roguerouge's page

I love the nature of adventuring. Adventuring has traditionally been a very dangerous if lucrative profession. Adventurers die, and die, and die some more. Some are lucky enough to only have to die once. What separates the adventurers that make it from the ones who were just another party that never returned? Well, I think creativity and preparation make the largest difference. I didn't think much about this sort of thing, until Peter Stewart said the following in another thread.

Honestly some of your tactics here have given me a great deal to think of for future characters. I'd be interested in a general thread on purchases you think are viable or needed at various levels, along with various tricks. A heightened continual flame hadn't even occurred to me, for instance.

My party could use some more asymmetrical means of combating such problems, as right now our tendency is to bully through them using brute force (usually taking tons of damage and expending tons of resources in the process). We're coming up on a long period though were we'll be able to resupply and reequip. :)

So since Peter asked, here's the beginning of a short advice column concerning D&D/Pathfinder and preparing for adventure. I'm cool with people asking questions or advice or tips on specific things; and I'll also answer questions concerning D&D 3.x as well (though I may have to reference the 3.0 SRD for particularly old school stuff, to make sure I'm not blurring too much).

As a simple disclaimer, I want to let everyone know that the advice below will assume that the standard rules are in play. It doesn't assume house rules or changes to the system. Just the goods, plain and simple. If your GM has any quirks concerning item availability, changes any spells, or otherwise alters something, YMMV.

Enough babbling, on with the tips!
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Introduction: Adventuring is a hard life. Few take up its call. Those who make it, go down as legends, and retire wealthy and with many amazing stories. Those who do not, inevitably forge their own stories as the ones who just survived, or never came back, or was the one that didn't make it. Yes, adventuring is a hard life. A life that takes you by surprise. The key to surviving isn't just about whose muscles are largest or who knows the most spells. Preparation, and clever thinking, can lead you to greater degrees of success. Shall you brave the dangers and come out on top, or be another tavern tale of the ones who never came back?

The first installment covers some general adventuring equipment.

Motel 6: There are a lot of monsters and enemies who like to spam darkness spells (and deeper darkness). Creatures like tieflings, drow, shadow demons, darklings, and dark folk are notorious for this. Many people complain that this is unfair; especially since most of these creatures either care nothing about the lighting condition's drawbacks, or can see through them fine (such as in the case of darklings and dark folk). So what is an adventurer to do?

Light spells (that is, the light subtype) such as light, continual flame, and daylight pierce magical darkness spells that are a lower level than themselves. A good adventuring tool is to have an item or two that has had a heightened continual flame spell cast on it to at least 4th level. That costs 330 gp including the material component, to have it purchased by NPC spellcasting. Suddenly, the legions of darklings and dark folk are nothing to you, as your continual torch (be it a torch, amulet, or even your belt buckle) shimmers and provides light that is unquenchable by spells such as darkness or deeper darkness unless they are also heightened. Since spell-like abilities are the level of the spell they are mimicing, that means a 4th level continual flame is never overpowered by a creature's SLAs.

I'm most fond of having continual flame cast on the inside of a locket, so you can conceal or reveal the light easily enough, and carry it without having hands free.

We'll leave the light on for you!

First Aid: There's a lot of terrible things that will hurt you in your adventuring career. Poisons, disease, incorporeal touch attacks. A lot of this stuff can leave you weathered, or even dead. So how do you deal with these things? How do you prepare for them away from the comfort of civilization?

Buy potions of delay poison and lesser restoration for 50 gp each. Yes, you heard me, 50 gp. Both are 1st level spells at 1st caster level, thanks to Paladins and Rangers. That sets the price of these items at 50 gp. The magic item creation rules clearly state that the value of magic items are based on the lowest possible caster levels, regardless of who makes 'em; so even if a cleric makes either, they're still only worth 50 gp.

Both potions are useful for helping a party keep up and going. Delay poison makes you immune to poison for 1 hour and ends poisons, but won't cure any of the ability damage taken beforehand. Lesser restoration removes ability penalties, heals 1d4 ability damage, and removes fatigue. Good potions all around to have on hand during an adventure.

+1 Swords? We don't need no stinkin' +1 Swords: Magic weapons are expensive, but sometimes you just need one. DR/Magic is pretty common, incorporeal creatures are a pain, that wizard is getting you down with protection from arrows; but you don't feel like shelling out 2,000 gp for what amounts to +1 damage over a masterwork blade?

Well magic weapon oils are 50 gp, and they last 1 minute at caster level 1. The oil can be applied to a melee weapon, ranged weapon, or poured right into a 50-stack ammunition sack. This is one of the main methods for 1st-3rd level PCs to even be able to combat incorporeal creatures like Shadows with any hope. Works for monk unarmed strikes as well. Since you can decide which weapon to apply it to, it's less of a gamble; as if you need it on your melee weapon, you use it on your melee; if you need it on your bow, you use it on your bow; and so forth.

Lay off the Juice Son: Okay, so steriods aren't a to be abused, but oils were made for it. You can apply an oil to a willing target during your turn. Having several party members slather down the party's melee with cheap potion effects can turn a fight really fast. Have one PC slather him or her with an oil of enlarge person, then the rest of the PCs apply oils like protection from evil or shield (I recently checked, yes you can make potions of shield, as personal range spells still declare you as a target), and expeditious retreat (see commentary about shield, above), true strike (see above, yadda-yadda), and remove fear.

Suddenly, you have a juggernaut of destruction, at the cost of 50 gp per potion. Best yet, the person you apply the oil provides you with soft cover if you come in directly behind them in relation to the enemy, which means enemies cannot make AoOs against you for applying the oil. Notice I mentioned using enlarge person first? Well there's a reason for that. Your ally expands, providing cover to the other PCs who jump in to apply oils.

For a 200 gp investment, you can hit your main tank with up to 4 solid buffs all in one round, many of which normally are only available to mages. Screw aid another. 50 gp can get your party's fighter a +20 to his next grapple check, which can end a fight instantly (hint: the penalty to bind up an enemy during a grapple is -10).

Right to Freedom of Alignment: Ok, let's face it. Sometimes your alignment bites you on the butt. It's great being a good guy and all, except when you're trying to infiltrate that evil cult that has the "No Paladins" sign hanging out side. So what's the poor poorly aligned fellow to do? Drink a potion. 50 gp nets you 24 hours of undetectable alignment. Thanks bards!

Alchemy? Alchem-you!: Alchemical goodies can often be overlooked, but they can be pretty useful, especially at low levels; but some are useful even at higher levels. Turn some vicious villains into trivial trials with a clever splash of chemical supremacy!

Alchemical weapons such as alchemist fire or acid flasks are beautiful when used by the whole party. They ignore damage reduction and target touch AC. They're ranged weapons, so they benefit from feats like Point Blank Shot, and Rapid Shot. They can be dual-wielded as well. By having your party focus-fire on a single tough cookie, you can bring them down to size in short order. For example, let's say you're facing down an enemy NPC in banded mail and carrying a tower shield. His AC is easily 22-23 at 1st level. Excellent time for a BBQ wrapped in tinfoil! Have everyone toss an alchemist fire. A 4 person party can easily land 4d6 damage on round 1, and another 4d6 on round 2 (from the burning). Sucks to be that guy!

Tanglefoot bags are amazingly good. Chuck a few of these at people or creatures you just don't like. It's an auto-entangle, which is already a petty nice debuff, but also threatens to glue them to the ground, prevent them from flying, and forces tough concentration checks to cast spells. Worst case scenario, the critter is still slowed by 1/2 its speed.

Probably the most overlooked alchemical item is the humble smoke stick. Cheap, and surprisingly effective. Unless wind conditions are much against you, dropping one of these lets you use Stealth as if you were a Ninja Turtle collecting bells, gain total concealment vs ranged attacks, and ruins sneak attacks. Yes, ruins sneak attacks. You can't sneak attack a target with concealment. You can drop a single smoke stick at your feet and even if you're surrounded by 20th level rogues, blind, and in the dark, you're immune to their sneak damage. Excellent against dirty roguish sorts, and even prevents an assassin's Death Attack. Brutally efficient.

Holy water. The anti-shadow. At 25 gp a pop, this stuff is kind of like acid of alchemist fire for undead and evil outsiders. Incidentally, it specifically affects incorporeal creatures as well. It deals 2d4 damage as a ranged touch attack that doesn't provoke attacks (see item description) if you shake the water at the enemy. 2d4 averages 5 damage, which means a 1st level party can tear a shadow apart by just running up and splashing it with holy water. Statistically, 4 holy waters will outright kill a shadow (and less should force the shadow to flee for its unlife), and frankly, 100 gp for a dead CR 3 enemy seems entirely reasonable to me! The fact it also deals splash damage, and is party friendly is double the fun. Alchemists even get to add their Intelligence modifier to the damage, allowing them to take apart some truly nasty critters in short order.

Aw, Nets: Nets are arguably one of the strongest weapons in the core handbook. They deal no damage, but are a non-magical ranged touch attack (meaning even the -4 non-proficiency penalty isn't so bad usually) which inflicts the Entangled condition on the target, and all that implies. To escape it, you must spend a full-round action to even attempt to be free (either via a hard Strength check or a DC 20 escape artist), which means that either an enemy has to deal with it, or waste actions to be free. Hitting the same enemy with multiple nets in the same round almost ensures the condition will remain for the entire encounter; because no one wants to spend round after round trying to de-net themselves.

Who you gonna call?: A good investment for anyone who really hates incorporeal creatures is a +1 ghost touch net. Valued at 8,000 gp, it's not a terribly expensive tool if the entire party chips in to get it. Why is this tool so great? Well it has full effect on incorporeal creatures, who auto-fail on Strength checks to move away from you (allowing you to control how far they move away from you), and since it counts as both corporeal and incorporeal, you can prevent them from moving through objects while ensnared in your net. Entangled is also a sucky (if rare) condition for incorporeal creatures, as they rely heavily on Dexterity for both offense and defense (-2 to attacks and -4 Dex means -4 to incorporeal touch attacks and -2 AC) and most thrive on improved mobility which is outright denied in this case.

I'll try the 9 Iron: Golf-bagging is often a complaint by some of the casual gamers. Personally, I love golf-bagging. I like having that extra weapon on hand for a particular occasion. Ever look at the Pathfinder iconics? Loaded with seemingly random assortments of weapons, with obvious spares and backups. Golf bagging has lots of advantages.

Grab a cold iron, silver (or mithral), and maybe adamantine weapon. Carrying them allows you to bypass the DR of virtually anything. Definitely have an assortment of silver and cold iron arrows (they're cheap and easy enough to store/carry). It's cheaper to carry lots of +2 weapons of different materials than it is to carry one or two +3 weapons, and it makes you less of a target vs sundering or shattering (because who bothers with that when you've got a backup weapon in easy reach?).

You can go a very long way with just different material weapons and a greater magic weapon spell to keep your hit and damage top notch. It's also easier to rely on special materials for all the low CR enemies who require things like silver or cold iron to hit (such as imps, quasits, lycanthropes, or fey).

It's not magic, it's brains: There's a lot of very mundane methods for dealing with magical effects that suck. One of my favorites is the bag of chalk. A piece of chalk is 1 copper piece. A hundred pieces of chalk is thus 1 gold piece. Crush the chalk up into chalk powder and store it in cloth bags with a tie. Now you have the perfect weapon against invisible people. Have you ever seen the clingy puffy mess that chalk dust makes just when you're dealing with basic chalk erasers in school? Now imagine grinding up 100 pieces of standard issue chalk and scattering it through the air. You'd create a nice 10 ft. cloud of super clinging dust. Better than flour for spotting invisible creatures! Anti-invisible grenades, for 1 gp. Eat that Will o' Whisp.

Clay jugs are pretty heavy when filled, but are pretty useful. Their obvious use is for carrying large quantities of water or similar liquids (ideally packed on burden beasts such as mules, horses, or oxen), but can often be adapted for adventuring purposes. They can just as easily carry coins and the like, or you could place food in them, fill them with black powder to make a bomb (if your campaign has such fare), create weapons or traps with them (fill them with spiders, scorpions, snakes, or whatever), or even keep potted plants in them (carrying around your own plants makes the entangle spell useful in the most amusing places). At only 2 copper pieces, you can figure out what to do with them later. Flasks are 3 coppers with similar uses.

Keeping a few vipers in a state of sedation (via nonlethal damage, sleep spells, or other means) can be a good method of extracting lots of injury poison for the budding assassin, alchemist, or other poison using character. Just milk their glands for poison daily. Finding and keeping vipers isn't usually very difficult for adventurers. In fact, the clay pots can be useful storage devices in this case. If someone has a viper familiar, you could just ask nicely for venom.

His name is Babe: Paul Bunyan had the right idea. Oxen rock as animal cohorts. They're cheap at 15 gp and share statistics with aurochs. They are large quadruped beasts of burden with impressive strength, which means they can carry some truly astounding loads. They are also beefy and dangerous in combat. They have gore attacks for 1d8+9 damage and can even trample. Training them for war is not a bad idea for someone with Handle Animal. Have the party ride around on these strong beasts with high Constitution, and just dare something to try and harass your mounts while you rest. For a good 1-4 levels, the oxen will be more dangerous than your PCs. You can train 3 of them at a time, and cover them in leather or studded leather barding on the cheap.

Oxen cost 15 gp, have a 40 ft. movement speed, +9 Perception, low-light vision, scent, +7 gore at (1d8+9), trample (2d6+9, DC 17), and the following carrying capacity: 600 lb. light, 1,200 lb. medium, 1,800 lb. heavy, 9,000 lb. push/drag. Horses are so last season.

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I'm going to pause here for a moment. I'm not even finished with equipment, but I need a bit of a break. ^-^"

I have created an HTML and CSS based toolkit for making city maps. It uses the building images from the Kingmaker Player's Guide, some basic HTML and some moderately complex CSS. Using it requires minor editing of the HTML. You shouldn't need to touch the CSS.

For an example, check out the Vessilion Commerce District. Move your mouse over a building to see its label. Buildings can be rotated by clicking them; note that 1x2 buildings are free to rotate on top of existing buildings, which causes things not to work.

It works fine in Firefox and Opera. Chrome works, but has problems with cutting off larger buildings if you rotate them after the page has loaded. Safari I have not tested, but it probably has the same behavior as Chrome. IE 8 works mostly, and IE 9 should be able to handle it just fine (though I don't have an IE 9 handy).

To get a copy and for complete documentation on how to use it, go to:

http://atuan.com/city-map-toolkit/

A few buildings were not implemented for lack of suitable images.

Note that I am not GM'ing this campaign, and we've only just finished Part 1. I built this strictly on the information available in the Player's Guide and in the Book of the River Nations Exploration and Kingdom Building Guide. So if there's something important that I'm missing, it's likely because I don't know about it (and no spoilers, pls & thx!).

If you have bug reports, patches, or comments, post them below.

Okay Erik - so lets say I'm a player in your game; we made the deal w/ Abadar and later the hidden restriction comes to light: "Never let tax be X"

But I and my fellow players feel that was not part of the deal and i have no intention of adhering to this.

So now what?

Robert

One thing I try to focus on is that BP represents "morale" just as much (if not more) than it represents fresh-cut timber. So when the PCs get 10 BP out of Abadar, that's not Abadar forking over 40,000gp worth of wood and tools. That's Abadar invoking a proclamation unto his flock that it is their divine mission to go forth and spread civilization for the glory of their god. He then pushes his faithful to be, in effect, pilgrims going on a crusade to create cities where there were none beforehand. And it's pretty awesome ruling over people who believe it is their divine calling to obey you... until it's not.

If you use my rules and interpretation, that means that a certain segment of your population is loyal to Abadar - more loyal than they are to your crown. So let's say Abadar makes a demand the PCs don't find acceptable:

1st step: "Reason With Them"
The PCs can try and get them to back down. This may require a quest, a Diplomacy check, or just be impossible. Depending on what they do, Abadar might reduce the demands in comprimise, or not. Switching up the High Priest to be a Cleric of Abadar might be useful, for example. Whatever makes for an interesting story.

2nd step: "How Bad Will This Get?"
Abadar tells his faithful that their pilgrimage is over and it is time to return home. The GM should figure out approximately what percentage of the population is loyal to Abadar. (Going back to the "venture capital" theme: how much "stock" does Abadar "own" of your country?) Based off of events, the GM is strongly encouraged to nudge the number higher or lower, depending on how they've run their country (for example, specifically promoting Erastil as the official deity of the country may have won some converts). The initial "investment" gives you a percentage figure. Then look at how much BP is tied up in the kingdom currently (ie how much spent BP there is, plus unspent BP) and apply the percentage. (If this is too onerous to calculate, as it will be come mid-to-late-game, then eyeballing it is acceptable; these things aren't exact anyways.) Let the PCs know how screwed they are, and give a chance to reconsider. Really roleplay up the sense of feeling trapped. You never want to get to the next step. You want to roleplay here, and then go back to step 1 or just give in.

3rd step: "Pullout"
This step should never be reached, but only exist in theory as a way to scare and frighten the party. Actually getting to this step is the nuclear option, and will dramatically effect the kingdom (it might survive, but it will be a huge set-back). At the very least, this will be a defining event in the kingdom's history.
Based on the percentage above, Abadar begins pulling out: the pilgrimage is over, time for the folk to return home. Businesses shut down. Homes become abandoned. Merchants stop selling. The kingdom starts hemorraging BP. All of the BP you calculated above (spent and unspent) is lost. This will likely put your Command DC unacceptably high, and you'll be forced to shed hexes just to manage Unrest. (Though "the pullout" does not in-and-of-itself cause unrest, otherwise this is unrecoverable.)

Alternatively, this becomes a quest in-and-of-itself, where the party tries a rapid hearts-and-minds holy-war against Abadar. I'd say let them do it if that's fun for them!

The trick here is to let the PCs know what they're doing by getting in bed with all these various factions. Don't just surprise them with getting screwed over once it's too late. When I've been doing this with my party, I make sure to play up the various nobles like snakes, and to mention ominiously "if you can't see any strings attached, that's your surest way of knowing that they're there." My party has definately "gotten the hint" and chose their alliances accordingly. If your PCs wouldn't enjoy navigating a tense political situation: then please don't do this to them!!

I like this idea. Here are a few commerce options. the format is:

Commerce Group Offering the Deal
XXBP - the amount offered to the kingdom to enter into the deal followed by a brief description.
Game Mechanics: The kingmaker kindom modifiers or consequences.

Farmers and Merchants of Rostland
15BP - Annual rights to cultivate a farmland for export, tax free
Game Mechanics: Kingdom does not reduce consumption by 2 BP for the negotiated hex

Merchants Guild of the One Eyed Witch
10BP (Used only for Black Market) - A special tax free zone (including import and export duties) and a hands-off policy by the local spymaster for a period of one year.
Game Mechanics: Instead of the +2 Economy benefit of a Black Market, the kingdom incurs a -3 Economy penalty for one year.

Lumber Consortium
70BP/year - A ten year contract with the Lumber Consortium for exclusive logging rights to a woodland hex which lies within one hex of a water source capable of accommodating a large transport ship. The Lumber consortium will have the option of renewing the contract at the end of the year. The woodland hex must be cleared of all inhabitants and the kingdom must continue to secure the hex. The Consortium will build a mill on the water. The Consortium will also build a pier on the water. The kingdom may not build another mill in the kingdom but will have the option to purchase the mill if the contract is not renewed. The kingdom agrees to purchase all lumber from the Consortium while under contract, however the Consortium guarnatees only locally harvested lumber will be sold to the kingdom. Building an additional pier is subject to the approval of the Consortium and the use of the pier by the kingdom will be subject to usage fees. The Consotium will build and maintain a road through the woodland hex and the hex in which the water source is located. The 135 initial lumberjacks will not be subject to military service for the kingdom and will work with representatives of the Consortium in the case of violations of law in the kingdom's cities prior to incarcerating any Consortium employee. The Consortium will appoint a separate Marshall with jurisdiction for the hex under contract.

Game Mechanics: The kingdom may not build a mill and incurs a -2 Economy penalty monthly to pay the Consortium for local lumber processing. The kingdom does not incur the base value for the Pier and costs to the Consortium for the use of the Pier incur a -2 Economy penalty monthly. If the kingdom builds a city in a hex adjacent to the wooded hex under contract, the kingdom incurs a -1 Unrest penalty monthly for the first year due to the unique nature of the Consortium relationship with the kingdom, especially the presence of a separate Consortium law.

Here's what I have so far: the major organized faiths of Brevoy

Legend:
Offer - how much BP they will give you
Stated - what they tell you up-front that they want from you
Hidden - the favor they are planning to ask for in the future, but they won't mention it until the time is right (thus discoverable via investigation)
Delayed - the favor that they aren't even thinking about right now, but once you become large/successful, will realize they should ask (thus not discoverable until later)

It's important to note that the demands are not binding on a rules-level. Meaning, I as Game Master have no intention of "forcing" the PCs to pay up on their dues. I fully expect the PCs to blanch at the demands, and then have to engage in some emergency diplomacy or face the in-game wraith of their financiers.

Church of Abadar, Lesser Offer
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: have your country's alignment be non-chaotic, and build a temple to Abadar within the first 5 years
Hidden: never let tax level be "none"
Delayed: none

Church of Abadar, Greater Offer
Offer: 10 BP
Stated: have your country's alignment be lawful, and build a temple to Abadar as soon as realistically possible (within 12 months at latest)
Hidden: never let the tax level be "none" or the 2nd lowest level
Delayed: none

Church of Pharasma
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: never raise your tax level to the highest level
Hidden: never raise your tax level to the 2nd highest level
Delayed: after you gain official "kingdom" status, the church realizes it wants a more direct presence, and decides it too wants a temple
(since this is more the church of the common people, I figured it wouldn't have the resources to make a 'greater offer')

Church of Gorum, Lesser Offer
Offer: 5 BP
Stated: whomever fills the role of Marshal must be a follower of Gorum
Hidden: none
Delayed: once Ovirinbane is discovered, they demand it be returned to them

Church of Gorum, Greater Offer
Offer: 10 BP
Stated: whomever fills the role of Marshal must be a cleric or paladin of Gorum
Hidden: none
Delayed: as lesser offer and once war breaks out in Book 4, demands that armies be raised and that diplomacy not used to diffuse the situation with Drelev (and later Pitax)

Noble Houses to follow.

I'll start.

A Bard doesn't need the Perform skill. The only performances that require it are Countersong and Distraction. Inspire Courage et al don't mention it at all, and you don't even need to use your primary artform when using it. It was intentionally left ambiguous so bards didn't have to keep on playing their instrument while using the performances. It's a free action to continue the performance.

I created a modified ruleset for kingdom building. I've eliminated the magic item economy (i.e. no buildings produce magic items, and there is no longer a process of generating and selling magic items to generate BPs for the kingdom).

Note that I haven't started my campaign quite yet, so these revised rules are untested.

Special Rules:

I've got some time and I've got the bug, so let's do this again.

It's easy to say "Such-and-such class does a lot of damage," or "so-and-so class can't do damage." Usually, people are speaking from personal experience, which is heavily influenced by books available, player skill, random chance, GM whimsy, dice rolls, and the winds of fate. It's a bit more involved to actually sit down and measure those claims in a fair way. In the previous thread, a simple, conservative baseline was established to see how much damage optimized characters could do with a full attack in one round.

Understand that this is simply a scratch baseline for damage dealt. This is emphatically not a tier list, a how-to-play guide, a value judgement on the utility of each of these classes (as most of them do other things than damage), or a contest of any kind. It's just to get a good baseline on how much damage a character of this level will typically do, so "a lot of damage" can be something other than a gut call. If you want a magic list of all classes listed by overall power level, it's obviously the class's names reversed, arranged by alphabetical order.

Level 10, since pretty much all classes are expected to have come into their own by then, plus it's a good round number. If you don't think this is a good level to use, feel free to redo the math for some other level; I know level 10 is arbitrary and any other level from about 4 on would work just as well.

Elite array for stats, which is 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 10 / 8, arranged however you'd like. While I know most people play with more forgiving point-buys or rolling schemes, this is a baseline. The CR system was originally based around players using elite array or a comparable point buy.

Standard wealth by level in magic items, but no magic items limited on a per-day or consumable basis. This means 62K gold in gear. No custom items, please.

Magic items will be prioritized for doing damage without adversely affecting survivability. Most classes will have a +3 weapon(s), a +4 stat booster to their damage-increasing stat, and miscellaneous other items. Most classes will also have boring magical weapons, favoring plain bonuses over fiery or holy or whatnot; this is because it's almost always better DPR and it makes my life easier. Everyone will also have a Handy Haversack because, seriously, they are level 10 characters.

Regarding survivability, AC 22 and fort/will saves at +8 are the minimum for melee characters, barring some explanation of why the character doesn't need these things to survive. (For example, barbarians get cut some slack on AC because of their raging HP totals.)

If you use non-core material, please state up top where it came from. This is so people can check your work without having to wonder where Crouching Hyena Strike came from. Try to stick to Paizo/Pathfinder non-core, player-oriented material. this isn't really the place to discuss WOTC 3.5 material or other d20 publishers' work, and Bestiary races are generally not well-balanced for player use.

Once the character is made, we need to figure out how much damage it does with a full attack. This standard is meant to best approximate typical combat circumstances, when damage is most on the line.

Target AC of 24. This is the standard for AC at CR 10, according to the Bestiary monster building guidelines. Target touch AC, when relevant, is 12 because that seems as good as any number.

A single full attack unless another attack routine is more effective.

Classes with significant limited abilities, be they situational ones (favored enemy, sneak attack) or limited on a per-day basis (smite, Quickened Divine Favor), will have their damage figured out both with and without those limited abilities.

Damage is figured out without consumables. There are just too many consumable-related shenanigans in D&D, and this avoids a whole ton of corner-case builds that illustrate nothing but the fact that consumables in D&D just aren't balanced.

Point Blank Shot is not applicable (unless you can't practically attack from longer range, as in the case of weapon throwers and alchemists). Most archers will prefer to avoid getting this buff, in most circumstances.

The value in DPR of a +1 to hit, a +1 damage, and an additional full-BAB attack will be figured out for each class. Some classes benefit more from one type of buff over another.

No class will be allowed any in-combat rounds to set up.

Buffs are an allowable part of your baseline only if you can apply them yourself, they are self-only or always apply to the entire group in every reasonable combat situation, and they either have a duration of 10 min/level or longer or can be applied as a swift/immediate/free action. (For example, bards should include inspire courage as a limited-use ability, per the above rule, but spellcasters won't be assumed to be using Greater Magic Weapon or Greater Magic Fang.)

Why this rule works the way it does:

From the original thread wrote:

If the buff more or less unlimited use (e.g. GMW), then everyone who needs it will have it if there's a party member who can cast the spell. This means that it can be safely eliminated for a baseline comparison.

If the buff is limited use (GMW from a caster with limited slots), then the party member who benefits most from it will get it. Since the best way to tell who benefits most is to look at baseline DPR before the buff, then it's best to calculate baseline DPR before rationed buffs.

If the buff affects the entire party (bardic performance), then the caster is always benefiting from the buff whenever possible, and there's no decision involved in figuring out who to cast the buff on.

The damage formula is h(d+s)+tchd.

h = Chance to hit, expressed as a percentage. Remember, this will never exceed .95 or go below .05.
d = Average damage per hit.
s = Average precision damage per hit (or other damage that isn't multiplied on a crit).
t = Chance to roll a critical threat, expressed as a percentage.
c = Critical hit bonus damage. x2 = 1, x3 = 2, x4 = 3.

If there's no precision damage involved, this can be simplified to hd(1+tc).

There is a more-involved formula which covers corner cases like elemental burst weapons, Critical Focus, etc. If you need it:

Finally, there is the last rule, and the most important: rule zero. Feel free to break any of these rules, as long as you make it absolutely clear that you are doing so. If you want to stat a selfish cleric or a 3.5 splat build or a character that abuses consumables or a character that demonstrates a house rule, that's fine. Just don't make people dig into your build to find out that you've done so.

This isn't an advice thread; it's math in service of a discussion of class design. It's not a how-to guide or instructions on how to build a character.

Six Player Kingmaker Conversions-

Chapter 1- Stolen Lands (Alexander Kilcoyne)

Forum Topic- Link

Conversion- Link

Chapter 2- Rivers Run Red (Alexander Kilcoyne)

Forum Topic- Link

Conversion- Link

Chapter 3- Varnhold Vanishing (General Chaos)

Forum Topic- Link

Conversion- Link

Chapter 4- Blood for Blood (General Chaos)

Forum Topic- Link

Conversion- Link

Chapter 5- War of the River Kings (the_minstrel_wyrm)

Forum Topic- Link

Conversion- Link

Chapter 6- Sound of a Thousand Screams (General Chaos)
Conversion—Link

Right now the pure barbarian is the sickest overall physical damage dealing character in my game. Superstition, Come and Get Me, Damage Reduction, Huge Hit points, Reckless Abandon, Witchhunter, Strength Surge, Smasher, and Fiend Totem and Lesser Fiend Totem. The guy is a friggin unstoppable beast with no real weak saves.

Maybe your multiclass barbarian can beat him, I don't know. He's pretty darn sick as it is. I don't need the guy to be any tougher. He already makes the fighter look like a chump the majority of the time. He took the Step Up feat line to maximize Come and Get Me, a feat the fighter cannot touch.

New Script, added point buy statistics in there.

Here is the breakdown I get:

Out of 1000000 Rolls
4.57% elite
25.31% standard

0-5 Points 15.10%
5-10 Points 17.48%
10-15 Points 12.67%
15-20 Points 7.64%
20-25 Points 3.87%
25-30 Points 1.70%
30-35 Points 0.64%
35-40 Points 0.23%
40-45 Points 0.07%
45-50 Points 0.02%

Elite Array is 15 point buy so roughly 11% of results are "as good as" elite array... however that's ignoring the fact that some stat blocks are completely ridiculous (3,3,5,18,18,12).

Assumptions:
Normal point buy with the lower values assigned like so:
3 = -16
4 = -12
5 = -9
6 = -6

The top assignment of "elite" and "average" is based on my previous assumptions.

Copy/ Paste the spoilered script On this page to try it out and adjust it yourself.

Thelemic_Noun wrote:

So I bought The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, which brought on The Itch. I'm trying to rationalize the development of an equally monumental and advanced culture in an Arctic or Subarctic climate, but I can't think of a reasonable mechanism for maintaining a hospitable microclime (i.e. a Nile equivalent). Large domesticated animals will be necessary (as per Jared Diamond's work), but a large civilization would quickly run out of whale blubber. Short of harvesting methane clathrate deposits or living next to a volcano, they'd quickly freeze to death.

Of the things this society would need in order to develop into something similar to ancient egypt, I can think of the following:

- The ability to harvest enough food to store surplus and the means to conserve it. In ancient Egypt, grain was produced in mass from its particularly fertile lands and stored in dry silos/warehouses.

- The ability to free part of the populace to produce great public works and realizations without affecting your main source of subsistence. Egypt benefited from the same seasons of flood that was behind its legendary fertility to use farmer and laborers on other projects while the fields weren't available yet.

- A level of education among the elite that allows for the planning, organization and realization of all of the above. This implies a ruling class, an 'elite' class of engineers and foremen, a (poorer) working class of specialized craftsmen like stone-cutters, masons, etc and a lower class of farmers and generic laborers.

Other than that, easy access to warmth is essential. Geothermal activity would seem most logical, as it would be available to the rich and poor alike.

Laurefindel has it here, I think.

In ye olde Egypt, the Nile flooded, the land was rich and fertile for a season, a surplus of food was generated, and then, short-sightedly, sold off at ever-increasing prices as supplies got lean, leading to hard infertile months of suffering and privation and rioting starving farmers.

Some smarter-than-average Pharoah got sick of these food riots every year and just taxed *everything* they produced, and then hired the farmers during the off-months to build granaries to store all of the food he'd pretty much stolen from them, and paying them back with the grain they would have sold off, if he'd let them manage their own affairs.

Once Egypt had the granaries it needed to store the grain, and the cats had taken care of the sudden overpopulation of rats getting into the grain, leading to some wag deciding that cats were holy creatures, sent by the gods to save Egypt from ruin, whichever Pharoah was now in charge realized that he needed *something* for the darn farmers to do during the off-months, so they started forming them into work-crews (managed by the village headmen, they even have 'work contracts' left behind detailing this practice) and building ridiculous monuments instead, to keep the thousands of idle hands busy during the lean months, and continuing to 'pay' them in the grain that had been taxed from them during the fertile season.

Mapping this over to an arctic culture, with a fertile 'season' that lasts all 'long day' long, and a barren 'season' that lasts all the many months of night, the local leadership would tax the grains and foods produced during the fertile season, store them, and then 'hire' the former farmers during the off-season to do public works, paying them back in their own confiscated food.

Some manner of dealing with the critter infestations that accompany mass storage of food (such as Egypts cat solution) would be necessary. Magic would be easy, if this was a higher-magic setting, but it sounds like you want a lower-magic solution, which could be as simple as the grain storage areas being far from the geothermal vents, and 'refrigerated' by the icy temperatures in the food storage 'graineriies.' A local animal could also 'work' the area, such as a massive city population of snowy owls or bats or ferrets or arctic foxes or something (if the cat thing doesn't suit the feel you are going for), that hunt the graineries, eliminating both insects and rodents that would eat (and, via their droppings, taint) the stored food.

Since the 'dry season' in this arctic thermal vent paradise would be the dark 'long night,' and not an actual 'dry' season, some method of dealing with the darkness would also be a necessity. Perhaps the geothermal pools that keep the local micro-climate warm enough to sustain agriculture are also home to phosphoresent bacteria, making the 'night' in the kingdom a bit less dark than normal, and allowing for some outdoors activity that wouldn't require as much burning of wood or oil. Then again, rather than phosphorescent algae or bacteria, perhaps the region *also* has some natural tar pits, and a ready source of fuel oil, which might be combined with flammable oils harvested from sea life (if the culture has any oceanfront real estate, and a summer whaling season).

Either way, the land doesn't seem to be the sort of place that would have a ton of wood to cut down and burn, or peat moss bogs, making oil (from whale, fish or the 'black blood of the earth') a necessity, or an alternate source like the glowing algae or a brighter and more consistent version of the aurora borealis.

Culturally, such a place would likely be highly stratified, and very lawful. The people may not explicitly remember the mass starvations and suffering that occured before the whole 'government steals your food and gives it back to you' scheme replaced the annual starvations and food riots, but they will have a very cyclical view of things, with this part of the year being the bright fertile time, and the other half of the year being the dark time when men must toil to make it through the long night and back to the next sunny time of plenty.

In Egypt, this sort of annual progression of seeing the cycles of birth and life and plenty, followed by barren dust and death, led to an obsession with death and the afterlife. This could occur here as well, or they could have a different focus entirely, seeing the dark times as drugery that must be endured and the fertile summer months as a time of love and laughter, and a celebration of life and fertility.

With times awake and asleep every day being smaller versions of the long day and long night, they might extend that to a third iteration, with the time of life being seen as a 'longer day' and the afterlife as a 'longer night,' a place of unrelenting darkness and cold, giving them a fatalistic view of death and a strong focus on getting the most out of life. They might cremate their dead, to 'keep their bodies warm,' or they might entomb them in the ice beyond the borders of their warmer-than-normal microclimate, and hold that there will come a 'Great Day' at some point in the future when the ice will all melt and everyone in the ice tombs will come back to life and there will never again be night or death or even sleep, with a green every sunny world of immortals. Different factions or faiths within this culture could have a dozen different versions of this sort of belief-structure, and some might violently disagree (burning bodies denies them the chance at resurrection when the Great Day comes! freezing bodies in icy tombs traps them in eternal cold and suffering, and fuels the endless cycle of night and day, and denies them a chance to escape!).

With the borders of the realm not benefitting from the warm geothermals, the edges would likely be defended by castles carved from ice or built with blocks of snow. It never rises above freezing on the borders of the kingdom, and so such castles and walls endure forever, holding back whatever forces dwell in the permanantly cold lands (winter wolves, frost giants, frost men, whatever). Those stationed here would receive shipments of black oil, whale/fish oil or heated stones in insulated kilns, to warm their bodies.

In a situation like Greenland, you could also have two distinct cultures. One, always native to the region, another arrived later (like the Scandinavians) by ship and settled into the region. Commonly, here on Earth, the latecomers tend to be the ones who take over and oppress the locals, but there's no reason you can't flip that idea on its head, if you want to have a race-based social stratification, and have the later arrivals be refugees from a dying land or a wartorn region or whatever, and have been fairly heartlessly taken advantage of by the locals, who know the secrets of their warm enclave of life in an otherwise inhospitable region. The lower-class citizens, whether natives or newcomers, could be the ones relegated to working the fields and building civic projects, or manning the ice-walls, or working the whaling ships, while the upper-class 'elites' manage from the central city (or cities, depending on the size of this region).

Combined with the interfaith disagreements, a race-based social divide, in addition to a massively disproportionate economic / status-based social division, could provide plenty of room for internal politicking and strife and storytelling opportunities.

So, my group and I recently had almost all of our characters die in our Kingmaker campaign, so we decided it might be fun to just continue on with brand new characters. Having been used to playing with each other, we figured we'd build our characters to be the most effective as a team, and utilize the much underused Teamwork feats.

The class preferences are: TWF rogue, THF fighter, wizard, caster-oriented cleric or oracle, and the last member undecided, leaning slightly towards an archery ranger or bard, though a Paladin for shared party smites or an Inquisitor or Cavalier for their Teamwork feat focus might not be too bad. The challenge is this: How best to build a party to utilize teamwork feats and strategies to their fullest? So far, I've had a few ideas.

TWF rogue dual wielding Keen kukri's with the Butterfly's Sting feat. The high number of attacks on a high-crit weapon almost guarantee a crit per full attack. Flank with a Greataxe or Scythe wielding THF fighter with Critical feats. Both would also have Paired Opportunists, Outflank, and Precise Strike, as well as Combat Reflexes, allowing them to use flank optimally and take full advantage of the crit-trading. Since crits themselves are a lesser part of rogue damage than sneak attack, and a THF fighter would have some hefty static bonuses, multiplied by an x4 crit weapon, the damage output would be absurd.

I'm not really sure how the casters would synergize, as the casting-oriented teamwork feats seem lackluster. If our 5th did go ranger, they could work out teamwork stuff with their animal companion, as well, giving us a third melee combatant to shred things.

As of now, we'd be 10th level, 25 point buy, open to any Pathfinder stuff. Standard wealth for our level (62,000)

Any other ideas?

I'm pretty excited, coming back from PaizoCon, to hear of the next AP. I'm going to start a thread of secondary resources for Pirate campaigns that we can all chip in onto (a la my Vudra stuff).

My first post are fiction and nonfiction resources, a link to a movie site and Pyle's pics.

I'll return perhaps later today with some rules books from the d20/OGL lineage.

I've got a list of adventures here. I'll update it in this thread eventually.

Fiction
Bunch, Chris. Corsair. (2001). Fantasy
Burroughs, William S. Cities of the Red Night, 1981 (Libertatia lives!)
Cooper, James Fenimore, The Red Rover.
Crichton, Michael. Pirate Latitudes. Sorry James, no dinosaurs.
Defoe, Daniel, Captain Singleton, [1720].
Defoe, Daniel, Robinson Crusoe, Parts I and II, [1719-1720].
Feist, Raymond. The King’s Buccaneer.
Fraser, George MacDonald, The Pyrates, [A Plume Book, 1983].
Goldman, William. The Princess Bride
Hobb, Robin. Live Ship series.
Keating, Mark. The Pirate Devlin series.
Lee, Tanith. Piratica (YA)
Lynch, Scott, Lies of Locke Lamora series.
Poe, Edgar Allan, The Gold Bug, [1843].
Powers, Tim, On Stranger Tides, [Ace Books, NY, NY, 1987].
Sabatini, Rafael, The Black Swan, [1932]
__, Captain Blood, [1922].
__, Captain Blood Returns, [1931].
__, The Fortunes of Captain Blood, [1936].
__, The Sea Hawk,
Salgari, Emilio. Sandokan series.
Scott, Sir Walter, The Pirate, 1822.
Smith, Sherwood. Inda
Steinbeck, John, Cup of Gold, [1937].
Stevenson, Robert. L., Kidnapped, [1886].
Stevenson, R. L., Treasure Island, [1883].
VanderMeer, Ann (editor). Fast Ships, Black Sails. (Short Stories).
Verne, Jules. Facing the Flag.
---, The Mysterious Island.
---, Ten Thousand Leagues under the Sea.

Nonfiction
Biddulph, John, The Pirates of Malabar, and An Englishwoman in India Two Hundred Years Ago [1907].
Clifford, Barry, Expedition Whydah, [Cliff Street Books, 1999]
Creighton, Margaret & Lisa Norling, ed. Iron Men & Wooden Women: Gender and Seafaring in the Atlantic World, 1700 -1920 [Johns Hopkins, 1996].
Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates. Dover Publications, 1999, ISBN 0-486-40488-9. Possibly not actually by Defoe but generally assigned to him bibliographically. Also listed as by Captain Johnson, the claimed author.
Exquemelin, A. O. (aka John Esquemeling), History of the Buccaneers of America, [Rio Grande Press, 1992]
Frank, Stuart M. The Book of Pirate Songs, [Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, MA 1998]
Johnson, Donald S. Phantom Islands of the Atlantic Quill, 1998. ISBN-13 9780380730780.
Hugill, Stan, Songs of the Sea: the Tales and Tunes of Sailors and Sailing Ships, [McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1977]
Johnson, Cathy, Pirates in Petticoats: A Fanciful & Factual History of the Legends, Tales and Exploits of the most notorious Female Pirates and also Some Lesser Known Women Who Plied the Seas and inland Waterways for Fortune, Adventure & Romance From Ireland, China, The Bahamas, and the Barbary Coast to the Americas [Graphics/Fine Arts Press, 2000]
Lafitte, Jean, The Memoirs Of Jean Lafitte (poss. fake)
Pawson, Michael & David Buisseret, Port Royal, Jamaica, [University of the West Indies Press, 2000].
Rediker, Marcus, Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea: Merchant Seamen, Pirates, & the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1700-1750 [Cambridge University Press, 1987]
Ritchie, Robert C., Captain Kidd and the War against the Pirates, [Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass, 1986].
Rogozinski, Jan, Honor Among Thieves: Captain Kidd, Henry Every, and the Pirate Democracy in the Indian Ocean, [Stackpole Books, 2000]
Talty, Stephan , Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign [Crown, 2007]
Wilson, Peter Lamborn, Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs & European Renegadoes. ISBN 1-57027-158-5 (Autonomedia, 1996) – very interesting! (Anarchist perspective)
Zacks, Richard. The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd. Hyperion, 2002, ISBN-13 978-0786865338.

Howard Pyle’s great pirate illustrations (and stories) are found here.

I’m not going to bother listing movies because of this site.

I have had this for a few months, and totally forgot about it... It's a list of nautical and coastal adventures for 1.0/2.0/3.0/3.5/PF I could use for a Shackles Campaign. There is no doubt some overlap with previous posts, but completeness may be handy for us...:

More Adventures for The Shackles and the Mwangi Expanse
(Beyond Savage Tide (using Serpents of Scuttlecove) and Serpent’s Skull)
[Ordered by Level]

Jungles/Sodden Lands/Mwangi
1 “Dire Spirits” Atlas Games (Nyambe) d20
3-4 to 5-7 “Tales of the Black Kingdoms” Conan RPG, 3 scenarios
4 “Fiend’s Embrace” Dungeon #121 – 3.5
4 “River into Darkness” PF Module
5-7 “The Elephants’ Graveyard” Dungeon #15 (AD&D)
5-7 “The Land of Men with Tails” Dungeon #56 (AD&D)
5-8 “Drums on Fire Mountain” GW, D&D
7-8, 10-11 “Encounter at the Drowning Stones” PFS Scenario #34
7-8, 10-11 “No Plunder, No Pay” PFS Scenario #38
8-10 “The Leopard Men” Dungeon #22 (AD&D)
Port City/Shoreline
1 “Mad God’s Key” Dungeon #114
1+ “The Freeport Trilogy” GR – d20
1-3 “Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh” AD&D
1-4 “Danger at Dunwater” AD&D
1-7 “BTD Pt I: The Bloodcove Disguise” PFS Scenario #2-01
5-7 “Gangs of Freeport” Adamant – d20
5-7 “Secret of Smuggler’s Cove” DCC - d20
5-7 “Siren’s Prize” Kalamar – d20
6 “Tammeraut’s Fate” Dungeon #106 – 3.5
6-8 “Blood of Freeport” GR – d20
6-8 “Shadows in Freeport” DCC – d20
7-9 “Crisis in Freeport” GR – d20
8-10 “Dark Wings over Freeport” Bleeding Edge
9 “The Styes” Dungeon #121 – 3.5
16-19 “Razing of Redshore” Dungeon #92 – 3.5
Seafaring/Piracy/Underwater/Exploration
1 “Maiden Voyage” Penumbra – d20
2-5 “Island of the Damned” Skull & Bones – d20
3-5 “The Lost Island” True20
5-7 “Evil Tide” AD&D
6-8 “Night of the Shark” AD&D
7 “Blood Waters” Sinister Adventures – d20
10-12 “Bloody Jack’s Gold” DCC – d20
14 “Lost Temple of Demogorgon” Dungeon #120

I would like to request a sticky thread be created (not this one because I can't edit it after an hour), that would, in the first post, give a list of guides in this sub-forum.

In the thread we'll discuss which guides to include and which category they should be in - it would be a community project.

This is my no means a complete list...its just a start.

Also, if you are going to post a guide for this list, please have a discussion thread for said guide in the Advice forum so we can link to it. The guide can be off-site, but we need a discussion thread for it, please. Also somewhere in your guide please reference which books you use (Core, APG, UM, UC, etc...).

Guides in Alphabetical Order by Class Name

Alchemist

• Ogre's RPG Stuff - Alchemist’s Guide (Core, APG, UM) [Discussion]

Antipaladin

• Bodhi's Guide to the Optimal Paladin & Antipaladin (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Barbarian

• Elewan's Pathfinder Barbarian Guide (Core, APG) [Discussion]

Bard

• Treantmonk's Guide to Bards: Pathfinder Core Rules (Core only) [Discussion]

Cavalier

• The Cavalier's Code (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Cleric

• Tark's Big Holy Book of Clerical Optimization (Core, APG) [Discussion]
  
• Axe’s Guide to Finding Divinity (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• Rogue Eidolon’s Guide to Clerics (Core only) [Discussion]

Druid

• Treantmonk's Guide to Druids Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• Peterrco's guide to Druids (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Fighter

• Rogue Eidolon's Guide to Fighters (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• Bladestorm: "STR Ranger"'s Guide to TWF for Fighters (Core, APG, UM, UC, SoS) [Discussion]

Gunslinger

• Drake_Rocket's Guide to Grand Gunslinginger Greatness (Core, APG, UC) [Discussion]

Inquisitor

• Nobody expects a guide to the Inquisitor (Core, APG, UM) [Discussion]

Magus

• Walter’s Guide to the Magus (Core, APG, UM) [Discussion]

Monk

• Treantmonk's Guide to Monks (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• Revel's Guide to the Monk (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Ninja

• Death from the Shadow: A Guide to the Ninja by Joseph Bucceri (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Oracle

• Channeling the Cosmos: A guide to the Oracle (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Paladin

• Thallin's Guide To Paladins (Optimization) (Core, APG) [Discussion]
  
• Cryptic's Guide to the Pathfinder Paladin: Being a God's Wrecking Hammer (Core) [Discussion]
  
• Bodhi's Guide to the Optimal Paladin & Antipaladin (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Ranger

• Treantmonk's Guide to Rangers in Pathfinder (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• Lastoths Guide to Archery Rangers (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Rogue

• Rogue Eidolon's Guide to Rogues (Core, APG) [Discussion]

Samurai

• //TODO: Need reference

Sorcerer

• The (almost) Complete Guide to Sorcerers- a practical handbook (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• The Inner Power. A Guide for Sorcerers (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Summoner

• The Summoner's Handbook (Core, APG) [Discussion]

Witch

• Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble (Core, APG) [Discussion]
  
• The Viking Irishman's Witch Guide (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Wizard

• Treantmonk's Guide to Pathfinder Wizards: Being a God (Core only) [Discussion]
  
• Professor Q's Guide to the Core+ Wizard (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

--

Guides in Alphabetical Order by Core Prestige Class Name

Arcane Archer

• //TODO: Need content

Arcane Trickster

• A Highly Regarded Expert's Guide to the Arcane Trickster (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Assassin

• //TODO: Need content

Dragon Disciple

• Oterisk’s Guide to the Dragon Disciple - A “How To” for the Living Myth (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Duelist

• //TODO: Need content

Eldritch Knight

• Zolthux's Guide to the Gish (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Loremaster

• //TODO: Need content

Mystic Theurge

• //TODO: Need content

Pathfinder Chronicler

• Oterisk’s guide to Optimizing the Pathfinder Chronicler?!?! (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

Shadowdancer

• //TODO: Need content

--

Other Useful Guides in Alphabetical Order

• Abraham Spalding's Guide to the Holy Vindicator (or more specifically channeling) (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

• Ashiel's Guide to Adventure: Preparation, Tricks, and Strategies (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

• Guide To Spells (Core, APG, UM, UC) [Discussion]

• So you want to play Pathfinder RPG: A comprehensive guide for Dungeon Masters and Players [Discussion]

• The Viking Irishman’s Guide to Weaponry (Core, APG, UC) [Discussion]

This guide is also mirrored at:

• D20 Min-Max Wiki

Frequently Unknown Rules (through post 150)
Frequently unknown rules

including summary from:

Things You Might Have Missed

Change from SRD/D&D to Pathfinder

1. Bardic abilities no longer based on Perform skill other than Countersong and Distraction.
2. Many Shot and Rapid Shot can now be used together.
3. Spiked chain no longer has reach.
4. Anything that improves attack rolls improves CMB, including weapon feats if using weapon for the special attack.
5. Paladin double of smite against some creatures is on first attack only.
6. Sneak attack and critical damage applies to many additional creatures, including undead and constructs.
7. Magic item creation no longer uses XP.
8. Characters can draw a weapon during a charge, but can only charge a single move distance.
9. Magic item creation vastly changed.
10. Dodge applies to all opponents, not just one specified opponent.
11. Improved Trip and Improved Disarm split into a feat tree (Improved and Greater)
12. Grapple works differently. Some highlights: grapplers no longer share space. Ranged attacks into a grapple no longer risk hitting the wrong target. Grappled creatures threaten surrounding squares and can attack into them (at –2 to hit). Arguably, Grappled creatures no longer lose DEX bonus to AC vs foes outside the grapple (see note 1, table 8-6, page 195 for contrary opinion).
13. Weapon enhancement bonus (the plus portion, not the cost equivalent) overcomes various DR at different DR than just magic
14. Elves sleep, but are still immune to magical sleep.
15. Concentration is no longer a skill. New mechanic makes it tougher for multi-classed characters.
16. Many save-or-die and save-or-suck spells have re-saves or more limited effects.
17. Cantrips are at-will.
18. Indentification of magic items changed significantly (see detect magic, identify, and Spellcraft)
19. Power Attack, Cleave, and Greater Cleave all different.
19.a. Combat Expertise different, too.
20. Clerics don’t get heavy armor proficiency, get proficiency with deities favored weapon, and need a feat to turn undead.
21. Fighters can retrain bonus feats.
22. Scrolls take a standard action, but longer if the spell contained has a longer casting time. (This may have been added in D&D add-on material as well, such as Rules Compendium).
23. Feats at every odd level instead of 1, 3, 6, 9, etc.
24. Track is no longer a feat
25. Stabilization and death changed.
26. Mithral armor now requires proficiency in original type of armor, not just resulting armor.
27. Monk flurry of blows different.
28. Poison rules incorporated into affliction and changed significatly; poison tougher all around.
29. Stealth/Perception changed in multiple ways from multiple skill set in SRD.
30. Barbarians rage x rounds/day instead of x times/day
31. Gate spell changed from 2x level to 1x CL in terms of HD called/controlled.
32. Natural attacks changed. Creature can have multiple primary attacks.
33. Bardic Knowledge is changed. Bards get bonus to knowledge checks and can use untrained.
34. Regeneration is simpler. See universal monster rule for regeneration.
35. Alchemical items no longer require CL1 for some items.
36. Class HD changes in many areas.
37. Templates changed in many ways.
38. Far Shot halves range penalty instead of increasing range.
39. Mounted Combat now uses immediate action rather than 1/round language.
40. Blind creatures use acrobatics check to move faster than half speed else prone. Cannot run or charge.
41. Incorporeal creatures take 50% of damage of effective attacks instead of only being affected for the full amount 50% of the time.
42. Uncanny Dodge changed: character with uncanny dodge is not flat-footed.

Always like this, but frequently misplayed or not known previously
1. Inspire courage is free action to continue once having started.
2. Animal companions can be dismissed at will and replaced with 24 hours; note that new companion requires training other than bonus feats.
3. Ranged attacks suffer from cover from objects, enemies, or allies. Allies often overlooked. Applies to reach weapons as well.
4. Weapons and armor must have +1 enhancement prior to gaining additional enchantments.
5. Readying an action is a standard action. One can move first, and then ready. The readied action itself can be a standard, move, free, or swift action. (Note: could not explicitly be swift in SRD 3.5; swift was not in the SRD.) Can include 5’ step as part of the readied action if no other movement in either the readied action or prior to the readied action during regular turn.
6. Lesser Restoration is a three round casting time. Usually, this means it isn’t used during combat. Potion of lesser restoration is good for in combat, tho.
7. Immunity to cold/fire gives vulnerability to opposite.
8. Elementals are immune to flanking and critical hits.
9. Enlarge person has a 1 round casting time.
10. Sneak attack and other precision damage applies to every attack in a round, not just once per round.
11. Characters who use the run action lose Dex bonus to AC, and thus are subject to sneak attack.
12. Dimensional anchor has no saving throw, just spell resistance.
13. Spells can crit if they have an attack roll.
14. Creatures can often overcome the DR that is needed to hit them (magic, epic, etc.)
15. Characters and creatures can charge a single move distance as a standard action if limited to a single action, such as during a surprise round. This doesn’t mean you can opt to only charge as a standard action if you have a full round of actions available.
16. Coup de grace can be performed against a creature with total concealment, such as invisibility, by using two full round actions.
17. Ride-by Attack is still a mess.
18. Empower spell only applies to the rolled portion of the effect.
19. Harm….does what?
20. Rules for tying up a character are in Grapple section.
21. Summon spells have 1 round casting times, even from wands.
22. Grease can be used to disarm.
23. Fear effects stack or escalate; characters can become more fearful.
24. Withdraw action can be double move. AoO only prevented from first square left.
25. Auto-success on a 20 and Auto Fail on a 1 are not universal to all rolls. They apply only when called out. Typical examples are attack rolls and saving throws. The following are not subject to auto-success/failure: Skill checks, caster level checks, concentration checks.
26. Take 10 on skill check can be used when not in immediate danger or distracted. Do not confuse with Take 20’s restriction from use if there is a negative consequence.
27. Take 20 cannot be used if there is a negative result for failure. Do not over-generalize to apply this to Take 10.

Three changes to Grapple that caught me by surprise when first trying to use them:

Grapplers no longer share a space. When grappling, creatures remain in adjacent squares. The random chance for a ranged attacker to target incorrectly has been removed as a result. In 3.5 you moved into the target's space when grappling.

Grapplers no longer lose their DEX bonus to AC against other foes, meaning you can't automatically sneak attack someone because they're grappled (although flanking them to sneak is easier). In 3.5 grappling was a good way to grant automatic sneak attacks.

A grappled creature can attack other foes within reach. Such an attack is at -2 to hit. In 3.5 a grappler had to focus solely on his grappling opponent.

Summary through Post 114

Frequently Unknown Rules (through post 114)
Link to this thread

Change from SRD/D&D to Pathfinder

1. Bardic abilities no longer based on Perform skill other than Countersong and Distraction.
2. Many Shot and Rapid Shot can now be used together.
3. Spiked chain no longer has reach.
4. Anything that improves attack rolls improves CMB, including weapon feats if using weapon for the special attack.
5. Paladin double of smite against some creatures is on first attack only.
6. Sneak attack and critical damage applies to many additional creatures, including undead and constructs.
7. Magic item creation no longer uses XP.
8. Characters can draw a weapon during a charge, but can only charge a single move distance.
9. Magic item creation vastly changed.
10. Dodge applies to all opponents, not just one specified opponent.
11. Improved Trip and Improved Disarm split into a feat tree (Improved and Greater)
12. Grapple works differently.
13. Weapon enhancement bonus (the plus portion, not the cost equivalent) overcomes various DR at different DR than just magic
14. Elves sleep, but are still immune to magical sleep.
15. Concentration is no longer a skill. New mechanic makes it tougher for multi-classed characters.
16. Many save-or-die and save-or-suck spells have re-saves or more limited effects.
17. Cantrips are at-will.
18. Indentification of magic items changed significantly (see detect magic, identify, and Spellcraft)
19. Power Attack, Cleave, and Greater Cleave all different.
20. Clerics don’t get heavy armor proficiency, get proficiency with deities favored weapon, and need a feat to turn undead.
21. Fighters can retrain bonus feats.
22. Scrolls take a standard action, but longer if the spell contained has a longer casting time. (This may have been added in D&D add-on material as well, such as Rules Compendium).
23. Feats at every odd level instead of 1, 3, 6, 9, etc.

Always like this, but frequently misplayed or subject to oversight
1. Inspire courage is free action to continue once having started.
2. Animal companions can be dismissed at will and replaced with 24 hours; note that new companion requires training other than bonus feats.
3. Ranged attacks suffer from cover from objects, enemies, or allies. Allies often overlooked. Applies to reach weapons as well.
4. Weapons and armor must have +1 enhancement prior to gaining additional enchantments.
5. Readying an action is a standard action. One can move first, and then ready. The readied action itself can be a standard, move, free, or swift action. (Note: could not explicitly be swift in SRD 3.5; swift was not in the SRD.) Can include 5’ step as part of the readied action if no other movement in either the readied action or prior to the readied action during regular turn.
6. Lesser Restoration is a three round casting time. Usually, this means it isn’t used during combat. Potion of lesser restoration is good for in combat, tho.
7. Immunity to cold/fire gives vulnerability to opposite.
8. Elementals are immune to flanking and critical hits.
9. Enlarge person has a 1 round casting time.
10. Sneak attack and other precision damage applies to every attack in a round, not just once per round.
11. Characters who use the run action lose Dex bonus to AC, and thus are subject to sneak attack.
12. Dimensional anchor has no saving throw, just spell resistance.
13. Spells can crit if they have an attack roll.
14. Creatures can often overcome the DR that is needed to hit them (magic, epic, etc.)
15. Characters and creatures can charge a single move distance as a standard action if limited to a single action, such as during a surprise round. This doesn’t mean you can opt to only charge as a standard action if you have a full round of actions available.
16. Coup de grace can be performed against a creature with total concealment, such as invisibility, by using two full round actions.
17. Ride-by Attack is still a mess.
18. Empower spell only applies to the rolled portion of the effect.
19. Harm….does what?
20. Rules for tying up a character are in Grapple section.
21. Summon spells have 1 round casting times, even from wands.
22. Grease can be used to disarm.
23. Fear effects stack or escalate; characters can become more fearful.