Remember that what you get from whatever form you assume is limited by the intersection of two factors.
1. Abilities inherent of the form.
2. Abilities granted by the spell.
What you get lies in the intersection of 1. and 2.
Hmm, you kinda confused me with that. I've been playing 3.5 and now Pathfinder for a good number of years but I've never dealt with the odd wishy-washiness of arcane casting. Sorry if I seem difficult.
When you cast this spell, you can assume the form of any Small or Medium creature of the animal type. If the form you assume has any of the following abilities, you gain the listed ability: climb 30 feet, fly 30 feet (average maneuverability), swim 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, and scent.
If you assume the form of an animal that has a climb speed of 60 feet, you only get a climb speed of 30 feet because of the spell's limitations. If you assume the form of an animal that has a climb speed of 20 feet, you only get a climb speed of 20 feet instead of the 30 listed by the spell description. The 30 foot speed in the spell description is setting an upper bound on how sweet the spell can make you.
Likewise if your shape gives you flight with perfect mobility you only get average and if your shape gives you poor mobility you are stuck with poor.
Relevant polymorph rules text:
Polymorph: a polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature. Each polymorph spell allows you to assume the form of a creature of a specific type, granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead. Your base speed changes to match that of the form you assume. If the form grants a swim or burrow speed, you maintain the ability to breathe if you are swimming or burrowing. The DC for any of these abilities equals your DC for the polymorph spell used to change you into that form.
If you are asking if you can apply both quickened and persistent to hold monster and cast it as a 7th level spell, then no because the total modified spell level would be 11 (add up the levels before using spell perfection).
If you are asking if you can cast persistent hold monster as a 7th level spell even though you have spell perfection in that spell the answer is yes.
I actually used a monk (tetori/Qinggong) in a theoretical match with a Tarrasque (CMB 57 grapple, CMD 66). As a Tetori, I can have a CMB of 20(*BAB*)+10(STR)+5(AoMF)+4(Grab)+2(ig)+1(wf(us)) for a base of 42 CMB in a grapple. As a Qinggong I take True Strike in place of wholeness of body, allowing me to add 20 to my CMB as a standard action (62). Which means I only have to roll an 4 or higher to grapple the Tarrasque.
First round would consist of Standard to cast True Strike, and using the rest of my actions to ready myself for the Tarrasque's approach.
Round 2, Tarrasque is upon me, I allowed him to grapple me with his bite, so that I can as a move action reverse the grapple, standard action to cast true strike again, and swift action pin the tarrasque.
At this point, I just have to avoid letting the tarrasque break my pin, then the 3rd round I cast true strike as a standard, swift action up my AC by 4 (dodge), then tie up the tarrasque as a move action with a 20(base for tie up)+20(*BAB*)+10(base for CMD)+10(STR)+5(DEX)+10(monk AC WIS)+4(dodge)=79 CMD for the tarrasque to beat. Meaning, I have tied up the Tarrasque and it cannot escape (if I somehow found ropes strong enough to hold it that is).
EDIT:Forgot to add in the grab bonus
My understanding is that a grapple is not performed with the 'unarmed strike weapon' if you will, meaning that neither the AoMF nor WF:US will aid in your CMB to grapple. You can take WF:Grapple and there is another +2 from greater grapple (which stacks with improved grapple) for a net loss of 3, taking your CMB down to 39 for grapple, 59 under true strike. This requires a roll of 7 to initiate a grapple.
The concentration check for casting true strike while grappled (since it is a spell-like ability) is DC = 10 + 1(lvl) + 57(tarresque grapple cmb) = 68. This is probably not doable and I am relatively certain that a natural 20 doesn't succeed on a concentration check, so there is a zero percent chance of passing this.
Greater grapple allows you to maintain a grapple as a move action, but not to reverse a grapple as a move action. Rapid grappler also activates when greater grapple activates, meaning it also only works when you are maintaining a grapple, not reversing a grapple.
Finally, the DC to escape a pin is equal to 20 + CMB not CMD, putting the DC at 20 + 59 = 79 if you miraculously get true strike on yourself while grappling the Tarrasque or 59 otherwise.
For this to work at all, we need to make the concentration check. You use your monk level as caster level (20), combat casting (4), trait for (2), you use WIS as your casting stat, so base 16 + 5 inherent + 6 enhance = 27 for a WIS = (8). This puts concentration at 20+4+2+8 = 34 with the DC of 68. For a 50% chance of success we need to find a 23 bonus to concentration somewhere.
The two problems with the plan are 1) we don't have a way of casting true strike while grappling yet and 2) letting the Tarrasque grapple us won't work because we can only use GG and RG when we are maintaining a grapple, not reversing it.
That goes for any spell with a pricey material component doesn't it?
Now if the gp was not a material component, but an offering that was separate from the spell, much like the ______ you present to the creature to get it to work outside of what it might normally do then I would agree.
I guess what I am asking is what is the difference between this material component that you think should be paid, and any other material component that is represented by gold pieces.
PS:I would prefer if the MS or anything else with gate as an SLA did not get a freebie.
The Summoner Summon Monster ability specifically says that if you use it as gate you must pay for any material component. It is the bold sentence in the block of text you quoted five posts ago.
What about using the Magical Knack trait instead of reactionary. That will bump the caster level of all your wizards spells (including your blasting spells) back up to your full HD. Seems like the best option with regard to the theme of getting maximum damage. Plus it helps all the other spells when not blasting.
If a character successfully uses disable device to disarm a resetting trap, is the trap now disarmed permanently or only until it is rearmed?
For example, say there is an automatically resetting magical trap that resets by itself every two rounds. A character with the rogue trapfinding class ability successfully disarms the trap. Is the trap defeated forever, or only for the next two rounds until it resets itself and is back to normal?
Ki Power: A qinggong monk can select a ki power (see below) for which she qualifies in place of the following monk class abilities: slow fall (4th), high jump (5th), wholeness of body (7th), diamond body (11th), abundant step (12th), diamond soul (13th), quivering palm (15th), timeless body (17th), tongue of the sun and moon (17th), empty body (19th), and perfect self (20th). This replaces the monk class ability the qinggong monk gives up for this ki power.
When a Qinggong monk reaches level 6 can he exchange slow fall (4th) for gaseous form (6th)?
In general, when swapping out powers does the monk only have to meet the level requirement (be at least X level to use a level X ki power) or do the level of the ki power and the level of the monk ability being replaced have to match up in some way?
Benefit: You receive a +4 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities. This replaces the normal bonus from the dwarf's hardy racial trait.
Normal: Dwarves normally receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities.
remove the original Dwarven Hardy +2 poison save in addition to increasing the spell and SLA saves from +2 to +4?
I also assumed that it applied to all Disable Device checks (by RAW), but the DM is using it only for disabling traps, barring an official clarification which probably will not occur.
A rogue adds 1/2 her level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). A rogue can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.
apply to disable device skill checks made to open locks?
By RAW it appears to, but RAI is questionable. Has there been an official ruling?
The image disappears when struck by an opponent unless you cause the illusion to react appropriately.
Situation:
Wizard casts Major Image, creates the illusion of a threatening monster that the bad guy then attacks. Bad guy fails its will save, so it still believes in the illusion. On her very next turn, the wizard does not maintain concentration on the illusion and does something else entirely.
Question:
The wizard never spent a turn concentrating to maintain the illusion, so was she able to cause the illusion to react appropriately when it was attacked between her turns?
Disclaimer: I understand the prices on the "Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values" Table are guidelines and that the DM should and does have the final say on if an item can be created and what its price will be.
Assumptions: The questions are pertaining to the rules and pricing guidelines as written. To simplify, assume that all magic items take up a body slot, have only one ability, and are not using spells that have costly material components.
Question 1: Question 1a: Does the unmodified Command Word magic item whose base cost is given by (Spell level x caster level x 1,800 gp) have unlimited uses?
Question 1b: If the answer to 1a is yes, is the above price the base price modified by the "Charged (50 charges)" and the "Charges per day" special price modifiers?
Question 2: Question 2a: When making a magic item from a spell with a duration of instantaneous, does the item have to be Command Word activated, not Use Activated/Continuous?
Question 2b: When making a magic item from a spell with a duration of concentration, does the item have to be Command Word activated, not Use Activated/Continuous?
Hypotheses: 1a: Yes
1b: Yes
2a: Yes
2b: Yes
Examples:
If the answers to 1a and 2a are yes, it would be possible to create a Command Word activated slot magic item (e.g. a hat) that lets the user cast Cure Light Wounds, with a caster level of one, an unlimited amount of times as long as she has standard actions to spare. This item would have a base price of 1*1*1,800 = 1,800 gold.
Question 2b is trickier. I see it functioning as the object casting the spell and then transferring the concentration to the user. For example, the Hand of the Mage item lets the wearer use Mage Hand at will. The item is priced as if it were (assuming the answer to 1a is yes) an unlimited use Command Word activated item. CL 1 * SL (1/2) * 1800 = 900 gold, the price of Hand of the Mage.
On page 112 of the Pathfinder Core rulebook and here [http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/feats.html] under the item creation feat description in the skill check subsection it says that item creation requires a spellcraft check with DC 10 + item CL. In the core rule book in the item creation section and here [http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/magicItems/magicItemCreation.html] it says that the DC is 5 + item CL.
