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Players creating NPCs out of control how to mitigate please help. (am I following the rules?)

Anvil Mithrashield

Sep 27, 2019, 08:43 am

First, I'm sorry fro bring this here.
Secondly, I'm a GM of 34 years experience.

I have a player, that rather than play his characters, builds characters that create NPCS. I don't persay have a problem with that but, it is getting excessive,takes more time, throws off the CR rating of the campaign and likewise. That in itself isn't the issue, last week, his construct and Eidolon blocked a hallway and essentially no other player could play.

In my mind I've never been an overbearing GM. I let the player build his construct on his time, no rolls, no GM supervision. Well he switched between the regular rules and the alternative as it suited him to mitigate cost creation. I addressed that and we worked thru it satisfactorily.

House rules have been all NPCs Max is equal to the Player Character -1 level no exceptions, no feats, no magical items, nothing changes that. This is an effort to get players to play characters and not NPCs

The player is dissatisfied with that and seeks to buck the system and believes the forum will validate his opinion. I said I would ask so I am.

I said he could feel free to disregard the character level -1 on NPCs but I'd revert to RAW which says all final modified DCs are determined by the GM. That he could expect at the onset of every planned battle I would then include creatures or spellcrafters who could control various NPCs (not targeting the specific player).

He insists that I am not following RAW or the spirit of the game. I have more players to worry about than just him but, wanted to be as fair and impartial as possible. I am only human and have therefore been wrong before.

Zen Archer Sacred Fist

Anvil Mithrashield

Jul 16, 2019, 09:20 pm

Dombrow Longshot
Male svirfneblin monk (qinggong monk, zen archer) 6/warpriest (champion of the faith, sacred fist) of Shelyn 14 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60, 128, 130, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 115, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 261, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 51)
LG Small humanoid (gnome)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision; Perception +33 (+35 to notice unusual stonework)
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Defense
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AC 66, touch 48, flat-footed 57 (+8 armor, +5 deflection, +2 Dex, +7 dodge, +1 insight, +2 monk, +6 natural, +4 shield, +1 size, +10 untyped bonus, +10 Wis)
hp 99 (20d8+1)
Fort +20, Ref +18, Will +30
SR 31
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +14/+14/+9/+4 (3d6-1)
Ranged or
. . lightning bow flurry of blows +36/+36/+36/+31/+31/+26/+26/+21 (3d6+4/19-20/×3+8 flurry) or
. . lightning bow +26/+26/+21/+16 (3d6+4/19-20/×3+8 flurry)
Special Attacks blessings 10/day (Air: soaring assault, zephyr's gift, Protection: aura of protection, increased defense), fervor 17/day (5d6), flurry of blows, hatred, perfect strike 9/day, smite evil 3/day (+0 attack and AC, +14 damage), zen archery
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 19th; concentration +17)
. . Constant—nondetection
. . 1/day—blindness/deafness (DC 10), blur, disguise self
Monk Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +4)
. . —feather step (self only, 1 ki)[UM]
Warpriest (Champion of the Faith, Sacred Fist) Spells Prepared (CL 14th; concentration +24)
. . 5th—breath of life (DC 25), cleanse[APG], spell resistance, true seeing
. . 4th—air walk, blessing of fervor[APG] (DC 24), divine power, freedom of movement, persistent vigor[ACG], restoration
. . 3rd—blindness/deafness (DC 23), daybreak arrow[UC], deeper darkness, dispel magic, magic vestment, protection from energy
. . 2nd—air step[ACG], darkness, find traps, hold person (DC 22), ironskin, owl's wisdom, lesser restoration, shatter (DC 22)
. . 1st—charm person (DC 21), divine favor, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, protection from evil, ray of sickening[UM] (DC 21), sanctuary (DC 21), stone shield[ARG]
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, guidance, light, read magic
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Statistics
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Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 30, Cha 6
Base Atk +14; CMB +12; CMD 58
Feats Crane Style[UC], Deadly Aim, Divine Interference[UM], Dodge, Focused Shot[APG], Hammer The Gap[UC], Impact Critical Shot[UC], Improved Critical (longbow), Improved Precise Shot, Improved Unarmed Strike, Monkey Style[UC], Perfect Strike[APG], Point Blank Master[APG], Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow), Weapon Specialization (longbow)
Traits dangerously curious, reactionary
Skills Acrobatics +19 (+23 to jump), Appraise +1, Bluff -3, Climb +6, Diplomacy +1, Disguise -3, Escape Artist +20, Fly +3, Heal +13, Intimidate +1, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perception +33 (+35 to notice unusual stonework), Ride +5, Sense Motive +23, Sleight of Hand +2, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +30 (+32 when underground), Survival +9, Swim +2, Use Magic Device +21; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, +2 Stealth, +2 Perception to notice unusual stonework
Languages Common, Gnome, Goblin, Undercommon
SQ blessed fortitude, detect alignment, fast movement, flurry of blows, gnome magic, ki archery, ki arrows, ki insight, ki pool (18 points adamantine, cold iron, lawful, magic, silver)
Combat Gear caltrops (3); Other Gear lightning bow[UE], bag of holding i, bracers of armor +8, dusty rose prism ioun stone, efficient quiver, headband of inspired wisdom +6, monk's robe, ring of protection +5, ring of resistance +5, bedroll, flint and steel, masterwork tool, mess kit[UE], soap, trail rations (5), waterskin
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Special Abilities
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Blessings (10/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Crane Style Fight defensive pen reduced to -2. When in style, dodge bonus increases by 1.
Darkvision (120 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Deadly Aim -4/+8 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Detect Alignment (Sp) As a move action, focus on target in 60 ft to learn if has opposed alignment.
Divine Interference Sacrifice a spell to force an enemy to reroll a successful attack against your ally
Fast Movement (+20 ft.) The Monk adds 10 or more feet to his base speed.
Feather Step (self only, 1 Ki) (Sp) Self Only. Costs 1 ki point to activate.
Fervor (5d6, 17/day) (Su) Standard action, touch channels positive/negative energy to heal or harm. Swift to cast spell on self.
Flurry of Blows +28/+28/+23/+18/+13/+8/+3 (Ex) As full-rd action, higher BAB and combo unarmed/monk wep as if two-weapon fighting.
Flurry of Blows+28/+28/+23/+23/+18/+13/+8/+3 (Su) You can make a flurry of blows, as the monk.
Focused Shot +2 Make a single bow or crossbow attack, adding your INT modifier to the damage roll as precision damage.
Gnome Magic Add 1 to the DCs of any saving throws to resist illusion spells cast.
Hammer the Gap With a full-attack action, each hit against the same opponent deals extra damage
Hatred +1 Gain a bonus to attack vs. Dwarves/Reptilian humanoids.
Impact Critical Shot You can bull rush on a critical hit
Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Ki Archery (Su) 1 Ki point: +50' range increment for bows.
Ki Arrows (Su) 1 Ki point: bow deals the same damage as unarmed strike.
Ki Insight +3 (Su) Use 1 ki to gain Insight bonus to AC for 1 min.
Ki Pool (18/day) (Su) You have a ki pool equal to 1/2 your monk level + your Wisdom modifier.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Miraculous Fortitude (Su) If you succeed at a Fort save for partial effect, take none instead. On fail, halve effect.
Monkey Style Add Wisdom bonus on Acrobatics checks, and take no penalty for attacking while prone
Perfect Strike (2d20, 9/day) With certain weapons, roll twice, higher is attack, lower is confirmation roll.
Perfect Strike Helper This is a dummy ability to add an extra entry for the perfect strike feat in another section of the statblock (since it is shown with a different name in the two places, we can't use sbName).
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Smite Evil (3/day) (Su) As a swift action, gain +0 att, +14 dam, and +0 to AC vs. evil foe in sight.
Spell Resistance (31) You have Spell Resistance.
Stonecunning +2 +2 bonus to Perception vs. unusual stonework. Free check within 10 feet.
Zen Archery (Su) Use WIS instead of DEX for ranged attacks with a bow.

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Trample ability

Anvil Mithrashield

Jul 16, 2019, 01:37 pm

Trample (Ex)
As a full-round action, a creature with the trample ability can attempt to overrun any creature that is at least one size category Smaller than itself. This works just like the overrun combat maneuver, but the trampling creature does not need to make a check, it merely has to move over opponents in its path. Targets of a trample take an amount of damage equal to the trampling creature’s slam damage + 1-1/2 times its Str modifier. Targets of a trample can make an attack of opportunity, but at a –4 penalty. If targets forgo an attack of opportunity, they can attempt to avoid the trampling creature and receive a Reflex save to take half damage. The save DC against a creature’s trample attack is 10 + 1/2 the creature’s HD + the creature’s Str modifier (the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature.

"Attempt" to me says chance of failure. Is there one? If so what is the chance (an attack roll)?

is it PFS legal to use "Gifted Adept" "Call Animal" to get a higher CR level pet / summons?

Anvil Mithrashield

Jun 14, 2019, 02:33 am

Allow me to introduce the RaW:

https://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/rpg/additional
Equipment: Only creatures of the animal type of size Large and smaller may be purchased. No eggs are legal for play. A PC can only purchase an animal, mount, or similar creature if its Challenge Rating is lower than that character's level; creatures with a Challenge Rating of 1 or lower are exempt from this restriction, as are horses.

Call Animal (spell)
This spell calls the nearest wild animal of a particular type you designate (provided the animal’s [u]CR is equal to or less than your caster level[/u]) to seek you out. The animal moves toward you under its own power, so the time it takes to arrive depends on how close an animal of the desired type is when you cast the spell. If there is no animal of that type capable of reaching you within the spell’s duration, you are aware of this fact, but the spell is wasted. Knowledge of the local fauna makes this spell more effective, and the GM may permit a Knowledge (nature) skill check (DC 15) to know what animals can be found in an area.

When the called animal arrives, it approaches to within 5 feet of you and remains nearby for the duration of the spell.

Its starting attitude is indifferent, [u]modified by circumstances and interaction[/u]. Other than starting attitude, this spell gives you no special influence or ability to communicate with the called animal, although you may use other spells or abilities to do so.

Gifted Adept (trait)
Benefit: Pick one spell when you choose this trait—from this point on, whenever you cast that spell, its effects manifest at +1 caster level.

War Trained Mount (spell)
You instill the target animal with the combat training general purpose (see Handle Animal). This supersedes the animal’s previous trained purpose and any tricks it knows. When the spell ends, it reverts to its previous trained purpose and known tricks.

Scenerio:
Lvl 2 character with Gifted Adept; "Call Animal"
Nature Check: "are there any Dire Wolves in that forest (or similarly large(r) creatures)?
DM: yes there are.
"Call Animal" for Dire Wolf (a CR3 animal)
Feed and pet Animal (GM's discretion if that changes attitude based on "modified by circumstances and interaction" (per Call Animal)).
Attempt "Wild Empathy" check to move from "Indifferent" (as per Call Animal) to "Friendly" or "Friendly" to "Helpful".
If fail, spell; "Charm Monster".
Then cast "War Trained Mount"

Question 1; Does PFS allow Gifted Adept to be used in this way?
Question 2; is this a "pet" or a "summons"? As I understand you can only have 1 Combat ready pet or companion at a time but there is stated limit on summons (example Animate Dead/ Create Undead/ Summon Nature Ally).

Orc Goliath Druid Favored Class Alternative Bonus

Anvil Mithrashield

Jun 3, 2019, 12:09 am

The Orc's Favored Class Alternative Bonus for a Druid is 1/3 Natural AC in Wildshape. If you are a huge giant your wildshape grants +6 natural AC... so each level of druid wouldn't your AC increase 2 points? So at 18 wouldn't your bonus be 36?

Orc Goliath Druid PFS legal 20th level build out advice needed

Anvil Mithrashield

Jun 2, 2019, 08:28 pm

This character is PFS legal so there is no Butchering Axe and I know PFS doesn't go to level 20. Before I start my thought process, I'd like to share two weapons:

Labrys of the Stone Idol
https://www.aonprd.com/MagicWeaponsDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Labrys%20of%20the% 20Stone%20Idol

Warbringer
https://aonprd.com/MagicWeaponsDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Warbringer

The two weapons are both covered by the Orcish Weapon familiarity hence the race choice + Favored Class Option;

Druid: Add +1/3 to the druid’s natural armor bonus when using wild shape. (per Advanced Race Guide).

??? As I understand it the Huge Giant gets +6 to his Natural AC and if I understand that Alternative Favored Class Option he should get an additional +2 Natural Armor per level (am I missing something)?

???If I understand this correctly with Tunnel Defender Stoneplate AC should be 64AC (does that sound right)?
10 Base
+12 Stone Plate
+6 Wildshape Natural AC
+36 Orc Favored Class Bonus
-2 size
-1 dex (base 10 DEX)

???Speaking of Wildshape, is there a huge troll which is legal to shape change into I understand Mountain Trolls are not?

???I read a lot of post where people were stacking enlarge person on there wildshape my understanding is that isn't legal (right)?

Orc Goliath Druid PFS legal 20th level build out advice needed

Anvil Mithrashield

Jun 2, 2019, 07:23 pm