make the save. This is why evil eye should be the FIRST hex you take if you intend on getting cackle.

True, but the additional Jinx penalty will not apply at all if they make their Evil Eye save.

Second drop the iron will feat, you have will as your strongest save and all iron will does is increase you will save.

...
Why in the world did you take EVERY save boosting feat available? buy a cloak +5 and spend those feats on something useful.

Because he's taking Malicious Eye and Bolster Jinx, the save-boosting feats increase the Jinx penalty on their respective saves by 2, for a total -3 to all saves once he has all 3 feats. This -3 is applied to the Evil Eye hex through the Malicious Eye feat, in addition to whatever penalty he chooses for Evil Eye. Yes, it stacks and yes, at 8th level and above, as long as he has the 3 saving throw feats, he could impose a -7 to saving throws if he so desires. A potent combination, albeit at a high feat cost.

Instead of spending money on a ranged weapon with a +1 and Conductive, you can just use a regular weapon (or a magical one of your choice) and the Explosive Missile discovery. You're only spending 1 bomb per use instead of 2 as well. Still works with a Master Chymist too. Only "downside" is that you're making regular attacks instead of touch attacks but a Dex mutagen helps with that.