Alphonso Marosi's page

OK.. so 'splain it to me Ricky..

I realize that Valani is a pretty obscure deity.. but why would the 'Fireshaker' not have the 'Fire' as one of his Domains? Seems a perfect target for the cleric 'Separatist' archetype. In some places he seems to be described as the lord of volcanoes.. in other places (Faiths of Purity) .. more like the sea god who watches over islanders.

Seems like an oversight to me.

Thoughts?

Looking through the forums there seems to be quite a bit of back and forth on the price of Alchemical Silver Ammunition. For those of you who have read through the various threads you are aware of the arguments for 3gp vs 41gp for 20 arrows, yet nowhere can I find an official answer nor is there a FAQ relating to this issue. Since by it it's very nature it is a frequently asked question it would seem appropriate to have a FAQ response to this issue.

If someone wishes to post here in an official capacity, that would be great.. I am NOT attempting to start another tirade of back and forth on the issue... merely looking for the official answer on this. I run PFS games and would like to make sure these costs are being recorded correctly. Again, not looking for personal opinions or hearsay... just the official Paizo ruling on the issue.

This is an issue for all spellbook casters whether it is a Wizard, Witch, Alchemist or some other type of caster that uses a spellbook.

Hero Lab has added a new feature that tracks a 'free' spells and 'purchased' spells as separate things, this is actually quite cool. Free spells include those spells you start with and those spells you gain each level as you progress. They calculate your 'free' spells as a certain number of base spells, plus your stat, plus a number of spells per level beyond first.

This is all well and good.. until you add a bonus to your spell stat (in most cases INT). At this point it gets a bit squishy... and for Home Games this is no big deal.. the GM can decide whatever they please... 'starting is starting' or 'you magically gain extra spells as part of the stat increase' or 'you gain a new spell that's attached to the magic item that gives you the bonus' .. Any of those plans would be fine in a home game. But for purposes of PFS... what is the OFFICIAL Ruling. I've seen the official FAQ about Languages and Skills, but there is no mention about spells there. For PFS purposes, this really should be clear. Can we get an addendum to the FAQ regarding this?

The text for spellbooks clearly says:

A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The wizard also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook.

Are these additional spells gained in the same way that the wizard gains spells when he goes up a level?

How exactly does this work? A single line in the FAQ would clear this all up.

How do these two things work together if at all?
It would 'seem' that they should but the wording is not particularly clear one way or the other.. is there an official ruling on this?

Building a Gnome Spirit Totem Barbarian and wondering if this belongs in his arsenal. It seems like it should be, based on the configuration of things... but.. Taunt is of relatively limited (to no) usefulness otherwise.

You can't use 'Bluff' while raging... unless you have a way around that.
There's a trait that lets you do it.. but that trait isn't legal in PFS.

I'm just not really sure how to make this concept work.

What happens if you switch Factions at Level 1? I know that you can completely rebuild your character.. what happens to the Fame and Prestige you earn?

On a related note... it is my understanding that Pregens get recorded as Grand Lodge... How does that work exactly when applied to a character who is say Liberty's Edge? How does this work at Level 1.. and how does this work at Level 7?

Is it legal to retrain a wand from one type to another (say speak to animals to mage armor) as part of a 1st level rebuild? The wand was purchased with PP and has been used.

I haven't ever run into one... are there any out there?

My group is having a little friendly discussion about what the actual percentages of humans in the PFS might be... so I got to wondering about VCs... they pretty much all seem to be human.

Wait.. there's that elf guy.. the Master of Scrolls.. he's not exactly a VC though is he?

A character (a small gnome let's say) wants to cast a spell from the back of his large mount in combat..
What are the ramifications?
Does it provoke an AOO?
Can the AOO be avoided with a Feat, Ride Check, or other Maneuver?

I understand that if the Mount makes a FULL attack there is a Concentration Check involved.

I guess it might be easier to drop off the back of the mount and use it as cover... but it doesn't really look as cool.

Separate but related question:
Can the rider use a reach weapon even if the mount is adjacent to the target?

I had a player submit a character for a PFS game with a bit of an oddity that I'm thinking isn't quite legal.

He says that his Eidolon has a 'hand' on the end of it's tail that lets him use skills like 'Disable Device' 'Sleight of Hand' and 'Use Magic Device'.

I'm not quite convinced he should be able to do this without taking the 'Arms' Evolution as there seems to be no other way to actually get a 'Hand'. Alchemists have an option for having one extra arm.. but not Eidolons.

He is level 3 so other GMs have let this slide and it is a fairly significant part of his Eidolon build, at least as far as it's skills go.

What is the concensus?

I'm looking at Military Saddles... and honestly.. the rules seem a bit incomplete in this area.

• There are no alternate weights for Large vs Medium mounts.
  
• There are no clear definitions for what is 'exotic' and what are 'standard' mounts.
  

So my questions:
Are saddles like 'clothing' for Large mounts and therefore the weights scale?
Which mounts are 'exotic' and which are 'standard'? Specifically, is a wolf or riding dog 'exotic'?
Note:
A standard exotic military saddle (for a large mount) weighs 40 lbs.
A standard military saddle weighs 30 lbs.

If this functions like worn gear for small creatures.. then
A medium exotic military saddle would weigh 20 lbs.
A medium military saddle would weigh 15 lbs.

It is my understanding that GMs and Players can rerun/replay these starter games as long as they apply them to a new character each time.
Is this not correct?
This issue has been occurring in my reporting right along.. but it only happened in 1 game so I assumed it was a glitch. Now it is happening in pretty much all the starter games I've rerun.. so I'm confused. Here is an example of the reporting error:

Player has already run scenario at session # 1 of event # 8822 We Be Goblins! on FGVT on November 04, 2011.

GM ranking: +2

We Be Goblins! is a Tier 1-2 module so it should legal for rerunning/replaying. What's the issue here?

Is there a cost for a witch to teach his/her familiar a spell from a scroll found in PFS play or do they just need to make the appropriate Spellcraft check?

When a date occurs in a Module (like Crypt of the Everflame for example...) which states that the start of the module occurs on a specific date (Neth 4, 4709 AR)... should/can the GM modify this text to represent the current Campaign game year (4713) instead of the listed date? It has little/no impact on the storyline.. so it seems like for consistency it would be good to tweak it... even though GMs are not supposed to modify any of the info in a module or scenario.

It is my understanding that the 'Common Tongue' of the First World is an amalgam of Aklo and Sylvan... what is the name of this language?

Does Catfolk Exemplar: 'Fast Sprinter' qualify for the Nimble Striker Feat or do you have to have the 'Sprinter' basic racial ability?

I would think 'yes' based on the fact that one is pretty much identical to the other...

How do you figure how much damage a regular thrown rock does?
I have 'Thrown Anything' so I can throw a fist sized rock without much trouble... but I'm not sure how much damage it would do under PFS rules.
Can someone point me at the actual rules for it? I assume they are improvised weapons...

Oh yes.. and I'm a Dwarf, therefore medium sized.

I ask about the PFS rules because they are somewhat more specific than regular PF RPG rules.

Does it do sling damage with a shorter range?
I know I can throw a baseball pretty far and pretty hard... rocks are a bit harder... at range the damage probably drops off a bit.

Is there much in the way of supporting information, backstory, for the new (old really I guess.. but new per the ARG) races in Golarion?
There's a little bit in the ARG.. but I guess I'm looking for more..
Are there areas of the world where they have colonized?

Stuff like that.

How does Mystic Theurge work as far as feat qualification?
To qualify for a small elemental as an 'Improved Familiar' you need to be arcane caster level 5.
A basic Mystic Theurge who got 3 Wizard & 3 Cleric... could they ever qualify for any of the more advanced Improved Familiars (the elemental for example) without gaining more Wizard levels?

Anyone know why Andoletta doesn't have 'Feather' as one of her domains? Seems like a natural for 'Grandmother Crow'.

I'm looking to put together a Grenadier type character, basically a black powder alchemist.. without the potions and mutagens. Is there a way to do it? (short of custom class or whatever GM intervention)

If I wanted to run a game with a Nordic feel... which books/scenarios/modules PFS or otherwise... would you folks recommend?

Is there an adventure path that takes place in this area?

What exactly is this box on the Chronicle for?

My understanding was that it was a player filled field for establishing the order of the player's chronicles.. basically redundant with total xp except in cases where the player obtains more than 1xp from a single chronicle (like in some sanctioned modules)... is this correct?

Example:
Scenario Chronicle # 1 - 1xp - FS-P1
Scenario Chronicle # 2 - 2xp - FS-P2
Scenario Chronicle # 3 - 3xp - FS-P3
Scenario Chronicle # 4 - 6xp - Crypt of the Everflame
Scenario Chronicle # 5 - 7xp - Decline of Glory

Is this right?

Is there some sort of feat that can balance this out a bit?
For a character with only a few levels in Druid.. the companion eventually becomes kinda silly.

Anyone ever heard of one of these? Are there rules for one in PF?

Based on the information in 'MotFF' and the 'First Steps' series it seems logical that you would run through them in that order.

'MotFF' assumes that you are 'not' officially Pathfinders at the start of the scenario and that you are introduced to a Pathfinder at the end who welcomes you into the society.

'First Steps' assumes that you are a novice Pathfinder but have not yet selected your faction until the end of 'Part 3'.

These seem to want to flow together into a nice story yet both sets of scenarios really want 'fresh' characters to play them.

I suggest that running them in the order of MotFF, P1, P2, P3 would get you a 2nd level Pathfinder with a faction and some consistent story with Absalom and the Pathfinders.

Other random Tier 1 scenarios and modules muddle this but it seems to make a good bit of sense when run this way.

It would be nice if MotFF actually added the appropriate amount of prestige/fame though. Kinda sucks to hamstring characters at the start.

Any thoughts?

I had this come up in a game last night and I'm wondering what the actual 'rule' is. We have always played that precise shot allowed you to ignore the -4 penalty for firing into melee. Last night the GM (one I hadn't played with before but who is an experienced PF GM ) ruled that you normally received a -8 penalty for firing into melee... -4 for 'cover' and -4 for firing into melee. Precise Shot only removed the 'firing into melee' piece. So you needed IMPROVED Precise Shot to reduce the penalty completely. Is this right? I thought the -4 for firing into melee WAS the penalty for cover.

What's the straight scoop?