Shoanti Tattoo? 3 weapons too strong? and a monkey.


Rules Questions


i came across trait that give you 3 weapon proficiency, a shield, 2 handed weapon and a ranged tripping weapon. now i have seen my fair share of strong traits but this could possibly get really really strong.

once i reach level 4 with a animal companion for the +1 int. Can i give him the "extra traits" feat and take this? or an eidolon? then maybe go in to thunder and fang just for flavor.

i know a eidolon or a monkey can use a weapon please dont bring that discussion up. if you want to know about it look it up. i just want to know is this possible so i can save feats.

Grand Lodge

Animal Companions can't officially use weapons. Eidolons or familiars no problem as they're not animals. For PFS it's been specifically faq'd that animal companions can't use weapons. I'm interested in knowing exactly what makes you so sure animal companions can use weapons. I have looked it up and haven't found anything that would imply that they can. If you have a reference link I'd greatly appreciate seeing it.

There's no reason you can't give an Animal Companion with an int of 3+ any feat you want. Same with an eidolon (and familiar though you didn't ask about it).

Silver Crusade

Seems to me there was a spell that granted a fighter type feat to the recipient. Seems to me that feat could be a weapon proficiency.

Can't find it though, maybe a different game system...

Maybe give them the Catch Off Guard feat?


Category Race

Requirement(s) Human - Shoanti
Upon reaching adulthood, you received a tribal tattoo, marking you with the symbols of your quah and totem spirits (see the inside back cover for suggestions and designs for Shoanti tattoos). You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against fear effects. Additionally, you are proficient with earth breakers, klars, and Shoanti bolas.

RAW pretty much prevents what you're thinking.


Beyond the rule that animal companions can't use weapons, that trait requires being a Human Shoanti, and that 3 intelligence still won't turn an animal into a Human. The int allows any feat the animal can use, but it can't even access that trait. Granted in a homebrew game, anything goes, as long as GM approves it.

Grand Lodge

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Well, with Adopted, you could nab that trait.

So, with the Additional Traits feat, you choose Adopted, and Shoanti Tattoo.


On the other hand, Earth Breaker proficiency for a trait!?!?!? Sign me and all my martial characters with bad proficiencies the f%@! up.

Silver Crusade Contributor

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In my opinion, the game needs more traits like this. A longsword isn't worth a feat.

An elvish version of this would be fabulous. ^_^

Speaking of worthless weapons, I personally like Varisian Tattoo better, if only because of my love of bladed scarves.


I love huge hammers... I have more than once thought "if I could give every strength-based character I play an Earth Breaker I would", and now I totally can. Wa ha ha.

Silver Crusade Contributor

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Arachnofiend wrote:
I love huge hammers... I have more than once thought "if I could give every strength-based character I play an Earth Breaker I would", and now I totally can. Wa ha ha.

Given your avatar, this is deeply surprising. ^_^


Traits are only for characters, not companions. The Additional Traits feat says that you gain an additional 2 character traits. The companion has none and they aren't a character and thus can't have traits, so it is a wash. Eidolons and Familiars also are not characters and don't have traits to add to either.


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Animals can pick some normal feats and some exclusive feats:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/animal-companions wrote:


Animal companions can select from the following feats:

Acrobatic, Agile Maneuvers, Armor Proficiency (light, medium, and heavy), Athletic, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack, Improved Overrun, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, and Weapon Focus.

(...)

There are feats JUST for companions or animals. Here are a few:

Jumper
Lithe Attacker
Master of Your Kind
Narrow Frame
Stable Gallop
Sure Footed
Valiant Steed

This doesn't exclude more feats, though. But Additional Traits feels wrong for a companion - while they can have a long history, traits are tailored toward humanoids. Hence I'd rather give players a limited selection of animal traits (e.g. grown up in a circus, hence knowing an additional trick etc.).


RAW it works via adopted.

Sczarni

Rhaleroad wrote:
Traits are only for characters, not companions. The Additional Traits feat says that you gain an additional 2 character traits. The companion has none and they aren't a character and thus can't have traits, so it is a wash. Eidolons and Familiars also are not characters and don't have traits to add to either.
Advanced Player's Guide, Traits section, wrote:
Character traits are only for player characters. If you want an NPC to have traits, that NPC must “buy” them with the Additional Traits feat.

Ape Companion ==> INT 3+ ==> Additional Traits ==> Adopted ==> Shoanti Tattoo

But, in the end, the GM should feel free to restrict such choices.

As mentioned up thread, this is not doable at all in PFS.


The Companion still can't get Additional Traits as a Feat...Traits are only for characters. It doesn't matter what the INT of the companion, it still isn't a character and can't get any traits. There is no way to gain the Adopted Trait because it still can only be taken by a character. A companion isn't an NPC (non player character), it's a companion played by the character. NPCs are controlled by the GM. Same goes for Familiars and Eidolons, not NPCs.

Grand Lodge

Nefreet wrote:
Rhaleroad wrote:
Traits are only for characters, not companions. The Additional Traits feat says that you gain an additional 2 character traits. The companion has none and they aren't a character and thus can't have traits, so it is a wash. Eidolons and Familiars also are not characters and don't have traits to add to either.
Advanced Player's Guide, Traits section, wrote:
Character traits are only for player characters. If you want an NPC to have traits, that NPC must “buy” them with the Additional Traits feat.

Ape Companion ==> INT 3+ ==> Additional Traits ==> Adopted ==> Shoanti Tattoo

But, in the end, the GM should feel free to restrict such choices.

As mentioned up thread, this is not doable at all in PFS.

Can't be done for an animal companion. But it could work for an eidolon... Earth elemental with an earth breaker?

That said, you couldn't get Thunder and fang till level 11... And that is without power attack.


randy hale wrote:
The Companion still can't get Additional Traits as a Feat...Traits are only for characters. It doesn't matter what the INT of the companion, it still isn't a character and can't get any traits. There is no way to gain the Adopted Trait because it still can only be taken by a character. A companion isn't an NPC (non player character), it's a companion played by the character. NPCs are controlled by the GM. Same goes for Familiars and Eidolons, not NPCs.

I don't think so. I know that their is a way to actually EARN traits in the game. And if a animal companion meets the requirements then they should receive it. But GM distress ion. But I think by RAW I can.

Silver Crusade

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Actually, traits aren't just for humanoids, they're just for the PCs. For any NPC to get a trait, they have to take Additional Traits, and thus it is allowed for a companion to get it that way as well.


Companions aren't NPCs.

Grand Lodge

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Additional Traits has no such restrictions.

The DM can disallow, but it is completely legit, as far as RAW is concerned.

Grand Lodge

randy hale wrote:
The Companion still can't get Additional Traits as a Feat...Traits are only for characters. It doesn't matter what the INT of the companion, it still isn't a character and can't get any traits. There is no way to gain the Adopted Trait because it still can only be taken by a character. A companion isn't an NPC (non player character), it's a companion played by the character. NPCs are controlled by the GM. Same goes for Familiars and Eidolons, not NPCs.

Yeah, uh, about that. Either something is a PC or an NPC (animal companions are technically NPCs). And both can get traits.

Advanced Player's Guide wrote:
Character traits are only for player characters. If you want an NPC to have traits, that NPC must “buy” them with the Additional Traits feat (see page 150).


additional traits wrote:

Additional Traits

You have more traits than normal.

Benefit: You gain two character traits of your choice (see Chapter 8). These traits must be chosen from different lists, and cannot be chosen from lists from which you have already selected a character trait. You must meet any additional qualifications for the character traits you choose.

There are no pre-requisites to this feat. There is nothing to say you must already have traits, or that it only applies to a certain class of character. There are no limitations at all in fact. The name of a feat is not the rules as to how the feat works - it wouldn't be the first time there is a disconnect between the name of a feat or ability and what it actually does. There is nothing preventing an AC from taking this feat other than a GM saying "not in my game".


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Animal companions aren't NPC's, they're class features.


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They can be both class features and NPCs - the terms are not mutually exclusive.


Arachnofiend wrote:
Animal companions aren't NPC's, they're class features.

That would mean that the Loyal Aid (Ex) feature of the vigilante gives non NPC allies that can't take the feat?


As a sidequestion about the trait: does it grant proficiency in the klar only as a weapon or as a shield, too?

Liberty's Edge

Yes.


Char-Gen addict wrote:
As a sidequestion about the trait: does it grant proficiency in the klar only as a weapon or as a shield, too?

The trait doesn't give light shield proficiency and that's what's needed to get a shield bonus from a klar.

Sczarni

You don't need to be proficient in a Shield to gain its bonus to AC.

Proficiency simply removes the Armor Check Penalty from applying to your attack rolls.


Nefreet wrote:

You don't need to be proficient in a Shield to gain its bonus to AC.

Proficiency simply removes the Armor Check Penalty from applying to your attack rolls.

Yep, I misspoke. Nefreet beat me to the punch before I could fix. That's what I get for doing two things at once. So My last post should read:

"The trait doesn't give light shield proficiency and that's what's needed to removes the Armor Check Penalty from applying to your attack rolls while using a klar."


"Remember also that traits are intended to model events that were formative in your character’s development, either events from before he became an adventurer, or (in the case of additional traits gained via the Additional Traits feat) ones that happened while adventuring"

Basically this would mean that while adventuring your animal companion would have to be adopted and raised by Shoanti, which is pretty much impossible. Some traits are obviously not suitable with the additional traits feat, adopted being perhaps the most obvious one, as that is only appropriate for a background trait gained before adventuring.

Traits contain both mechanics and fluff, but perhaps more than anything else in the system, it is really the fluff that should be the focus here, as the real point of traits is to flesh out a background (although I'll freely admit, I mostly do look at the mechanical advantages.)

Silver Crusade Contributor

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But... I was adopted by the party's half-orc bard, Timothy! He taught me his people's deep cultural secret of growing four-inch tusks!

Sczarni

Traits can be "reskinned" (even in PFS).

"Adopted" could also mean "I traveled to Varisia and spent some time living with the Shoanti. I taught them some things of the outside world, and they taught me some things of their world, including how to wield gigantic hammers!"

...or...

"I'm a dog! And I'm smarter than the average dog. I was picked up at the pound by this really Helpful Halfling family. I really liked them! Then they sold me to this Human. Now I serve as his Bodyguard!"

(spoken via Speak With Animals, of course)

Scarab Sages

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Kalindlara wrote:
But... I was adopted by the party's half-orc bard, Timothy! He taught me his people's deep cultural secret of growing four-inch tusks!

How much?

Dark Archive

Yeah, you could do it. Not in PFS as aforementioned, but otherwise yes. It is a good way for mauler familiars to use weapons.

Grand Lodge

Kalindlara wrote:
But... I was adopted by the party's half-orc bard, Timothy! He taught me his people's deep cultural secret of growing four-inch tusks!

You don't have to have tusks to have a bite attack.

Grand Lodge

claudekennilol wrote:
Kalindlara wrote:
But... I was adopted by the party's half-orc bard, Timothy! He taught me his people's deep cultural secret of growing four-inch tusks!
You don't have to have tusks to have a bite attack.

That's good, because tusks don't give you a bite attack. They give you gore.

Sovereign Court

I've got two copies of a boon lying around that does much the same thing, granting earth breaker proficiency. It turns out it's really very circumstantial, most characters that "need" it already have proficiency.


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Ascalaphus wrote:
I've got two copies of a boon lying around that does much the same thing, granting earth breaker proficiency. It turns out it's really very circumstantial, most characters that "need" it already have proficiency.

You could give it to an Inquisitor. There aren't any gods that grant Earth Breaker proficiency. Bards and Investigators could make good use of it as well.

Silver Crusade

Here it is

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateCombat/spells/bestowWeaponProfic iency.html#bestow-weapon-proficiency

Will this work on an Animal Companion?

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Jokem wrote:

bestow-weapon-proficiency

Will this work on an Animal Companion?

Nope

Silver Crusade

James Risner wrote:
Jokem wrote:

bestow-weapon-proficiency

Will this work on an Animal Companion?

Nope

So why not?

The Exchange Owner - D20 Hobbies

Because animals would rather not use weapons than their claws.

Grand Lodge

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Ignoring the fact that animals in real life can and have been trained to use weapons, and that there are videos of wild animals using weapons on their own, the blog post doesn't say an animal won't ever use weapons. It says that it's up to the GM to decide.

Sczarni

Obligatory chimp-wielding-machete video.

Sovereign Court

Arachnofiend wrote:
Ascalaphus wrote:
I've got two copies of a boon lying around that does much the same thing, granting earth breaker proficiency. It turns out it's really very circumstantial, most characters that "need" it already have proficiency.
You could give it to an Inquisitor. There aren't any gods that grant Earth Breaker proficiency. Bards and Investigators could make good use of it as well.

That was my original plan, but my Inquisitor ended up preferring to wear a shield to be tankier. The Investigator turned out to be a longspear specialist.

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