Card Caster Question


Rules Questions


Well I am curious the Deadly Dealer feat says a card is destroyed if thrown with arcane strike, but Card Caster gives you the ability to add Returning to the cards as part of your Arcane Pool. So I have to ask.. if its destroyed how do I return it?


Even with the Returning property added, the card is destroyed on impact unlike other thrown weapons so you can't get it back, making the enchantment useless.

Should be noted that a similar Witch archetype adds an ability that specifically says the cards are no longer destroyed on impact.


What if you do not use Arcane Strike feat, since it says you can use it without it. Is it the Arcane Strike feat that destroys it


Paramount of the Vale wrote:
What if you do not use Arcane Strike feat, since it says you can use it without it. Is it the Arcane Strike feat that destroys it

It's the Deadly Dealer feat that says every card you throw is destroyed on impact. It even happens with the Card Sharp Rogue Talent that gives the Deadly Dealer feat without using Arcane Strike.


Quote:
You must use the Arcane Strike feat when throwing a card in this way, or else the card lacks the magical force and precision to deal lethal damage. A card is destroyed when thrown in this way.

It implies that you must use the Arcane Strike, the Card Caster doesn't need to have it, and so you are not throwing it in this way if you do not have Arcane Strike


Paramount of the Vale wrote:
Quote:
You must use the Arcane Strike feat when throwing a card in this way, or else the card lacks the magical force and precision to deal lethal damage. A card is destroyed when thrown in this way.
It implies that you must use the Arcane Strike, the Card Caster doesn't need to have it, and so you are not throwing it in this way if you do not have Arcane Strike

Do you know that this would also imply that the card doesn't have enough force to deal damage?


Deadly Dealer makes it deal lethal damage. Arcane Strike was required to make it a magic strike and that is what destroys it. But Card Caster ignores Arcane Strike as a requirement for both the feat and the effect.

I mean otherwise why not just give both Arcane Strike and Deadly Dealer as bonus feats, we have seen Archetypes give two feats especially in a chain before.

Liberty's Edge

Paramount of the Vale wrote:
Well I am curious the Deadly Dealer feat says a card is destroyed if thrown with arcane strike, but Card Caster gives you the ability to add Returning to the cards as part of your Arcane Pool. So I have to ask.. if its destroyed how do I return it?

The ability on the Card Caster that grants Returning explicity states that the card is not destroyed. It calls it out as an exception to the rule.


Arcane Pool Focus (Su)

A card caster's arcane pool can be used to augment only ranged weapons. At 5th level, a card caster can use his arcane pool to add the following weapon special abilities to ranged weapons: brilliant energy, distance, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, returning, seeking, shock, shocking burst, and speed. He can use his arcane pool to augment an entire harrow deck as if it were ammunition. All cards from a deck enhanced with a special ability, such as flaming, must share the same bonus. This ability modifies arcane pool.

^ Where?


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Maps Subscriber

The card is destroyed. The ability does not say cards are not destroyed, but he does not necessarily have to enhance cards with his pool; he can do it for any ranged weapon. So while he may throw cards, if he picks up a boomerang, for example, he could add returning to it.


Yes but that kind of defeats the point of it doesn't it?
I mean 54 cards cost 100GP per Harrowing deck.

Liberty's Edge

Paramount of the Vale wrote:

Arcane Pool Focus (Su)

A card caster's arcane pool can be used to augment only ranged weapons. At 5th level, a card caster can use his arcane pool to add the following weapon special abilities to ranged weapons: brilliant energy, distance, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, returning, seeking, shock, shocking burst, and speed. He can use his arcane pool to augment an entire harrow deck as if it were ammunition. All cards from a deck enhanced with a special ability, such as flaming, must share the same bonus. This ability modifies arcane pool.

^ Where?

My bad I was thinking of the Cartomancer, a Witch archetype.


Paramount of the Vale wrote:

Yes but that kind of defeats the point of it doesn't it?

I mean 54 cards cost 100GP per Harrowing deck.

If you go with the pool or Magic Weapon you can use standard cards as the +1 Enhancement overlaps with the Masterwork instead of stacking.

(Also they actually cost less than Masterwork Darts anyway, that are 300 gp or so for 50 ammo, the only difference in that you can technically go around and recovering your darts after the fight but that is not always feasible)


Interesting I will have to look into regular cards too then, I am sure there is a playing card deck somewhere.

Either way if they are destroyed it doesn't really matter just would like a reason not to burn through extra money but I am guessing this will only be a problem at low levels.

Dark Archive

Playing a 9th level Card Caster, I rarely use the deck. I make my Harrow draw in the morning and throw cards when there is some reason my +1 Mithril Chakram isn't going to do the job.

Combining Returning or a Blinkback Belt and a chakram or some other thrown weapon has much better consistent damage than trying to Role Deal the cards for crits.


Well I considered to get Precise Strike Deed through Arcana, so Level to damage with each card/dart

Grand Lodge

You can't do that, as of the latest Errata.


I thought about creating my own topic, but I figure hijacking a not-so-different subject thread wouldn't hurt.

Would a small Deadly Dealer use 1d3 for their thrown cards? I ask because generally speaking, I'd assume that Card decks would be the same size for either medium or small creatures. Would the feat change the damage to that of a smaller dart, despite the fact that the ammunition used would generally be the same size as that of a medium creature?

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