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All right, I need more forum wizardry to help me wrangle a concept into some kind of coherent build. Player is wanting to play a smooth talking pirate that fights dirty, sword and gun preferably. Also has expressed interest in the possibility of having some kind of spellcasting. The player last player a martial that basically devolved to I run at the thing and hit it till it dies every round and there really wasn't any decision making to be done. So I am trying to think of things that are a bit more well rounded in terms of being able to offer some battle field control with Dirty Tricks and still having some damage.

My problem is every train of though I have with this character either ends with it being jack of all trades master of none, which in my experience end up not being fun. Or it end up focusing too hard on one aspect of things, to the point where you would never do anything else.

Currently my thought is to go swashbuckler and multiclass into something. I am currently wrestling with the idea of you go in with melee, do something to get them flatfooted, then because they are flat footed use the gun point blank and shoot them flat footed touch. I feel like you'd need to get a bunch of things that decrease accuracy and up damage for that to make sense. I feel like something is there but I cant get the individual pieces to make a picture.

Anybody have a good idea for a gun and blade pirate build that doesn't just devolve into your either real bad with a gun and good with a sword or real bad with a sword but good with a gun?

I was hoping the collective hive mind of the forum could help me help build and plan out a gunslinger (as in someone who uses guns not necessarily limited to the class). The current idea is styled after the classic wester moment of the good guy and bad guy meeting at the center of town and whoever draws first wins.

The one shot one kill build is generally speaking less then ideal I know, so I have been trying to find way to augment it that will be more of a big opening shot with the power decreasing over a couple rounds. IE not built for fights longer then 5-6 rounds.

First let me state the things I think we have locked in. We are going Mostly Human Ifrit, Wildfire Heart, Desert Mirage, and replaced the spell like with a thaumaturgy-esq spell that does the western whistle noise and a tumbleweed appears per the players request.

Second, I am allowing the employee to use a revolver because reasons, but also partially under the understanding that he will not be going a two weapon, make 12 attacks per round build.

Lastly, kind of the original thought on this build was to have fun with frightening ambush and having a very high initiative bonus.

So current build thought is:

Gunslinger(pistelero)/Cavalier(Luring)/Fighter(??)

My current thought is that the first 5 levels of gunslinger are pretty good and pistolero help that initial volley hit really hard, you pick up the dex to damage, some feats and an init bonus.

Luring Cavalier fits that idea of the 1 on 1 duel kinda vibe, picks up a horse mount, and order of the sword gives some pretty ok bonuses.

Fighter right now is really just to grab the feats and because right now we are thinking of grabbing deadly stroke at higher level since I think the plan right now is to build out of frightening ambush into shatter defenses.

I guess right now my concern is that I dont know the orders or really the amounts of class levels to take. There might be classes that do some of this better. I partially feel like getting some sneak attack in here would be powerful since things will be flat footed so often. But if you dont get off the flat footed it'd be worthless.

If anyone has ideas I would appreciate it!

I am currently running a Kingmaker campaign and instead of using the standard list of NPC's that they can use, they npc's are fine but just all a little vanilla for out party, I was wanting to make a handful of dumb NPC's using weird/fun build that would normally not work.

My thought is that I would like to do weird build that do X thing really well, but as a character would be to MAD or be something that would be so many classes that it wouldn't be great in combat.

For example I made Frank and Scritch. Frank is just some random like Adept 2 commoner. But Scritch is a magic squirrel. Lv 8 Ancient Guardian druid lv 6 Life oracle. Scritch has the Deaf Curse, Metamagic Still spell, and Natural Spell so she can cast while wild shaped. I just enjoyed the idea of having some dude who seems borderline immortal, but is actually just being protected by a druid healbot who spends all their time wildshaped as a diminutive squirrel, secretly healing the guy. In an actual party 8 levels of druid to just be a squirrel would be a waste and dumb, but thats the whole point with these NPC's!

My only real requirement is that I don't want their stats to be too crazy as that determines their rolls for the kingdom stuff. I'd like to stick to the rules for requirements on stuff, but things like alignment restriction or even race restrictions, if their is a reason, dont need to be followed.

So I am running hells vengeance and I want to get ahead of a problem before it happens. So we have an anti paladino's that cause things within 10 feet of him to lose fear immunity. Normally not a problem, but I have an executioner slayer who is going an intimidate shatter defenses build. So by level 14 he will be able to asassinate infinite times per day and once per day can do so without the standard to study.

So what can I do from every fight becoming a joke. Am I missing something about asassinate? I dont want to just make all the big bosses have fortification or immune to crits but I also dont want him to one shot every encounter.

Unfortunately the most recent playtest thread derailed into a not great place when talking about a potential change that we are likely having for 2e.

Now, this topic in the other thread brought up strong feelings about sexual assault and consent. For many, this is an issue they don't want to talk about or think about, and that is perfectly fine, but I do think we need to hash out what should be done with this change.

I do ask that we be respectful mature adults about this and talk through our thoughts without namecalling or anything derogatory. With that in mind I will be actively checking on this and flagging anything rude so after you write your post, re-read it and make sure you're sure that is what you want to post.

Spoiler tagging for space:

I was wondering if there was a hard answer to what exactly are "expensive spell components" looking through forum posts I've seen anything from 50gp-anything with a listed value.

Usually you don’t need to worry about components, but when you can’t use a component for some reason or when a material or focus component is expensive, then the components are important.

The above was the only piece of information I could find in the books and I'm leaning towards anything with a listed value, but I have found some weird outliers to that as well. ex.gold, mercury, and iron on spells with no value, to detect thoughts which requires 1 cp.

Note PFS specifically is what matters here and as I don't have a consistent GM I'd really prefer not to have "GM discretion being the only real answer." Too many times I've gone to a con and have a GM say "that's not how I think it works, and I'm left up a creek."

So what is required to play starting with created characters. Do all the players need to own the core rulebook, just the gm, some variation in between? In pgs if I'm not mistaken in is "assumed that the core rulebook is owned. Could anyone clarify this for me.

So long story short I am working on making an animal companion focused build and here is my core thoughts so far. Note this is for PFS and currently has two class levels already.

My current idea was to do 1 level of Goliath druid and get a Gigantosaur from Bestiary 6 as my AC as well as being able to cast enlarge on my AC and access to many good AC buff spells. Then to go a few levels of Barbarian and get the Rage powers that let your AC/Mount rage when you do stacking further with the amplified rage feat and the ring that lets you share 1 teamwork feat. This is where i start to get a little confused on the current rules mostly due to not knowing which faqs and what pfs rules might exist that i don't know about. So as I understand it the Giga is a biped and thus only has a neck and armor and to take any other slots he would have to take extra slot feat. But to take that he would need at least 3 Int and because he doesnt have a headband slot and an animal companion needs at least a 3 int to use Ioun stones there is no way to increase his Int ever?

Second would levels of Mounted fury barbarian stack with levels of druid?
Personally i believe they would as the CRB says

If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion.

If I remember there is the weird tiger samurai edge case but I dont believe that applies as that is two classes that are specifically not doing druid stuff. I dont see anything that contadicts the statement in the CRB that allows classes that say "treat as effective druid level -X" and actual druid levels from stacking fully.

Now with that wall of text out of the way what abilities/feats/ or even classes would you guys recommend?

First up, there may be some minor spoilors, specifically related to combats, in the new-ish Ire of the Storm module.

So my group was getting ready to run this three part mod and when we went to start we had 9 players, thus we split into a table of 4 and 5. Now I'd argue the tables were fairly well split, and here is what my table of 4 had

Table of 4
Hurler-my pc and was due to pregen credit at the highest lv in tier.

Barbarian- New player, but we helped build his character and was mostly just a big bad beatstick.

Kira pre gen and then a gnome wizard-we will talk about this later

Swashbuckler(then into warpriest I think) Never really got to do much

Now I really just want to preface this, especially since some people that I play with are on the forums, these are great people. I come and play because I enjoy playing with them, but that doesn't mean I don't ever get frustrated.

So now I'll start venting.
So here is my issue, we lost, we died, we tpk'ed. We did it a lot, almost every fight to be exact. Our Gm was kind and when we wiped, going unconscious, in the middle of town the villagers helped us out, or when we lost the bad guys escaped. But then finally we got in a fight where i got crit and died.

But death happens it's part of the game. But what drives me nuts is that talking about the last fight, it lasted 7 rounds. In those 7 rounds i did 47 points to the big bad, and went down on round 5.

This is how the rounds went:
1: the wizard scouted ahead, found the enemy, and got attacked, the rest of us double moved to get into combat so he didnt get murdered.
2:I drop two of the mooks, the swashbuckler misses a mook, the beatstick pulls and loads his crossbow, the wizard uses his arcane ability to fire jet for 1( max of 5) point of fire that doesnt go through. The big bad smacks the swashbuckler who goes down because he had some prior damage that we couldn't heal because the kira decided she was going to play her wizard instead of the pregen and now no one could use a wand.
3.I drop the last mook and roll a 1 against the BBG, the beatstick changes his mind, drops the crossbow, draws his greataxe and runs up and misses because he refuses to rage. The wizard color sprays catching the mook that i then proceed to knock out, the beatstick, and the bbg. The BBG makes it on if i remember correctly a 4 on the die, the beatstick fails. The BBG now beats the shit out of the blind and stunned beatstick.
4. I hurl and do 27 points to the BBG, the wizard tries to use a scroll of cause fear dc 11, and have his bird familiar throw a tangle foot bag. Surprise the Gm needed above a 5 on either of those dc's to avoid it. The BBG smacks me for 40 and I'm hurt real bad.
5.I do another 20, the BBG does 20 which brings me to 2hp while raging, then crits for 46. The wizard tries to use vanish, but the bbg has scent.
6.The BBG releases shocker lizards, which proceed to drop the wizard and kill the unconscious party member, doing a decent amount even to the BBG.

So in the entire fight i did about 150 damage, took around 100(like 85 killed me but the rest was > my max) dropped all the mooks. the other pc's contributed 0 points of damage and the BBG's own minions did 12 to him.

Now I had some boons that helped a lot with keeping their pc's alive, as well as being a higher level I had much more gold. That is fine, I like to help where I can, but what frustrates me is that this wasn't a one time thing every loss has this same story and our victories ended with me on my last leg barely soloing the boss. It is just so frustrating because my option is either not play at that table or lose the pc or at least set him a chunk of gold behind where he should be.

If anyone has any advice as to how to handle this, hell even if it is that I need to just get over it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or if anyone has any similar experiences that'd be fun to.

Finally I'd like to reiterate, I don't want this to be a personal attack on anyone, at best it is just my strong desire to back seat game and micromanage that i just needed to let out.

So I have a party of all wizards and recently this came up and I have seen a handful of posts but they all go the same way. So first I'm going to clarify how I read the metamagic rod entry, the related FAQ, and how my issue relates.

Effects of Metamagic Feats on a Spell: In all ways, a metamagic spell operates at its original spell level, even though it is prepared and cast using a higher-level spell slot. Saving throw modifications are not changed unless stated otherwise in the feat description.

Metamagic: At what spell level does the spell count for concentration DCs, magus spell recall, or a pearl of power?

The spell counts as the level of the spell slot necessary to cast it.

For example, an empowered burning hands uses a 3rd-level spell slot, counts as a 3rd-level spell for making concentration checks, counts as a 3rd-level spell for a magus's spell recall or a pearl of power.

In general, use the (normal, lower) spell level or the (higher) spell slot level, whichever is more of a disadvantage for the caster. The advantages of the metamagic feat are spelled out in the Benefits section of the feat, and the increased spell slot level is a disadvantage.

Heighten Spell is really the only metamagic feat that makes using a higher-level spell slot an advantage instead of a disadvantage.

Metamagic rods hold the essence of a metamagic feat, allowing the user to apply metamagic effects to spells (but not spell-like abilities) as they are cast. This does not change the spell slot of the altered spell. All the rods described here are use-activated (but casting spells in a threatened area still draws an attack of opportunity). A caster may only use one metamagic rod on any given spell, but it is permissible to combine a rod with metamagic feats possessed by the rod's wielder. In this case, only the feats possessed by the wielder adjust the spell slot of the spell being cast.

Possession of a metamagic rod does not confer the associated feat on the owner, only the ability to use the given feat a specified number of times per day. A sorcerer still must take a full-round action when using a metamagic rod, just as if using a metamagic feat he possesses (except for quicken metamagic rods, which can be used as a swift action).

Lesser and Greater Metamagic Rods: Normal metamagic rods can be used with spells of 6th level or lower. Lesser rods can be used with spells of 3rd level or lower, while greater rods can be used with spells of 9th level or lower.

So my issue is with how metamagic rods apply to metamagic spells. for example you have maximized burning snowball cast from someone who can change element type to fire. That is a 1+2+3=6th level spell slot, however it is not a 6th level spell.

So let us dissect what the faq says line by line.

Metamagic: At what spell level does the spell count for concentration DCs, magus spell recall, or a pearl of power?
The spell counts as the level of the spell slot necessary to cast it.

So we have a specific question and a specific answer.

For example, an empowered burning hands uses a 3rd-level spell slot, counts as a 3rd-level spell for making concentration checks, counts as a 3rd-level spell for a magus's spell recall or a pearl of power.

An examle.

In general, use the (normal, lower) spell level or the (higher) spell slot level, whichever is more of a disadvantage for the caster. The advantages of the metamagic feat are spelled out in the Benefits section of the feat, and the increased spell slot level is a disadvantage.

And then an explanation. But here is where wording and grammar matter. If the sentence is,A "In general,(when referring to the specific items above) use the slot level that is worse," then we can. But if it is,B "In general,(when referring with any spell where a modifier is affected) use the lower," then we have opened up a can of worms.

So finally I will explain my issue. So my wizard has a lot of spell slots and not many good spells. However some of these spells I am very very good at and I would like to use a lot of them. Thus I have charm person prepared in a higher level slot without it being heightened. However the issue is if interpretation B is true then I suffer all of the negatives of casting a lv 5 charm person and no benefits. My interpretation, as it is currently written, is that this FAQ refers to the things mentioned in this FAQ and not anything else.

So I am currently playing in a group of seven thassalonian sin mages. I am lust, so an enchantment specialist. I just hit lv 9 and have quite a bit of prestige saved up and I'm really looking at my build and wondering how to improve it.

I'm currently wizard 8, crossblooded undead impossible sorcerer 1. Now the wizard levels are pretty well sorted out, but I'm questioning my choice of my bloodlines. The bloodline arcana's of my build right now let me effect humanoid corporeal undead with humanoid spells and impossible let's me effect constructs as if they were living and not mindless. However just about every construct we have fought was immune to magic, and so many of the undead are either not humanoid or are incorporeal. There is also a necromancer so he usually has that covered anyway. I've been looking at fey and arcana as that would increase my DC by 3 on compulsions with metamagic. I could get robes of arcane heritage so I would get the 1st 3rd and any 5th level powers from the bloodlines. But the fey and arcana powers are pretty much useless for me.
Any opinions or ideas that I'm missing? Would greatly appreciate some fellow casters to find some flaws or improvements to my wizard.

So there are a few of these pages out and about but as far as I see they are always, "Best Items" or "Favorite Items" and the fault of that is often they have only a handful of items mentioned as they are clearly useful. What I would like to do is not only get some of those items listed but as well I'd like to get and entire sorcerer gear list set up, in place of the typical. "buy some rods and a cloak of resist."

If you can think of anything else to add to this list that would be great. It is true that casters are nowhere near as item dependent as other classes, but you have the slots, might as well get something.

So the Elemental races are now out and I really have wanted to build this psuedo-Bloodrager for a while now. So let's start with concept.

I want to sprint up smack the big bad with my beating stick, the quicken a damage spell. So let's look at how I want to do this.

Racial effects:Fire Affinity: Ifrit sorcerers with the elemental (fire) bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities.

Darkvision: Ifrits can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

Efreeti Magic: can cast either enlarge person or reduce person once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equals the ifrit's level)

Wildfire Heart Ifrits with this trait are as swift and dangerous as a blazing wildfire. They gain a +4 racial bonus on initiative checks

Stats
Str 16
Dex 13(+2 Racial)
Con 14
Int 7
Wis 7 (-2 Racial)
Chr 16 (+2 Racial)

Traits: Reactionary, ????

Feats:
1st: Power Attack
3rd: Extra Traits= The regional and magical for -2 to metamagic cost on one 3rd lv or lower spell
5th: Combat Casting
7th: Quicken Meta magic
9th: Vital Strike
11th: Ipr. Vital Strike

Bonus:7th: Imp. Init. (with Imp. Init we are looking at: +3 Dec +2 Reactionary +4 Wildfire +4 Imp Init and likely a +1 ioun=+14 Init

Crossblooded: Elemental bloodline and Orc bloodline
Im thinking about discussing with my GM if the Effreti bloodline would be acceptable in place of the Elemental bloodline.

But that is my idea so far, would love to hear some advice/thoughts.

So I'm running into an issue where I am getting spells before I should. Now before I go into specifics I would like to bring up the only thing I can find on the subject. There is a FAQ for the aquatic sorcerer bloodline giving the spell geyser before it would normally be available. It gives a normally level 5 spell when you could only cast level 4 spells, the FAQ says you then get geyser as a lv 4 spell.

The FAQ reads exactly as: Is the aquatic sorcerer bloodline supposed to get geyser as a bonus spell at sorcerer level 9, even though that’s normally a 5th-level sorcerer/wizard spell and unavailable to sorcerers before caster level 10?

Yes, and the sorcerer learns it as a 4th-level spell. Note that geyser is also a 4th-level druid spell (available at character level 7), so the aquatic sorcerer gaining it at character level 9 as a 4th-level arcane spell isn’t too powerful.

Now I have a level 14 gnome, blackened life oracle8/summoner 6. The level at which my curse counts as is 8+4+3=15. Now by FAQ, a class given spell is cast as the highest level spell slot you currently have, for example, the life oracle is given neutralize poison at level 6 as a third level spell instead of a fourth level due to it being given as a class bonus spell. But there is a bit of difference between getting geyser as a 4th instead of 5th compared to a 7th as a 4th. So what do you guys think? Should you get the spell as the lowest your current spell allows? should you not be able to use it until you have an appropriate level spell slot? Should you ignore the favored class bonus when determining what level you cast it? I'd love to get an official say, but until then I'm just going to not use the spells.

I'm sure this has been asked before, but the only forum post I can find on it never got an answer. The ability grab from bestiary 1 stated that grab only worked on smaller creatures. From Bestiary 2 on grab has worked on the same or smaller. From what i can tell the original rules were used in the original summoner and the evolution was carried over verbatim. My question is ,which is the rule, do I go by the ability grab or the specific entry even though it has been errata'd in another book?

So I am

Hellknight requirements PFS

Assume build to Lv. 12
Class levels

6 levels Bloodrager
Pros

6 Levels Hellknight
pros

Feats

I'm still working on this, but if you have ideas I figured I'd get the post up so dicussion could potentially start. Leave any ideas on how you would build your hellknight and why. I would love to have a solid guide out their for this class.

I have an interesting question, mostly relating to my good friend Hernandez. You see Hernandez recently got into a pickle where he acquired an item that seems to have caused his alignment to shift from true neutral to neutral evil. The obvious solution is to get an atonement and return him to his original alignment. But this is where my issue occurs, Hernandez is not a PC, he is in fact an unchained elemental eidolon. At NE he is still within my parameters of acceptable alignment as a summoner. So my question is this, can an eidolon who is not able to be chosen as evil, become evil, and stay evil in a PFS setting?