Do you all think you can use the spell Hostile Juxtaposition to swap out of being targeted by a spell like Dominate Monster or Flesh to Stone? The trigger for the teleportation effect in the spell is "You create a dimensional link to the target creature. When attacked or the subject of a spell that deals damage to you," you can swap places.
My deep-down perspective is that the intention is to let you get out of attacks (things that need attack rolls) and damaging spells, NOT non-damaging offensive magic, but I want it to allow you to pop out of everything because, dagnabbit, I'm playing the wizard in question here!
I mean, I REALLY don't know, I just have an idea. It sorta depends on how they mean the term "attack." Is a dragon breathing on somebody 'attacking' them? What about a Balor dropping blasphemy? Is he attacking anyone? (So does the term 'attack' necessarily imply an attack roll?)
Well, that just about sums it up. What are your favorite uses for the spell Contingency? A couple that come to mind immediately are Greater Invisibility when dropped below 50% hp or made helpless, Dimension Door when grappled, Magic Circle Against Evil on a failed save against a compulsion, magic jar when unconscious, or Remove Paralysis when paralyzed or staggered.
I know you guys have to have better ideas than those. I need some great ideas to pitch to the party for why I need a 1500 gp ivory statue of myself.
If you use Spell Perfection to spontaneously apply Echoing Spell to a spell, can you use it to spontaneously apply a different metamagic feat to its second casting?
So, for example:
Persistent Slow + Echoing Spell (Effective level 8)
followed by
Persistent Slow + Quicken Spell (Effective level 9)
Is a creature who is in statue form from the statue spell still a creature for the purposes of spells? The statue spell says they're turned to solid stone, but are they still a creature? Could they be targeted by...
Magic Missile?
Hold Person?
Slow?
Fear?
Stone to Flesh?
Flesh to Stone?
Would they be affected by Slay Living?
I mean, aside from retaining their own hit points, are they totally a statue? Or do spells that require targeting a creature (or spells that only affect creatures) still work against them?
This will be for PFS. Half-elf for proficiency in the weapon
Right now, I'm considering a couple of options:
1) Falcata+buckler, with a domain/inquisition that grants rage
2) Falcata+buckler, with animal (feather) domain
3) Fauchard+Combat reflexes, with eventual rage
4) Fauchard+Combat reflexes, with animal (feather) domain
5) Dervish dance, probably not half-elf here because proficiency is doable through diety.
Falcata+buckler is for the extra AC with the option to be able to 2-hand it, and the higher damage output of the 19-20/x3 crit range. Eventual plan is for heavy armor proficiency except in the case of dervish dance. I'll probably just take a +1 Keen weapon and GMW the thing to keep up with the bonus while allowing other enchantments.
Any recommendations? The fauchard will have lower AC, but it might not be necessary if things are hit on the way in. The falcata will work better with the anger inquisition because hitting something back will rely on a cestus with a fauchard.
I've heard it said that in PFS, you can expect some standard DCs for certain skill checks. For example, diplomacy might typically have a DC of 20.
I'm building a wizard and trying to anticipate where my character's skill points are going to go so that I don't have any superfluous points when I upgrade his headband and acquire full ranks in new skills. So, have any of you observed DCs on some skill checks that make arbitrarily high skill modifiers unnecessary?
Obviously monster knowledge checks (Planes, Nature, Religion, Arcana, Local, Dungeoneering) have no real cap, as you can generally roll as high as you possibly can and still will not learn everything about a monster. But what about other skills? Any skills totally useless? (like handle animal - anyone ever seen THAT used?) Any skills only worth putting ranks into up to a certain point? (+22 is wasteful when the DCs are all 15 and below).
I did a quick search and turned up bunko, so here's the question:
What element, aside from fire, is the most commonly-resisted element in pathfinder? Fire's obviously the most commonly-resisted, but what about the second-most? Or the least?
Choices are the classic elements here: Fire, Cold, Acid, Electricity. Sonic and Force resistance are obviously relatively uncommon comparatively.
A paladin gains the ability to call its mount to its side once per day at level 5. If the party makes camp and rests, does the paladin have to send the mount home, or can the mount stay with the paladin at the beginning of the next day, meaning the paladin starts with his/her mount and the ability to call it to his/her side once during the day as well?
Alright, chums! Time to help me, with either superb deductive reasoning or previous experience, fine-tune an inquisitor!
Here are a couple of stat arrays I'm considering: (20 point buy)
Half-Elf or Half-Orc
Str 16+2 (10)
Dex 14 (5)
Con 12 (2)
Int 10 (0)
Wis 14 (5)
Cha 8 (-2)
or
Str 15+2 (7)
Dex 14 (5)
Con 14 (5)
Int 10 (0)
Wis 14 (5)
Cha 8 (-2)
Domain: Animal (Feather)
Here's the current half-elf feat array, through level 10:
1) Weapon Proficiency (Fauchard) (Half-Elf bonus)
1) Combat Reflexes
3) Power Attack
3) Outflank (Inquisitor Bonus)
5) Boon Companion
6) Precise Strike (Inquisitor Bonus)
7) Heavy Armor Proficiency
9) Toughness
9) Paired Opportunist (Inquisitor Bonus)
I took the Animal domain because I want to be sure I've always got a flank buddy. Also, the bonus to perception checks is amazing.
Heavy Armor Proficiency is for eventual mithril fullplate, with an ioun stone boosting dexterity. I should be able to save money on magic armor and magic weapons with greater magic weapon and magic vestment and put that towards items like the ioun stone, str belt/wis headband, and a strand of prayer beads to boost those respective spells.
Skills I'll focus on are Intimidate (question on this later), Perception, and Sense Motive.
On Intimidate: Will the charisma make this unworkable? I could also take a feat like cornugon smash eventually, but the charisma penalty kinda hurts (this is partially why I'm considering half-orc, because they also have a bestial option for +2 perception instead of orc ferocity). Also, the 17 strength means a -1 to hit from levels 1-3, 8-11, etc. How big of a deal will that be? Does the inquisitor struggle to hit without an 18 to start?
How about teamwork feats? Am I missing out on something huge?
I think that means your Cleric 1 will get the maximized effect.
After all when you cast an arcane spell you don't add your divine spellcaster levels (Cleric lvs) to your spells do you?
Caster Level wrote:
A spell's power often depends on its caster level, which for most spellcasting characters is equal to her class level in the class she's using to cast the spell.
So even as a Wizard 9/Cleric 1, you only have CL 1 as a Divine caster and CL 9 as an Arcane one.
Meaning that incense of meditation should not affect the wizard side of you...
I've played powerful wizards, powerful sorcerers, powerful clerics, powerful fighters, and powerful barbarians. Now, I'd like to do something else. I'd like to make a powerful bard, but one who retains his ability to buff the party (so no dervish dancer). I'd also like to not do an archer bard build, as that leaves absolutely zero feats to do cool bard stuff.
By powerful, I mean capable of contributing in a meaningful way in melee combat (even with a reach weapon, if that's the better route) while still being a potent party buffer.
I realize that this may not be possible. I'm currently sifting through a lot of feats to see what might work and what doesn't, but I would LOVE some guidance on this. If this doesn't work, I can always build an inquisitor, as they serve similar goals: Good skills, and lots of pain while still having some spells capable of buffing party members (and self).
I'm considering Arcane Duelist, but losing versatile performance hurts a bit. It doesn't hurt TOO much, because in PFS, building for versatile performance means eating a lot of dead skill points for a while, but it DOES hurt.
So here's where I'd like advice: Feats, tactics, and spells. I've considered a maneuver bard with a whip, but the drooping CMB and lack of bonus feats seems a little prohibitive. Is it?
Also, would an alchemist be a better way to achieve party buffing/damage capability? My only hard and fast restriction with this character is 3/4 BAB and max level 6 spells (or infusions). And I'd rather not play a magus. I know they're good, so there's no real challenge there.
So! Good feats, spells, and tactics for a melee bard that still buffs the party like a madman?
When you cast Polymorph Any Object on, for example, the party fighter, to turn him into another creature, how do his ability scores change? Most polymorph spells now grant size bonuses to ability scores, but this one is much more ambiguous, except that it says that you actually transform one creature into another.
Also, if I recall, always-on buffs, like a belt of strength, remain on - so would the fighter's strength become 37 (for pit fiend form) +6 (for the belt) = 43? The spell says it CAN be used to duplicate some other polymorph spells, but the spell's text also indicates that it can be much more.
Do all creatures in the area of a Silence spell receive a will save to be able to ignore it, or does the spell only allow a save from a creature if targeted on that creature in such a way that the creature becomes the origin point of the 20-foot radius of silence? (And, in the second place, the spell has no effect.)
Obviously, for Polymorph, lion form for pounce and 5 attacks is pretty good, but for Greater Polymorph it seems like going with a magical beast would be better.
Would this even be worth it? The fighter said that he'd be willing to take Weapon Training in natural attacks at 10 (we're 9th) and, with gloves of dueling, pump that up a bit. All of his feats except weapon focus, weapon spec, and improved critical (chosen weapon) would carry over to his new form. Any experience out there on whether or not it's worth it? Even with losing those feats and enhancement bonus, it seems like moving from 2 attacks (3 hasted) to 5 attacks (6 hasted) would be a bump in offensive power.
Here's how I'm thinking about it:
Enhancement bonus: -1 hit, -1 damage
Weapon training difference: -1 hit, -1 damage
Power attack change: -3 damage
Size to large: -1 hit
+4 strength: +2 hit, +2 damage
2H->1H damage: -3 (probably) damage
Lose weapon focus: -1 hit
Lose weapon spec: -2 damage
(Conditional) Charge on pounce: +2 hit
So that's a net +0 to hit and -7 to damage rolls, but, pre-haste, a 150% increase in the number of attacks per round, at least in the first round. If he ends up multiclassing barbarian at some point, that could get pretty nuts, raging on a pounce. (I could have sworn I've seen a pouncing barbarian somewhere before...)
His AC would necessarily drop as he became a large lion no longer wearing full plate, but we're playing a paizo AP (carrion crown) and we really haven't been pressured since one of the very first combats when the dice went against us.
In summary, are Polymorph and Greater Polymorph worth it? What are the best forms? At first blush, I thought the aurumvorax got 9 attacks if it managed to grapple, but that's only 5 because you can't rake on the same round you start a grapple. Chimera looks pretty cool.
Any huge animals with many attacks and pounce? What about large magical beasts? I was really disappointed that you can't become a hydra. (huge magical beast...)
I'm looking a few levels ahead for a wizard I'm currently playing, and was trying to figure out a way to use Spell Perfection that was effective without breaking the game. Here's what I came up with:
Currently, this wizard is level 10, with focus and greater focus in conjuration, wielding battlefield control and haste.
So, casting Quickened Persistent Slow in a 5th level slot at a level 7 save DC, and haste on the party in the same round. My question is that if that's too one-trick pony or not. I'm basically wondering if there's something else worth spending the feats on instead, or if that's too much, or if it's just not worth it. One nice thing about transmutation is that it includes some spells like Flesh to Stone, which is a great anti-wizard spray should some pesky arcanist decide to rain on our parade. He'll qualify for Loremaster at level 11, and I intend to take him into that for flavor reasons.
Anyways, current/prospective feat build for this elven wizard, conjuration/teleportation subspecialist:
1) Improved Initiative
3) Spell Focus (Conjuration)
5) Greater Spell Focus (Conjuration)
5) Persistent Spell
7) Dimensional agility (ruled to work with Shift!)
9) Skill Focus (Knowledge (Dungeoneering))
10) Quicken Spell
Begin loremaster at 11
11) Spell Penetration, Spell Focus (Transmutation) from secret
13) Greater Spell Focus (Transmutation), Toughness from secret
15) Spell Perfection (Slow), +2 fortitude saves from secret
--I don't expect the campaign to make it to 20, but...--
17) undecided feat, +2 will saves from secret
19) undecided feat, +2 reflex saves from secret
So, what would YOU take from 11 and up? I want something powerful, but within the limits of keeping it fun for everyone else. The rest of the party is composed of fighters and clerics, basically.
Does making enough saves to cure a poison merely preclude your character from having to make more saves against that dose of poison, or does it also remove all of the damage caused by the poison?
Basically,
"The poison has run its course, but it's still left me too weak to raise my sword." vs. "The poison has run its course, and I'm feeling much better now!"
I've been trying to figure this out for a while without much success. Thanks in advance.
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I know that this has been brought up in other threads, but the answers didn't actually address this question. (This sentence added to demonstrate that I know how to use the search function.)
Can a wizard with the Dimensional Agility feat continue to take actions after using the Shift ability granted by the Teleportation Subschool?
Most of the threads I found merely said that Shift didn't count as qualifying for the feat, a sentiment with which I agree, without actually addressing whether or not the feat permitted a wizard to Shift away from threatening enemies and then loose a spell.
I, for one, think that it should, but I'm interested in the thoughts and opinions of others on this matter.
I ran a crew of PCs through, or rather "into" this module, and I noticed an error on one of the enemies the PCs face. I ran this at subtier 3-4.
Monster error:
Captain Calgredine is a level 5 fighter, but does not have Weapon Training. Assuming this feature is supposed to apply to lances, his attack and damage is one lower than it should be.
Somebody's already mentioned the 6-7 subtier damage being wrong on the magic longbows as well, so maybe it's just a problem localized to this scenario.
Followup question:
Is Captain Calgredine too much to throw at an APL 3 table? Even with only three accompanying mercenaries, he still killed two PCs at my table, and I even set up the terrain such that he could not ride by and charge across lines. A level 5 fighter may be CR 4, and a horse may be CR 1, but I feel like there's some synergy there that drives up the encounter level a bit.
Before I dive into this, I'll confess that one of the players made a mistake, but it was a small one. Probably not one worth dying over. Party composition: Summoner, Alchemist, Ninja, Ninja, Wizard. APL 3.
Pre-combat: Everyone succeeds on their perception check. No surprise round (thank goodness). Calgredine gets 2nd initiative, behind one of the party's ninja.
Round 1) The ninja moves to step between the party and Calgredine, shooting a shortbow from beyond 30 feet for 2 points of damage. (the only potential mistake here, I think, was not going invisible with Ninja Vanish as to break up Calgredine's charge lane on the party.)
Calgredine charges on horseback. Charge, higher ground, and generally being a fighter see him rolling in at +14, with 3d8+21 damage even without weapon training. Calgredine rolls 20 to hit the Ninja, dealing 40 points of damage. Dead ninja. After one round, the archers drop the wizard, and Calgredine (over 2-3 rounds), without charging, kills the other ninja before going down (dropped from 1 HP to dead, so that was unfortunate.) He blows away his ride check to manage his mount in battle every time, and I had him 'forget' to drop for cover behind his horse when given the opportunity. The Summoner's Eidolon ended up being what saved the rest of the party in the end.
I love the fighter class, I like that PFS pits characters against NPCs with PC levels, and I like that they use the Elite Array so as to give the characters a numerical edge. I think, though, that building an NPC with such burst capability as Calgredine on horseback, AND giving him the chance for a surprise round, might be a bit much for 3rd-level parties who don't quite have the resources to deal with 40 points from a single attack. If he isn't incapacitated or otherwise prevented from charging on round one, there's a very significant chance you'll have a dead PC on your hands.
Now, there WERE a few outliers:
1) Nobody in anything heavier than chain shirt
2) Nobody with bigger than a d8 hit die
At the 1-2 tier, he's much less likely to kill, given that his damage is only 2d8+6 on a charge.
And while I'm on the topic of this mod, I'd like to discuss...
The Fatty Fight:
The Iron Golem vs. Donkey Kong without his tie. This is theorycrafting a bit here, because the party decided to abandon the mission after losing 2 PCs to the Mwangi Expanse in the first combat.
It's thematic and cinematic, but in the end what it really does, I think, is take one PC out of the action for a few rounds. I play Pathfinder because it's a party (group) game and I get to play the characters that I've built alongside those of my friends. This encounter kind of defeats that purpose, taking one PC out of a fight for several rounds to put him in a different fight that, in addition to giving the character 3 extra lives, it is near impossible for him to lose. Given the lack of consequences that this fight has for the party and the overall outcome of the module (it's GOING to end in the monkey dying), it might as well not happen, letting the party play as a whole unit through the end.
Maybe it works much better in practice, but I know that I would rather be fighting alongside my teammates than playing patticake for a few rounds with a monkey that can't hurt me.
To keep this pertinent to GM discussion, then I guess I'll sum up:
Is Calgredine a bit much for an APL3 party? I know he's CR'd correctly, but the horse/rider synergy there is VERY strong, especially if he rolls well on initiative. I might advise other GMs to make sure the party's kitted out to either disable him or survive one charge before you run them through this neck of the jungle. Calgredine SHOULD have weapon training at level 5, right?
And what does everyone else think of The Fatty Fight? Maybe input from people who've seen it in action? Was the cinematic/cool factor enough to justify taking one player out of the party for several rounds? Was that player still having fun?
