Alright, after my witch got caught in a black tentacle, and nearly killed, I know her weakness..... So, how to get out of a grapple, esp., with low strength, her CMB is +1 at 5th lvl (STR 8, BAB+2). Escape artist is one option, but can easily fail, even bumping it up next level, she will only have a +7. Is there anything like Anklet of Translocations as in the MIC in 3.5? Or just a potion of gaseous form? Casting while being grappled gets now also very hard. Can you use a scroll? Any help is highly appreciated.
Grease helps. It gives you a bonus to escaping grapples, and black tentacles is spell that seems to be designed to end casters. Taking skill focus(escape artist) might be an option if the GM likes to grapple a lot.
Even if you use a scroll you have to make a concentration check, assuming you can get the scroll out.
If you can get a 5 or 10 charge wand of dimension door and are able to keep it in hand at all times, that's probably your best bet. Wands don't need concentration and don't provoke AoOs.
If Cape of the Mountebank was updated to PF (I forget), that would also work.
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Do you have the agility patron? If so Freedom of Movement is an option later. Other options are would be defensive combat training which would up your CMD although it won't help you escape once grappled. Going the escape artist route you could invest in a +1 slick Haramaki to give you a +5 on escape artist checks.
Cape of the Mountebank is available but pricey: 10,800g.
I think the Potion of Gaseous Form is your best bet at 750g.
If you want to pump your Escape Artist you could buy the Slick armor, but if you want to spend a feat on it take Additional Traits instead of Skill Focus. Choose Vagabond Child (or similar) and you get a +4 instead of a +3 to Escape Artist and another trait to boot. Skill Focus would give you +6 at level 10 but in PFS you're not going to spend much time above that.
I suppose since you're not going to be taking at level 7 that's not much of an advantage though... Oh well, I still think it's a decent idea in general.
Not agility, trickery. Will keep the cape in mind though. And yes, buy a potion of gaseous form, not again......
And the armor sounds good too.
Remember, Pathfinder is TECHNICALLY supposed to be 3.5 compatible, so if your GM allows the Magic Item Compendium an Anklet of Translocation is a great way to go.
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Remember, PFS (which the OP is talking about) doesn't allow 3.5 items.
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I was going to recommend the first level spell Liberating Command, but it's only available to bards, clerics, druids, paladins, rangers, sorcerers and wizards. Not witches.
Maybe you could beg and plead for one of your buddies to prepare that spell, though.
The armor is a good option, just need to decide if I go Haramaki and continue with Mage armor as extended spell, or buy a mithril lamellar cuirass. Only thing the later does not protect against undead incorporeal touch attacks.
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the answer is A.B.F. (always be flying), at 5th level a witch should always have flight hex and be ready to launch 15ft in the air at the first hint of combat.
If that's not an option for you then take Prehensile Hair and use your Int instead of strength for grapple checks. Make your life easier when you do get grabbed.
the answer is A.B.F. (always be flying), at 5th level a witch should always have flight hex and be ready to launch 15ft in the air at the first hint of combat.
It's possible that your PFS experience might be different from mine, but in my experience a large proportion of PFS encounters take place indoors, where it's not really that easy to fly above a 20' spread effect.
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Alright, after my witch got caught in a black tentacle, and nearly killed, I know her weakness..... So, how to get out of a grapple, esp., with low strength, her CMB is +1 at 5th lvl (STR 8, BAB+2). Escape artist is one option, but can easily fail, even bumping it up next level, she will only have a +7. Is there anything like Anklet of Translocations as in the MIC in 3.5? Or just a potion of gaseous form? Casting while being grappled gets now also very hard. Can you use a scroll? Any help is highly appreciated.
Flight Hex.
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the answer is A.B.F. (always be flying), at 5th level a witch should always have flight hex and be ready to launch 15ft in the air at the first hint of combat.It's possible that your PFS experience might be different from mine, but in my experience a large proportion of PFS encounters take place indoors, where it's not really that easy to fly above a 20' spread effect.
You should really check the scenarios you've been playing, about 80% of them all give you at LEAST a 15' ceiling for every room (some go much, much higher). More importantly the black tentacles spell DOESN'T have reach, so any amount of flying will usually put you out of it's range.
Better anticipation would be one thing. It was in the surprise round. But all the suggestions were helpful, so, a scroll of grease would be handy too.
@Weables I missed that!
More importantly the black tentacles spell DOESN'T have reach, so any amount of flying will usually put you out of it's range.
I don't know what to tell you. Black Tentacles can grapple "any creature in the area", the area is a 20' spread, and I don't see anything limiting it to a 2-dimensional circle instead of a sphere. (For instance, it doesn't say that the tentacles are 5' long or anything like that.)
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I don't know what to tell you. Black Tentacles can grapple "any creature in the area", the area is a 20' spread, and I don't see anything limiting it to a 2-dimensional circle instead of a sphere. (For instance, it doesn't say that the tentacles are 5' long or anything like that.)More importantly the black tentacles spell DOESN'T have reach, so any amount of flying will usually put you out of it's range.
Right, it doesn't say how long the tentacles are which means they are the standard length and can only attack adjacent squares. Anything that can attack beyond the adjacent square will either have a range notation or have the reach ability. These have neither so they can't touch you if you are more than one square away.
You'll be able to pick up dimension door itself in a few levels, which is a good idea I think.
The prehensile hair hex can help you with grapples, as your hair grapples using your Int in place of Str.
The Still Spell feat can probably also contribute to a number of good escape options. Stilled Hold Person, and Stilled Charm Person would both probably be good for helping escape. Stilled Ray of Enfeeblement and Stilled Ill Omen would make it harder for your opponent to maintain their grapple.
Another thought would be to dip for a level of sorcerer. Getting a bloodline arcana (or two) would help your witch spells, and you could pick up the Liberating Command spell that's been mentioned by others.
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I don't know what to tell you. Black Tentacles can grapple "any creature in the area", the area is a 20' spread, and I don't see anything limiting it to a 2-dimensional circle instead of a sphere. (For instance, it doesn't say that the tentacles are 5' long or anything like that.)More importantly the black tentacles spell DOESN'T have reach, so any amount of flying will usually put you out of it's range.
Right, it doesn't say how long the tentacles are which means they are the standard length and can only attack adjacent squares. Anything that can attack beyond the adjacent square will either have a range notation or have the reach ability. These have neither so they can't touch you if you are more than one square away.
Fireball has a 20' Spread also. If you were flying 5 feet above ground zero you would get hit. Now if you were 20' above the ground you would be safe.
Now perhaps that is a HOUSE rule, but your assumption that any flying puts you out of range is also a HOUSE rule as it does not mention height. I tend to go Spherical, you seem to prefer Discus.
And until yesterday that was how things worked. However since SKR JUST put out a statement that the radius of non-burst spells are now spheres you are correct.
dimensionsMakes this spell significantly better though and I always like buffs on my Black Tentacles.
Interesting. In 3E, the length of the tentacles was clearly defined: "This spell conjures a field of rubbery black tentacles, each 10 feet long."
You placed the field in a 20 ft radius on some surface, and the tentacles extended 10 ft out from that surface (vertically up if on the ground). Nice and simple to adjudicate.
PF seems to have removed that text.
But the concentration gets quite hard - 10 + CMB 14 (for a 9th lvl caster) +4 for dimension door, so as a 7th lvl PC, you'd need a 15 on the die....
And still spell does not help if I see it right, to avoid the concentration check.
Will go with the armor, then headband of intellect (escape artist), masterwork tools (esape artist), and if needs to be buy the vest of escape - as competence boni stack.
You'll be able to pick up dimension door itself in a few levels, which is a good idea I think.
The prehensile hair hex can help you with grapples, as your hair grapples using your Int in place of Str.
The Still Spell feat can probably also contribute to a number of good escape options. Stilled Hold Person, and Stilled Charm Person would both probably be good for helping escape. Stilled Ray of Enfeeblement and Stilled Ill Omen would make it harder for your opponent to maintain their grapple.
Another thought would be to dip for a level of sorcerer. Getting a bloodline arcana (or two) would help your witch spells, and you could pick up the Liberating Command spell that's been mentioned by others.
Teamwork may help...
If you have a cleric in your party, there's a 4th level spell in APG called Blessing of Fervor that allows allies w/in 30 ft a range of options, including free "Still" metamagic feat on a 2nd level or lower spell so you can keep casting. Or ask one of your casters for freedom of movement, 10 minutes per level.
OR, items wise when you can afford it, Core Wondrous Items has a Vest of Escape that provides a +6 competence bonus to escape checks. 5,200 gp (a bit expensive maybe but good investment). Combine that with alchemical grease (only 5 gp each), which for four hours grants +5 alchemical bonus to escape checks or combat maneuver checks and CMD to avoid grapple.
And when it's black tentacles, if one of your casters could learn or prepare Dispel Magic, that's always useful.
Good luck! (And witches are awesome!)
Heh, tentacles and grease...
I don't have any advice on how to get out of a grapple that hasn't already been covered, but what about making your witch harder to grapple?
You excel at defending yourself from all manner of combat maneuvers.
Benefit: You treat your total Hit Dice as your base attack bonus when calculating your Combat Maneuver Defense (see Combat).
That would make your CMD somewhere around 14 (-1 from STR) maybe higher if your DEX has a positive modifier.
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Grease her up. Had to give this idea another shout.
I really think my other party members would object if I were to grease myself up with baby oil prior to each encounter... they are an up-tight bunch.
I have prehensile hair and also took defensive combat training because one of our referees (not naming names) thinks grappling spell casters is the most fun thing to do in Pathfinder. I feel for the OP.
And still spell does not help if I see it right, to avoid the concentration check.
That is true, as far as I can tell, but it at least expands your options of spells you can use. If you don't want to invest a feat in it, perhaps a still spell metamagic rod, or the lesser version thereof would be worth it.
My favourite choice is still the sorcerer level + invest a lot of skill ranks in escape artist + Liberating Command. There are also magic items that can help you with that, a vest of escape gives you +5 to escape artist for example, it's what my last caster wore at low levels.
Alternatively, if you take a bard level instead of sorcerer you can get escape artist (and a lot of other skills) as class skills, as well as a lot of extra skill ranks for a level. Bards also get to cast Liberating Command (providing you have at least 10 Cha), and you'd get basic bardic performance. The cost of course being a lack of Bloodline Arcana. Unfortunately none of the bloodlines I know of give escape artist as a class skill.
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I don't know if you can get spell tattoos in PFS. They're basically a scroll in a tattoo.
The tattoo is a silent, spell completion item that only the bearer can activate. It vanishes when activated. A spell tattoo must be visible to the bearer and must be touched as part of its
activation.
A spell tattoo of grease could be a life saver.
tattoo your hand to make sure no-one griefs you about the "must be touched as part of its activation" line.
Su abilities work in grapples, no concentration check, no grapple roll. Piece of cake! So just use your hexes! The best way out of a grapple is to use Slumber on the guy grappling you. Here's why...
Typically, monsters grappling PCs have very high CMB/CMD due to their large size, tentacles, claws, high strength, etc. That's just it: Any monster grappling the party is going to be hard for even the fighter to escape from. Even the ones NOT designed for grapples are hard to escape from:
A level 3 fighter with 18 Str and no special feats to help grappling (CMB +7) has a 50% chance to hit the 18 CMD of a CR 3 Ogre.
A level 3 witch with 18 Int and no special feats or racial abilities (Dreamspeaker elf!) to boost Slumber (DC 15) has a 55% chance to knock the ogre out with Slumber (against his +3 Will). Yes, you're better at getting away from the ogre than the fighter is! Your Slumber DC is probably going to be one to four points higher than 15 at level 2-3 (depending on point buy, race, and if your DM allows PCs to take Ability Focus).
Granted, Slumber doesn't stop Black Tentacles (duration), or the Tendriculos plant (immune) or a Wyvern (dragon). It's not a universal solution. But that's OK! You're a primary caster, the kings and queens of 3.x/Pathfinder! There's nothing you CAN'T do. Look:
The Fly hex defeats the Tendriculos (it's an outdoor monster that can't fly; demand extra XP if the cruel DM puts a long-reaching uber-grappler in a cramped dungeon against low level characters!). Even before you can Fly fly, you can Levitate out of its reach. Solveed.
Slumber still sort of beats Black Tentacles (it works on the caster if he gets within 30' of you!). After the caster is out cold, the fight should get a lot easier for your allies while you get squeezed by naughty anime tentacles. And think of this: Those tentacles are friendly fire machines! They keep the caster's allies from coming up and pounding on you, and meanwhile you're only taking 1d6+4 per round and can keep using Hexes without penalty!
If you encounter a Wyvern, the answer is Blindness (V) or Suggestion (V, M). Note that Suggestion has a material component, so if you meet a Wyvern, take out some snake tongue and honeycomb... just in case.
Once you're high enough level, Ice Tomb -- the hex that needs volumes of errata -- gets you out of all grapples. As written, even on a passed save, the target (not adjacent or grappled witches!) is encased in ice.
Grease her up. Had to give this idea another shout.I really think my other party members would object if I were to grease myself up with baby oil prior to each encounter... they are an up-tight bunch.
I have prehensile hair and also took defensive combat training because one of our referees (not naming names) thinks grappling spell casters is the most fun thing to do in Pathfinder. I feel for the OP.
THIS was my suggestion. Use your prehensile hair to control the grapple, because that goes off your INT bonus instead of your STR bonus.
Another option at 5th level is the Strangling Hair spell. You can also squeeze a +1 out of Enlarge Person for size.
My most recent witch build was very unusual. I took Venerable age category (-6 all phys stats, +3 all mental stats including Int), Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple, King Crab Familiar, and Prehensile Hair. With that set of tricks, his CMB to initiate a grapple at level 5 was somewhere around..
INT = 18+2(race)+2(gear)+1(lvl)+3(age)=26
CMB to grapple = 2(bab) +2(familiar) +2(feat) +8(stat) +1(enlarge person) = +15
Now granted all the rest of his stats really sucked. But it was a funny build, to be able to beat an ogre at a wrestling match with a 70 year old man's armpit hair. And his save DC on Slumber Hex was pretty gross as well.
Alas, none of this helps you vs Evard's Black Tentacles. But you have something for that. It's called Dispel Magic.
Wait!
Your 5th level and do not have the flight hex!
Even levitate helps keep you out of these types of situations!
The flight hex is such a great one! It saved my witch many times.
I dunno... I play a witch too, as well as other characters that would generally not care to be grappled by black tentacles (which is, well, all of them, really).
My guess is the best way to get out of a grapple is to not get grappled in the first place.
Carrying something that helps get out of the grapple is a pretty good backup option.
Always memorizing some spell just in case you happen to get grappled is, imho, the worst case.
Especially if you manage to improve the "don't get grappled in the first place" option.
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Getting party members to prepare/know liberating command is fantastic.
Immediate action casting time, only a 1st-level spell, rapidly-scaling bonus, and the target gets to make their escape as an immediate action as well. My PFS cleric (just hit 5th level) preps 1 or 2 of them every day.