Bane Wraith's page

But I figure, maybe this is one of those times the designers assumed their readers are reasonable, rational humans with experience of the real world. Like the condition Dead not stating that you can't take actions. Maybe the designers intended GMs to use their own judgement on the subject.

+1 to that. The rules are similarly fuzzy when it comes to using the perception skill at a very far range, such as spotting a castle on the horizon, a mountain or even the moon. Instead of adding +528 to the DC per mile, use a GM's judgement.

Of course, if I were GM, I'd probably associate some sort of penalty to literally not being able to see your own hands are. But your target is: Not using stealth, perfectly well lit, and fully visible. Even if your GM were to be a jerk and suggest you can't find your quiver or aim down a crossbow, they definitely do not have concealment towards you.

Since we're likely dealing with a spell similar to Darkness or Deeper Darkness, consider the FAQ...

Darkness: Can a nonmagical light source increase the light level within the area of darkness if the light source is outside the spell's area?

No. Nonmagical light sources do not increase the light level within the spell's area, regardless of whether the light source is in the area or outside the area.

If I interpret correctly, then No, the human would not see outside of the area because light from the torch is incapable of permeating that area. Anything outside the area is just as dark(or dim) to him as the area within.

EDIT: Of course I could be Not a moron, and look at the FAQ Directly Afterwards...

Darkness: Can I see light sources through an area of darkness?

No. If a darkness spell reduces the light in the area to actual darkness (or supernatural darkness, if using a more powerful spell), you can't see through the darkness into what is beyond it.

..Meh...Whatever. Question answered right? -.-

(Upon being attacked) "Oh, that one's going to cost you an arm and a leg..."
(Upon casting an offensive AoE spell) "Clearance sale! Everything must go!"
(Upon making an overhead strike) "Customer Satisfaction Guillotined!"
(Upon dodging a swing) "Hey! No refunds!"
(To the halfling) "...But you're already half off!"

I was mostly kidding. But if you insist...

Tatoos would be an effective way to write spells across your body, so long as you're only inking in the magical writing and not a spell completion effect or something else possible via the Inscribe Magical Tatoo feat. I'd recommend Craft(Calligraphy) or something similar for the effect. Silk or cloth wrappings work just as well. Naturally, this all comes at the normal price for creating magical writings plus whatever relevant items (ink, or dye) are needed. Edit: Be aware you need to study your spellbook... so have a mirror handy!

A Fan (or Fighting Fan) may not be the best martial weapon in the hands of a wizard, but it's light enough to carry around. Why not have a gust of wind written across its blades?

A Scrying spell requires multiple pages. However, if you can manage to condense or otherwise store that information on the back of a handmirror, you have a spell and focus in one!

A blanket is a grand tapestry just begging to be made into a giant spell page. Here's the thing; Write everything you need to prepare Treasure Stitching on one side of it, and it already qualifies as that spell's material component. Why? Because it's got some expensive magic writing on it, making it worth over 100gp!

Ever wanted to wield your own totem in combat? Find a tree large enough, and with enough work, you can chisel an entire spellbook's worth of information into its form. Shrink Item makes it into a neat quarterstaff to use as a walking stick or even weapon. In an emergency, extending it outwards can save you from a trap that's making those walls close in. Or to cross a river. Or to squish a house. Just be careful not to be dispelled!

OMG! I just realized that in Pathfinder no one can smell the Sun!

If you're smelling the sun, please make a Craft(alchemy) check to know what the hell was in your last drink...

I don't quite understand what's missing for half of those. Step up and strike? A few prepared actions... Play a drow, half-drow or svirfneblin... Disruptive isn't too great alone, but...

There are ways to build a character as an anti-mage. There are prestige classes like Master Spy built to sneak beneath their radar. There will always be full-attacking ranged classes to take them out at a distance, or lock them down with prepared actions.

What Exactly would you be looking for to deal with the big, bad casters, when you're playing a role better suited to knock down all their minions without breaking a sweat?

Perhaps you could write some cantrips on your socks?

Though, seriously, if you did propose this as an alternative magical writings, they'd be stupidly costly when lost, nicked, torn, or muddied. I'd be happy to claim my half-elf has a Vanish spell etched on their pants, but be sure you have Prestidigitation handy... and Mending.

My only issue would be the fact that a true spellbook is part of the class feature. There may or may not be reasons to keep it to book form, but it'll take a GM's ruling to say a Wizard can keep his endure elements spell on his scarf. At the very least, you could claim that both Hide armor and parchment have their origins in animal tissue, just that one is processed differently. I'd prefer using a spellbook, Secluded Grimoire, and be done with it without sequestering your undies in another plane of existence.

Definitely not as mathematically sound as some of the above suggestions... But I'd suggest making any Simulacrum effectively a Construct minus the bonus HP.

There are already enough spells to deal with constructs specifically, it's made of snow, and it's Always under your absolute command. While an illusory duplicate, it seems to fit the bill in most other ways.

It'll encourage you to make smaller Simulacrums for the benefits that come with that creature type, and it'll discourage you from making massive, all-powerful Tarrasque-level Simulacrums because there's always the possibility of someone casting Control Construct...

I thought there was some significant controversy as to whether the Any-tool could be used as Thieve's Tools... Was that ever resolved?

Just a thought...But what stops someone from casting the spell on an attended object currently being held or worn by an opponent? It's a touch spell with no spell resistance applicable and a will save upon discharge. Touch the opponent's stuff.

But I get where RAW it shouldn't work. So at a PFS table most likely NO, home campaign go for it.

If you wouldn't mind my asking (As it's relevant to the original question), Exactly how do you get that, according to the rules as written, it shouldn't work?

So far the only assertions I've seen saying it wouldn't work are from people claiming that "touching" something and "being in contact" with something aren't the same thing. I looked around, but couldn't find anything in the rules to back that up. Only more assertions.

I can imagine a wizard who casts this on every other floor board just to screw with meddling adventures by making them play extreme hopscotch.

Funny. I imagine casting it on a bunch of tiny constructs or animated objects, and ordering them to go around giving "hugs"

Explosive Runes on all the things!

Yeah, you just try stealthing everywhere with your eyes closed...

I'm partially with Orfamay Quest on this one. For a GM, it can be difficult to keep tabs on what's going on in a fictional universe. Missing that one monster in the bestiary which could have tied it all together, forgetting about some races altogether, making fallable excuses for how various in-game systems and politics work... Basically, there will Always be something missing. For it to work, I've seen people rely far too much on the game mechanics instead of interesting roleplay, or even compromising one for the other to account for what players invested in.

How often does one remember that undead carcasses are ripe with disease, or that their stench should be smelled a half mile away before someone's 60ft darkvision spots them? How often will a player completely botch a roleplayed diplomatic attempt, but get away with it anyways because they chose to play a high-charisma character? Who keeps track of the weather until someone plays a Sylph, or thinks about Otyughs in the sewers before finding them in the bestiary? There wil Always, Always be more to add that the GM simply has to reason into/out of existence.

Player drama is otherwise by far the most prevalent problem. If it does happen, it tends to rip a whole game apart.

Third place goes to rule-mongers and rule conflicts. Everyone's always encouraged to follow and interpret the RAW, as that's what's going to be the most likely agreement between any two people that play the game. At least a GM can straight up veto or fudge this, usually in favor of keeping players together or happy.

Swift Foot (Ex): The barbarian gains a 5-foot enhancement bonus to her speed. This increase is always active while the barbarian is raging. A barbarian can select this rage power up to three times. Its effects stack.

Swift Foot (Ex): The barbarian gains a 10-foot enhancement bonus to her base speed. A barbarian can select this rage power up to three times; its effects stack.

Since it is up on the PRD without any correction, I'd judge it to be a deliberate move.

Half-Undead is only a creature subtype, not a creature type, so you are correct. Spells that affect undead would not affect them. Normally, you'd be building something like a Humanoid(Half-Undead,Human).

Their only special interactions are with positive and negative energy effects, and with energy drain, as the PRD suggests:

Half-Undead (5 RP)
Half-undead races are strange or unholy fusions of the living and the undead. Players interested in playing a half-undead race might also consider the dhampir, the progeny of a vampire and a human. A half-undead race has the following features.

Half-undead have the darkvision 60 feet racial trait.
Half-undead gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects.
Half-undead take no penalties from energy-draining effects, though they can still be killed if they accrue more negative levels than they have Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels they've gained are removed without any additional saving throws.
Half-undead creatures are harmed by positive energy and healed by negative energy. A half-undead creature with the fast healing special quality still benefits from that quality.

Special Subtypes
Two of the creature types—construct and undead—create interesting player options, but are too expensive if you are trying to create a race within the strictures of the standard power level. If you are making a standard race and still want it to be a construct or undead race, consider the two special subtypes detailed below, the half-construct and half-undead. Each of these includes much of the flavor of the types they are related to, but grants fewer abilities and immunities. These subtypes can be added to any of the race types except for construct and undead. When you apply these subtypes to the humanoid type, choose another subtype as the creature's other half. For example, you could make a creature that is humanoid (half-construct, human).

Bold emphasis mine. (...Sorry for basically repeating everything you've posted, but it seems like it needs no further explanation, as undead creatures are their own creature type.)

...In other news, a local family of three has chosen to adopt Fluffles, the armless tiger today. Father Siegfried claims he knows a halfling circus performer, that...

Be careful. We are discussing a bloodrager here, he might take this suggestion too literally.

That depends on how good his Heal skill is, and whether he has an area fit for surgery... Best to have someone w/ Raise Dead prepared for good measure...

Agreed with DM Livgin's post, when sitting at the actual table with the GM and other players. I'd add it's definitely helpful to consciously try not to phrase your 'fanboying' as suggestions rather than commentary. It's also helpful to ease a little on a stance against subtle metagaming if the other players and GM seem fine with it, as any strong opinion can kill the fun.

I'd also recommend talking to your GM outside of the game space to find the root cause. As mentioned by others, it might be your fellow players that are actually the ones complaining and the GM has chosen to confront you about it. Even if your actions were arguably 'Not metagaming / Not infinging on the game', this could just be a frustrating conflict with other players' preferences when role playing.

Contact the GM. Ask if they'd like to chat about it. See if they can better explain for you where the problem is. You already seem more than willing to not be someone that hinders the game for others, and I hope your GM can grow some thicker skin as well. It Is their campaign, they have arbitrary power, and it's meant to be enjoyed by all, not feel threatened by opinions. It's the same reason you resist throwing the rules as written in a GM's face, even if your character is designed around them. It's the same reason you can enjoy swinging on chandeliers, while firing hand crossbows or accurately throwing 4 knives in 6 seconds, *And* successfully punch an ogre in the balls/taint on your next turn. The more relaxed and less serious the experience, the funner it can be for all.

Edit: Agreed with Dosgamer as well. Simply asking your GM what the characters present know about their surroundings is a great way to both avoid this issue, and encourage the GM to give out more helpful detail.

Sure it can. There's absolutely nothing that says it can't use both approaches.

No. It can't. Something cannot simultaneously allow and restrict something. A permissive system would restrict you from doing anything not included in the rules. A restrictive system would allow you to do anything not included in the rules. The only thing you could really argue is that it was intended to be neither, and I think that's what you're trying to say. But it still leans towards an explicitly Permissive system (With the Most Important Rule as a kind of arbitrary/vetoing power, and helping to streamline the whole thing). Looking for a quote to support this just brings up hundreds of posts, so I'm not going to bother right now.

Anyways. Took a bit of time to specifically address the stacking sneak attack class features question... Kicking myself for not doing do before.

No—unless an ability specifically says it stacks with similar abilities (such as an assassin's sneak attack), or adds in some way based on the character's total class levels (such as improved uncanny dodge), the abilities don't stack and you have to use them separately. Therefore, cleric channeling doesn't stack with paladin channeling, necromancer channeling, oracle of life channeling, and so on.

Emphasis mine. So, that pretty much settles the stacking sneak attack question; No, they don't stack. The Strangle ability and Strangler feat w/ some other class's sneak attack would probably use the larger of the two.

At least the Assassin's sneak attack would stack with the Strangler's Strangle. However... the FAQ does seem to imply that you need really do need the "Sneak attack class feature" to qualify for any requirements- feats and prestige classes included.

So... With all that out of the way, all that's left is the perceived ambiguity in the feat's wording. As far as I can tell, there's no real way to answer that, and in just about all cases it doesn't really matter anyways; The above solves most scenarios.

What was she like during her rebellious teenage years, I wonder? Pretending her mother didn't exist in a very selective form of atheism, and dating clerics of Rovagug in protest?

Nah... Screw the Rough Beast, go for the more sensuous one that's got a hot eye for her mother... Looking at you, Lamashtu! Even better, considering the already awkward mother-daughter relationship.

Come to the demonic side. We've got succubi.

For the next 24 hours you may not summon Bob the Hound archon. Tim, Frank, or any of the other hound archons are fine, there are more than one of them.

Actually, for the next 24 hours, no one can summon Bob, if it applied to all hound archons then you can only successfully summon when you are the first person to attempt it after the 24 hour clock expires after the last time that, somewhere in the multiverse, someone had a summons of that type "die."

Now, that's a bit of an exaggeration. The text doesn't say 'Everyone'. It says 'You'. It'd be a better hypothesis to think that every summoner gets their own 'Bob', their own 'Frank', their own 'Tim', maybe even a 'Jimmy' and 'Sabrina'. As they gain better and better access to Summon Monster spells, their repertoire grows.

Anyways... This seems like it could be a topic all on its own. I think I'll start a new thread about it now.

Edit: Here

Houserule: Dunk her in holy water and say a prayer. Bam, living holy symbol. :D

I had a GM once who ran their own homemade campaign set in a pathfinder equivalent of ~16th century europe. Now I really, really wish I played a priest that used baptized children as their holy symbol...

Now that's some tasty fluff! Thanks for the input. I think I'll take to that view as well. Though I completely forgot summoned creatures can't teleport around. Guess I'll have to Call a lantern archon if I want a long distance messenger... Anyways, awesome! Thank you.

1d12 or 2d6 is the maximum damage die for a medium-sized weapon, regardless of weight. If you're just swinging it around, that's the damage die. If used with a siege weapon or Rock Throwing, it'd most likely be treated as a medium-sized boulder, or 1d10 damage die.

This still seems like the best answer. The weight is a red herring; You're still using it as an improvised weapon for an (assumably) medium sized creature. If I were to grab a lead pipe, I'd still be using it as a greatclub sized for me, despite it being many pounds heavier.

Perhaps the ram wasn't the best choice for 'shoving as much weight into an opponent as possible', but it's what I could find as a weapon that didn't reliably have a haft, grip or chain.

Again, I'd suggest you look for an improvised weapon suited for you rather than an inappropriately sized weapon suited for someone else. As a falling object, I'd probably be calling it a large (4 sets of medium chainmail) or medium falling object, that does half damage due to being less solid.... (so, either 3d6/2 or 4d6/2)

Why would you scale it up that way? First off, you've already scaled it up to a theoretical weapon way beyond what a medium creature could use. After being modified to two-handed, you Cannot go higher.

Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can't make optimum use of a weapon that isn't properly sized for it. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn't proficient with the weapon, a –4 nonproficiency penalty also applies.

The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder's size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. For example, a Small creature would wield a Medium one-handed weapon as a two-handed weapon. If a weapon's designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can't wield the weapon at all.

Emphasis mine. So, your only option is to make it as close to an improvised two-handed weapon sized for a medium creature. If you did somehow judge for it to be a sap, at the very most it would be a Sap for a Huge creature.

The damage dice progression can be found Here

If I calculate correctly, you'd be using a Huge-sized sap equivalent, at -8 attack, for 2d6+(1.5*str) damage.

Nothing really suggests you take an improvised weapon to be an inappropriately sized weapon from the start, And starting that way just yields a similarly damaging attack with an even worse penalty to attack.

If Bane wasn't convinced by the FAQ which says you can't apply an ability mod twice, there's nothing else that's going to make that more clear, imo.

So...You thought a ruling directly regarding sneak attack damage would be less convincing than a ruling on unrelated modifiers or bonuses?

*wields adamantine wood ax*
Sorry who what now?

Gotta shake that bottom line...

A thneed is fine something that all people need!
The thneed is good, the thneed is great...

But, why?

Hammering adamantine items/weapons/armor...

EDIT: oooh, adamantine ax. Good idea. Cut down those pesky ironwood trees...

I'd strongly recommend you find another source of increase in caster level, that doesn't have the word "For" after it.. =P

That feat only increases your effective caster level for all variables in the spell. One could argue that would not actually increase the caster level of the spell.

You're a lifesaver, Cheapy. Thank ya kindly!

I was, friend. It just strikes me as hilarious that Even if it worked that way, and one Could gain the Animal creature type through a polymorph effect, you'd probably never be able to simply because, according to the PRD, You can't have an intelligence greater than 2, and have that creature type.

It's just painfully laughable. If I showed this to my GM, he'd probably just grow this wry smile, allow it to happen, then announce "You now have an intelligence of 2 and only vague memory of your humanoid life."

Ah... the irony.

@Loja

A nice post, describing what I've been trying to, through story and elaborate form.

I must make a few small statements in addition, if you don't mind.

Firstly, nothing in the vvisectionist's sneak attack states that it removes the Sneak Attack bonus damage from other classes, be them prestige or not. It simply Counts those classes, in order to determine the effective rogue level as described in its entry

Therefore, it's important to note that because the Sneak Attack from the Prestige classes Stack with those from all other sources, they're being granted in Addition. Prestige classes with the sneak attack class feature both count towards the Vivisectionist's prescribed Effective Rogue Level, As well as add their own sneak attack damage. This would technically lead to a Rogue 9 / Viv 1 / Assassin 10 having 15d6, not 10d6.

I didn't want to say the following, because it's most definitely *Not* within the Rules as Intended...

But even though the Vivisectionist Sneak Attack class feature shows multiple examples of it stacking with rogue levels to determine one combined effective rogue level... Nowhere in the text does it actually say that that effective rogue level Replaces the damage granted from levels in rogue. The examples are clear. The rules, not so much.

Again. The above is definitely *Not* Rules as Intended, just something else I find to be a little confusingly worded. I also didn't want to say much because the Rogue's Sneak Attack doesn't say in itself that it stacks with the Sneak Attack damage granted by other sources. The Prestige classes do, instead, to make sure they cleanly stack. Because the rogue's doesn't, the math probably all works out in the end anyways.

Truly, I'm beginning to feel the Vivisectionist's Sneak Attack class feature needs to be scrapped and rewritten entirely, to properly reflect the rules as intended.

It's basically to trap something in a room where you've written the symbol. Like say if there's a horrible monster in there that you don't want your enemies freeing from, or even some nice toasty lava. Can also be used to keep things out. The original just lasted longer, and was underpriced for it considering the price of a permanent wall of force :)

Thank you, and hope to read any changes you make to it soon! =D

A bunch of stuff

Very much enjoy the Tutoring prospect, if I can figure out how to actually Teach a class of NPCs, myself... but... Hell, why not. XD

A month of crash-course classes and workshops. Every student is required to bring in:

- 1 Traveling Spellbook
- 5gp per day of lessons, for Spell Writing
- Their Tuition fee (Yet to be determined)(50% down payment at start of month, the rest at end)
- A signed waver for any injuries, and stating their parents don't mind them flinging around balls of acid and shooting beams of frost.

Basic lesson plan:

Mornings:

-Demonstrations of cantrips. Each day, the students are shown one (or several related) cantrips and its various uses. The students are taught about the nature of magic and how to effectively and efficiently use it, along the way. This is the theory-based portion of the class. The first two days of class are Always to teach the Read Magic cantrip.

Afternoons:

-Spellcraft and Spell-writing. Students are assigned minor notes and methods to most efficiently read and write in Magic scripts and notations; Each is provided with a spellbook, provided by the teacher, with all the spells needed to copy from. They must return these books by the end of the day. They provide their own material costs, averaging to be 5gp/day (mentioned in the requirements). If needed, Students may be Aided by the teacher (me!) in this process.

Night:

-Students leave, handing in the spellbooks. Teacher takes this time to copy in the Next day's cantrips into the books that the students will copy from. Individual tutorships occur now as well, for those students 'falling behind'.

---

The benefits of the above?

-Every student leaves with a book full of cantrips, worth 150gp
-This Encourages students to purchase a full book of spells from Me
-I get paid no matter what, with minimal losses if a student leaves.
-I can have as many students as I can write cantrips for. (5 minutes each per night)
- Magic is encouraged; I basically just created a group of Wizards, whom will likely be more than eager to copy a few 1st level spells from yours truly, or buy a Secondary book for level 1 spells.
-Everybody loves Mr. Wraith! =D

A quick and dirty cursed golem: give it an Intelligence score of 10, a chaotic evil alignment, the ability to ignore its master's commands at its discretion, and an increasing urge to ruin everything its creator loves. Adam from Frankenstein, in other words.

...Dear gods, What if it's a Chaotic Evil character?!

Necromancer: *Watches golem pick up a Holy Book of Erastil*
Golem:*Gestures with a Peace sign to former master, followed by flipping off, and flees.*

2 months later:

Golem is known as the Mute Crusader, Leading a wave of Clerics against his former master. There's a Holy symbol welded onto various parts of its body.