Archane's page

So... I'm playing through Abomination Vault and we recently picked up the Magical Artifact The Whispering Reed right here.

The important thing is the destruction part.

It was just a really funny idea to me... but what if a Magus used the feat Raise a Tome-

You raise up the book you're holding and flip it open to defend yourself and expedite your studies. The book remains raised until the start of your next turn. While you have a book raised, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC and a +1 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge to identify creatures using a skill related to the subject of the book (Arcana if you're using your spellbook). This bonus is in addition to any item bonus the book normally gives to the check.

If you have Shield Block, you can use the tome for that feat (Hardness 3, HP 12, BT 6) as though it were a shield. Whenever you use an ability that allows you to Raise a Shield, such as Emergency Targe, you can Raise a Tome instead, changing any requirements that normally require a shield to apply to your book.

As a shield and then have an enemy break the tome. It would curse them right?

I do prep work and figure out stuff before hand like to further balance out encounters so there not a joke. Like the one time I redid a guy all about the fear in a module when the party was rocking two Paladins. I mean he was the boss of the module if he was a lacky I would've left him be, but I digress.

I was looking at Kakishari. However a lot doesn't click with me for him. Just an example that made me raise an eyebrow. These are the stats listed

AC 27, touch 14, flat-footed 26 (+9 armor, +3 deflection,
+1 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 179 (13d8+117)
Fort +17, Ref +12, Will +17

However these are the stats if he doesn't have a chance to buff.

If she’s caught unprepared, Kakishari’s base
statistics are AC 24, touch 11, flat-footed 23; hp 192;
Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +14;

Before Combat At the first sign of intruders, Kakishari
summons and mounts her skeletal horse before casting
see invisibility and freedom of movement. When she
believes an encounter is imminent, she casts ward of the
faithful and divine power. The Divine power would give her 13 temp HP's so I think that's what got mixed up.

What further threw me off though by all I can see and read. Inquistor and Graveknight don't have proficency with Greataxe as her main weapon unless I'm missing something on that. Also she doesn't seem to have any teamwork feats listed as an inquistor should have them.

Feats listed- Furious FocusAPG, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical
(greataxe), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder,
Lightning Reflexes, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-
By Attack, Sundering StrikeAPG, Toughness, Vital Strike

Hmm, just thought I'd point that out. Though I do enjoy her lore.

Okay so in two of the three previous games I've GMed I had a Cavilar and a Ranger. The cavilar went charge and at the higher levels felt a real limition in his damage output. To the point I was trying to help him and well I gave him a feat to take in a chain so he could full round attack against one enemy. Esstienially pounce, but it did seem like a huge cap on higher level stuff and he didn't want to deversify which I think is on him, but moving on.

In the game where I had the ranger, he didn't use his companion as anything but a mount and he was ranged and he got his full attack while mounted.

Since were preparing for a new game, he cames in and askes as it just occurred to him why couldn't he do that?

So we look up the rules for it. Mounted combat reads as follows.:

With a DC 5 Ride check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a free action.

When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground.

If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can't make a full attack. Even at your mount's full speed, you don't take any penalty on melee attacks while mounted. If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).

You can use ranged weapons while your mount is taking a double move, but at a –4 penalty on the attack roll. You can use ranged weapons while your mount is running (quadruple speed) at a –8 penalty. In either case, you make the attack roll when your mount has completed half its movement. You can make a full attack with a ranged weapon while your mount is moving. Likewise, you can take move actions normally.

Okay looking at all of that. He ask's a question that I couldn't really think up an answer for. Why go a Melee charge build then. You get more power early levels sure, but the downside to losing your all out attack options he thinks makes Cavilar useless for a melee build. Why not just go straight Archery full round attack every round.

So I suppose my question is ranged mounted combat just better period. Because I tend to agree with him reading it this way.

The archer doesn't suffer any penalties until he moves past the double move mark for a -4. Which is a lot, but how many mounts have like 40 move anyway making you able to kite people easily.

Hello there. I've been running a campaign and one of my players a druid is kinda sad with how his druid is pushed back when a guy who was gone came back and made a new character that took over a tanking role so he was looking at other Archtypes and didn't particular care for any of the druid Archtypes and he's been relegated to support caster but is meh about it. So he was asking for my help in making a new archtype. As in the above topic a swarm lord since he enjoys summoning swarms.

I decided to give it a shot and this is my second draft so far.

LV 1- Nature Bond- A swarmlord who chooses an animal companion must select a small creature or vermin. If choosing a domain, the swarmlord must choose from the animal and earth domains.

If animal companion is taken when they advance size category instead of becoming medium or large. They instead became a swarm of that size. -No creature they pick can be fine or diminutive in size

Wild Empathy- A swarmlord can use wild empathy with swarms as a full-round action with a +4 bonus.
Though information is still limited

Swarm Immunity- You are part of the swarm, you are at the center of it. The buzzing doesn't affect you at all. A swarmlord gains immunity to all swarm attacks. Is no longer affected by their distraction. You are also not affected by any swarms special attacks. ex. Centipede swarm poison or Monkey Swarms steal. Replaces Venom Immunity.

Wild Shape- You may only wild shape at 6th level and into a swarm of worm's or other creature that fits your desires. You gain the swarm sub type and are a swarm of small creatures. You lose access to Elemental and Plant wild shapes.

At 8th level- You may wild shape partial into a worm that walks template and gain the abilities from template with the exception of – Defensive Abilities, Special attacks, Skills, Abilities, and Feat.

Worm temp.

At 10th Level- Gain Fast Healing

At 12th Level- Gain Worm that Walks Traits and DR 2/-

At 14th Level – Immunities

At 16th Level- Discorporate and DR 3/-

At 18th Level- Squirming Embrace DR 4/-

At 20th Level- Gain any remaining aspects of worm that walks. DR 5/-

The worm that walks was my idea since it seems to fit with the idea of a swarm lord and I don't think how I set up it's power build is too OP but I might be missing it... I first had DR 5/- at level 12 but thought that was too much even if a Druid can wild shape into an elemental with DR 5/- at that level it still seemed a bit too good so this is how I balanced it out. Thoughts, suggestions, people telling me I'm making a horrible mistake by doing this. Let me know I'm open to feedback.

So this might be a bit petty of me, but I'm the usually GM for my group and one of my players wanted to give it a try and since I don't play that often I thought why not. So he got the Skull and Shackles module and played it and we all agreed that were were going to be a questionably moral party not straight up evil, but not good ether.

I however went all in playing an Anti-Paladin because hey when else are you going to get to play an Anti-Paladin like ever. Knowing that I went with a build that not a lot of people use I think, mainly because so many things can ignore it. I went with an intimidate build because an anti-paladin it's a guarantee I'm not wasting my time.

He has come to the conclusion that it is the most over powered thing ever because my aura allows me to use my feats that would be useless against these things and gives them negitives to resist it. I call BS on it since the -2 that I debuff them for never seems to harm them. So I wanted some advice on that regard so I can bring the most overpowered character that I can possible make to the table. Granted were only at level 5. I like my paladin more for the other stuff... but I feel a lesson needs to be learned or maybe I'm just cruel... most likely cruel but I still think it needs to be done.

In anycase here's what I have set up so far. Also if you can recommend an over powered anti-paladin build that is better then this. That would also be great. Oh yes he's also complaing that I'm overpowered at level 5 and only a 15 point buy.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ra7tpmf85bjf05s/Fia.pdf?dl=0

I've been trying, trying for hours to go through this message board and you know what I've found that you need to put this under your FAQ with a clear ruling! Because you have author of the original archtype and other writters saying different stuff about this!

Wild Shape (Su)

At 6th level, a (insert animal type) shaman’s wild shape ability functions at her druid level – 2. If she takes on the form of a (insert animal type), she instead uses her druid level + 2.

Does this mean that an animal shaman only gets to transform at six or is it just a modifier and should be more ruled like this

Wild Shape (Su)

A wolf shaman’s wild shape ability is modified as such functions at her druid level – 2. If she takes on the form of a canine, she instead uses her druid level + 2. So she gains canine wild shape at Level 2 but cannot use wild shape to transform into any other creature till 6th level.

Or should it be changed to this.

Wild Shape (Su)

At 6th level, a wolf shaman’s wild shape ability functions at her druid level – 2. If she takes on the form of a canine, she instead uses her druid level + 2.

This ability replaces Wild Shape!

I was making a shadow dancer for my group that I wanted to introduce as an ally and plot hook down the line in the pahtfinder module Kingmaker.

Anyway I have to get his fighting style down and reading all the way through and how I built him I'm wondering if this fighting style works or perhaps I'm missing something.

Before Combat- Arim always keeps himself stealthed with his rogue talent to move at full speed so unless he has to interact he will not be out of stealth. Also if he sees a group of people that seem particular capable or obvisouly using Detect Magic or other such things. He will uses his wand of Non-Detection before sneaking by them.

During Combat- If Arim is forced into combat or wishes to attack. He starts combat off in two ways. If he has 2 s round, he will start by casting allegro and expeditious retreat using his metamagic rod of swiftness, on the second round he will start his inspire courage performance if alone or his Rallying Cry with allies and cast darkness on one of his weapons and a swift action use his sipping jacket to became enlarged.

Then he throws his shadow dagger at one of his enemies causing it release a stored darkness spell inside it.

During this time he will send his shadow to hide among the enemy so it can pick up the dagger to give you a moving darkness void.

After that he will then use spring attack or shadow jump to close the distance and with his lunge ability to strike 15 feet away from them in the dark. Along with his Duegeur abilites he'll continue to use the two darkness spells to keep the enemy guessing as he slashes at them with his reach to keep them unsure.

Morale- If he near 150 damage he'll have his shadow companion start to move away so he can shadow jump to that and heal himself up and hide. During this time he will also stop attacking and stealth in the darkness so as not to give himself away.

Summed up- I'm thinking that using the darkness like that as Bard Lv 2 spell and using his shadow companion to have an extra cloud so to speak. I can move in, slash at someone with a 15 foot range and thanks to the HIPS, hide in plain sight right again with a new stealth check.

Thus effectily blinding most teams and him being a Fetchling he'll keep his 50% concealment.

Asking because I came to the thought... this is rather powerful sounding, perhaps too much. Perhaps I should make a character or a build around doing that.

Okay I have this creature in the next Module. Seems rather cool with what he does, besides his combat block, but their's one defensive ability they put on him that I can not find anywhere in my Bestiary books or any of my other player hand books.

Here he is.

Nightmare Rook.

And the ability is feign death as is implied by the title. However as I said before. I can't find it in any of my books. I get that you know he's Feigning Death which means he's going to pretend to die, but how does it work. Checks, can my PC's see through it, is an illusionary spell he can cast on them. Etc, etc.

I have a dawnflower Deverish Bard who gives up their Bardic Knowledge Skill and I wanted to later take Pathfinder Chronicler to get it back. The problem is in Hero Lab it still stacks the Bard Levels with the Pathfinder Chronicler... I'm pretty sure that shouldn't work that way if I'm using an Archtype that gets rid of it.

I also couldn't find a ruling that ether supports or denies that. So I'm wondering if I should contact the company that makes it to say it's a slight bug or hic-up or have I stumbled onto something kinda cool.

I really don't think so but hey other opinions are always good to hear.

Okay so Inspire Courage says

At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.

Then we have some races with alt Skill bonus that read like this

Bard Choose one bardic performance; treat the bard as +1/2 level higher when determining the effects of that performance.

Now I know it says maxium but it seems more like because of the level cap of the phrasing... or perhaps I'm just trying to get around it in my own head. Since I know you can get past the +4 with Dervish of Dawn and Dervish Dancer. So for example lets say I took 12 levels of that and applied it to my bard. So that when he hits level 17 would it became a +5.

I'm having a debate with a fellow GM over an issue that arose when he invited me to his game. I decided to go with this build that I've been wanting to do for a bard and got his okay, but he's backing up a bit on it as we've both run into an issue he I think it taking the wrong way or maybe I am. I'm asking your guys opinion an official response would be great.

I wanted to make a Bard, a Dervish of Dawn Bard so I could get the feat Dervish Dance and the other backround story that goes along with it. I also thought it would be good considering if I take a single level of Magus to grab Spell Combat. My idea is that spell combat doesn't say anything about offensive spells or the like so I could use that to get my buff spells and few offensive spells out their faster.

The issue were running into though is that in the magus spell combat it says and I copy and paste here.

At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast.

The feat down below says- You cannot use this feat if you are carrying a weapon or shield in your off hand.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dervish-dance-combat

He is convinced that the magic spell I'm holding in my hand should count as a weapon and make the feat invalid when I use spell combat. Perhaps were both missing something obvious but I do have to emphasize this is about Spell combat and not spell strike. Anyway any help you guys can offer is appreciated.