Anauroch's page

I think PF is quite fine for casual gamers (it is difficult though if neither DM nor players know it). Problems arise when there is a mix of casual gamers and optimizers. Since that doesn't seem to be the issue, all is well. :)

Just thoughts, not sure:
Sundering means you are deliberately attacking an object. Are objects subject to critical hits? I don't think so (unless something changed in PF).

Power attack? Yep, why not? Just remember to reduce your CMB appropriately. While this is not spelled out anywhere, this is the obvious downside. You might deal more damage, but you might not hit at all!

Versatility would hint at mixing bard or monk into the build.

But how worthwhile that actually is in terms of 'power' depends on the character creation rules. If you've got 25 point buy, I'd consider monk. Not so with a 15 point buy.

Remember that a rogue gets rogue talents which can be used for feats if you want more 'feat versatility'. :)

Nope, it's silly. ;)

I'm not sure if there's a new rule about this in PF, but there wasn't one in 3.5. Readying an action only exists in combat 'mode'. If you're not in combat, you cannot ready.

This essentially means that you have to RP the whole scene (and knowing that you can take the hit from the crossbow bolt just doesn't count ;-) ). What a DM can do is give a bonus to the one aiming the crossbow at the other. Furthermore, Mr. Crossbow already has a weapon out while the other might not have one in his hands and therefore is at a disadvantage.

Other than that... just use common sense.

You get the higher bonus. Which in this case is +8 from the bracers. But if for some reason your bracers stop functioning (being sundered, the magic being suppressed momentarily), your chain shirt still functions! Think of a dead magic zone or an anti magic field.

Edit: Just read the post below. I will have to check if that is a change to PF that I've missed so far.

From the SRD:

Each type of armor grants an armor bonus to Armor Class, while shields grant a shield bonus to Armor Class. The armor bonus from a suit of armor doesn't stack with other effects or items that grant an armor bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield doesn't stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus.

So... nope, only +8.

If I want to do lots of damage I am going to go two-handed. Why not? I also might go two-weapon style or I might use weapon+shield. Just because from an optimization view point two-handed isn't the best, it's still a great way to deal loads of damage easily. Oh, and I so like to use the feats for other nifty things...

2. I don't really get the hit dice rule. Are the hit dice only for creating the current hit points totals? If i understand the hit dice correctly, i get one hit dice everytime i level up. I don't understand this from the rules.. i hope someone can point me to the right pages where the hit dice rules are described. But for example how i understand this at this time..a dual class character fighter level 4 and rouge level 5 gets (fighter is d10 right?) 4d10 and 5d8? so 9 hit dice in total?

Yes, that's more or less it. :)

Every time you level up, you choose a class in which to level. Let's say your character is an eighth level character with four fighter leves and four rogue levels. When he levels up you decide to add a fifth fighter level. You simply check out the table for the fighter and see what you gain for the fifth fighter level - that's it!

3. If you level in a favored class you get 1 hit point or 1 class rank. So maybe this is really straight foreward to answer (but since i'm dutch and i'm doing my best to understand the english in the book).. but if this is in an example... you go from 20 hit points to 21 or you gain 1 rank in an class you choise taking into regard you can't go beyond your current level in class as your total level (so this is the same as the total hit dice number...).

One level in a favored class grants you one hit point or one skill rank extra. So yes, if you have 20 hit points and you decide to take the hit point, you then have 21.

I'm likely to be back with more questions.. but i hope you can answer these for me for now... Sorry if my English issn't perfect (i'm from the netherlands). I'm doing my best.

You're doing good - if you've got something you don't understand about the rules, simply come back here and ask.

You are saying that there will have to be more classes for 'class balance' reasons? Huh? Why?

Yes, there shouldn't be one full warrior class only and seven full arcane classes in this game. But there's no reason to go for an absolute balance like you described imo.

Technically, the creature provokes the AoO as it leaves that square at 10 feet away. So, it could be ruled (since AoOs are immediate actions) that it takes place when the creature is still in the square 10 feet away or that it takes place just as the character enters the square 5 feet away. If you are the GM, you can rule how you want. If you are not the GM, ask. If s/he rules that the AoO happens while the creature is still 10 feet away, and your trip attack is successful, then yes, you are correct. It would be prone in the square 10 feet from you.

Well, another reason is that the tripping character could not even attack if the attack took place 5' away, eh? The guisarme is of no use at that range.

As this is an attack, and it is melee, you can replace it with a maneuver that replaces a melee attack (such as sunder, trip, or disarm).

I agree with this interpretation. Cleave isn't the hottest feat as is - I will actually ask my DM if he allows a trip on the first attack as well (even though that might make it easier to get a second attack in many cases). Hmm... I'll think about that again.

Maybe you are referring to dndheets.net?

You can choose a pathfinder version of a sheet there.

So they really went from +4 to just +1? I like the fact that size doesn't matter that much any longer, but the drop seems rather steep?

Concerning the first attack with cleave, it seems like a standard move to use a guisarme to trip the first opponent and just continue swinging to bring the second one to his knees as well.
And while cleave certainly isn't high-powered, it does grant the chance of a second attack after moving, right? Good enough if you ask me. :)

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Different questions:
Power attack and fighting defensively
Using power attack and fighting defensively (or even combat expertise) together - is that allowed? A character could take care to dodge the blows of his opponent and when he strikes, he strikes hard. Logically that would work in my book and I haven't seen any rule that goes against this. Correct?

Grease
Is a creature which falls to the ground flat-footed? Is it if it fails its check and cannot move in a round?
"Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed."
That's where flat-footed comes into play which implies that in any other case (where it fails a roll), the creature is flat-footed, right?

Reach weapon and AoOs:
When a medium-sized creature with a guisarme is approached by another medium-sized creature which moves from 20' distance to 5' distance, the creature with the guisarme gets an AoO (except under special circumstances - but that's not the point). The AoO takes place when the creature is still in the square 10' away (otherwise that wouldn't work). So a trip attack would not draw an AoO unless the approaching creature has reach and if the creature were tripped, its movement would end in the square 10' away. Correct?

A few simple questions in one thread:
CMD - in the pathfinder SRD it states that the size bonus is +1 for large size, on the dungeonsheet.net it nets a +4. Which one is correct?

Trip with reach weapon - if the attacker does not have improved trip, the opponent would get an AoO. If the attacker is using a reach weapon with which he can trip and the opponent only threatens his surrounding 5' squares, then the opponent does not get an AoO. Correct?

Cleave (same character with trip and reach weapon) - when two opponents stand adjacent to each other and the attacker threatens both with his reach weapon, can he first make a standard attack to hit the first opponent and if he hits, use a trip in place of the cleave melee attack he'd gain? Could he even use a trip attack on his first attack and if successful trip the second one as well?
That would be a cool move, but I'm not sure RAW supports it as 'damage' and 'successfully hitting' come into play under cleave.

Thanks!