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Congrats on both the 4th star and the VL position ... well earned on both parts. Maybe the extra star and new position will mean you can actually put a dent in my Dragon Disciple.
I sounded like an encounter that would be formative in the development of a character. Having your behind handed to you every so often keeps the thrill relevant. I had a character who was beaten up so bad in his early adventuring days by a huge earth elemental that even at level twelve, I fear them as a player. Every time they are summoned, I panic a little until they actually hit me ... then I see that my memory of that beating was much harsher than the actual beating. Dragons can be tough, especially if they either have terrain advantages (think black dragon in a swamp or bog where all movements is restricted except his) or ability to use their aerial mobility. The last is especially true for huge or larger dragons with their fly-by attacks. It sounds like you put yours in a cave where they are confined and at their weakest. A challenging encounter, but not too tough. Since you gave them an out, I would say you have done everything a good GM does for his players.
Some of the BEST faction missions, in terms of fluff and fun, have been Cheliax. Some of the HARDEST faction missions to accomplish have been Taldor. I would hate to see either of these go.
While battlefield control spells can be good, a poorly placed one REALLY will frustrate your primary damage dealers and unnecessarily extend combat time. Just keep this in mind.
Further clarification from James Jacobs on the Oracle of appropriate level using UMD for a Revelation outside his / her mystery. James' additional response to a similar question about the Ring of Revelation. Quoted:
Normally, I would agree with you. But James' ruling did not rule out an oracle of appropriate level using revelation outside his mystery.
Artanthos: Interesting point. The turning your back kind of goes against the "there is no facing" part of Pathfinder. Also, if one were to don a blindfold, one is making it impossible (for the moment) to see. I would rule that according to the Blinded condition definition, they are effectively blinded. Per the PRD : (highlight is mine) Blinded: The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.
@Ganymede: You are making the assumption that closing your eyes for 1 sec is sufficient to negate the illusionary effects. Avoiding the gaze attack scenario is a good analogy to trying to accomplish bypassing the mirror image - it takes longer than blinking you eyes to avoid a gaze attack. If you are not going to be fooled by the illusion, you have to use the force Luke - don't trust your eyes, they can deceive you. All kidding aside, I think a good portion of the advise is that if you want to get the benefits of negating the most annoying part of Mirror Image, you have to take the penalties. The hardcore answer is that there is no way to do it unless you are really blinded or the target has total concealment from you. You could also invest in some Dust of Appearance as suggested by Treesmasha, although I do not think the Glitterdust spell would work by itself, as the spell description explicitly says it works on revealing invisible things.
I would argue that closing your eyes, or giving yourself the "blinded" condition, would have to be more than a blink or two in order not to be fooled by the Mirror Image spell. Hence, it would have to be long enough to suffer the consequences of that condition until your nest turn. As it has been stated before, actions which happen simultaneously have been segregated into turns in order to facilitate game play. This would mean that the rogue behind you would be attacking while you were closing your eyes to all other dangers in order to not be tricked by the Mirror Image spell. Having played in the Pathfinder Society now for 5 years, which takes the more stringent rule interpretations, I have not seen this tactic ruled in any other way. If your GM buys the argument that you can get all of the benefits of being blind without any of the penalties, good for you. I would not expect that take to be universal.
Closing eyes helps .. but remember you must suffer all the penalties for being blind. Blinded: The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them. Just don't let the mirror-imaged arcanist's rogue friend catch you with your eyes closed.
From my PC's point of view, it would be best to just ignore these newcomers to the Pathfinder Society. Goblins by their very nature are pretty much self-extinguishing :) Of course, everything around them gores up in smoke ...
The cracked Orange Ioun stone adds one cantrip or orison spell to user’s spells known or prepared. Didn't see anyone mention it earlier.
I'd say ignore the haters and play what you want. I have a Barb/Monk/DD that I love to play and could care less if someone calls cheese. One man's cheese is another's sandwich garnish.
Two words: True Seeing.By the time True Seeing comes into play, I would hope the party has other resources available. Mindless enemies are confounded just as easily by Silent Image and would have no reason to "interact" with it. Not saying it is better the Obscuring Mist, but definitely an underused spell. I also find Obscuring Mist hampers my own party just as significantly as the enemy, and slows down combat a lot. So unless we are getting pwned by archers, I do not normally use it unless the situation is dire.
I play up always when it is available (with the exception to Season 4 scenarios) because I like the challenge, and the players in my area are good with respect to teamwork, party roles, etc. It is usually more and I feel like we actually accomplish great things. I would rather have a character take a memorable dirt nap than to walk through a scenario with little to no risk.
While it is true that you can run, you can also fail your objective if you do. Needed to rescue the Princess before they sacrificed here in the ritual? The gate to the demiplane is only open for a few hours? Maybe that is why I see so many more sorcerers is PFS - there is a time limit.
A useful tactic, but be prepared for a judge to rule that you are effectively blind for the rounds that you are "closing your eyes".
For my .002 ... the save feats are WAY more useful than Reactionary. Can't tell you how many times the +1 (+5%) has saved my character from a save or die (suck) situation which could have ended in a TPK. Going 1 or two places before the bad guys has rarely seemed to make that much of a difference, when placed in this perspective.
This post seems to have gone dormant, but I have the following I would like to trade for if anyone is interested: Have: Triple Race Option (Nagaji, Wayang, Kitsune)
Want: Other interesting stuff. PM me if you are interested.
Love the discussion! My intent was indeed "Gandalf" ... stupid fat fingers hit the wrong key and you can't edit the title after it has been submitted.
Late night thought ... If one was to reproduce Gandalf in Pathfinder, what would your build look like? Yes, I know that it is a hard because Gandalf did things that no single class really encompasses ... but within the PF rule-set, how would you accomplish a build as close to the core of Gandlaf as you could get? He looks human, but is much more closer to a aasimar if you delve into the books. He is listed as a "wizard" frequently, but seems to cast spells more like a sorcerer. Then again, that staff looks an awful lot like and arcane bond. And he obviously has a lot on skills in the knowledge areas ... Specialist Wizard? Sage Sorcerer? Magus? ('cuz of the whole sword thing) Thoughts?
IMHO, Silent Image and its ilk have always been able to be animated. You can create creatures per the text, and it says you can move the object within the limits of the spell. The weakness of silent image is its lack of any other sensations other than visual.
Robert is right ... but you do have to come with basic preparations. Darkest Vengeance is one of those and is very tough for a party which does not have the basic counters to situations accounted for.
My 0.02, 1st Level If you choose not carry a Wand of Cure Light Wounds, you should not expect others to heal you. This should be you first expenditure of 2 pp. This is central to the whole combat system folks, and the way the current scenarios are stacking up, if you play at tier, you will need them.
I have to throw my 0.02 in for our local GM extraordinaire Eric Brittan. As a GM, one of a kind. As a man, one of the kindest. And, has been the only one to put my DD down for a dirt nap in the last 12 scenarios.
Since magic items are typically a standard action to activate, and given that you can "teach" a ring a version being cast or active, it would seem, barring clarification or FAQ, that it is a standard action to teach this ring a spell. Thoughts?
A 16 charisma is perfectly viable for a Sorcerer, especially if you consider all the other tactical options available to you. You've got bow proficiency for long range fights, you can wield a long spear, and so forth. CHA also plays into Concentration checks,and save DC's versus your spells ... i have not gone with less than an 18 (including racial bonus) in order to be more effective with spell-slinging.
Sadly no... just because you use a higher level Spell Slot, I don't believe that actually heightens its effective level. A heightened spell (using the metamagic feat) actually raises the effect spell level of a spell. The description of the feat gives an example of bypassing a lessor Globe of Invulnerability due to spell level by using this method. Similarly, a heightened continual light spell would work.
I didn't see anyone answering why not ... they are both inherent bonuses, and therefore, do not stack.
It's not banned per se, but as it's a spell created by a PC, the effect ends at the end of a scenario. Quite often you're rudely awakened and sent off to adventure in the middle of the night right as the scenario starts, without time to re-prepare spells or cast things like Contingency. These things make it untenable, if legal. Thanks for the reply. I got panicked for a second there as my sorcerer uses this all the time (you know, extra spell slots and all to burn). If I have a wizard, I probably would not bother with it in PFS.
Sorry for the late reply, but where is Contingency banned? I could not find it in the Guidelines or Additional Resources. Thanks in advance for the assist.
A FAQ would be nice .... but until, all we have is the quote for now. And I agree, it is ambiguous and can be read either way.
Per James Jacobs: Re: Bane weapons You can exceed the +10 limit on enhancements like Bane and Furious, as it is included in the ability. Edit: Fixed the http posting formatting.
Having a very similar character in PFS, I would recommend Grapple, as it also helps your CMD, and there are a lot more things that grab than trip.
If he maxed out strength, he could taken two bumps, but each would cost double (4 EP each) for a total of 8 just in ability score increases, potentially adding another 4 points over the limit. A lot of people forget that Strength and Constitution cost double while large or huge.
2 Words: Forrest Gump Forrest Gump, while INT 7, had some common sense and although was gullible, was not fooled by BS, so I would put his WIS higher than 7. He obviously was good at making WILL saves.
Couldn't the bats fly over the wind wall? It says it has to be vertical, meaning no roof. Gotta remember to play nearly mindless creatures as nearly mindless ... probably not smart enough to try to discover a way around.
Having played both, they are both different in their approach to magic. I think the wizard-favoring crowd assumes that because on paper the wizard can look better in almost all scenarios, therefore it is the auto-win. This is not always the case. Wizards often prepare spell-lists that match or are very similar to a sorcerer's known spells. This is because although you can tweak your spell list based on what you think is coming up, you often do not know and you pick the spells which are most versatile. Wizards have versatility. Sorcerers always have their tools. Captured? No spellbook or spell component pouch to take away. Your Area-of-Effect spell of choice didn't take out that swarm, fine, just do it again. Wizard's in the RPG world do seem to conserve their spells more, as they have a limited number of that kind to use. Sorcerer's typically do not. I love playing both ... the both rock. Just acknowledge it and move on. P.S. If you do play a wizard, it is important to leave a spell slot or five "open", as you will not be versatile if you cannot adapt.
I am playing a very similar character in PFS up to level 9. Human (Shoanti) I went Ftr1, Mnk2 (Maneuver Master), Barb2, Sorc1 and DD3. Started off normal, discovered the "Beast Within" meditating as an aesthetic, unleashed the "Beast" with Barb, and has just further developed its manifestation as the time and classes go by. There is a bigger backstory, but I don't want this to be too long of a post. My advise so far: - You are feat starved and spell casting poor. Any spell I cast is for self-buffing or utility. I would rather lose a spell now and then than spend a feat in the Arcane Armor tree. - Do not worry about you diminished spell-casting. Dragons are not the best spell-casting monsters out there - they do tons of physical damage augmented by magic. You will do the same. - I loaded Strength from the start, and the Barbarian and DD has made the character tremendous at combat maneuvers. The Maneuver Master has only heightened this. It also makes up for missing some BAB. - Honestly, I use to two-hand attack all the time, but was outclassing the parties in PFS, so I switched to 1-handing with natural weapons as secondary. More thematic and fun. I actually do not even rage much anymore - I reserve the "Beast" only for times of dire needs. - You are an obvious front liner, and will soak up damage. CON adjusting items will help, but I have burned through three Wands of CLW, luckily, these can be "purchased" for 2 PA. - The character is very resilient. Lots of HP, very high fort and high will saves, evasion, uncanny dodge. Seems very draconic. Must Have Feats: Raging Vitality, Power Attack, Extra Rage (only need it once to get to about 10-13 rounds per day ... most fights don't last that long), Grab toughness as one of the DD bonus feats. Going to take blind fighting as the second. Nice to Have Feats: Arcane Strike (when CL is up), Combat Maneuvers (I like Grapple, Trip & Bull Rush - I have Bull Rushed multiple foes due to a high CMB). I am thinking about taking the Abyssal Eldritch Heritage chain for the STR benefit. I am putting off Arcane Strike until my caster level is high enough to get the +2 bonus.
Apparently if one digs deeply into middle earth lore and possibly non canon MERP content, we find that Smaug was merely the most powerful wyrm alive during his time. It seems long before him there was an even more powerful dragon named Ancalagon the black and he was so powerful he was stated in his MERP description as making Smaug loook like a "Home sick Hobbit"! by comparison. Ancalagon and Glaurung were definitely above Smaug in weight class, but Smaug began my fascination with the mythical creatures.
This may sound cliché, but I love dragons as antagonists. I play them to the top of my ability as a GM as the most cunning and capricious of opponents. I know they are not as powerful as a good chunk of the outsiders, but nothing seems to strike more fear into my players, or as much pride in the overcoming of a dragon encounter. I had a party of players, naively, attempt to take out an old black dragon in his own swamp. They had defeated high CR level monsters and were quite confident that this would be only a minor challenge. They prepared well, but the dragon had minions and allies which alerted it to the party’s presence in its swamp. The dragon sent war parties of lizard men after the party to test heir strength and observe their tactics, identifying the melee crew and the spellcasters. When the time for battle came, the dragon used minions to block / hinder the party’s movement. The dragon used the terrain to its advantage, using hit and run tactics from underwater and the air. The party was driven off after one of spellcasters was killed. The dragon then proceeded to harass them until they retreated from the swamp. He held a grudge, and occasionally, just for fun, over the next few years sent assassins after the group, or hindered them in other ways. Eventually, the party finally killed him, and it was the most celebrated event for the players. We still talk about that dragon.
Had the pleasure of sitting in on the 151st game, and it was as invariably enjoyable as the countless others he has run for me in San Diego. I hope my next character death is at your hands, as I can at least be assured it will be memorable and cinematic. (I consider this a compliment). Congratulations on the 5th star … you have earned it.
A dragon played properly will be a clever and devious opponent ... using minions, waging a war of attrition if it is knowledgeable about the party, only fighting battles on terrain which is favorable to it, hit and run tactics, etc. Fight like the dragon would (should).
Am I going to the special hell because my brain keeps wanting to call them Felchlings? I would not want to be grappled or pinned down by that race!
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