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I'm not happy.Oh wow, that in particular seems great. Works well for an assassin investigator and as an anti-spellcaster option.Could someone expand on the Investigator Talents?Silencing Strike: Studied strike target unable to speak for 1 (on save) to 5 rounds.
Quiet, you!
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Quiet, you!I'm not happy.Oh wow, that in particular seems great. Works well for an assassin investigator and as an anti-spellcaster option.Could someone expand on the Investigator Talents?Silencing Strike: Studied strike target unable to speak for 1 (on save) to 5 rounds.
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1x/day at 1st level, +1x/day at 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter.
Destruction, piercing, purity, and smiting.
4, obviously.
Vigilante level is treated as and stacks with inquisitor level.
This talent is available only to the Zealot archetype.
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Finally finding time to work my way through this and I'm surprised we haven't seen more discussion of the 'masked personas' and 'stylized magic' sections.
Masked Personas basically allow the dual identity feature of the Vigilante to be applied to ANY class... just without some of the mechanical benefits. The section also has rules for taking on a new masked persona, for example if your previous one was publicly linked to your social identity. Really helps to fill in some of the uncertain details around dual identities.
As for Stylized Magic... all the people who wanted ways to better hide spellcasting should be flipping out given that this section not only allows THAT, but completely faking your spellcasting. Make an arcane fireball burst look like a psychic electrical cone... cast by someone else.
Spread rumors (rules for such on page 14) of a disembodied caster who possesses enemies to cast his spells and you could have a high level caster posing as a squire / torch carrier / servant for the group while making it seem like all his spells were coming from various 'possessed' opponents. :]
Finally finding time to work my way through this and I'm surprised we haven't seen more discussion of the 'masked personas' and 'stylized magic' sections.
Masked Personas basically allow the dual identity feature of the Vigilante to be applied to ANY class... just without some of the mechanical benefits.
Which ones are missing?
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Which ones are missing?Finally finding time to work my way through this and I'm surprised we haven't seen more discussion of the 'masked personas' and 'stylized magic' sections.
Masked Personas basically allow the dual identity feature of the Vigilante to be applied to ANY class... just without some of the mechanical benefits.
Non Vigilante masked identities don't get a separate alignment or bonuses to maintain the disguise.
Still sounds worth it for mesmerists and psychics trying to manipulate people without associating their spell signature with them. Or wizards conducting acts of terrorism or guerilla resistance.
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Awesome book, I have exactly one complaint: why is the Execution Inquisition not associated with Damerrich, who is literally the Empyreal Lord of executions.
Awesome book, I have exactly one complaint: why is the Execution Inquisition not associated with Damerrich, who is literally the Empyreal Lord of executions.
If Arshea hadn't squeaked into the Seduction inquisition I'd tell you it's because demigods never get stuff like this in splatbooks, just full gods. Although Nocticula did get the Shadow subdomain in Blood of Shadows, so we'll have to put this down to "very rare," and there are way too many appropriate demigods (Empyreal Lords, Demon Lords, Dukes of Hell, Daemonic Harbingers, Eldest, etc.) for them to include everyone with a potentially relevant portfolio, just the move obvious ones.
Fair. Different question. Anaphexia Thought-Killer: what the hell? We're apparently giving up a social talent on an even level and a vigilante talent on an odd level. Can we get some clarification on this typo please, it's kind of an extremely important distinction.
Awesome book, I have exactly one complaint: why is the Execution Inquisition not associated with Damerrich, who is literally the Empyreal Lord of executions.
Really? Well, crap -- though it's not hard to justify giving it to him.
Which gods DID get the Execution inquisition, by the way?
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Awesome book, I have exactly one complaint: why is the Execution Inquisition not associated with Damerrich, who is literally the Empyreal Lord of executions.Really? Well, crap -- though it's not hard to justify giving it to him.
Which gods DID get the Execution inquisition, by the way?
Abadar, Achaekek, Calistria, Norgorber, Pharasma. Which, most of these make sense. Abadar is the epitome of a lawful society, Calistria's vengeance applies here, Achaekek and Norgober are all about that assassination action, and Pharasma is the goddess of death. But seriously, Damerrich shafted here.
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Awesome book, I have exactly one complaint: why is the Execution Inquisition not associated with Damerrich, who is literally the Empyreal Lord of executions.
We should also consider the possibility that Dammerich refused to endorse or participate in this inquisition because the Executioner's Strike ability is so weak. Only pretenders to an execution role would foist this junk on their followers, Dammerich actually has standards.
Edit: I like that the masked personas don't require a feat investment to get their benefits, although you can choose them to get extra benefits. The method of buying them (use consistently for a level) also allows you to change them later or pick a new one when your current one gets busted without having to worry about dead feat investments or making establishing a replacement identity too trivial as a way to avoid the dead feat.
A list of in progress thoughts about mechanical things in this book:
1. The Enchanting Courtesan's Covert Spells ability perversely makes spells harder to detect if they have both a somatic and a verbal component rather than just a verbal component (or psychic with no visible/audible components). I wonder if they intended and understood this outcome from requiring the opposed observe to beat both checks if both are required.
2. The Rogue talents section has the asterisk indicates sneak attack effect, but there aren't any actual sneak attack talents. I hope no important text was cut from a talent so that this unnecessary caveat could survive.
3. The one hour duration requirement to trigger the Inspire Devotion (Seduction Inquisition) and Companion to the Lonely (Vigilante social talent) abilities implies the existence of alchemical Viagra in Golarion, but I don't think it has been published yet.
4. The Vigilante Instant Plan talent, which can give immunity to demoralize, should make them popular with psychic casters.
5. I like the Enchanting Courtesan poison abilities. They need to start selling that ability to convert any poison to a different delivery method.
6. Both prestige classes are strong in their chosen niche, I think they're among the best designed by Paizo. Kudos.
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3. The one hour duration requirement to trigger the Inspire Devotion (Seduction Inquisition) and Companion to the Lonely (Vigilante social talent) abilities implies the existence of alchemical Viagra in Golarion, but I don't think it has been published yet.
-_-
Yes because this Talent was only meant for brooding milquetoast males.
Oh for the love of Nocticula...
PEOPLE! PAY ATTENTION! THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO AND THEY FEEL GOOD AS WELL.
Four minutes isn't really time enough to get a brood on.
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Sorry mods.
Look at it this way - it'll be a nice break from all the other stuff they've had to clean up lately.
At least this is kind of fun.
1. The Enchanting Courtesan's Covert Spells ability perversely makes spells harder to detect if they have both a somatic and a verbal component rather than just a verbal component (or psychic with no visible/audible components). I wonder if they intended and understood this outcome from requiring the opposed observe to beat both checks if both are required.
Yeah that seems like an oversight to me. Ah well, not a huge one at that.
Oh and I'm surprised you find the Lion Blade well-designed. Not that I think it isn't (I haven't seen it), but others seemed to be underwhelmed. By the sheer number of abilities they get, I would certainly be interested in trying it out. Too bad there isn't a Rogue archetype with Inspire Competence (to my knowledge).
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1. The Enchanting Courtesan's Covert Spells ability perversely makes spells harder to detect if they have both a somatic and a verbal component rather than just a verbal component (or psychic with no visible/audible components). I wonder if they intended and understood this outcome from requiring the opposed observe to beat both checks if both are required.
Yeah that seems like an oversight to me. Ah well, not a huge one at that.
Oh and I'm surprised you find the Lion Blade well-designed. Not that I think it isn't (I haven't seen it), but others seemed to be underwhelmed. By the sheer number of abilities they get, I would certainly be interested in trying it out. Too bad there isn't a Rogue archetype with Inspire Competence (to my knowledge).
Funny that we're talking about courtesans, because there is one - the deadly courtesan. It's a vishkanya racial archetype for rogues.
Ooh, that's some fancy stuff. Unfortunate that it is a racial archetype, but that would be a good combo.
Good find to the both of you.
1. The Enchanting Courtesan's Covert Spells ability perversely makes spells harder to detect if they have both a somatic and a verbal component rather than just a verbal component (or psychic with no visible/audible components). I wonder if they intended and understood this outcome from requiring the opposed observe to beat both checks if both are required.
Yeah that seems like an oversight to me. Ah well, not a huge one at that.
Oh and I'm surprised you find the Lion Blade well-designed. Not that I think it isn't (I haven't seen it), but others seemed to be underwhelmed. By the sheer number of abilities they get, I would certainly be interested in trying it out. Too bad there isn't a Rogue archetype with Inspire Competence (to my knowledge).
Dirge of Misfortune is great as a stand alone ability (but not until level 5) and the various crowd fighting abilities are cool and good. Great mobility for you and a good speed rebuff for sneak attack targets, plus Perfect Surprise let's you knock a charge or Spring Attack target unconscious long enough to be plausible CDG bait. You can ping ping through a crowd to knock guys out, and it'll work often enough on weak Fort targets.
The Training weapon enchantment is bonkers, amazingly good. For each +1 you can gain a specified combat feat while holding the weapon. Improved Initiative is the first that comes to mind, at high levels you could use it to build out a full feat chain or customize it to cap off more than one.
The Training weapon enchantment is bonkers, amazingly good. For each +1 you can gain a feat while holding the weapon. Improved Initiative is the first that comes to mind, at high levels you could use it to build out a full feat chain or customize it to cap off more than one.
Woah. Are you saying that a +3 Training weapon gives three feats. Or you could have a +1 Training (Feat A, B, and C) at the cost of a +4 Weapon?
I'm assuming the latter. Otherwise...
The latter. Still can be pretty good for specific feat starved builds that can pick up traditional enchantments another way, like a class ability.
They have to be combat feats, you have to meet prerequisites if the feat has one. So Spring Attack will only work if you have Dodge and Mobility natively.
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The Training weapon enchantment is bonkers, amazingly good. For each +1 you can gain a specified combat feat while holding the weapon. Improved Initiative is the first that comes to mind, at high levels you could use it to build out a full feat chain or customize it to cap off more than one.
And even more amazingly good for an Occultist, who can now add Training by using the Legacy Weapon Focus Power. There are lots of combat feats that are really useful in specific situations, but not useful often enough to spend a precious feat slot on. As long as she meets the prerequisites, an Occultist can now have any one of them when needed. Or it can be used to get ahead of the curve on long feat chains. So many options. :)
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"In addition, the deception can’t make it appear that another creature cast the spell." :(
Huh. Somehow I blocked that out.
That said, given that you CAN move the apparent origin point I think this is saying that stylized spellcasting can't make it appear that a person at that location performed a casting... that is, they aren't enacting components or otherwise preparing a spell that someone could pre-identify with spellcraft and the stylized spellcasting ability does not make it seem like they are.
HOWEVER, given that the spell effect seemed to come from their location, it would still be a plausible assumption that they were the source and had somehow hidden those other signs... or perhaps the observer simply missed them.
Not a slam dunk, but still a way to try to redirect blame.
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The Training weapon enchantment is bonkers, amazingly good. For each +1 you can gain a specified combat feat while holding the weapon. Improved Initiative is the first that comes to mind, at high levels you could use it to build out a full feat chain or customize it to cap off more than one.And even more amazingly good for an Occultist, who can now add Training by using the Legacy Weapon Focus Power. There are lots of combat feats that are really useful in specific situations, but not useful often enough to spend a precious feat slot on. As long as she meets the prerequisites, an Occultist can now have any one of them when needed. Or it can be used to get ahead of the curve on long feat chains. So many options. :)
The Advanced Weapon Training 'Warrior Spirit' option also allows you to take any weapon enchantment.
Unfortunately, "Weapons cannot possess the same special ability more than once." Also, the Training ability specifically says that the feat supplied cannot be used as a pre-req for anything. Thus, you can't really do the 'feat chain' thing. Best you could do would be multiple single feats (i.e. no chaining except with feats from other sources) from multiple weapons with different Training enchantments.
There's a contradiction in the Survivor's Ring.
Survivor's Ring
PRICE 56,160 GP
WEIGHT —
SLOT ring
CL 18th
AURA strong illusionThis ring is shaped like a silver snake with an onyx in its mouth. Once per day, if the wearer would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points but not be dead, she is instead reduced to 0 hit points and subject to an effect similar to mislead. Her illusory double appears to die or to take on the dying condition in her place, as appropriate for the negated effect. The wearer cannot control the double. In addition, the wearer can touch the ring’s stone as a standard action once per day to use dimension door but only while the ring’s mislead effect is active.
The first bolded part says it only works if you're dying but not dead from the triggering damage, the second says you appear either dead or dying as appropriate for the condition that triggered it.
Given the CL and cost I'm inclined to think preventing a killing blow is ok.
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The Training weapon enchantment is bonkers, amazingly good. For each +1 you can gain a specified combat feat while holding the weapon. Improved Initiative is the first that comes to mind, at high levels you could use it to build out a full feat chain or customize it to cap off more than one.And even more amazingly good for an Occultist, who can now add Training by using the Legacy Weapon Focus Power. There are lots of combat feats that are really useful in specific situations, but not useful often enough to spend a precious feat slot on. As long as she meets the prerequisites, an Occultist can now have any one of them when needed. Or it can be used to get ahead of the curve on long feat chains. So many options. :)The Advanced Weapon Training 'Warrior Spirit' option also allows you to take any weapon enchantment.
Unfortunately, "Weapons cannot possess the same special ability more than once." Also, the Training ability specifically says that the feat supplied cannot be used as a pre-req for anything. Thus, you can't really do the 'feat chain' thing. Best you could do would be multiple single feats (i.e. no chaining except with feats from other sources) from multiple weapons with different Training enchantments.
Sorry, I didn't explain what I meant regarding the feat chains. Occultists are kind of feat-starved so they often qualify for feats that they don't have room to take yet. So they could use Training to get the benefits of the next useful feat until they can make it a permanent selection. I was thinking this could be very helpful with feat-intensive builds like archery, TWF, or whips.
Example:
With a human archer build she could take PBS and precise shot at first level and Rapid Shot at third. At that point, assuming she has a +1 bow, she could use Legacy Weapon to add Training (Deadly Aim) to her bow. At 5th level she could actually take Deadly Aim as a feat and use Legacy Weapon to get Manyshot instead. So she is always one feat ahead of where she otherwise would be.
The Dream Reality spell is listed as "School illusion (compulsion) [mind-affecting]."
Pretty sure that either needs to be illusion (phantasm) or enchantment (compulsion) to accomplish this effect with a legitimate combo of school and subschool.
Since the enchantment school already provides similar effects through Fleeting Memory and Out of Sight, I'd go with the fluff on this one and how dream spells are generally treated and consider Dream Reality to be an Illusion (phantasm).
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I kind of love the Rotting Alliance spell. What a great way to bust up a conspiracy or cause chaos in an organization through a magically enforced restraining order. Kudos to the author.
I like the Greater Transformative weapon special ability. Not being restricted by weapon type is really nice, but I especially like how the rules for double weapons are spelled out. I think it is reasonable to assume that the standard Transformative special ability works the same way. That was always an issue for me when dealing with the my Staff Magus, and now it is resolved.
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The Studious Librarian Bard archetype finally gives Bards something similar to the Skald 'spell kenning' ability, has massive boosts for research and Knowledge skills, and can easily change its list of bard spells known at 20th level. The only thing it gives up that I really care about is Jack-of-all-Trades... and that doesn't really get useful until very high levels. Some Bards might miss suggestion, mass suggestion, dirge of doom, and deadly performance, but I rarely use any of them.
For me it will be hard to justify going straight Bard over Studious Librarian for anything except 'skill monkey' builds.
The Studious Librarian Bard archetype finally gives Bards something similar to the Skald 'spell kenning' ability, has massive boosts for research and Knowledge skills, and can easily change its list of bard spells known at 20th level. The only thing it gives up that I really care about is Jack-of-all-Trades... and that doesn't really get useful until very high levels. Some Bards might miss suggestion, mass suggestion, dirge of doom, and deadly performance, but I rarely use any of them.
For me it will be hard to justify going straight Bard over Studious Librarian for anything except 'skill monkey' builds.
I agree, seems like an archetype that I'd take as my base bard.
I've read about the 'Seduction' Inquisition. Just what does it do (though I can guess), and who grants it other than Calistria?
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Seduction deities: Arshea, Calistria, Cayden Cailean, Shelyn.
Disarming Flirtation (Sp): You can attempt a Charisma
check to entice a target that could be sexually attracted to you into letting you speak for up to 1 minute when it would otherwise be unwilling to consider your words. [In combat it acts as a modified feint, DC details omitted.]
Inspire Devotion (Ex): By spending at least 1 hour engaged in acts of physical pleasure with a willing partner, you can attempt a Diplomacy check to improve that partner’s attitude or increase your influence with that partner (or reduce a rival’s influence with that partner) with no maximum on the number of steps by which you can change that partner’s attitude or disposition.
The Studious Librarian Bard archetype finally gives Bards something similar to the Skald 'spell kenning' ability, has massive boosts for research and Knowledge skills, and can easily change its list of bard spells known at 20th level. The only thing it gives up that I really care about is Jack-of-all-Trades... and that doesn't really get useful until very high levels. Some Bards might miss suggestion, mass suggestion, dirge of doom, and deadly performance, but I rarely use any of them.
For me it will be hard to justify going straight Bard over Studious Librarian for anything except 'skill monkey' builds.
Argh! It doesn't stack with Sound Striker, otherwise I would be REALLY happy with it.
Seduction deities: Arshea, Calistria, Cayden Cailean, Shelyn.
Disarming Flirtation (Sp): You can attempt a Charisma
check to entice a target that could be sexually attracted to you into letting you speak for up to 1 minute when it would otherwise be unwilling to consider your words. [In combat it acts as a modified feint, DC details omitted.]Inspire Devotion (Ex): By spending at least 1 hour engaged in acts of physical pleasure with a willing partner, you can attempt a Diplomacy check to improve that partner’s attitude or increase your influence with that partner (or reduce a rival’s influence with that partner) with no maximum on the number of steps by which you can change that partner’s attitude or disposition.
Most of those deities I get, but Cayden? It's because he's the god of booze, right?
"You sure look a lot hotter now that I've had those ten ales!"
I am also guessing that this particular inquisition is really best reserved for the less action-heavy campaigns. It'd be a bit hard to use most of those in your average dungeon crawl.
Still and all, it sounds good.
Oh, and given that they mention Daggermark in the product description, what in the book relates to them? It does strike me that both the Daggermark Assassins and Poisoners could use vigilantes very well. The social identity is the cover, and the 'vigilante' one comes out when it;'s time for the kill.