Andrew Bay's page

Darn that double checking my math. Makes me wonder if Ninjas were ever OCD....

Survival is not a class skill for animals, that +3 comes from skill focus.

IMarv

Thanks all!
It is looking much better.

IMarv

Monsters can put skill ranks into any skill, whether or not it is a class skill--just as characters can.

The creature's type--frex, animal--tells you what skills are its class skills.

I hadn't noticed the creature type determined the Class Skills list. That is very helpful.

However, Monster Creation instructions does not reference this fact:

Step 6: Skills and Feats

Using Table: Creature Statistics by Type, determine how many skill ranks your creature has based on its type and Hit Dice. Assign these ranks as determined by the creature's concept. Any skill that you put points into is considered a class skill for the creature. Any skill without assigned skill points is not a class skill for the creature, even if advanced versions of the creature have ranks in those skills. Creatures with a low Intelligence typically only have ranks in Dexterity- and Strength-based skills.

I'll need to adapt to this accordingly.

IMarv

Is Survival a cross-class skill for a Grizzly Bear?

I'm running into this in a lot of monsters.

IMarv

Is there an obvious place where the rules specify when a monster uses Dex instead of Str for climb?

I have run across a number of monsters where this swap was made but it was not noted in the skills text.

(Cat and Giant Centipede are two I recall.)

Thanks,
IMarv

IMO a skill should be listed if it has any bonuses from ranks, racial, or feat. Basically, if 1d20+relevantAbilityScore+sizeModIfAny wouldn't give you the correct value, do the math for the GM and list the skill.

Then you might like my online monsters pages. All skills are listed and calculated. Check out http://prpg.imarvintpa.com/Monsters.php?id=1066

I'm in the middle of verifying all of the skill point allocations and need some pointers on what makes some skills Cross-class and others not. Lots of skills are getting a +3 bonus that were not in the book.

When I'm done, I plan on exporting a list of suspicious monster-skills and what I did to get their ranks to match the expected values.

IMarv

Hi IMarv,

You might try this thread:

problemsErrataInBestiaryPDF

Alternately, I think that someone (the guy behind "The Only Sheet", I believe) was sending similar reports straight to someone at Paizo. Let me see if I can dig up the reference.

EDIT: Here's where RiTz21 says he is sending the errors directly to Jason Bulmahn, and here's a partial list of the errors he found.

I hadn't even started to worry about feat problems or other elements. But those are less critical for my MapTool token exporter.

IMarv

Hi,
Is there a thread for skill point errata?
I created a database which recalculates the skill points and I am finding many errors.

Some I can account for as cross-class skills, but others like the Darkmantle have an unused skill point (Actually negative) or an unaccounted for size bonus on Stealth.

IMarv

Ranven wrote:

So it's not the same like for ex. in dnd 3.0 where there were auto-succes/failures in skills tests? Oops...

3.0 skills didn't have auto-success on a 20 or auto-fail on a 1 because, as Skip put it, "you don't fail to tie your shoes 1 in 20 tries, and you don't jump over the moon 1 in 20 tries."

You haven't seen me attempt to tie my shoes.

IMarv

So a rogue can use a MW light shield with no penalty or even a Heavy mithral shield.

Yup

IMarv

Andrew Bay wrote:

I have a Pearl of Power (1) for the wizard for that spell. I'm looking for something for the juicy Shield Armor AC bonus.

You can take ranks in Use Magic Device and buy a wand of shield with a decent caster level (5 is usually a good cost vs durability compromise). If you activate it before combat, in other words when you can spend a few rounds just waving the wand around, you can usually activate a wand even with fairly low ranks in UMD. Just don't roll a 1.

My monk has a decent Int (14), but not such a good Cha (10). I'm weighing the costs and benefits of dipping a level of Wizard (Abjurationist). You don't have to be an awesome wizard to use Staves and wands and Scrolls, you just have to BE one. (Sadly, Shield is not on any Domain spell list.) (Scrolls of spells above the level you can cast have a caster level failure chance, but high caster level spells of spells you can cast do not. Any wizard can use a 20th caster level 1st level spell, but a 20th caster level 2nd level spell is spooky/scary.)

But I'm also the DM, so I could just make an item. :)

IMarv

well shucks darn. I guess I was remembering a house rule some DM used in the past.

Mage Armor is still in though... and provides +4 ac.

I have a Pearl of Power (1) for the wizard for that spell. I'm looking for something for the juicy Shield Armor AC bonus.

IMarv

Andrew Bay wrote:

Zurai wrote:

Andrew Bay wrote:

For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that you could not brew a potion with spells of a "Personal" range.

You couldn't in 3.5; the wording has mysteriously changed in PF.

I actually went off and double checked this a minute ago, and I can't find where 3.5 prohibited it too.

It's in a strange spot: SRD

SRD wrote:

The imbiber of the potion is both the caster and the target. Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potions.

It is still there in Pathfinder:

IMarv

Quote:

An iron band, this simple ring generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC). This special creation has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance since it is weightless and encumbrance-free. It can be activated and deactivated at will as a free action.

By the previous opinion that means you can only use this ring if you have the shield proficiency. It is weightless and was clearly designed with a wizard in mind.

I would say yes a monk can use it but I am just crazy that way.

Wizards can carry a "penalty free" shield without proficiency because the the penalties are meaninless when applied.

My 3.5 wizard loved his +1 Mithral Buckler of Proof Against Transmutation and suffered all of the penalties of using it.

When you are using a shield with which you are not proficient, you take the shield's armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all skill checks that involve moving.

A penalty of 0 is no penalty at all. But loosing Evasion, fast movement, etc for a monk. Now that sucks.

IMarv

Andrew Bay wrote:

For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that you could not brew a potion with spells of a "Personal" range.

You couldn't in 3.5; the wording has mysteriously changed in PF.

I actually went off and double checked this a minute ago, and I can't find where 3.5 prohibited it too.

Brew Potion [Item Creation]
Prerequisite

Caster level 3rd.
Benefit

You can create a potion of any 3rd-level or lower spell that you know and that targets one or more creatures. Brewing a potion takes one day. When you create a potion, you set the caster level, which must be sufficient to cast the spell in question and no higher than your own level. The base price of a potion is its spell level × its caster level × 50 gp. To brew a potion, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one half this base price.

When you create a potion, you make any choices that you would normally make when casting the spell. Whoever drinks the potion is the target of the spell.

Any potion that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when creating the potion.

I'm about to go get my 3.5 PHB and see if there is a printed difference.

IMarv

Zurai wrote:

Reckless is correct.

On the other hand, you can use a shield spell without penalty if you can get a way to cast it.

Potions are perfect in that regard for non-casters. :)

For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that you could not brew a potion with spells of a "Personal" range. Sweet.

Comparison:
+3 Buckler = 9165
(1 x caster level x 50 gp)/minute of Shield spell at 9150 gp = 183 minutes of shield spell.

Oddly enough, an extended Shield spell costs the same, but you only get even durations.

IMarv

Can a monk use a Ring of Force Shield without penalty?

IMarv

I'm going to throw in my vote as such:
If you choose to "ignore" an opponent, you are choosing to be "blind" to the opponent. If you are blind, that makes everything effectively "invisible". Since in this case, you are only blind to one creature, you have elected to make it invisible. This negates the flanking bonus the other creature had, but now you face the mess of penalties an invisible attacker has. (You are NOT helpless though.)

If your flanker happens to be a caster, she can safely cast spells directly upon your back.
She gains +2 on attack rolls and ignores the opponents Dex bonus to AC.

Hmm, if you're a Dex 11 or lower character, you win more out of this deal if you are flanked by rogues. (One sneak attack instead of two.)

IMarv

My group just started Drakthar's Way.
Our Monk, Ninja, and Scout ate the goblins for lunch with stealth. They all have darkvision and we left the rest of the normal light needing guys back in the staircase. (I play the Monk and DM, so I follow a plan with him, but don't really recommend things.) We would look for each other before moving on to make sure we did a decent job of hiding.

If you can get the "Dark" template from Tome of Magic, the Hide in Plain Sight just rocks. From what I can tell, that just means "Invisibility at will as part of a move action"

IMarv

So, the trick to standing up from prone more safely is to trip your opponent first then stand up?

IMarv

Was mulling over this very question myself...

I'm guessing that it won't be too long before someone far smarter than me will either post PFRPG conversions of the previously released AP's or at the very least creature/NPC conversions.

Will fill the void nicely until the revamped AP's see the light of day.

I think you'll find what you're looking for discussed at this thread:

which links to this site:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/Home/conversions

IMarv

I'm glad I bought the books I was missing from RotRL when I did (last year). The group I'm running through it are still only up to the second issue.

Are the PDFs still available for it?

IMarv

Do you double the 3000 gp for a large adamantine weapon?

IMarv

All it seems to really take to convert a Complete adventurer Ninja to Pathfinder is:

Ninja Hit Die: D8

Ninja Class Skills
Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable
Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha),
Stealth (Dex), Perception (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand
(Dex), Swim (Str)

Sudden Strike is simply Sneak Attack. (KISS)

Great Leap modifies Acrobatics (Jump)

Acrobatics ability grants +2 to Acrobatics and Climb skills. (Basically Balance gets a free boost.)

15+8 = 23

I spelz gud tu.

IMarv

Then it should read as if the caster had cast it upon the bearer.

Then this portion "as if the wearer had cast nondetection on herself" needs to be removed.

IMarv

The item says this:

If a divination spell is attempted against the wearer, the caster of the divination must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 19 (as if the wearer had cast nondetection on herself ).

However:

If you cast nondetection on yourself or on an item currently in your possession, the DC is 15 + your caster level.

So, shouldn't the DC for the Amulet be 24? The item is Caster Level 8th.

IMarv

I posted about this earlier today and they are now aware of the problem.

My posting is at http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/rules/artificeDomainProblem

The poor Artifice Domain Clerics are equally hosed. I'd hate to be a Rune Artifice Cleric.

My solution is to just grant clerics of either of these domains Arcane Mark as a Clr 0 spell as well.

IMarv

This is an issue.

I will look into resolving it... in some way. The easiest would be to swap out instant summons with greater arcane sight, or something similar.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

I was thinking of just adding to the domain that "Arcane Mark" is added to their cleric spell list as Clr 0. Not as a domain spell though.

IMarv

This problem also afflicts the poor Rune Domain Cleric.

IMarv

I've gotten a bit confused as it were on the Monk BAB pattern and think there's an easier way to express it. My version below is not an action at all, but a bonus variant.

Flurry of Blows:
A monk has a Full BAB progression when using a special monk weapon.

At 1st level, she gains Two-Weapon Fighting which may only be used for special monk weapons.

At 8th level, she gains Improved Two-Weapon Fighting which may only be used for special monk weapons.

At 15th level, she gains Greater Two-Weapon Fighting which may only be used for special monk weapons.

Except when making a single attack with a two handed weapon, all attacks apply full strength bonus to her damage rolls. (A single strike with a two-handed weapon deals strength and a half.) This effectively means there is no such thing as an "Off-hand" attack. A monk with natural weapons cannot use such weapons as part of a flurry of blows, nor can he make natural attacks in addition to his flurry of blows attacks.

This also prevents the move-and-attack attack bonus from being worse than standing still.

IMarv

I always thought mind blank was only good against mind-affecting. It is an upgrade to nondetection. No material component and no caster level checks against divination spells.

Neat.

IMarv

How does a cleric with the Artifice Domain put an arcane mark on an object for their Instant Summons spell? (Without multi-classing.)

IMarv

If the spell had read like this, would it apply to See Invis? Notice that the "such as" clause has been removed.

The warded creature or object becomes difficult to detect by divination spells. Nondetection also prevents location by such magic items as crystal balls. If a divination is attempted against the warded creature or item, the caster of the divination must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against a DC of 11 + the caster level of the spellcaster who cast nondetection. If you cast nondetection on yourself or on an item currently in your possession, the DC is 15 + your caster level.

If cast on a creature, nondetection wards the creature's gear as well as the creature itself.

Another variant:

...
The warded creature or object becomes difficult to detect by divination spells including, but not limited to, clairaudience/clairvoyance, locate object, and detect spells.
...

IMarv

See invis is not a detect spell so nondetection does not work against it. Detect magic, detect evil,........, and divination spells are foiled by it.

The school of spells for "See Invisibility" is Divination, therefore it should apply.

IMarv

I don't know about Pathfinder, but we played 3.5 with nondetection protecting you from see invis (detect magic should be blocked too). Nondetection had (has?) an expensive spell component, so I'd hope it would work. You needed to make saves to see the target. True seeing is also potentially blocked.

IMarv

The rules as intended and as they should be interpreted are that you only get to cast 0 level spells at will. Once they're prepared with higher level spell slots, they follow all the rules for how higher level spell slots work.

Allowing all cantrips to be cast at will despite that spell slot you used to prepare the spell is an interesting house rule, though.

What if you simply prepare a cantrip in a higher level spell slot (without the heighten feat)?

IMarv

I agree with the people mentioning that there isn't any need to have special classes for those kinds of things. A ninja is easily served by being a rogue who takes certain skills/feats/talents.

Samurai is better served as a social class more then a character class, so fighter or paladin or even ranger work for that. You use a katana and are probably lawful. Gogo!

My earlier post started off as simply rewriting the Ninja's special abilities as Rogue Talents, but I ran into a problem, there were too many. While I agree that a RAW Rogue could call himself a "Ninja," the Ninja class in Complete Adventurer does not decompose nicely into a Rogue.

But the 3.5 conversion rules, when applied to a CAdv Ninja, leaves very little to change. They get something every level. Thus, you just need to update the Hit Die, the Class skills list, and specific mentions of skills.

I do have a character who wants to play a Ninja, so this isn't just academic to me.

I also have a Scout, so I need to review that one a bit more too.

IMarv

Does the book disappear (or turn to dust, or pages erased etc) after the item is created?

'findel

The intent is to be a permanent item that is not used up.

IMarv

Looking over the Ninja in Complete Adventurer, the only things I would need to change are skills and HP. I might find something to give them besides Sudden strike dice on odd levels starting at 11th (but they do get level feats then).

Edit: On those high odd levels, Pathfinder Rogues also do not get anything, so I think the CAdv Ninja is all set. (Maybe make them have normal Pathfinder sneak attack dice instead of the sudden strike thing.)

IMarv

I've never liked burning a feat to make magic items. One of my solutions is just to automatically grant the feats to spell casters. Here's another solution:

---------------------
Craftsman's Guides
Aura faint, moderate, or strong universal; CL varies

Slot -; Price varies; Weight 5 lbs.

Description

These well constructed books contain magical writings which impart the user with the ability to create magic items. Each book is tuned for a specific magic item creation feat. The user must still meet the minimum caster level to use the book. The book must be present during the entire item creation process.

Brew Potion: CL 3rd: 3,000 gp
Craft Magic Arms and Armor: CL 5th: 5,000 gp
Craft Rod: CL 9th: 9,000 gp
Craft Staff: CL 11th: 11,000 gp
Craft Wand: CL 5th: 5,000 gp
Craft Wondrous Item: CL 3rd: 3,000gp
Forge Ring: CL 7th: 7,000 gp
Scribe Scroll: CL 1st: 1,000 gp

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Selected Item Creation Feat; Cost half market price.

---------------------

I'm still unsure of the prices of the books. I'd appreciate any comments on these items.

IMarv

120 points of fire damage! Even with odds of it being halved and then fire resistance that is about 50 points of fire damage to everything in range. You could wipe out an entire village :(

I doubt there are many 20th level wizards who couldn't do that anyway. (Give or take a few with caster level bonuses.)

Just because the CAP went up, doesn't mean you can utilize all of it. A 9th level wizard casting a 4th level fireball would still only do 9d6 damage with the spell, all he succeeded in doing was add 1 to the DC.

IMarv

I was reading over a [url=http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/communityContent/houseRules/convinceMeThatSpellSaveDCsByLevelMakeSense&page=1#6]post[/url in "Convince me that Save DCs by Spell Level make sense" that got me thinking.

What if the feat, Heighten Spell, also increased the dice limit to the general limit of the level the spell was raised to?

In the 3.0 DMG (pg 95), there was a new spell dice cap chart and Heighten would basically follow that.

Basically, a Heightened Fireball would be nearly identical to a Delayed Blast Fireball.

Dice Limit per level:
0: 1/2 (Acid Splash)
1st: 5 (Burning Hands)
2nd: 10 (Scorching Ray)
3rd: 10 (Fireball)
4th: 15 (Shout)
5th: 15 (Cone of Cold)
6th: 20 (Chain Lightning)
7th: 20 (Delayed Blast Fireball)
8th: 25 (Polar Ray)
9th: 25

Although, this does take some of the wind out of using Empower since you can get 50% more damage from a fireball by making it a level 4 spell instead of a 3rd level spell. But you must be 15th caster level to get those 5 more dice.

Alternatively, you could always bug your DM to make "Fireball 1.1" which is a Fireball at 4th level with a dice cap of 15 dice and "Fireball 1.2" which is at 6th with 20 dice cap.

If a spell does not max out at the charted maximum for the level, the heightened spell maxes out at a proportional value.

IMarv

I'm looking over the Raptoran from Races of the Wild and I'm not sure if certain things should be done.

The +10 to Jump checks is pretty easy, just make it a racial bonus on Acrobatics made to Jump.

They have +2 to Spot, should that be made into +2 to Perception or dropped since it does not apply to Listen and Search?

Also, +2 to Climb, keeper.

The biggest kicker for me is, they have no racial ability modifiers. Because they gain the ability to fly over time, I'm considering not granting any change here. If I do, I'm tempted between just +2 to any or +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Con.

IMarv

Yes, it's strange but true.

[off-topic] Now that the final rules are out, have you considered taking the spells from http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spellIndex.html and adding them to your spell database? That'd be awesome...

I've thought about it alright:

http://prpg.imarvintpa.com/

IMarv

From what I can see in the rules, starting at 9th level, a monk has a lower effective attack bonus when making a single attack than when performing a flurry. Since the Flurry uses Monk Level for BAB, while the standard attack would only provide the base BAB.

Is this intentional?

IMarv

This is a bit odd, but.

Have your characters ever considered moving into either of Jzadirune or the Malachite fortress?

The only downside of Jzadirune is that you cannot make magic items as easily there. But once the characters have a high enough level, they can just remove the curse on the items and move on. Perhaps eventually just breaking the entire curse itself.

Alternatively, they could move into the fortress and have no such problem (or just make the items there). But this makes them the guards of the underdark entrance.

Are there any other downsides that I'm missing? What other pitfalls should I throw in?

Thanks,
IMarv

My party of 6 had a very easy time with this fight, partly because they were 3/4th level and they had some pretty good luck.
The party consists of a 4th level Large Great Sword wielding Snow Elf Duskblade, a 4th level human wizard, 4th level elven cleric, 3rd level Draconic Gray Elf Ranger, 3rd level Catfolk Rogue, and a 3rd level Draconic Raptoran Monk.
(Their sheets can be found at: http://www.imarvintpa.com/dndlive/Index_Ch_Campaign.php?Campaign=Andy%27s+S hackled+City )

I'm using Recharge Magic and Level Adjustment Buy Back.

They rested up before coming down from Jzadriune. They came in through the kitchen and placed those slaves into the weapons store room until they could leave.

The rogue slipped into the barracks and performed CDGs on the sleeping hobgoblins. Then the duskblade made a ghost sound of feet retreating up towards the entrance foyer from the central hallway, which provoked a silent response of increasing defenses at the double doors while one of the two hobgoblins went to the foyer to investigate and check on the entrance. The party then rushed the room. The ranger took out the remaining southern hobgoblin. As the northern hobs came to the south to help, the monk stood guard to prevent many charging hobs. The duskblade came up to help kill hobgoblins, but before he could, the rogue got curious about the levers and pulled the one on the west, opening the pit trap under the duskblade, he made is reflex save and landed on the far side of the pit from the hobgoblins. The ranger killed one of the hobgoblins next to the monk, the monk put down another then leisurely hopped over the pit (+24 to Jump vs DC 20). A few javalin assults later and a few spells, a failed jump check by a hobgoblin and they were dead. The curious cat found another pit trap with the other lever, but nobody was over it. The final two hobgoblins rush in and die.

As our Duskblade is in a rush to get to level 5 (and switch to a half-troll something), he decided to just bust down the barred door. Everybody chipped in and after three attampts, the iron bar (DC 30!) gave in. Whereupon they found our boss battle. Kaz demanded to know what they wanted, and they replied the children. Pyllrak requested 450 for his 3 children and the party attempted to negotiate, but finally decided to pull a ruse and act to pay then switch it up. I rolled horribly on my Sense Motives to detect this. Pyllrak was dead before he know what happened. The monk partial charged to Kaz and used a stunning fist and hit! DC 16 vs a +9 bonus, piece of cake, right? Nope, I rolled a 3. So, now I have a stunned Kaz who's going to be nauseated next round. Not that it mattered, he was on the ground before long. The howler howled, calling in the reinforcements. The howler also reduced the monk to 0 hp which forced him to "guard" the children for a couple rounds until the cleric could patch him up.
The wizard's spells recharged after the hobgoblins amassed, allowing him to cast Malevolent Miasma, which took out two of them out (good save) and then Sleep 4 of them the next round (bad saves).

The monk did attempt to stun the howler, but missed. He had no more uses since he used one other that day.

We'll see how the rest of the dungeon goes next session.

IMarv

I think there is a lot that is assumed to be known about traps in the DMG, but every time I read the rules, I'm either missing something critical, or it just is absent.
The doors all have "touch trigger" except for one which has "location trigger". Some of the doors have "no reset" and others have "manual reset" and others "automatic reset".

Fortunately, for the purposes of sundering a door, the stats of hardness and HP are listed. Unfortunately, nothing describes what must be touched with how much force to trigger the trap. It also states the trap functions until opened or destroyed.

Does a touch trap trigger if you just rest your hand on the door? Does it trigger when you whack it with a large greatsword? Do all the traps fire on each hit? Does the location trigger fire on some definition of touching, or only when opened improperly?

Do the manual reset traps fire only once and never again (from the PCs perspective)?

Do the mechanical traps detect with detect magic?

Am I being dense and unable to grok this?

IMarv