Big Django's page

How about some incorporal assistants (ghosts, greater wraiths). They would ignore the black tantacles.

Also I think that a high level high intelligence wizard should have some back-up plans / other attack Options ready. If he has only one trick there is basically only two options how the final fight will go:

a) The Party has prepared well and the fight is boring.

b) The Party has not prepared well and resulzts in a TPK or total flight.

Both results are suboptimal for good game play.

Here's a 12th level Magus build I have, I just dropped off the last two levels

** spoiler omitted **...

Very nice build.

I think you forgot to put in the third magus arcana (I assume accurate strike?).

Also the equipment adds up to 121,400 gp.

You could drop the scimitar down to +2 (-10.000 gp), the ring of protection down to +2 (-10.000 gp) and drop the ring of wizardry (-20.000 gp) to get to the 80k limit.

Kryzbyn wrote:

Politely tell him or her that you can understand their excitement at the coolenss of the story, but they are ruining the story for you with all the spoilers.

Yes, We have tried that. He either ignores it, or takes it as an insult.

Try to put it as a joke, don't make him feel you are educating him.

For instance you could put you fingers in your ears and say "NA NA Na NA" whenever he says a spoiler. Then act jokingly as if you had heard nothing of what he has said, even if you clearly did.

Or you could tell him a story of how you went to a movie with a friend who had already seen it and the friend totally spoiled the movie for you by telling you the end beforehand, which reminded you of him for some reason... ;)

Or you could tell him jokes by telling him the punch line first and then the joke...

Hi,

Concept

Neutral Deity + Versatile Channeler + Holy Vindicator, Lvl 10 Cleric, Level 10 Holy Vindicator

Character normally Channels negative Energy, versatile channeler (Ultimate Magic) allows to channel the other type at -2 Levels, Vindicator shield Class Ability allows to give up a channel energy use to load a shield with a profane/sacred bonus up to the channel dice expended. Vidicator and Cleric levels stack for calculating channel dice.

Can the versatile channeler now spend a 10d6 negative channel to empower his shield with a +10 profane bonus and then a 9d6 postive channel to add a +9 sacred bonus?

Putting this on a +5 Tower Shield would add up to a total shield bonus of

+28 (+4+5+10+9)???

10. In a world were magic is a thing of the past and legends and magicians perform mostly parlor tricks the first dragons reawake and magic returns just in time to face the armies of the long forgotten enemy. [Think Dragonlance or A Song of Ice and Fire)

11. Driven and hunted a carawane of former slaves tries to find a new home, as their parents have died to secure their chance of freedom it falls to their children to prove that their sacrifice was not for nought. (Think Darksun)

Started with an 18 Str.

Has Rage +4
Can Enlarge +2
Bought a belt of Gaint Strength +2

But then I read where Enhancement Bonuses don't stack, so that takes a lot of other magical gear off the table like ion stones.

Any suggestions.

Other info: PFS character, 6th level, Barbarian.

Bull's strength > belt of strength for additional +2

potion or spell

Righteous Might > Enlarge Person for additional +2

Range is personal but you could maybe have a magic item custom made, which allows you to righteous might a certain number of times a day.

If you have a Cleric with you with the Strength Domain with sufficiently high level, he can enhance you higher than +4 but only for 1 round.

Inherent Bonuses from wish spells or manuals of gainful exercise, after you maxed out belts of giant strength.

In level 12 you might reach

18 +2 (attribute bonus level 8 and 12) + 4 size (righteous might item) + 6 enhancement (belt +6) + 6 morale bonus (greater rage)

= 36 Strength

If you are looking to go the holy vindicator route I found the holy warrior varient in the pathfinder campaign setting to be the best to get into holy vindicator. This gives up your domains but provides you with full BAB, a martial wepon, and heavy armor. This allows you to get into holy vindicator by 6th level. Also if your looking to fill a tank role you could also help out with battlefield control by using the duel wielding shields option in feats. This allows you a bunch of attacks, good AC, free bullrush's with every attack, your able to use your defensive shield enhancements as offensive so it saves you money, and it eliminates ALL power attack and two wepon fighting penalties. And with holy vindicator you will still be able to reach 9th level spells, have good channeling, and a slew of awesome abilities.

Just a thought. As you can see I recently went threw this build myself and im playing it now and its amazing. You have so much versitility and you never have to give up any healing ability. If anything your better since you can now channel in a 30 ft cone or a 120 ft line. Ohh and another note on this build. if its spiked and has the bashing enhancement your heavy shields (I say shields cause you wont have a penalty for duel wielding one handed wepons) will be doing 2d6 plus str. each. not too shabby if I say so myself

Versatile Channel class ability would be the reason for me to go the Holy Vindicator route.

There is also the feat from Ultimate Magic confusingly called versatile channeler, which allows you to channel the other type of energy at -2 Levels.

However I dislike that I have to take alignment or elemental channel as prerequisite and that I lose 3 levels of spellcasting over the 10 levels of holy vindicator.

As you have played the class, do the stigmata work or is the constant hp drain to much? How did you deal with it, if you used it regularly, did you cast lesser vigor to counter it or did you have a high Con?

Hello,

I am currently playing a Gorum Cleric in a Kingmaker Campaign and I am thinking about how I can develop the character further during the Campaign. The DM allows all published 3.0 and 3.5 material with the right to Veto as well as all Pathfinder Material. He also allows to retrain feats (i.e. exchange one feat for another with sufficient time and effort). I want him to be more Tank than Healbot / Buffbot. The party has one Warblade, one Sniper/Scout Rogue, a Sorcerer and a halfling Druid. I think two tanks are necessary, as Kingmaker has quite some hard combats.

The following choices have been made.

Abilities:

Str. 18
Dex 8 (Taget here was 1-2 Fighter levels and Spiked Plate Armor)
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 16
Cha 14 (Cha 12 and Con 14 maybe would have been better, but I wanted to be able to take selective channeling)

He can channel negative energy. He is CN. He has taken 3 Cleric Levels, Cleric is his Favored Class.

Domains: Destruction and Strength (Rage Subdomain)

Feats selected so far:

Level 1: Channel Smite
Spontaneous Healer (allows to spontaneuously exchange spells
into cure spells Wis Bonus times a day, quite necessary with
negative channel)
Level 3: Power Attack

I also received 3 Traits from the GM for my Background Story: Resiliant, Suspicious and Veteran of Battle (Gorum).

Background: The Charakter is a displaced Kellid from the Worldwound area. He and his tribe have been looking for a new home to settle.
His ability to channel negative energy may be a taint from the world wound, but he has learned to channel the energy into his weapon to avoid damaging his allies. During this time of displacement, he has learned not to trust easily and has a high regard for true hospitality. During the long trek and frequent displacements he has seen the weak and the meek dying and has turned to Gorum as God of Strength to channel his rage and taint into usefulness for his tribe.

Skills:

Perception (CC): 1 Rank (useful)
Survival (CC): 1 Rank (due to back ground)
Sense Motive: 1 Rank (due to background)
Heal: 1 Rank (quite useful)
Knowledge Religion: 1 Rank (prerequisite spon. healer)
Ride (CC): 2 Ranks (everbody in kingmaker rides constantly)
Acrobatics (CC): 1 Rank (preparation leap attack)
Craft (Weaponsmith): 1 Rank (religious reasons)

Originally I wanted to take 2 levels of Fighter for extra combat feats, heavy armor proficiency and martial weapon proficiency (required for Gorums preferred armor spikes for instance).

Know I am considering 1 level of Babarian, as this would make, perception, survival , ride and acrobatics class skills, as well as giving me rage which stacks with bull's strength and enlarge person and works well with channel smite as it is a free action. However I gain no heavy armor proficiency or extra feats.

I am planning to take leap attack as my 5th level feat and to take raging leaper as rage power if I should decide to take a second Babarian level, but I would not take more babarian levels than that and even the second level looks iffy.

An alternative would be going for holy vindicator, however a Gorumite does not use a shield (perhaps ok if the DM would allow to channel into my armor instead).

What do you guys think?

If your land speed is 20 feet, you take a -4 penalty to Acrobatics checks to jump. You also apply your Armour Check Penalty to Acrobatics checks.

A barbarian whose race has a speed of 30 feet, in medium armour, reduces her speed to 20 feet, then adds +10 feet because her Fast Movement works in medium armour. Because she now has a speed of 30 feet, she has +0 to Acrobatics to jump, plus (or rather minus) her ACP.

With expeditious retreat, her base land speed is 60 feet, reduced to 40 feet by medium armour (p. 170), +10 feet for Fast Movement, totalling 50 feet with +8 to jump checks.

Note that haste doesn't change your base land speed, but your current speed, so with that spell her speed would be 60 feet.

Thanks!

So a Babarian in Medium armor would have a speed of 30 feet and would get +0 to acrobatics (jump) checks before ACP of course.

I assume this means that a Fighter in medium armor would have a base speed of 20 feet and get -4 to acrobatics (jump) checks in addition to his ACP?

A Babarian with an expeditious retreat potion would have a total speed of 50 feet and would get +8 racial bonus to jump checks + ACP

Hi,

I get +4 racial bonus to running jumps if my base land speed is 10 feet faster than 30 feet and a -4 racial malus per 10 feet less.

How does armor influence this? If I am a Babarian +10 feet land speed in medium Armor with a restriction to 20 feet, do I get +4, 0 or -4?

What is the effect of the medium armor does it reduce my speed by 10 feet or does it limit it to 20 feet? In other words should a Babarian have expeditious retreat on (+30 feet enhancement to base land speed) and therefore have a base move unarmored of 70 feet, would this be 20 feet in medium armor or 60 feet?

Thank you

Does anyone know if there is a cavalier ability or perhaps a feat that allows a character to do double damage on a non-mounted charge, regardless of the weapon used? I don’t see one anywhere, but haven’t checked every last archetype or sourcebook.
 
I have a player in my game who claims that there is one. This is someone who often plays fast and loose with the rules, so I want to double check the facts before saying anything.

There is the Valorous Weapon Ability (+1 cost) which doubles your damage on a charge. (Unapproachable East, Forgotten Realms Setting),

There is also the Rhino Rush spell in the Spell Compendium, called Righteous fury in the Miniatures Handbook, with a casting time of a swift action it doubles your damage on a charge for one round.

Hello,

Round 1:

Move to Charge Position - Move Action
Cast Enlarge Person - Standard Action
Cast Blade of Blood (PHB2) - Swift Action (Duration 1 rd/level)

Round 2:

Charge - Full Attack Action
Powerful Charge - no action (non core, Eberron, Miniatures Handbook)
Power Attack - no action
Jump + Leap Attack - as part of the move action of charge (non-core)
Channel Smite - swift action
Destructive smite - no action
Ferocious Smite - no action (Ferocious Sub-domain of Strength APG)
Vital Strike - (as part of the attack action)
When hit - activate Blade of Blood - free action? No action?
Activate Spell Storing - free action

Ok, so this can now be corrected to:

Round 1:

Cast Enlarge Person - Full round action
Cast Blade of Blood -Swift Action

Round 2

Either

Charge - special full attack action
Powerful Charge - modifies charge
Power Attack
Jump and Leap Attack - part of move action of charge through leap attack feat
Channel Smite - swift action
Ferocious Smite
Activate Blade of Blood when hit
Activate Spell Storing - free action

or

3d6 (large t-h)+ 2d6 powerful charge + 3d6 (channel) + 3d6 (Blade of Blood) + 3 (ferocious smite) + 3d8 +6 inflict serious wounds + 12 (Str) + 6 (Power Attack)+ 12 leap attack +1 weapon = 11d6 + 3d8 + 40 (of which 3d6 + 3d8 have a will save for half each) = 92 points of damage if no saves on average

walk up slowly and attack

Vital Strike
Power Attack
Channel Smite
Ferocious Smite
Destructive Smite
Activate Blade of Blood when hit
Activate Spell Storing - free action

3d6 (large t-h)+ 3d6(vital) + 3d6 (channel) + 3d6 (Blade of Blood) + 6 (Smites) + 3d8 +6 inflict serious wounds + 12 (Str) + 6 (Power Attack) +1 weapon = 12d6 + 3d8 + 31 (of which 3d6 + 3d8 have a will save for half each) = 86,5 points of damage if no saves on average

I'm not sure if you can do the "Jump + Leap Attack" as part of a move action since you're making a charge. A Charge is a full-round action. As stated by others, it's not a sum of a move+standard, it's its own action. And yet, it counts as a move action for the purposes of being able to draw a weapon...hmph..

The leap attack feat says specifically that is possible. It is available as an excerpt on the wizards home page so I can probably quote it here:

Leap Attack

Benefit: You can combine a jump with a charge against an opponent. If you cover at least 10 feet of horizontal distance with your jump, and you end your jump in a square from which you threaten your target, you can double the extra damage dealt by your use of the Power Attack feat. If you use this tactic with a two-handed weapon, you instead triple the extra damage from Power Attack.

Vital Strike, as stated by others, cannot be done as part of a charge. It can only be done on a single attack action done as a standard action. You're not attacking with vital strike, your attack IS vital strike.
As far as the action required for Power Attack, Ferocious Smite, & Spell Storing, those are correct as free actions. Channel Smite is correct as a swift action. You can absolutely make a Ferocious Smite as part of the charge, but not a Destructive Smite. Consider Ferocious Strike:
"Whenever you make a melee attack..."
versus Destructive Smite:
"You gain the destructive smite power: the supernatural ability to make a single melee attack..."

You mean I can ferocious strike and charge but not destructive smite and charge, well this makes even more sense. However note my post above regarding p.198 of the core rulebook, which says that you are making a single melee attack during a charge.

When it comes time to domain abilities, unless otherwise stated they are always standard actions. So Destructive Smite based on its wording is in fact a standard action. Does this logically make sense? No. But hey, we all know that cleric domains are in need of an overhaul.

I agree with you on that.

Big Django wrote:

Though I am pretty sure that in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook there is a sentence saying charge is combining a move action and "a single melee attack". I dont have the rulebook with me right now, but I remember showing the sentence to my GM.

"A single melee attack" is the exact wording for the smites also, therefore I am somewhat surprised.

Also If you take a step back from the rules and just look at what is happening in the game, it does not make much sense to me either.

I can walk up to a monster and smite it, but I can't run up to a creature and smite it. I would think that smite would fit with better with a charge, than just slendering up (vital strike may be another matter.)

There is no such sentence. Charge is a full round action which is a specific action type. You may have convinced the GM that a move + a standard equals a full round, and they do generally take up the same amount of time, but a full round actions is not the sum of two smaller parts. It is its own action type.

A challenge how nice! ;) May I redirect your eyes to p.198 of the core rule book where it says:

"Attacking on a charge: After moving, you may make a single melee attack."

Why can't this be the "single melee attack" of destructive smite or the attack action of vital strike for that matter?

What David said.

There is some confusing terminology in D&D/Pathfinder, where similar words are used for different concepts.

There is attack. In the context of melee combat, this is using a weapon to attempt to damage an opponent. You roll 1d20 + modifiers, and then you roll damage if you hit. There are many ways to get an attack. Charge gives you an attack. A full attack gives you one or more attacks. Cleave lets you make one or two attacks. Spring Attack includes an attack.

There is also the attack action. This is a specific type of standard action, which allows you to make a single attack.

Vital Strike specifically references using an attack action. A charge allows you to move and make an attack, not an attack action. Spring Attack is similar. What you (and many others) want is for the Vital Strike benefit to start "Benefit: When you make an attack, you can ..."

Thank you that helps somewhat. Though I am pretty sure that in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook there is a sentence saying charge is combining a move action and "a single melee attack". I dont have the rulebook with me right now, but I remember showing the sentence to my GM.

"A single melee attack" is the exact wording for the smites also, therefore I am somewhat surprised.

Also If you take a step back from the rules and just look at what is happening in the game, it does not make much sense to me either.

I can walk up to a monster and smite it, but I can't run up to a creature and smite it. I would think that smite would fit with better with a charge, than just slendering up (vital strike may be another matter.)

Unless otherwise noted, using a domain power is a standard action.

Emphasis mine. Destructive smite doesn't say otherwise therefore it's a standard action. Same with Ferocious Smite.

Does this mean that you can not combine destructive smite with ferocious smite in a normal attack action or can you combine the two standard actions to one?

I am already combining the attack action with the smite (otherwise the smite would make no sense at all). So I should be able to double smite also, right?. And the Channel Smite for a triple smite.

And you can't Vital Strike on a charge.

Vital Strike (Combat)

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6.

Benefit: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon’s damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision-based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.

+

Charge

Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. Charging, however, carries tight restrictions on how you can move.

Again why can't the attack action I am using for vital strike be the attack action of the charge?

I tried to look for rulings on this but have not found any, so any reference to gmame content beyond "you can not" would be helpful.

Thanks!

And for similar reasons, you can't use destructive smite with a charge either, the way I read it. Destructive Smite is a standard action all its own so can't be mixed with other actions such as charge and vital strike.

This is exactly the question.

Please note "a single melee attack" in the definition of

Destructive Smite

"You gain the destructive smite power: the supernatural ability to make a single melee attack with a morale bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your cleric level (minimum 1). You must declare the destructive smite before making the attack. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier"

and in the definition of Charge:

"Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. Charging, however, carries tight restrictions on how you can move."

Can this attack be a single melee attack of destructive smite and if not why not?

Enlarge Person has a casting time of 1 round, like a summoning spell.

School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 1

Casting Time 1 round

Thanks I had overlooked that, this means that I have no move action in the first round, but I can cast a full round action spell and a swift spell.

Hello,

I am currently playing a Gorum Priest as part of a Kingmaker campaign. My concept is based around maximising the damage of the first attack.

Round 1:

Move to Charge Position - Move Action
Cast Enlarge Person - Standard Action
Cast Blade of Blood (PHB2) - Swift Action (Duration 1 rd/level)

Round 2:

Charge - Full Attack Action
Powerful Charge - no action (non core, Eberron, Miniatures Handbook)
Power Attack - no action
Jump + Leap Attack - as part of the move action of charge (non-core)
Channel Smite - swift action
Destructive smite - no action
Ferocious Smite - no action (Ferocious Sub-domain of Strength APG)
Vital Strike - (as part of the attack action)
When hit - activate Blade of Blood - free action? No action?
Activate Spell Storing - free action

Questions:

1) Are my action definitions correct?

2) My DM mentioned that the Destructive and Ferocious smites can only be activated as part of a "single melee attack" not a full round attack, which is the charge action. Only the other hand, charge is defined as movement plus a single attack, therefore I think that it should be possible.

3) Any other other ideas to maximise the damage?

I have not considered Rhino Rush (which would stop the channel smite and which is not really open to Clerics as we use Spell Compendium, but would fit Gorum.

I would have to ask the DM if Valorous Weapon is allowed (would this stack with Rhino Rush for 3x damage?), Spell storing is the alternative.

In higher levels True strike in round 1 will cause more damage on the first blow, but only the first...

Righteous Might will supplant Enlarge Person when he has the levels.

Awesome Smite - (Non core Complete Champion) can be good at higher levels too.

If I take a 3rd fighter level if could use the Overhandchop of the twohanded weapon fighter archtype (but see below).

Things like Weapon of Awe etc may help additionally, but I would really like to look at the situation, what can I achieve in two rounds from zero...)

Results

Level 8 (Cleric 6 Fighter 2)

3d6 (Large Greatsword)
3d6 (Vital Strike)
2d6 (Large Powerful Charge)
3d6 (Channel Smite negative Energy)
3d6 (Blade of Blood (only if hit sacrifice 5 hp)
3d8 +6 (Inflict Serious Wounds (Spell Storing))

Base strength 20 + 2 (Enlarge Person) +4 (Belt) = 26
+1 Weapon of Spellstoring
Base Attack +6

+1 through Weapon
+12 through Strength(Factor 1.5 through great sword, I assume overhand chop would add only +3 here as it changes the factor to 2 and not more)
+ 6 Power Attack
+ 12 Leap Attack (triples power attack dam w two handed weapon)
+3 Destructive Smite
+3 Ferocious Smite

For a total of

14d6 + 3d8 + 43 (of this there is a will save for half ag 3d6 + 3d8 +6 of channel smite and inflict serous wounds but this damage bypasses any damage resistance)

Expected Average Damage: 105,5

Thank you