See: https://imgur.com/a/BCqAiPe

It doesn't matter where I go. If the site design didn't appear to want to take up the entire screen space I wouldn't even be writing this. But as is, it looks odd.

Across the class entries, I noticed a LOT of duplication. Can we move toward authoritative references rather than inclusion via copy/paste? Maybe this involves moving all feats to their own chapter so class inclusions work more similarly to spell lists.

This could also give more room for text for class entries while having the exact same amount of feats we have now. If that isn't acceptable, then we should have a way of unified commonalities. For instance, such as an entry that simply says "all spell casters can decide to add two more cantrips in place of a class feat" and so on.

Either way, I'd appreciate making systemic assumptions (e.g. casters can choose to add more cantrips) explicit rather than implied by *just happening* to notice identical entries between all caster classes, or martial classes, etc.

I can completely understand why the setting hasn't really advanced in the last 10 years. However, with the rollup in the 2E release, are we going to see it structured to let smaller updates be viable rather than waiting for an entirely new edition to see the setting evolve?

Some spells have always felt like they are in the wrong category to me. In particular, healing being conjuration instead of necromancy given the following feels off.

Necromancy spells manipulate the power of death, unlife, and the life force.

As such, I wish the whole Healing subschool would fall under Necromancy. Given the Golarion tie in for 2E, go ahead and say that the life force is always moved instead of simply made out of thin air. Divine casters draw from their deity’s essence while arcane draws from the land, another creature, etc.

Similarly, Creation should probably go under Evocation given its description.

In effect, an evocation draws upon magic to create something out of nothing.

So forth and so on...

The man deserves a break now and then.

For me and in spite of my love of wizards and witches, I'd have to say my favorite is the druid list. It's like the cool uncle of lists. You get some pretty wicked damage spells, the classics of the cleric, and you can do all kinds of nature and weather magic. Got a favorite pet? Now they can talk to you be a bro.

What's yours?

When a post is favorited, quoted, maybe our names used in @ notation similar to twitter, deleted by moderator action, and so on, it'd be helpful to know about. I know there have been quite a few times that someone has responded to me, but it was on another subforum that I don't frequent as often, or a thread fell off a page, et al actions only to find out maybe months down the road when the conversation has long gone stale.

I think either using the mail system that's already on the boards would be great, or even have a pop up notification (not a new window, but an in-browser pop up), or something similar. If not notifications ala "User abc responded to your post" then maybe some central location to more easily track threads we've participated in that have since been posted to? As is, the forums are kind of like whack-a-mole.

Either deleted or edited. Often times when I post in heated threads there are genuine points I'd like to persist so having an opportunity to edit them for repost once things calm down would be awesome. As is, once a moderator does stuff it just vanishes both from public view and my own view of my post history. It leaves a rather thud-like experience and no one's happy.

If the concern is with folks copy/pasting deleted comments and not letting an argument die, using the CSS rule "user-select: none;" would prevent that. It works with IE 10+ and the other major browsers. At least being able to see and edit my words into a new post rather than trying to think with whatever context was in my mind at the time let alone the actual words I typed would be greatly welcomed.

My group has been playing for a few sessions now, still in book 1, haven't reached Brinewall yet, but I can't help but wonder why we're even here. There's a high level (compared to us) party of GMPCs already assembled and ready to go.

Ameiko - bard
Shalelu - fighter/ranger
Koya - cleric
Sandru - rogue??

That's a pretty balanced party as is. Unless the AP doesn't let them level at all, which would honestly be a bit weird, they're always going to be ahead of the party. Even all the traits that are supposed to tie the PCs to those NPCs just makes the group feel like some other adventuring party's cheerleader squad. My character having the "best friends" one just makes me feel like some red shirt who gets play poker with Captain Kirk.

I'm really not understanding the premise to this one.

Title

Loading the pathfinderRPG messageboard url (here) has resulted in me being whisked all the way to page 1276 a couple times today. It's been that exact page both times, and I've not noticed this issue before. I can go to the first page fine, at which point the url becomes such. Note the ampersand and not the question mark to denote the beginning of the querystring. This is also incorrect.

You unleash a wave of necromantic energy that snuffs out the life force of those in its path. This wave pulses out from you in a line 5 feet wide and 30 feet long. The wave visibly rips the souls from the bodies of those it passes through, which manifest as screaming, transparent versions of the affected creatures. The wave kills every living creature of 17 or fewer HD in the line, starting with the creature closest to you, to a maximum of 1d4 HD of creatures per caster level. No creature of 18 or more HD can be affected. If a creature succeeds at its saving throw or has too many HD, it doesn’t count against the HD the spell can kill The wave continues to affect creatures as it rolls away from you until you either run out of HD to affect or reach the limit of the spell’s area. If the spell does not kill any creatures, the unreleased necromantic energy violently explodes in the final square of the 60-foot line, dealing 10d6 points of damage + 1 point per caster level to any creature in that square with no saving throw. If several creatures occupy the same square, roll randomly to determine which is affected.

Emphasis added

So, knowledge... that great skill that is the in-game proxy that lets characters "know" things, as it were.

I, for one, love player agency. The ability for me to dive into my character's mind-suit and work the levers myself is what I look for. This has lead me to greatly favor manually maintained dictionaries of knowledge questions I've asked I can reference at any time and have some tangible proof of the body of knowledge my character provably has. However, this can be a bit of a nuisance since it's a lot of paperwork and because it can be rather stingy.

Try Again: No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn't let you know something that you never learned in the first place.

This wholesale stops a character from growing, as if what they know at level 1 is ostensibly what they'll know at level 20. This makes knowledges a bit of a headache for GMs and makes them prone to abuse. GMs have to insert a bunch of house rules for retries or forcing you to wait until you encounter the creature again to "remember" things about them.

This also puts a strict limiter on characters that I've seen GMs take sadistic glee over because a player forgets about an aspect of a creature they might have encountered repeatedly even though a character very well should have a vast amount of experience with them. Then there's the metagame aspect that you "need" to roll them so you can't be accused of somehow breaking the rules or power gaming.

In short, I don't like how the system treats knowledge. How do you handle it?

I'm talking about books such as The Acts of Iomedae. Books such as the Book of the Damned are intentionally vague and particularly supernatural and wouldn't be good candidates. However, some of the Pathfinder Chronicles and more mundane books that are popular on Golarion could be published without many wide reaching impact. I've been particularly itching for some new lore.

So, the ability reads

Whenever you cast a spell that cures the target of hit point damage, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity for spellcasting.

The most immediate spell that comes to mind outside of the cure spells is fractions of heal and harm. Are there any others that make this really worth it?

So, I'm rolling a level 1 paladin of Iomedae and am having a surprising amount of difficulty putting together an interesting background. Most of my background tend to be some kind of "victory over adversity" story transitioning them from pedestrian existence to an adventuring lifestyle. This time, I'm trying to take a little more traditional, I guess you could say, tack with the paladin. She's a noble, had a privileged, if sober, life, attended war college, and so on complete with the "Chosen of Iomedae" trait.

The thing is, it seems like I have the rough ideas in place, but piecing them together is hard. It almost feels foreign. I also question if it's too much for level 1. I also question if it's too bland. She's lived in the typical Varisia hot spots of Korvosa, Magnimar, and Sandpoint. I'm thinking about having her actual origins start in Westcrown as she's of "pure" Chelish descent. I figured this would help having well-known cities at play, but it's not as much as I thought.

I've played one other paladin and that character was devoted to Sarenrae. The diplomatic and civic works aspects to redemption made that story actually quite easy to put together. I also wonder if Iomedae having more of a "faith militant" feel is what's standing in the way. "Zealot kills bad things" isn't interesting. However, the why they're a zealot can be interesting. Unfortunately, the best answer I have for that right now is simply that's been her life. Do I embrace just how not special her reasons are? Do I write up an ease of faith angle pitying those who don't see "the truth?"

The point of posting here is that I'd be very interested to hear what any of you might think in an either feedback or critiquing manner. I'm not asking for anyone to write my background for me, just trying to get some ideas to get the ball rolling.

I don't imagine this can be new. So, if there's an answer to this already, please, just point me in that direction.

From Cleric Channel Energy:

A good cleric (or one who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or one who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures.

Pretty standard stuff so far. Undead, creatures, yada yada.

From Variant Channeling:

Creatures that would normally ignore the effect of a particular channel (such as undead with respect to a positive energy channel used to heal) ignore the variant effect of that channel.

So, this is cool. The same restrictions are in place with respect to living creatures and undead, right? Well then what's up with a bunch of the variant channeling effects?

Harm—Unattended objects take full channel damage (not half).

Since when can channels affect objects? Now we're no longer talking about creature types.

Harm—The damage effect is enhanced for plant creatures. Creatures are fatigued, as if experiencing starvation.

Since when can channel energy harm plant creatures? That was restricted to undead who are also immune to fatigue.

The wordings of several other variants seem to imply abilities that don't quite make sense such as potentially making undead nauseous. Are these also silently slipping in other clauses or meant just for negative energy channelers? Why are all those folks who would care to channel energy within the farming variant channeling negative energy so therefore neutral or evil? I knew that devout farmer Jim had a hateful look in his eye... It feels like I missed something along the way as to how these are intended to work.

Are there any that are friendly to or directly extend features the witch class gives?

Addendum: besides the winter witch

Has there been attitudes and outlooks about the other classes that have been released? Cheliax, Empire of Devils seems to only cover the CRB classes. Specifically, I'm asking about witches, but any others would be neat, too.

Apart from the elements patron, too. I just finished working on a witch character and was rather pleased to see the options. Now, if you go with the elements patron, you do get the iconic blast spell fireball. However, It's simply not required anymore. Am I the only one this is news to?

If you have TotSaM, do you need Wild Speech to talk? Since it's a class ability it's not dependent on form, right?

Would there be interest in a socially oriented site to let GMs and players set various preferences for a game and find each other kind of dating site style? Was also thinking, too, such a site would let people submit reviews and generally discuss related topics. Third party integration (to what extent I'm unsure) with obsidian portal and roll20 would streamline a "find a group then start a campaign" kind of flow.

The need I see is reverse that of those kinds of sites I would integrate with. There are a few good places like roll20 and OP to start a campaign around. However, I don't see many to find a group either for virtual table top or real life outside of disparate tools like how certain PFS VOs will set up sites for just their state. Facebook lacks the granularity of such a platform. This would be more of a focused tool toward those ends.

Initially, the it would focus on Pathfinder, the system with which I'm most familiar. I would be looking to bring on GMs and players to help flesh out good matching criteria who grasp the nuance of a particular system once it's up and going. I would see D&D 5E being next unless something changes that.

To give a bit of credit: the new guide by Abraham spalding about Optimizing your GM made me realize there's nothing really good out there for matching these quirks from what I've seen. I recommend it!

For me, it wouldn't be the same if the dimensional dervish feat line was gone. Having used it once and had such great fun with that character, I would be sad to no longer be able to play him again.

Could we compile a list of resources for specific classes? Specifically, I'm looking for druid stuff. However, if we coult get some utility out of this thread and compile resources for all classes, that'd be much better.

Lately, mine has been just reading the Environment chapter in the CRB. It's really quite amazing for both wilderness and cities. I kind of wish APs included them more explicitly. I have a few stories I'd like to see in Pathfinder, and that chapter helps make the act of adventuring come alive.

What inspires you to want to write your adventure?

How far do you think one of these folks would go to redeem the vampires? Level 16, if that matters.

There is a main vampire lord over the whole city. However, Pathfinder vampirism isn't something the creator can simply will away. At best, all the vamp. lord could do is release them from service. This is my character, and I'm thinking about having them redeem the lord and then have him sacrifice his own children to the sun or something along those lines. This assumes there's no other device to do a mass cleansing or some other tidy resolution that saves each one.

How would you approach this?

Survival and capability isn't the question of if the city could be culled. My character does essentially mythic levels of damage to undead, vampires especially with round for round save or dies. It'd take some time, but it's not a question of if.

Relevant entries from Sarenrae's paladin code:

• The best battle is a battle I win. If I die, I can no longer fight. I will fight fairly when the fight is fair, and I will strike quickly and without mercy when it is not.
  
• I will redeem the ignorant with my words and my actions. If they will not turn toward the light, I will redeem them by the sword.
  
• I will not abide evil, and will combat it with steel when words are not enough. I do not flinch from my faith, and do not fear embarrassment. My soul cannot be bought for all the stars in the sky.

For the duration of this spell, you can use a standard action to evoke a dazzling beam of intense light each round. You can call forth one beam per three caster levels (maximum six beams at 18th level). The spell ends when its duration runs out or your allotment of beams is exhausted.

Each creature in the beam is blinded and takes 4d6 points of damage. Any creatures to which sunlight is harmful or unnatural take double damage. A successful Reflex save negates the blindness and reduces the damage by half.

An undead creature caught within the beam takes 1d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 20d6), or half damage if a Reflex save is successful. In addition, the beam results in the destruction of any undead creature specifically harmed by bright light if it fails its save.

The ultraviolet light generated by the spell deals damage to fungi, mold, oozes, and slimes just as if they were undead creatures.

So, vs. sunlight weak undead like vampires, this reads as a very bad spell. If such a creature saves, they still take full "normal" damage, yes? Failure is destruction.

So, I've noticed in a couple places like angelic aspect, greater, spells and other things where there are multiple versions of an effect that references the lowest version but also passively includes intermediary effects. Case in point:

This spell functions like lesser angelic aspect, except you gain lowlight vision; darkvision 60 feet; DR 10/evil; immunity to acid, cold, and petrification; resistance to electricity 10 and fire 10; a +4 racial bonus on saves against poison; and protective aura and truespeech as supernatural abilities for the duration of the spell. Also, your wings give you a fly speed of 60 feet with good maneuverability.

Protective aura provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures to anyone within 20 feet. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil and a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20 feet.

Truespeech allows you to speak with any creature that has a language, as though using the tongues spell.

You take on an aspect of an angelic being, including some of its physical characteristics. You gain lowlight vision, resistance to acid 5, resistance to cold 5, and the benefits of protection from evil.

Note the lack of wings in the lesser description. They only get included in the intermediary angelic aspect spell.

Can we get a stated general rule that effects with graduation are cumulative?

I feel a bit silly asking as I really can't think of anything myself, but is there anything to know about a character with a shield? I know it can be disarmed, but are there any other caveats that would be good to know? I'm not trying to be a bash specialist and am just using it basically for the AC bonus.

The question is essentially does the Sun Blade double smite damage versus undead?

Relevant quotations:

Against Negative Energy Plane creatures or undead creatures, the sword deals double damage (and ×3 on a critical hit instead of the usual ×2).

If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses.

Assuming a normal damage output of 1d10+10 on a level 20 paladin character, is the first hit vs. undead doing 2d10+60 and 2d10+40 on subsequent hits?

In the Combat chapter and perception skill description, calls for perception checks are referred to but it gives no advice for a set DC or even opposed checks between either perception or stealth. Which is it? There is a mention of aware versus unaware. However, you can be aware of an actor and not aware if their intent is hostile. I would still think a perception check is called for if someone tried to randomly attack you if you had no reason to believe they would before hand.

Maybe I missed the whole hype train when Inner Sea Gods first came out as I realize it's not a new book anymore. But, Sarenrae's holy ass...

At 5th level, the exalted further increases her already impressive knowledge of her chosen deity’s faith and is rewarded with increased powers in one of the spheres over which her deity holds sway. The exalted chooses a domain of her chosen deity to which she gains access, using her exalted level as her effective cleric level.

The exalted can also can use each of the chosen domain’s spells once per day as a spell-like ability, with a caster level equal to her exalted level. The exalted can use each spell-like ability only if she is able to cast divine spells of that level. If the exalted has any domain spell slots, she is also able to cast the chosen domain’s spells in those slots as normal.

Clerics: 3 sets of domain powers (!!!!!!!!!!!) plus domain spells as SLA's AND domain slot preparation. On SLA's:

A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus.

The exalted at the pinnacle of her abilities can create effects that are nothing short of miraculous. At 10th level, once per day the exalted can do one of the following things.

• Duplicate any cleric spell of 6th level or lower.
  
• Duplicate any other spell of 5th level or lower.
  
• Potentially undo the harmful effects of certain spells, such as feeblemind or insanity, that require miracle to counteract. To attempt to undo such a spell, the exalted must make a caster level check using her level in the spellcasting class to which she added her exalted levels (including the increases in spellcasting from her exalted levels) against a DC of 11 + the caster level of the targeted effect. On a success, the exalted counters the spell or effect. On a failure, the exalted does not counter the spell or effect, though she can try again after 24 hours.
  
• Make a request of her chosen deity in line with the above effects. Doing so requires a sacrifice of 10,000 gp in powdered diamond or another appropriate precious material based on the teachings of the deity’s faith. Examples of potential effects include returning a fallen ally to life and full health, teleporting the exalted and her allies to a location with no chance of error, or protecting a town from a wildf ire. In any event, a request that is out of line with the deity’s nature is refused.

A duplicated spell allows saving throws and spell resistance as normal, but the save DCs are calculated as if it were a 7th-level spell. When an exalted uses this ability to duplicate a spell with a material component that costs more than 100 gp, she must provide that component.

A limited wish like ability for miracle that counts as miracle for condition removal.

At least for Sarenrae...

You can transmute the sun’s burning rays into brilliant, healing fire. You can add your exalted levels to any cleric levels you have to calculate the power of your channel energy ability. In addition, you can spend three of your daily uses of your channel energy ability to channel an especially powerful burst of healing that manifests as a bright burst of sunlight around you. Anyone healed by your channeled energy sunburst who is currently suffering from poison or a nonmagical disease can immediately attempt a new saving throw with a +2 sacred bonus to end the poison or disease effect.

You cast and channel like a cleric equal to your character level with more domain powers than a standard cleric.

Are these guys like an open secret and just no one talks about them or what? Where's the tradeoff? I thought prestige classes were supposed to be so-so with a narrow focus.

I find myself increasingly annoyed when I see abilities like this:

As a standard action, you can utter a dire prophecy that strikes fear in your enemies and causes them to become shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet and able to hear you. This effect persists as long as the enemy is within 30 feet and you use a move action each round to continue your doomsaying. This ability cannot cause a creature to become frightened or panicked, even if the target was already shaken from another effect. This is a mind-affecting fear effect that relies on audible components. At 15th level, continuing your doomsaying each round is a swift action instead. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.

Annoying part bolded. Swift actions are pretty damn valuable especially for casters, which the oracle is in this case. As abilities level up, they're generally supposed to get better and not worse. This is worse because it denies you your swift, if you want to use it. Between magic items and feats, by level 15 you quite generally have something to do with your swifts. Paizo, for the love of god, give us options. That would make the ability better. There's always the 5-foot move to shimmy around the board if a character absolutely has to move.

Does anyone else feel the same?

I've often been frustrated with the system as wordings are needlessly duplicated, reworded yet trying to keep the same meaning, and so on. So, minor inconsistencies over years create massive confusion and lots of simple questions here that often get bogged down in needless debate even after the question is answered. Furthermore, Paizo takes no interest in maintaining a consistent and concise lexicon or even internal logic to reinforce rules. This has left me, and many others as evidenced by posts here, with a huge desire to see things rewritten entirely.

I'm curious about doing this as a community project and releasing it in bits and pieces starting probably with the Summoner class. My thing is, I don't know if anyone would be interested in it. What say ye?

Do barbarians get to pick blood rager and skald rage powers?

How would you handle this? Technically, they lose the ability that got them their free spells.

[...]The subject must succeed at a concentration check (DC = 10 + 1/2 its caster level) in order to[...]

That's really all that matters as the whole spell is built around this DC. Let's see what that means...

CL | DC
-------
1 | 10 (need 9)
2 | 11 (need 9)
3 | 11 (need 8)
4 | 12 (need 8)
5 | 12 (need 7)
6 | 13 (need 7)
7 | 13 (need 6)
8 | 14 (need 6)
9 | 14 (need 5)
10 | 15 (need 5)
11 | 15 (need 4)
12 | 16 (need 4)
13 | 16 (need 3)
14 | 17 (need 3)
15 | 17 (need 2)
16 | 18 (need 2)
17 | 18 (auto succeed)
18 | 19 (auto succeed)
19 | 19 (auto succeed)
20 | 20 (auto succeed)

From level 1 you have a 55% chance of success minimum and only gets worse and it's a spell resistant, will negating spell at that. Come on, guys... Yes, there is the penalty for further concentration checks. However, the above is JUST based on CL and not ability score modifiers or things that increase concentration checks of which there are many. Given the spell is specifically for arcane casters calling it 'weak' gives it too much credit. Does anyone think this is deserving of an increase as odd as that might sound? Where would this actually prove a challenge?

The change I'd propose is at least adding your casting ability score to the DC or changing it to 10 + the creature's full CL preferably. That seems to be more universally useful. Assuming a very conservative ability score progression, it's still rather easy to beat but at least it doesn't make itself obsolete.

CL | DC
-------
1 | 11 (need 7) (assuming stat +3)
2 | 12 (need 7) (assuming stat +3)
3 | 13 (need 7) (assuming stat +3)
4 | 14 (need 7) (assuming stat +3)
5 | 15 (need 6) (assuming stat +4)
6 | 16 (need 6) (assuming stat +4)
7 | 17 (need 6) (assuming stat +4)
8 | 18 (need 6) (assuming stat +4)
9 | 19 (need 6) (assuming stat +4)
10 | 20 (need 5) (assuming stat +5)
11 | 21 (need 5) (assuming stat +5)
12 | 22 (need 5) (assuming stat +5)
13 | 23 (need 5) (assuming stat +5)
14 | 24 (need 5) (assuming stat +5)
15 | 25 (need 4) (assuming stat +6)
16 | 26 (need 4) (assuming stat +6)
17 | 27 (need 4) (assuming stat +6)
18 | 28 (need 4) (assuming stat +6)
19 | 29 (need 4) (assuming stat +6)
20 | 30 (need 3) (assuming stat +7)

... you use the monster stats by CR chart or even specific monster blocks to aid in character creation?

I know that the spell doesn't get a save. However, let's say you just blanket a wide area with 10 sq foot cubes not necessarily trying to get the right height for a tall opponent. What happens? Technically, they bob at the apex of the particular square. But, let's say you have a level 14 caster. That's 140 sq. ft. of 10 feet high reversed gravity. For most medium creatures, that's bobbing up and down. But, large and larger creatures are still affected. Just how is what I'm curious about.

I've come to fancy the spell sage wizard archetype and decided to do a write up. This is my first guide so comments on pretty much everything are welcome.

LINK

Supercharge

School evocation [air, force]; Level sorcerer/wizard 9
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a rod or staff made of a rare metal worth at least 10,000 gp; if it is a limited use per day item or an item with charges, it must have at least one use or charge left at the time of casting which then consumes 1 use or charge of the item, whichever is applicable)
Effect a coruscating bolt of eldritch power from your focus to the sky which suffuses you with potent energies
Target you
Duration 1 round/level or until discharged
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance see text

This spell calls forth pure arcane energy that supercharges your ability to cast spells or can be used in a singular brilliant display of power. When you cast this spell, you hold the focus toward the sky as a bolt of pure eldritch energy extends from the tip of your focus straight to the sky. If you cast this spell in an environment without an exposed sky, then the casting fizzles with no effect. Creatures and cloud formations caught in the path of this bolt are pushed out of its way as though by a gust of wind spell. If a creature caught in its path cannot be moved by such means, it instead takes 1d6 points of force damage per caster level (to a maximum of 25d6). Should a barrier or other effect be between the bolt and the sky that would block its path, it punches a hole through it effectively destroying the point of contact with the bolt and continues on its path until all such barriers and/or creatures are punctured, moved, or damaged, respectively, and it reaches the upper atmosphere where it dissipates into an ether of pure magical energy. This bolt dissipates at the end of the action required to cast this spell. However, this is not the main effect of the spell.

Any arcane spell cast by you gains a +2 enhancement bonus to the caster level and DC of any saving throws against the spell and have a 50% chance of being affected as if the Empower Spell metamagic feat were applied to it (or the Persistent Spell metamagic feat if the spell cast has no variable, numeric components) without increasing the spell level or casting time. Spells prepared with the feat applied (for a prepared caster) or selected as part of the casting (for a spontaneous caster) already applied to them gain no additional benefit other than an increased caster level and DC. Lastly, you may discharge this spell with a bolt similar to the one when this spell is first cast. The bolt does 2d6 points of damage for every round of duration remaining (to a maximum of 40d6). This bolt acts as a disintegrate spell in every way except for the amount of damage it inflicts and it being an evocation effect rather than transmutation. The increase of DC granted by this spell applies to this bolt.

Whatchya think? Critiques?

The inspiration was arcane concordance, a level 3 spell, with +1 DC effect, application to caster level, and the metamagic feat options are +2 feats rather than +1 feats. The 50% chance for those metamagic effects was to balance what I felt was simply too good for spells in general since it applies to all spells cast while under the effect. The disintegrate effect with the sliding damage seemed like a neat way to deal with hanging duration, provide some extra utility, and helped put it squarely into 9th level territory where without it I'd likely have put it at level 7. The beginning paragraph I don't really see being applied but I wanted to describe what should happen rather than letting it be a purely harmless bolt.

So, I was curious about a couple classic magical tropes found in media and was curious about how to pull them off in Pathfinder. (Yes, yes, I realize not every one may be possible.)

For example/to start, lightning/column-o-power from the sky. Most any effect that deals with weather, lightning, etc. generates from yourself. Control weather takes 10 minutes and isn't impressive even in any kind of 'look what I can do' challenge when people are 5 minutes into the casting and wondering wtf is going on. Call lightning is only 30 feet long. How would you do this?

Feel free to give solutions and/or pose a new question!

You respond to an attack by briefly becoming vaporous and insubstantial, allowing the attack to pass harmlessly through you. You gain DR 10/magic against this attack and are immune to any poison, sneak attacks, or critical hit effect from that attack.

You cannot use windy escape against an attack of opportunity you provoked by casting a spell, using a spell-like ability, or using any other magical ability that provokes an attack of opportunity when used.

So, either the attack passes harmlessly through you, taking 0 damage, or do you just get DR 10/magic against the damage? Or, would the DR just apply to attacks that are still effective against insubstantial opponents such as incorporeal?

I'm trying to see what kind of changes are considered same kingdom, class, etc. but can't find a monster entry for shrews. To what is this referencing?

I recently made a 14th level spell sage build whose feats, including the wizard bonus feats, other than the 1st and 3rd level which were Improved Initiative and Craft Wondrous Item, respectively, were exclusively arcane discoveries. Here's what this guy can do:

• Gain alchemist formulae as spells; also entries on both lists are CL +1 and DC +1 - let's you do things like natively casting Heal without touching your spell sage ability
  
• Transmutation spells that give enhancement bonuses to ability scores do so at +2 higher; at 20th level that's +4
  
• Int mod to CMB, CMD, and STR checks to break/lift
  
• Change polymorphed forms at will
  
• Prevent any creature from teleporting or summoning within 30 feat with opposed CL checks
  
• Early access time stop for 1 round of apparent time for basically standard action summons and other things
  
• Similar to alchemist formulae wrt +1 DC and +1 CL if a spell exists in each list but for druids; replace any spell material components with gems
  

Now, I realize I'm giving up some other feat effects such as spell penetration (taken care of by above plus spontaneous +4 CL) and some metamagic effects. However, the metamagic stuff tends to only apply to a single spell or two. Compared with the above, I think it's well worth the opportunity cost. With a couple other floating +2s to spell DCs that I have through a trait and gear I don't see the downside to not taking spell focus. Overall with how discoveries are and how the spell sage is written going this route feels very compatible.

What do you guys think?

I'm looking for other wizards who have dabbled in the divine. I don't want an Elminster, though. He's boring and been done. I'm thinking of kind of having him be 'out of it' a lot due to the spell sage's ability to cast off other spell lists is supernatural. Maybe kind of a hippie - "it's all connected, man." Anyway, what ya got?