Balin's page

I am wondering if anyone has played the cabalist or a vox mesmerist?
Are they fun to play and effective?
Any tips to make them effective?
For the mesmerist, are they played as casters or use feats to make them more melee effective?

Has anyone had any experience playing these classes?
I like the rebirth discipline but is it as functional as a sorceror?
For the mesmerist, it seems they are poor in melee combat. Are they just casters with a smaller amount of spells?

We are about to start the Rise of the Runelords, and I am in need of advice for my inquisitor.
I am debating between a great weapon wielder, and either the vanilla version or sanctified slayer.
Or I can play an archer version and take either the slayer (to get more archery feats, esp shooting while in combat) or the sacred huntsmen for some fodder.

The group consists of a paladin with sword and board, an investigator (melee) and an arcanist.

Any advice?

Thanks

I am making a character and could not decide between the two, so I decided to try make a multi-class Swashbuckler /Inquisitor. But how many levels should I take in Swashbuckler to make it an effective fighting style?

I am about a week away from starting a new character, and was thinking of using a shield champion brawler.

Has anyone used one, and what are your opinions on them. As one of the only melee characters that will be in the group, can they hold up?

Any advise on how to play/ make them?

One of my players wants to make a spell that can make Domination permanent.
He is good with making it a long casting time.
But its it too powerful?
Should I have expensive spell components, or any other restrictions?

I am going to be DMing a solo adventure with an inquisitor. Of course in the situation the teamwork feats will be completely useless. The player suggested that at 3rd level and 5 levels afterwards, he can get 1 power from a domain of his chosen god.
I thought it is different than the sub with any regular feat, and fluffy, but is it OP?

I am thinking of introducing a re-occuring villian into our game and was leaning towards a Svirfneblin Cave Druid.
The idea of someone that cannot be tracked, detectected, or seen easily plus being able to change into an ooze is interesting.
But while in theory it sounds good, I have no experience playing druids, let alone Cave Druids. Are they effective? And any ideas to round out the character?

Thanks

We have a new player joining our group, and while he has never played Pathfinder, he is an avid WOW player who plays an Enhancement Shaman.

What would be the closest class to that character?
I thought Magus, but was overrules as they lack any healing ability.
What would you suggest/ think?

I love the guide. Quick question though. You mention the Maneuver Master and Many Styles as optimum, but what about the Flowing Monk? That with Crane and Duelist seems beyond ugly. Or am I missing something?

I love this class as you can speak in the 3rd person and do a running commentary on how great you are, and how inferior the opponent is while fighting them. He would even comment how he aids his fellow companion from certain doom while fighting then crack up laughing afterwards.

Wizards have more skills.
Sorcerers are better in social skills.

Sorcerers can be better specialists. Be it blasters, or my preference, enchanters are much better as sorcerers. The bloodline powers give them bonuses that the wizard doesn't get and those specialists need high DCs or they will feel useless.

Have an idea of what you want to do with it, and if its a specialist, then look at bloodlines. If their is a bloodline that gives a bonus to it, then its a good choice. If there isn't anything, then a wizard might be optimally the better choice.

Blackboodtroll is about to recommend playing a god so that you can consolidate your ability modifiers towards wisdom and use Guided Hand to use Wisdom to-hit with your deity's favored weapon.

I don't know if you can use this. The pre-requesites for this is the ability to Channel and Channel Smite (a horrible feat for a good channeller). An inquisitor has neither.

maybe I am dense, but then what is the big deal about Awesome Display? It is a Save or Sucks spell with Illusions . And save or sucks is generally thought of as inferior.
I find monsters Will Save scale faster than the caster can increase his/her DC.

Do you find the Oracle dip/ sorcerer gets high enough spells to increase the DC to keep up with the monsters, or do you need to designate ever feat to keep up?

"If the creature has 7 HD, treat it as if it had 3 HD."
Do I use a 7HD saving throw or a 3HD though. That is what I need to know.

"Each creature affected by your illusion (pattern) spells is treated as if its total number of Hit Dice were equal to its number of Hit Dice minus your Charisma modifier."

I just want to make sure I am reading this correct.
If Bob the Oracle (Cha 18) casts color spray, do I minus 4 HD from the creature before the saving throw, or only after the creature fails to see its affects?

I hadn't thought of using the Slumber Hex + Greataxe coup de grace combo before. Half-orcs make great witches! Muhahahahaha!!!

EDIT:

Adding enlarge person to the mix was just icing on the cake!

:-D

Any race can pull that off, as you automatically hit when some is slumbered. I had an elf that wielded a scythe (that he was proficient with) for that exact purpose.

Daelen wrote:

I disagree on Iron Man. The best way to portray Iron Man is with the Construct Modification rules and creating the suit as Construct Armor.

I would agree if that sub-set of rules was allowable for PFS play... which is where I get to play most of my character concepts.

Ultimately, a suit of Mithril Folding Plate with Boots of Flying would do as well, without using the Summoner class at all. Just straight Magus (maybe with 2 levels of Cavalier: Standard Bearer would be very effective.

Unfortunately, Folding Plate cannot be made of Mithril in Organized Play as well, it being a specific named armor.

I still believe the Alchemist with Heavy Armor Proficiency Feat is the best way to go.

I try to keep my personal views of topics out of the role playing.
So with this in mind, is it legal where the character lives? Is it legal where he/she is from?
If its both yes, then its not evil.
If he is from somewhere where its not legal, but its legal where he is now, its interesting roleplaying and go with the flow.
If its illegal where he currently is, but not where he is from, then its evil with roleplaying options.
And if it is illegal where he was from, and where he is, then its evil. period.

I'd be dead.
Before I knew what was going on, some random encounter would occur, and a goblin would slice me open with a rusty dog slicer.

For the fighter he has to make sure he can avoid being taken down. If the Monk is a Tetori and the fighter isn't geared to stop it, the fighter is toast. The Tetori is arguably the best 1 on 1 combatant there is when faced with someone their size or smaller.

Of course when faced with the gargantuan dragon, all the monk can do is stay out the way of the fighter.

Hi,

I was looking at the Magister and wanted to know if anyone tried it and found it to be good, or over-powered? I was particularly interested in the Metamagic Magister.

Of course Gnomes are cool. They can make and be proficient in wielding an air conditioner. The keep to a Gnome is being quirky without being annoying or an attention hog. Mine just complains because people look down on him (literally), and is insulted if the enemy doesn't think he is the most deadly in the party. He is a running commentary about Gnome Prejudice.

I enjoy playing Gnomes, but I don't understand why Gnomes and Halflings are so close in personality. To me a halfling is just a Gnome with dirty feet.

And Half Orcs are just too angst filled for my liking.

so increase INT, spell focus, greater S.F., heighten spell feat, and take fey or infernal bloodlines are the only ways?

And there is no way to make charm or dominate permanent? Seems for long campaigns, putting someone in your pocket could be useful. But 1day /level could be a pain. Is it broken to increase this in any way?

hi,
If a 10th level wizard casts charm person is the DC 10+ his level + int or DC + 1 (1st level spell) and int. If its the later, it seems odd that a higher level wizard can't make the spell more powerful.

Other than increasing INT, spell focus, and greater spell focus, is there any way to pump the DC higher? Any meta magic feats?

Balin

So with a 205 str the character would have a str bonus of 97. which is about 50 points past the GM throwing the core rulebook at you, and 40 points past the GM quitting.

The concern with Ironman as a Synthesist as a lack of any missile weapons. I see Ironman as a flying tank shoting things with energy weapons. The Synthesist lacks missile spells, proficiency in missile weapons, and has a poor dexterity so shooting with a bow is sub-optimal.

I like thor as a Wind Oracle. Maybe a cleric with weather domain.

The Rot Grub wrote:

Cool to see this thread-- I kept thinking during the movie what PF classes the different Avengers would be. Hawkeye would be an arcane archer, Captain America would be some cavalier type maybe. Loki's teleportation ability kind of makes me think the shadowdancer prestige class or ninja might suit him.

Of course, I don't have the rulebooks with me right now so I could be way off.

The hardest would be Iron Man. In 3.5 he would be a Warforge Artificer. In PF the only think I can think of is a Synthesist Summoner. After all he would be cacooned in it like a suit. And you could give him Magical Flight and such.

Maybe a Spellstrike Wizard (the Gun Archtype) 1/ Sythesist Summoner 19.

That way he can shoot rays from his hands (Guns). Have Flight, a ton of NA, Blindsight, SR. That should make a good Iron Man.

Ironman would be an Alchemist. It gives the intelligence, and the firepower. Skin it to be an engineer rather than a chemical expert.

Bilbo
Cat Woman
Regis
Possibly Zorro

I would take a Sorcerer. It has the charisma to be a king, has the damage potential to be useful in the adventure. But also I look at it from an after the adventure fluff, and there is no class more terrifying than an 18+ level wizard//sorcerer. The idea that they can nuke armies that even think of invading is a great deterrent to have on your side. The bard is a great class, but an 18th level bard doesn't inspire terror.

Why are Cavaliers that much better than a Paladin?

Everything I have read says Fey and Infernal are basically equal in Arcane Power but the Fey add +2 to Compulsion spells, and Infernal gets +2 in Charm. It seems to me the Fey get more spells that are affected by there +2 than Infernal. Is the few Charm spells really that much better than the dozens of Compulsion spells?

I used to pray for their salvation, then behead them.
To my character, the act of praying was to give them a chance of absolution in there next life/realm/state of being.

Is the beastmorph better than the Ragechemist?

Also if I play a barbarian with a level of Alchemist, does that change the answer between beastmorph and ragechemist?

Depends on the level, but a Tetori monk who has abundant step and the ability to negative freedom of movement will school anyone. Grab, pin, and pummel. Next turn, pin, and snap bones. After that, its academic.

I made one as a villain and turn a fighter into mush with that combo. Also took the snake style so the fighter who was already at a huge disadvantage would give 2 attacks of opportunity when he missed.

And as its a combat maneuver, not an attack, it even gets by the barbarian's come and get me.

The Funniest Death and Killer DM award went together on in my case.
I was DM'ing Crimson Throne part 1 (edge of Anarchy) where the party was going after Lamm. They went around the fish house along the deck and the fighter failed his acrobatics check (rolled a 1) and fell in the water. The shark ate him before he could get out.

I decided that since we just started the campaign, I would take a short break, and let him tweak/change his character and continue where we left off. Well he played a fighter, and failed his acrobatics test again. The shark ate him again.

This happened a third time.

On his fourth incarnation, he made it across (finally rolled over a 3) and got to Lamm and his Croc. In the battle, he slipped for the 4th time, and fell in the water. The shark was waiting with an open mouth.

I have always allowed players to purchase items at Ye Olde Magic Shop usually at the larger cities.

But understanding the RAW and the limitations of purchasing magic items, doesn't it force parties to invest in a Wizard or Cleric to make magic items for the group? Do you DMs see their players doing this?

Alchemist would explain all the gas bombs.

As mentioned, great for INT or WIS based casters. Also great for people who want a long lived character (that's basically immortal) and don't want to play an elf, dwarf, or gnome.

EK don't get armor, right?

I want to play a battle caster, a fighter that can cast buffs, de-buffs and especially Control style specials.

What would you suggest as the best class:
Magus?
Battle Oracle?
Druid?
Cleric?
Inquisitor?
Bard?

If you can state what type (archetypes, domains, mysteries, etc) and why, I would greatly appreciate it.

I like the Ranger, as it has a bit of everything (range, combat, skills, some spells, and melee capable).

Bards are good that way too, especially if the person feels like they want to dabble more into magic. Some of the archetypes make the bardic performance really easy to do (e.g Archeologist that turns it to + to hit and damage).

Tetori monk is the best mage slayer there is.
Abundant step (dimension door) right beside the mage, grapple and pummel. There is nothing the mage can do.

And if you want to be an ass, pay for a item that has an anti magic field. Since a monk doesn't need magic as much as others, the mage is dead.

Also backbreaker deals 2d6 from the opponent's strength. Most wizards I know ignore strength completely. So that 2d6 from a base score of 10 is a very dangerous roll for him, and a fun roll for the monk.

Inquisitor. You can get the Conversion Domain and Infiltrator Archetype to have a huge boost to your diplomacy. 2nd level gives you a boost to your initiative. Plus some good spells. You get a big bonus to skills, and missile weapon proficiency.

Also by level 10 the Tetori is dealing double non-lethal damage on each damage roll to the pinned fighter adds up real fast when you do it twice a round.

How? I did not see that double damage in the Tetori description.

The monk must spend his standard to maintain the grapple, but can use that to try to pin his oppenent, which essentially takes him out of the fight. If he has the greater grapple feat he can do it as a move action and also use his standard to deal damage or, i think do something else.

The fighter is at -2 to hit, but the monk is at -2 ac from being grappled, so it pretty much cancels out.

And if this is a 1 on 1 fight, the fight basically come to a halt, as they hug each other from a pinning position?

in this situation a 10th lvl Tetori goes to grapple a 10th lvl fighter.
as i am unfamiliar with grappling, I need to know if I am right on the mechanics.
The Tetori's CMB beats the fighter's CMD.
That is the end of the Tetori's turn

The Fighter has the choice of trying to break it, which is basically impossible, or use his multiple attacks at -2 to hit.

In this situation, I don't see how trading punches with a fighter, even with the fighter at -2 to hit is a good match for the tetori.

also the monk gets constrict and all his usual attacks (2)?

Use the stats for a rat. LOL

So were watching Casino Royale and the debate started on what would be the optimum character class for bond.
Rogue: lots of skills but sneak attack did not seem right.
Bard: has the skills and the charm but lacks the fighting ability.
Monk: has the fighting ability and skills, but doesn't seem right.
Inquisitor: the fluff is good, but the special abilities don't match overly well.
Fighter: has the fighting ability but not enough skills.

What are your opinions?

Awesome guide. Thanks. Makes me want to play a monk.