Hi All,
I am completely new to PF having been playing a completely different system from D&D for the last 25+ years (geez - that long?).
Having been blown away by the quality of the Paizo products I am forcing the switch for my group by the end of the year. We will be kicking off RotRLs AP then.
Until then I am reading and re-reading the Core Rules, AP Guide and GM guide in preparation. The change should be interesting for all and we are looking forward to the challenge.
I do have lots of questions though. Most are answered by finding the right area in the books, sort of like treasure hunting. Another post said the authors assumed everyone played D&D 3.5 and I tend to concur with that statement.
I do have two question right now that I could use expertise in.
1.) pgs 178-179 of the core rules covers the Attack Roll. It says the basic attack roll = Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier. Next to that a Table shows the Size modifiers and lists the sizes going from Colassal to Fine with modifiers going from -8 to +8. My question is is the Size Mod added to the attack roll based on the character's size or the opponents size? The way it is written I asssume it is the PCs size. But this would result in a Halfing having a high attack roll than a human based on his size which does not seem right. Can anyone clarify?
2.) One of my players is willing to take on an MU but having been a fighter for the last 20+ years is concerned with the lack of armor that the MU is subject to. Especially at lower levels. So not really understanding the thoughts behind why no armor for MUs, I delved into the books looking for an answer. I figuered it would be because metal armors affect the magical energies or something to that effect. The only thing I came up with is that armor affects the somatic component of spells hindering free movement. I also read that if an MU is pinned or tied up he cannot cast spells with somantic components. OK - I get it. But then I stumble on this Paragraph on page 213 in the Core Rules:
Somatic (S): A somatic component is a measured and
precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one
hand free to provide a somatic component.
So i am now wondering how, if you can cast a spell with a somantic component having only one hand free, how does Armor prohibit your ability to cast spells? Seems kind of odd.
Any help on these two items would be very appreicated.
1.) pgs 178-179 of the core rules covers the Attack Roll. It says the basic attack roll = Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier. Next to that a Table shows the Size modifiers and lists the sizes going from Colassal to Fine with modifiers going from -8 to +8. My question is is the Size Mod added to the attack roll based on the character's size or the opponents size? The way it is written I asssume it is the PCs size. But this would result in a Halfing having a high attack roll than a human based on his size which does not seem right. Can anyone clarify?
It is based on the character's size, so yes the halfling comes out ahead of a human in that particular bit.
Typically, this is a bit of a wash for melee combat since smaller characters also tend to have lower stength.
2.) One of my players is willing to take on an MU but having been a fighter for the last 20+ years is concerned with the lack of armor that the MU is subject to. Especially at lower levels.
Mostly, mages and armor is a balance thing -- they're already very strong without also making them harder to hit. That being said, the justification is that without special effort/training, any armor is restrictive enough to give a chance to blow a spell. Note that the rule you're quoting doesn't say a mage restricted or pinned by rocks or whatever won't have some problems trying to cast a spell (Concentration checks mostly cover this), only that if he doesn't have at least one hand free, he absolutely can't cast a spell with somatic components at all.
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For the bonus/penalty to attack rolls based on size...There is also a penalty/bonus to a creature's Armor Class deteremined by its size. A small creature has a +1 to hit and a +1 to its AC. Other creatures of the same size basically break even when it comes to attack and AC. Wearing the same type of armor and having the same strength, base attack, feats, and equipment, a human attacking a halfling would have a penalty to attack the smaller target while the halfing would have a bonus to hit his larger foe.
The reason armor hampers spells casting is because of how precise the movements must be. A MU is not use to how armor effects their movement (hence non-proficiency), so they suffer a spell failure chance. Note that there is are 2 feats that reduce this chance by taking armor proficiency and Arcane Armor Training. This compensates for the MU learning how to move in armor. Oh, and there is always the Meta-magic feat Still Spell.
2.) One of my players is willing to take on an MU but having been a fighter for the last 20+ years is concerned with the lack of armor that the MU is subject to. Especially at lower levels. So not really understanding the thoughts behind why no armor for MUs, I delved into the books looking for an answer. I figuered it would be because metal armors affect the magical energies or something to that effect. The only thing I came up with is that armor affects the somatic component of spells hindering free movement. I also read that if an MU is pinned or tied up he cannot cast spells with somantic components. OK - I get it. But then I stumble on this Paragraph on page 213 in
Somatic (S): A somatic component is a measured and
precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one
hand free to provide a somatic component.So i am now wondering how, if you can cast a spell with a somantic component having only one hand free, how does Armor prohibit your ability to cast spells? Seems kind of odd.
If they dont care about dex/str skill checks, or attack rolls and dont want to cast any spells with (S) then they can wear field plate from the get go :).
The reason it affects spell casting when you have a free hand, is that your hand is connected to the rest of you, and your arms/elbow/shoulders etc will have armor and hence make it difficult to move your hand in the oh-so subtle ways you need to.