Aw man, the extra INT to skills is a long way off then.
@Arrian: I hadn't noticed that about the ring. Man, that makes it so much less useful.
@Alicia: You still have a double door with a creepy image on it to the south. I marked it with a red dot on the map, which I had forgotten to do earlier.
@Juriya: Not in this book. Get comfortable in level 4 for now.
It's still a neat item. Since it's a force effect it would work vs. incorporeal attacks. And of course it's worth quite a bit of gold so it can be sold/traded for other items.
That's why I recommended it for Ano in-character. As she's one of the rare STR rapier wielders, I figured she'd get the most mileage out of an extra +2 AC with a free hand.
She’s a DEX rapier wielder, but if there’s anything that can boost AC she’ll take it.
Buuuuuut Ano might lose her benefits from Fencing Grace (which lets her do DEX to damage) if her off hand is occupied.
She’s a DEX rapier wielder, but if there’s anything that can boost AC she’ll take it.
Buuuuuut Ano might lose her benefits from Fencing Grace (which lets her do DEX to damage) if her off hand is occupied.
Since the description of the ring includes "can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield," I think Ano would lose the benefits of Fencing Grace.
Alicia could swap it for her actual shield, but it would not have an AC improvement, the main changes being less acp (she has no intention of doing dex based skills anyway), max encumberance and having 2 more ac vs incorporeal touch.
Possible ways of boosting Ano for the purposes of AC etc.
--There is table variation on this, but Ano could plausibly use wands of shield without UMD, since her caster level is 2, her charisma is high enough and its on the bloodrager spell list. Longarm would be another nice option, especially if she gets combat reflexes feat.
--Taking a dip in swashbuckler gets you opportune parry and riposte as well as likely (since we have elephant in the room active, and this means that everyone gets weapon finesse, and the GM may rule that swashbucklers, who get weapon finesses as a feature, may instead get a combat feat of their choice) an extra feat. Combat reflexes would work great.
--shield of faith is more effective on her then on Alicia, as it would not stack with smite cha to ac (both are deflection boni).
But like, innately, the biggest boon to Ano will be her level 6, when she likely gets 2 bloodrager spells per day, and can access mirror image via wands.
Alicia is probably close to her peak in terms of power, relatively speaking to the rest of the party. Lots and lots of HP, smite hurts, but her mobility problems are likely going to be an issue. I have some "cunning plans" on fixing that though.
I don’t think Ano can cast spells with wands yet until she gets to bloodranger level 4 (aka level 6 for her) since I dipped into fighter twice to get the bonus feats
I’m absolutely investing in a ring of protection and amulet of natural armor later down the line, along with a belt of incredible dexterity
I believe it's in the Core rules (I'll have to double check) but casters can use a wand, but not scroll, of a spell on their spell list even if they can't actually cast the spell.
It's how paladins, rangers, etc. can use a Wand of CLW at 1st level.
While that's true, I believe they have to roll for caster level to cast a spell that is a higher level than they can cast. Also, these 4 spell level classes only have a caster level at their level 4. That is, they are not considered a caster before that.
Bloodragers specifically dont have the Paladin/Ranger verbiage of having less caster levels though (which is also relevant for when they get spells, because a level 4 Bloodragers spells last 4 mins, a level 4 Pallies last one, and it makes them not terrible bad touch casters as their spell pen chances arent as reduced as a Paladins, and Bloodragers, very uniquely, can cast spells as attacks of opportunity (ring of vengeful bloodmagic) while having access to long arm.
Touch of idiocy (which doesnt allow a saving throw) is a really fun tool for them.
Mediums (the other level 4 caster) also dont, but they are psychic and (unlike all other level 4 casters) get cantrips.
I was always under the impression that bloodrager’s caster levels were supposed to be CL - 3, same as paladins and rangers. The fact it isn’t feels…weird.
Juriya I'm pretty sure can use wands now.
As Juriya, armor enchantments, amulet of natural armor, and DEX/CON belt. If we run into enough money it'd be fun to buff her INT and CHA at once to hilarious effect with a headband, but she needs as much survivability as she can get.
She currently has less health than Donimah.
I should at some point write a Bloodrager guide.
What most people dont know:
--The closest thing to a painting wizard is funnily enough a very specific bloodrager. Just dont ever play a "Ponymancer".
So, a Ponymancer basically has a friendly Summon monster 8-9 available, for 5 hours per casting, with a pretty beatable UMD check associated to it. Here is how it works:
--The rarely used archetype metamagic rager can, from level 5 onwards, sacrifice rage rounds to boost a spell, which included the option to heighten it.
--Mount is on the Bloodrager spell list
--You spend all the rage rounds to cast mount as if it was a level 9 spell
--You employ some carrots/sugar/bloodragers being cha based and having handle animal to make the pony really like you
--You or a friend use alter summoned monster to turn the spell level 9 mount summon into another "summon monster 9" option, like a Glabrezu if you are feeling spicy.
--You have, for several hours, a Glabrezu at your disposal. Who, depending on how good you were with handle animal, is helpfull/friendly to you.
--After the summoning is over, the friendly Glabrezu just vanishes.
Ano actually uses a bloodline familiar, which is something more people should be doing. There are also "Bloodline mutations", one of them being
Blood intensity
Which can make things like burning hands pretty potent (and some bloodlines have pretty meh level 8 powers). Combined with a ring of vengefull bloodmagic thats quite a "pocket flame thrower" on command.
Bloodragers dont innately have the spell slots to case blast spells, but well, runestones of power are a thing, and a blood intensitied level 1 spell is still a level 1 spell.
Another underused option is a dip in spiritualist, specifically the fractured mind and exciter archetypes.
Exciters can rage for DEX and CHA, and you can in theory have your normal rage and their rage up at the same time (you would get exhausted at the end though). The more attractive feature is however the "shared conciousness" class feature. As long as the phantom is within your mind, you get a tasty +4 to will saves vs mind effecting, and if you have a dedication phantom, you get iron will for free (as well as 2 skill foci in useful skills), and spiritualists are a strong will save class, meaning that one dip there gets you will save up by +8 for most purposes.
... Okay that sounds fun to give the Juriya treatment of "how did we GET here" in all honesty. I started with a character sheet and the character grew organically into the most oblivious kitsune you've ever met and a terminal polymath.
I was like that at one point and still am (minus the kitsune part), so it's really easy to RP her compared to my other characters. Just, let the ADHD win.
Here's the part of the Core rules I was thinking covered this:
"Spell Completion: This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that's left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can't already cast the spell, there's a chance he'll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin. The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity."
And wands are 'Spell Trigger' items:
"Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.) To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for nonhumanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole."
The rules for scroll activation are considerably longer so I won't copy and paste it here. This is where a check needs to be made if the character cannot cast the spell themselves.
@Arrian: That's interesting, so I stand corrected.
So, as far as exploration goes, there's still the double doors to the south, and the tentamort in the floor above, the creepy thing on the ceiling that you guys decided to leave out.
Are we resting? Going south? Tentamort? Back to Sandpoint?
@Arrian: That's interesting, so I stand corrected.
So, as far as exploration goes, there's still the double doors to the south, and the tentamort in the floor above, the creepy thing on the ceiling that you guys decided to leave out.
Are we resting? Going south? Tentamort? Back to Sandpoint?
I thought we were checking the double doors and rolled a Perception check to see if it was trapped/locked.
My bad
@Arrian: Doni and Juri's collective knowledge determine that Bless Weapon would not be useful vs incorporeal creatures. They don't have DR. They just don't have a physical body. Magic weapons so affect them, albeit at half damage (unless they are ghost touch weapons).
@Arrian: Doni and Juri's collective knowledge determine that Bless Weapon would not be useful vs incorporeal creatures. They don't have DR. They just don't have a physical body. Magic weapons so affect them, albeit at half damage (unless they are ghost touch weapons).
Bless Weapon has multiple uses and I wish Paizo would've used a bullet-style format to list them:
1) The weapon is treated as having a +1 enhancement bonus for the purpose of bypassing the DR of evil creatures
2) or striking evil incorporeal creatures (though the spell doesn't grant an actual enhancement bonus).
3) The weapon also becomes good-aligned, which means it can bypass the DR of certain creatures.
4) In addition, all critical hit rolls against evil foes are automatically successful, so every threat is a critical hit.
So while Bless Weapon does *NOT* make a weapon magical it does allow it to damage evil incorporeal creatures.
I wanted to list out all of the gear Arrian has (and I don't know what spells Ethan and Alicia have left in memory) so the party could decide who to buff and with what. Each scroll of Magic Weapon is only 25 gold compared to 50 gold for Oil of Bless Weapon. But Bless Weapon gives some benefits that Magic Weapon doesn't. Thanks for reminding me about ghost touch; Arrian also has two Holy Weapon Balm if we think they might come in handy.
Holy Weapon Balm
It isn't cheap since it lasts only one hit from a melee weapon. I don't think we have a dedicated ranged attacker; the balm coats 10 pieces of ammunition for better economy.
Sorry for the confusion.
I stand corrected!
I stand corrected!
My in-person gaming group of friends are annually victimized by our GM who trots out incorporeal undead every Halloween so we've had to study up on tools to deal with them. 8)
LoL
I will be a bit quiet until this weekend; pet sitting my mom’s dogs. Will try to post every now and then when I can.
Also I might need to do another moment with Fosyo for some…steam release.
O man, take care Ano. Hug those pets while we're in Thistletop. You'll be back in Sandpoint in no time for that.
Or you could have a flashback in the dungeon. That'd be cool too. I'll try to think of something mechanical to go with it.
Guys, I have a question that's more of an opinion I think. It's about Int vs Wis stuff.
So what do you guys think should be more appropriate to piece together a big picture idea? I mean, suppose you've lived small isolated events that you thought nothing special at the time. What would be the better stat to see if later you can put them in a big bowl and relate them?
I am initially going with Wisdom, because I'm thinking of a (country) leader who has highly intelligent advisors. Each advisor is very good at focusing on one thing at a time, but it's up to the wise leader to see it all in a single picture to rule the land.
But now I'm doubting my train of thought. Does anyone have any wisdom to share (pun unintended)?
I'd go with a relatively acceptable WIS roll, potentially also including a decently higher INT roll just in case.
Guys, I have a question that's more of an opinion I think. It's about Int vs Wis stuff.
So what do you guys think should be more appropriate to piece together a big picture idea? I mean, suppose you've lived small isolated events that you thought nothing special at the time. What would be the better stat to see if later you can put them in a big bowl and relate them?
I am initially going with Wisdom, because I'm thinking of a (country) leader who has highly intelligent advisors. Each advisor is very good at focusing on one thing at a time, but it's up to the wise leader to see it all in a single picture to rule the land.
But now I'm doubting my train of thought. Does anyone have any wisdom to share (pun unintended)?
I don't know if this will help but the 'design' for the stats was that Int was analytical and Wisdom was perception (not the skill).
For example take a look at the skills and which stat they are 'based' on.
Int are the Knowledge skills but also Craft so knowing things and how to make/create/build things.
Wis are the people skills but also recognizing things in your environment. Sense Motive, Heal, Perception for example.
So the advisors hit the books and give the leader options which the leader then weighs how they will effect the people, the country, and their rule.
Trying to post in the gameplah but Paizo won’t let me. Ano will wait until the danger approaches before going into bloodrage
Trying to post but Paizo won’t let me
You too? I thought it was my ISP again. I've made some longer posts and had to quickly copy them so I could paste them into a text file so I don't lose them.
Hah and it just happened now. :(
I could move forward, but I'm having an extended weekend with my family. Chances are I will only be able to update on Tuesday.
I could move forward, but I'm having an extended weekend with my family. Chances are I will only be able to update on Tuesday.
Family time is important, we'll see you on Tuesday. :)
In fact if the Ano, Donimah, Juriya, and Ethan could chime in on the previous posts in Discussion about what scrolls, potions, alchemical items, etc. the group was purchasing we can get that list sorted.
No slight at Alicia; she wasn't with the group when we returned to Sandpoint after the first trip to Thistletop. I welcome any and all advice. :)
Wait. Does Juri even have anything that can affect incorporeals??
Wait. Does Juri even have anything that can affect incorporeals??
What does she have? You're looking mainly for force effects (magic missile) to do full damage but spells, magic weapons, SUs, SLAs, etc. might do half damage.
Arrian has, and would've shown everyone, where he keeps his 2 Holy Water, 2 Holy Weapon Balm, 2 Oils of Bless Weapon, and remaining Scroll of Magic Weapon. They're in his bandoliers so it's a move action to retrieve any of them and then a standard to use them.
Again Arrian did some shopping using the loot from the 1st Thistletop foray so there was more gold left for others to purchase things.
Probably scroll of magic weapon, I guess, and maybe the holy water even if she can't tack on the +4 yet
Probably scroll of magic weapon, I guess, and maybe the holy water even if she can't tack on the +4 yet
And here's how to use it:
"[...] to use it against an incorporeal creature, you must open the flask and pour the holy water out onto the target. Thus, you can douse an incorporeal creature with holy water only if you are adjacent to it. Doing so is a ranged touch attack that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
A direct hit by a flask of holy water deals 2d4 points of damage to an undead creature or an evil outsider. Each such creature within 5 feet of the point where the flask hits takes 1 point of damage from the splash."
So you won't have to worry about the pesky -4 to hit penalty for not having Precise Shot. ;)
And the mask starts to slip on the coward at heart.
And the mask starts to slip on the coward at heart.
It's not cowardice when Strength draining creatures appear and your PC has only 7 Strength. ;)
Grab a Holy Weapon Balm from Arrian's bandolier (move action) and run out of the room (another move). If the fight lasts long enough she can take her next round and coat 10 bolts with the Balm and then start firing.
Yep that's pretty much her plan.
Yeah she's going to essentially run when:
- STR draining
- WIS draining
- Fire + Precision Immune.
Those are the things she has a healthy fear of :3
Alicia running hmmm....
From people she knows are not fighting out of their free will.
God, speaking of controlled, I'm horrified for when Juri can get DM controlled because she's easy to kill.
Yeah, I have a savage technologist 5 Gunslinger 1 Gunchemist 2 in another rise campaign.
Oh boy, every time he rolls a willsave the party is at the edge of their seats. Thankfully, his willsave is so bad, the party can probably "recontrol him" if he gets mind controlled (thats sometimes easier to do then breaking an ongoing mind control).
Double-checking, I need Point Blank Shot to fire my spells or spell-like abilities when my allies are between me and the enemy, right?
Double-checking, I need Point Blank Shot to fire my spells or spell-like abilities when my allies are between me and the enemy, right?
It's actually Point Blank Shot you're looking for; that allows you to fire into melee without taking the -4 penalty to hit.
Precise Shot (Combat)
You are adept at firing ranged attacks into melee.
Benefit: You can shoot or throw ranged weapons at an opponent engaged in melee without taking the standard –4 penalty on your attack roll.
Since we're using Elephant in the Room you don't need to take Point Blank Shot as the prereq for Precise Shot. PBS gives a +1 to hit and damage bonus to targets within 30'.
Sorry for Arrian stepping in front but I'd really like to get the shadows gone if they're taking that much Str per hit. Donimah damaged Blue last round and while I hope Ethan's channel finishes it, I had Arrian attack it first in case it it's still there.
Hopefully Blue is gone and Arrian's attack will hasten Greens trip back to where it came.
Thanks for the clarification, Arrian! No apology necessary, Donimag is grateful for the protection! :P
The GM has already sent me a message and I told him, but telling you all:
Dealing with some of my mom’s bs before and after petsitting the dogs took a toll on my mental health. Plus Ano is mostly worthless in this fight (although if things go south-which it seems like it won’t-I’ll have her join). In the meanwhile I felt like her being unable to contribute can lead to good RP moment of her having a breakdown feeling like the team’s better off without her.
The GM has already sent me a message and I told him, but telling you all:
Dealing with some of my mom’s bs before and after petsitting the dogs took a toll on my mental health. Plus Ano is mostly worthless in this fight (although if things go south-which it seems like it won’t-I’ll have her join). In the meanwhile I felt like her being unable to contribute can lead to good RP moment of her having a breakdown feeling like the team’s better off without her.
I hope you feel better soon.
As I wrote in the Gameplay thread if it was Ano RP-ing, great. If you didn't see any options for Ano to contribute, Arrian still has consumables which would allow Ano to fight the shadows.
On a separate note: Is anyone old enough and a sci-fi geek to read 'shadows' and think Babylon 5? I keep hearing the Shadow's 'scream' when I read the word hehe.