Caliban_'s page

It seems that the Elven favored class bonus for Arcanist is much better than the similar Gnome favored class bonus for Arcanist.

Elf - Arcanist: Increase total number of points in the arcanist's arcane reservoir by 1.

Gnome -Arcanist: Add 1/6 to the number of points the arcanist gains in her arcane reservoir each day.

It seems like they give a similar bonus, except that the gnome one is much weaker.

Is it supposed to be that the elf FCB only increases your total maximum points without adding to your initial starting points each day, while the gnome FCB increases your initial points without increasing your maximum possible point?

What's your reach if you use the Blue Scarf and then are under the effects of Enlarge Person? (Assuming a medium size human with a rapier.)

These garish tokens usually take the form of a colorful clothing accessories. So long as a token is grasped in the user's off hand, she can spend 1 panache point to gain the use of a specific ability associated with the token.

Once per day, the bearer can use the token to gain the full benefit of the token without spending panache. Non-swashbucklers can use the tokens, but unless they have another way of gaining panache, they can use the ability only once per day. A character can benefit from only one token at a time; holding a second token provides no additional benefit. There are four types of tokens, each offering a different benefit.

Blue Scarf: The user can spend 1 panache point as a swift action to increase her melee reach with light or one-handed piercing weapons by 5 feet for 1 minute.

Normally Enlarge Person + Reach 10' = Reach 20'

But since the item says "increase melee reach by 5 feet", in this case it might only be a total 15' reach.

Thoughts?

So my lvl7 gnome sorcerer now has a UMD of +20.

He already has a wand of cure light wounds, and I'm going to pick up a wand of Faerie Fire for him next.

What are some other good lvl 1 spells to get in a wand?

This is for the Swashbuckler (Inspired Blade) build I'm tinkering with.

I'm looking at options outside of pure damage for the build now, so far I've got Disable Device and Stealth as class skills (he's more of a Scoundrel than a Swashbuckler at this point).

Race is Human, and I'm considering getting the "Blood of Dragons" trait and selecting the low light vision option.

Just not sure if it is equivalent to the +2 initiative trait I would otherwise get.

Working on a Swashbuckler character, trying to decide between a rapier build or a Falcata build.

Is it better to crit more often for less damage, or crit less frequently, but for more damage?

Rapier: 1d6+4, 18-20/x2 crit (1d6+9, 15-20/x2 at lvl 5)

or

Falcata: 1d8+4, 19-20/x3 crit (1d8+9, 17-20/x3 at lvl 5)

This is for a Pathfinder Society character, if that makes a difference.

OK, toying around with different swashbuckler concepts, thinking of making one using a Falcata (1 hand slashing, 1d8, 19-20/x3 crit) with Slashing Grace.

Problem is, this requires 3 feats, and I want to sidestep not being able to use my Dex to damage if at all possible.

My idea is:

Human swashbuckler

Lvl 1 - Weapon Focus (rapier)
lvl 1 - (human) Fencing Grace.

This gives me dex for att/dam for my 1st two levels.

Lvl 3 - exotic proficiency: Falcata

Retrain: Fencing Grace to Weapon Focus (Falcata) - cost of 5 Prestige and 150 gp

Retrain: Weapon Focus (Rapier) to Slashing Grace - cost of 5 Prestige and 150 GP

Potential problem: Weapon Focus requires proficiency in the weapon - and I'm using my lvl 3 (weapon prof. Falcata) feat to meet the prerequisite for the lvl 1 weapon focus (falcata) feat I'm retraining into.

Fighter bonus feat swaps allow this, but I'm not sure if the retraining rules do.

Slashing Grace

Prerequisite(s): Dex 13, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus with chosen weapon.

Benefit: Choose one kind of one-handed slashing weapon (such as the longsword). When wielding your chosen weapon one-handed, you can treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon (such as a swashbuckler's or a duelist's precise strike) and you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon's damage. The weapon must be one appropriate for your size.

Does Slashing Grace work with a Kukri?

It works with a "one handed slashing weapon" - and a kukri is a slashing weapon you use in one hand.

Or does it not work because the kukri is classified as a "Light slashing weapon" rather than a "one handed slashing weapon"?

I'm leaning towards "does not work", but my inner power gamer is hoping I'm wrong (because it opens the door for Piranha Strike). :p

OK, I know that rays and other "weapon-like" spells can crit, and you can take the appropriate feats for them (weapon focus, point blank shot, precise shot, etc).

But does the same thing apply to ranged touch and melee spells that aren't rays or called out as "weapon-like"?

Specifically, spells like Inflict wounds (melee touch, save for half damage), Shocking Grasp (melee touch, no save), and Snowball (ranged touch, not a ray).

Reason I'm asking is one of the local PFS judges has stated a few times that if it's not a "weapon-like spell" then it can't crit, and feats like point blank shot do not apply.

I'm pretty sure he's wrong about the critical hit part (unless there's been errata to the core rules that I missed), but I'm less sure about the feat aspect, and I don't want to bring it up at the gaming table unless I'm absolutely sure.

Extend spell says it doesn't work on spells with an "Intantaneous" duration, Color Spray's duration is "Instantaneous, see text".

So does it simply not work with the spell, or does it work with the "see text" part of the duration?

The reason I ask, is an Extended Color Spray would be useful at higher levels as a lvl 2 spell that can Stun someone (or a couple of someone's) for 2 rounds if they fail the save.

Right now I'm leaning towards "doesn't work", using the reasoning that the spell itself is Instantaneous, and it's the after effects that have a duration. Thus the spell can't be Extended, but neither can the effects be Dispelled before their duration is up, because they aren't magical (like the hit point loss from a fireball isn't magical, even though the fireball itself was magical fire damage).