BishopMcQ's page

Hello, there appears to be a minor layout glitch with the interactive map file for Dreamers of the Nameless Spires. The title page on the file that I downloaded from the store last night has the cover art for Dreamers, but the title says "They Watched the Stars"

The maps all align to the adventure for Dreamers, so it's functional. It just looks like the cover page needs an update.

I'm looking at items that can speed up overland travel.

Ring of the Weary Traveler is a 5th level item that temporarily blocks fatigue and has +10' movement for Overland Travel.

Hardy Traveler (9th level racial feat) has a similar +10' and another bonus.

Horseshoes of Speed are a 14th level item for the +10' version, 7th level for +5'.

If we made a new item say, Horseshoes of the Messenger, that just increase the speed by 10' for overland travel, would it be reasonable to be a 4th or 5th level item? I recognize that tactical movement is worth more than overland movement due to the combat applications.

Can anyone provide context as to what this is supposed to be? I got an email that there is a new download available but it appears to be a separate product that is not an update to the Dark Archive file.

While reading about the Androffan foundries, I thought about "sufficiently advanced technology" and the Reincarnate spell.

Reincarnate places an existing soul into a brand new body -- the ritual doesn't really delve into some of the psychosocial changes that could cause for an individual, their self-image vs the reflected image in a mirror, familial relationships, etc.

If the Androffans have the technology to create wholly sentient beings, then the technology likely also exists to create organic shells without a soul. These would be similar to clones or simulacra and serve as a vessel to receive a reincarnated soul or the use of magic jars. We've had spells which could mirror much of this in previous editions, so the Androffan technology feels sufficiently advanced to function as the magic. Having a premade vessel feels like it would be easier to stitch the soul back into, rather than needing the magic to create one fully within the ritual.

Obviously if this was being done to create immortality and prevent the soul from being judged, Pharasma and other powers would likely get involved. But for swapping one organic sleeve for another, how would the lore get impacted? My premise is from empty shells specifically designed for the purpose, not stealing another person's body.

Can we move the subforums for closed Playtest to the bottom of the list? Maybe do this 2-4 weeks after the Playtest finishes if there is still significant traffic into those threads in the immediate debrief period.

Another thought would be to keep the Advice and Rules forums up closer to the top.

Right now, if I come into the PF2 forums there's General Discussion, then Dark Archive Playtest, Dark Archive Playtest General, Psychic, Thaumaturge, then 4 more subforums for Guns and Gear, 4 more for Secrets of Magic, then finally Advice, Rules Discussions, and the products, 3pp, etc.

From a lore perspective, was the discovered/stolen technology in Castle Urion that was discussed in the Numeria book ever followed up on or was that a hook for home GMs to run with? I haven't seen any follow up, but wasn't sure if I missed something.

If it has Spoilers for Iron Gods, please let me know and I will dig into that AP.

I noticed that the files for just Book 1 (Adventure and Interactive Maps) are the same size as all of the files for the Abomination Vaults (Adventures and Maps).

Age of Ashes - 133 mb
Extinction Curse - 184 mb
Agents of Edgewatch - 293 mb
Abomination Vaults - 155 mb (for half as many books as previous APs)
Fists of the Ruby Phoenix - 546 mb

That brings in Fist of the Ruby Phoenix as nearly the same size as the first 3 APs combined. What's changing?

I received an email this evening stating that the order needs a valid payment method. Please use the payment method on file which has been used for the last few months.

Can you please clarify why the default/only payment method is not being used?

A list of some other magus tricks that would be nice:

A "flurry" of weapon attacks with a spell cast on the magus. The spell should trigger at the end of the flurry and could be limited to buff spells or spells that don't directly effect other creatures.

Dimensional strikes - advanced Slide where the magus teleports strikes and teleports back to the original position or opens a small portal to allow a weapon strike at Close range

What other tricks can you see?

1E had a quick reference guide for new players available in the Downloads section of the Paizo store. I haven't been able to find anything official like it. Tormented Heroes in Roll 20 and the Demo adventure have them.

Is there a place I can point players too or is it best to just extract the reference from the Demo PDF and use that?

Silent Spell allows you to cast a spell silently or when sound doesn't carry, as long as the spell has Verbal and at least one other component.

How does a Wizard cast Shield or other Verbal only spells in this situation?

Morning all --

Usually when I download the adventure from the store, it has the AP module and an Interactive Maps file. Part 3 is missing the maps for me. Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks!

Each time I download something from the store, I have to click on the product three times to get it. (Personalize, then update, then download) Is there a way to streamline this that I am missing, a setting to turn on, etc? I'd love to be able to click once, have the file get automatically watermarked and then begin downloading. I don't mind the delay, but when I get a new shipment and have to click multiple times on each product, the interface feels clunky.

Thanks!

I've been talking about the different uses of Take the Case within a story. There seems to be a need for some foreshadowing throughout to have it make sense. Some encounters won't be linked to the case at all.

Using Book 1 of Rise of the Runelords as an example of the Cases:

Can the investigator drop a case, start a new case, and then go back to the first case by taking 1 minute which each new case?

How does the investigator know that a subject is valid for the use of the Free Action of Study Suspect? If the investigator gets confused or falls for the red herring, doesn't the knowledge that it took an action instead of a free action tell the investigator something. Effectively, the investigator tries to put the pieces together and instead of everything clicking, is there "something not quite right" which distracts their mind taking the additional seconds between 1 Action and a Free Action?

Is that working as intended, that the character can rule a person out as the primary suspect based on how long it takes to Study them?

Edit: On a really extreme example, if a murder occurred, the investigator could have everyone from town come into a single room in Town Hall and 10 minutes later have spent an action to Study Suspect on everyone. The person it took a Free Action on is guilty, even if they don't have the rest of the details.

The sigil cantrip states:
The mark can be scrubbed or scraped off with 5 minutes of work. If it’s on a creature, it fades naturally over the course of a week.

Does the scrubbed and scraped change when heightening? If the spell is heightened to 7th level, it never fades away from a creature. If it still only takes 5 minutes to scrub it off, what is the point of heightening? As a cantrip, the 1 square inch henna tattoo makes perfect sense. Tag something, the mark can be scrubbed off with purpose or it fades away. Spending higher level slots, I'd expect it to take more effort to scrub away.

On an object, does it need to be heightened to last forever? If I put an invisible mark on a coin, will it stay there until the coin gets to the eccentric banker who polishes every coin for 5 minutes to get a pristine shine?

My understanding is that Free Actions don't take any particular action to use and that they can be triggered by other actions without using your Reaction.

Could a Sorcerer/Wizard therefore use Effortless Concentration to Sustain a spell (trigger: Your turn begins), then use Quickened Casting (no trigger) to reduce a spell action cost, then use Bespell Weapon (trigger: your most recent action was to cast a non-cantrip) and enhance a weapon, then use the extra action saved to Strike with the newly enhanced weapon?

Is there a limit on the number of Free actions per turn that I missed?

Does using Free Action count as having acted? Can I use Effortless Concentration and Drain Bonded Item?

I'm curious how groups handle treasure and incorporate the story aspects into the campaign. There are different perspectives as a GM and as a player. Every group likely has their own way of settling the distribution of loot, but when it comes to the actual story how do you interact with treasure either in generating the loot lists from a GM perspective and from prioritizing what to keep and sell from a player perspective?

As a GM, when I'm putting out permanent magic items, I tend to decide is the piece of loot linked to the story or just generic loot. In PF1, the ring of protection +1 that became ubiquitous at a certain level of play generally wasn't a story item. Though, the Signet Ring of Admiral Tyrannius, which was a ring of protection +1 and provided water breathing for 10 minutes per day, had a greater story impact than the GP value attached to it.

When adding in temporary items, I often weigh what the character that is carrying them would use and also implications for the future. One of the APs for example gives the party a wand of Quench. During the next chapter, low and behold, there's an army with bonfires that are just right to be put out. One time through the AP, the party kept the wand and used it. Another group ignored it's mundane fire uses and focused on the damage dealing capacity to fire elementals. That item had the ability to impact the story, other items like a potion of cure moderate wounds becomes something that just fills up bag space after awhile. As a GM, I am more forgiving with providing a bag of consumable items than a permanent item because I know the wealth will eventually balance back out, even if a few encounters are made easier for my party.

As a player, unless I have a specific purpose, I rarely make consumable magic items. I earned that gold and want to keep it around with me. I, however, love to find consumable magic items. Sometimes they are solutions looking for problems--I have a potion of fly and so now I'm looking for an opportunity where flying will make this easier. Other times, they live in bags and when the party is stumped in how to handle something, everyone checks their lists for a wheelbarrow and a holocaust cloak.

How does it work at your table?

I'm curious how people think archetypes will go in the future, looking at the APG and beyond. Lost Omens World Guide gave a bunch of new Dedications, many following options that used to be Prestige Classes (Red Mantis) but others were archetypes (Sword lord). Arguably the Aldori Sword Lord was both an archetype and a PrC

In 1E, some archetypes changed the starting proficiencies, gave extra skills, etc. Should future archetypes change base features of classes or is that the realm of a Dedication?

If the APG offers alternative Fighters like the 1E APG did, should the new class feats be open to any Fighter or gated behind other feats? Example like allowing Fighters to reach Legendary with their maneuvers and Class DC but they lose Heavy Armor Proficiency.

What do people think about the design space available and where does the line belong for a class ability swap in archetypes like we know them from before and the new Dedication system?

I'm looking for map folios that have regional maps which would be the type found or bought by characters in game. Iron Gods has one where sketches of monsters are added to suggest the "there be dragons here" vibe.

Which AP map folios would people recommend?

Cord of Erastil

This plain twelve inch cord appears to be made of braided leather and has several knots tied down its length. Beads are woven into the cord inscribed with prayers to Erastil and depicting his multiple aspects. The cord can be worn as a necklace, wrapped around the dominant hand, or tied around one ankle. When worn during prayers to Erastil, the cord provides knowledge to the faithful.

Activating the cord requires a special prayer to Erastil, taking one minute to complete. Once activated, the knowledge remains with the wearer for 24-hours or until the Cord is removed. The Cord of Erastil grants a number of skill ranks in the skills listed below equal to the wearer's total Hit Dice. These ranks do not stack with the ranks a creature already possesses. The Cord of Erastil fills whatever slot it is placed in and only provides skill ranks listed for that slot.

A Lesser Cord of Erastil provides bonuses for one aspect of Erastil. A Cord of Erastil provides two aspects. Greater Cords of Erastil provide all three aspects of Erastil. The aspects of Erastil are decided upon when the Cord is created and cannot be changed.

Clerics of Erastil may use the Cord of Erastil as a Holy Symbol.

Aspects
Farming
Neck - Perception
Hand - Handle Animal
Foot - Knowledge: Nature

Hunting
Neck - Survival
Hand - Craft: Archery
Foot - Stealth

Trade
Neck - Appraise
Hand - Sense Motive
Foot - Craft: Woodworking

Price: Lesser Cord of Erastil 4,000 GP, Cord of Erastil 16,000 GP, Greater Cord of Erastil 36,000 GP

Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Fox's Conning, and Creator must be a Worshiper of Erastil.

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So, I set the cost as the same for a Headband of Vast Intelligence. Unlike the Headband, you aren't getting the bonus to Intelligence for skill and ability checks. Also, I tried to make the skills thematically appropriate to the god, so that it doesn't become an open grab bag of power.

Thoughts?

Hey folks--

I have some questions about the way Wilderness Soldiers (UC 249) is worded and wanted to clarify.

The spell wording [Emphasis Added]:

You call on the plants nearby to aid you in combat. This spell is ineffective if no plants you can direct are within the area. You can spend a swift action and/or a standard action on each of your turns to direct one of the following attacks.

The attack bonus or CMB for these attacks equals your base attack bonus + your Wisdom modifier. You grant a +1 bonus per three caster levels (maximum +5) on damage rolls due to this spell. Your wilderness soldiers never provoke attacks of opportunity, and they do not count as allies for flanking or other purposes.

Tree: A tree makes a melee attack with a 10-foot reach from its trunk. A hit deals an amount of damage equal to 1d8 points + your Wisdom modifier. The tree can instead attempt a bull rush, drag, or reposition combat maneuver with the same reach, but the tree cannot move itself.

Undergrowth or Hedgerow: Acting as a Medium creature, one square of undergrowth or hedgerow attempts a grapple combat maneuver against an opponent within or adjacent to that square. Heavy undergrowth gains a +2 bonus to its CMD. Undergrowth cannot move the grapple or pin a foe, but it can deal an amount of damage equal to 1d4 points + your Wisdom modifier by making a successful grapple check against a foe it is grappling. The undergrowth’s CMD is 5 + its CMB. If you fail to direct the undergrowth to maintain the grapple, it releases its opponent.

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The Situation:

Characters are in the woods and attacking some bandits. Druid casts Wilderness Soldiers. There are six trees in the emanation and several squares of undergrowth

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The Questions:

Does the type of action (Swift vs Standard) change what you are allowed to do? There is nothing in the spell to describe when an attack would be a Swift and when it would be a Standard.

When I command the trees to attack, do all of the trees in the emanation make the attack or only a single tree?

Similarly, if I command the undergrowth to attack, do all of the squares attack or only a single square?

If I spend both a Swift and a Standard, can I make multiple attacks?

The wording seems to suggest just one attack, though I could pick a different tree each round as long as it is within the emanation. If its all of the trees or undergrowth, then it feels similar to Black Tentacles, but at a lower level and requiring plants.

Thanks!

If I'm playing a Magus, does the Mythic Armor Mastery Path Ability replace the ability to ignore Arcane Spell Failure, or does it upgrade the type of armor you are allowed to wear?

Example, as a Level 7 Magus, I can wear Medium armor without any Arcane Spell Failure. In order to cast without failure while wearing Heavy Armor, do I need to take the Mythic Armor path ability once or three separate times?

Thanks!

Does the Disguise skill work on your gear as well as you? The Disguise Self spell specifically calls it out, as covering everything, though the skill does not.

If it does include your gear, what modifiers (either to Disguise or the opposed Perception) are reasonable for gear that stands out from the disguise?

Examples:

A prisoner who just escapes the dungeons (manacled, hasn't bathed in a week, etc) ducks into a closet and makes a disguise check to be Queen Illeosa.

A halfling eagle knight in plate armor travels to the Cinderlands and wants to pass herself off as a Shoanti tribesman, without taking off the armor and weapons.

A beggar wants to disguise himself as a Hallknight Signifer to rescue a kidnapped family member.

Has a map of the ancient Thassilonian empire ever been published? I saw an old post by James Jacobs (2007 old) that said an overlay map was a possibility, but it would need to wait until a full map was created.

I'd imagine that sections of the map will cover pieces of what is now ocean due to the Earthfall causing changes to the sea level in places. Similarly a Pre-Earthfall map would be interesting to gauge the differences and how tribal migrations were impacted.

Thanks!

I'm trying to sort out some flavor and mechanics issues. Which classes need to be devoted to a specific god and which ones can be devoted to an ideal?

Paizo Employee James Jacobs Creative Director May 10, 2011, 02:56 PM

James Jacobs
Of all the classes in Golarion... only clerics MUST have a patron deity, since only clerics get their spells from a patron deity.

Other divine spellcasters CAN have patron deities, and in some cases (inquisitors and paladins) they USUALLY have patron deities, but that's not always the case.

I'm not sure where and when I said all paladins need deities, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't and that's a misquote.

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2l631&page=3?Which-Gods-have-Palad ins#126

The quote says that Clerics need a god, Paladins and Inquisitors do not. Mechanically, Clerics are the only class to state that they can follow an ideal. There are lots of mentions of the divine for Paladins, though the Divine Bond power specifically says "her god." Likewise the Inquisitor description is very heavy on her Church, her faith, and must be within one step of the God's alignment.

If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, she still selects two domains to represent her spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). The restriction on alignment domains still applies.

Divine Bond (Sp): Upon reaching 5th level, a paladin forms a divine bond with her god.

Grim and determined, the inquisitor roots out enemies of the faith, using trickery and guile when righteousness and purity is not enough. Although inquisitors are dedicated to a deity, they are above many of the normal rules and conventions of the church. They answer to their deity and their own sense of justice alone, and are willing to take extreme measures to meet their goals.

Role: Inquisitors tend to move from place to place, chasing down enemies and researching emerging threats. As a result, they often travel with others, if for no other reason than to mask their presence. Inquisitors work with members of their faith whenever possible, but even such allies are not above suspicion.

Alignment: An inquisitor's alignment must be within one step of her deity's, along either the law/chaos axis or the good/evil axis.

Can someone sort out the intent and explain it to me since RAW and RAI is blurred?

Our home group has been playing with the Psionics rules for awhile. I put together an archetype build for a cleric that uses some of the "network" stuff, to heal at range with the sacrifice of all Channeling.

Cleric of Unity

Unification (Su) A Cleric of Unity channels positive energy in order to create a coterie between himself and others. As a standard action, a cleric can unify a number of willing targets equal to his Wisdom modifier or half his cleric level, whichever is higher. The cleric must have line of sight to each target, each target must have a Wisdom score of at least 1, and all targets must be within Medium range (100 ft. + 10 ft. per class level). A cleric's can never unify members than his class level. The cleric is always considered a member of the coterie and does not count against this limit.
The cleric can choose to remove a member as a free action on his turn, and any member can voluntarily leave the coterie as a free action on their turn. Any member whose Wisdom drops to zero or who moves out of range of the coterie is automatically removed. If a member enters a anti-magic field, the connection to the coterie is suppressed until that member leaves the field. A member who leaves the coterie for any reason immediately loses any and all benefits they may have gained from being a member. A cleric is aware of the status of his coterie and can, roughly, sense the presence of each member, although beyond telling if such a creature is still a member, this has no mechanical benefit until higher levels.
A cleric can cast certain spells through his coterie. If a spell specifies one or more willing targets (or is harmless) and has a range greater than personal, he can cast the spell on a member of his coterie regardless of the range of the actual power. All other non-range restrictions still apply. Only Divine spells may be cast this way.
At 15th level, a cleric's coterie range is limitless on the same plane as the cleric.
At 19th level, a cleric's coterie reaches even across to other planes and dimensions.

Convergence (Su) At 5th level, a Cleric of Unity can bolster his coterie by placing spells in a sustained matrix of positive energy. The cleric casts these spells normally, and they are maintained in the matrix until activated by a member of the coterie. All determinations required in the casting of the spell must be made at the time of casting (energy type for Resist Energy etc.). The Cleric of Unity can maintain up to his class level in spell levels within the convergence. Unused spells in the matrix are lost when the cleric prepares his spells again.
As a Swift Action, any coterie member can call on one of the spells placed in the matrix. As a Standard Action, spells within the matrix can also be spontaneously converted to curative spells of the same spell level or lower.

Status (Su) At 4th level, a Cleric of Unity gains more information from the coterie regarding their condition. This ability functions as the Status spell, and affects all members of the coterie as long as they remain in it. At 19th level, this effect will function across other planes.
These abilities change and replace a Cleric’s ability to Channel Energy.

Any feedback is welcome.

Heroes of Destiny
This is an optional rule, designed to replace Action Points and reward players for continuity of a character throughout a campaign.

Destiny Pool
A pool of dice is established, starting at 1d6 per player. As long as the player continues with their original character, their d6 remains in the pool. A die is removed permanently from the pool, when one of the original characters leaves the group. If that character later returns, the die is returned to the pool.

Example 1: Five players begin a new campaign. Once the group has reached 7th level, Jim decides that he wants to change characters from Fizbang the Wizard to Moneck the Fighter because he read about a new optimization build on the internet. When Fizbang leaves the party, Jim’s die is removed from the pool.

Example 2: Brian’s character Darq the Impure, dies while investigating a remote temple. The party doesn’t have the resources to raise Darq in the middle of the dungeon, so they preserve his body and swear to bring him back upon returning to the city. Brian’s die is removed from the pool, and he makes a temporary character, Leitz the escaped prisoner, to continue playing with the group until Darq is returned to life. Upon returning to town, Darq is raised and Brian’s die is returned to the pool.

Using the Dice
Players can spend dice from the pool to add to any d20 roll before they know the result. Multiple dice can be used on the same roll if desired. Dice from the Destiny Pool are not re-rolled if an ability, spell or effect allows the player to re-roll the d20.
Dice from the destiny pool can also be used to subtract from any d20 roll that the GM makes, before the result is announced. This is the tide of destiny protecting the heroes from harm.
The dice in the Destiny Pool refresh at the beginning of every session. Dice remaining in the pool do not roll over to future sessions.

Increasing the Die
The dice in the Destiny Pool will improve as the characters gain levels and power.
If none of the dice from the Destiny Pool are used during a session, they can become more powerful. They increase incrementally each session that they are not used. Once a die is drawn from the pool, the Destiny Pool will revert at the beginning of the next session.
Character Level Dice Rolled 1st-7th 1d6 8th-14th 1d8 15th-20th 1d10

When a Druid gains a Favored Terrain (such as through World Walker) does her Animal Companion gain the bonuses, the way that a Ranger's Animal Companion would?

Hunter's Bond says it functions as an Animal Companion at (Ranger Level - 3) as the effective Druid level.