Canthin's page

You are able to suspend your body in a large mass of elemental matter. Until the next time your burn is removed, you can change your size to Large or shift back to your original size as a standard action. This doesn’t change your ability scores in any way. At 16th level, you can accept 1 additional point of burn to instead change your size to Huge. You cannot use kinetic form to decrease your size.

If you were 16th level and spent 2 burn, do you HAVE to change size to Huge and back to normal or can you choose to change to Large at any time (as a standard action)?

Using 1 burn, you can switch between Large and Medium all day (as a human). Using 2 burn can you only switch between Huge and Medium, or could you be Huge for a bit, switch back to Medium, then change to Large (instead of Huge) and then back to Medium (or up to Huge) as a standard action?

Doesn't seem broken to do so, but I just wanted to make sure before I get to 10th and possibly take this power.

If you are a Warpriest that uses a Shield and your deity's favored weapon (let's say a Longsword) when you cast this spell, I get that the "sword" becomes your only attack (and it does 3d8+8 damage) but can you "raise shield" (and use Shield Block) still? Spell says your AC is 20+Level, but since you have hands that can manipulate and you have a shield...

Or does your shield meld into your form so you can't use it at all?

I have a Warpriest (Sacred Fist) of Sarenrae that has Crusader Flurry so I can flurry of blows with a Scimitar. Warpriests of Sarenrae can also cast Flame Blade which is "wielded like a scimitar" for feats like Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, etc.

Would that allow me to Flurry of blows with a Flame Blade?

I know some of these might have already been answered, but I couldn't find any with search, so thought I would ask.

The Fervor aspect that lets you cast a spell on yourself as a swift action, but:

When cast in this way, the spell can target only the warpriest, even if it could normally affect other or multiple targets.

Invisibility Purge has a range of Personal and a target of "you", but negates invisibility in an area of effect centered on you. Can you Fervor cast this since it has a range of personal and technically targets only you?

Flame Blade (Warpriest of Sarenrae) has a range of 0' and no target (but creates an effect of "a sword-like beam"). Can you Fervor cast this, or since it has no target, it is ineligible?

Silence has no target line, but specifically states you can target a creature (which gets a save if unwilling). But it effects all creates within 20' of that target (much like Invisibility Purge). Can you target your self with the Fervor casting option to silence a 20' area around you since the other creatures are not targeted?

Undeath Ward is an emanation centered on you, but also has no "Target" line. If it can be Fervor cast, would it prevent undead from entering the 10' emanation or would it have "no affect on others"?

Guardian of Faith can be transferred to another after it is cast. Can you Fervor cast it on yourself, and then next round transfer it since it "only affects you" is only on the round it is cast? Or does it only affect you for the duration of the spell?

Random Some Spell any weird interaction of spells (or new spell that comes out) that targets one (or more) creatures but then creates an affect to others around that target. Can the "others around that target" still be affected by a Fervor casting on oneself? What if they had access to a Chill Touch type spell (but heals) that lasts more than one round? Can they be the target of the spell on the round it is cast, and then use it to touch others later?

I know that spells that "target" weapons like Magic Weapon or Sun Metal can't be cast with Fervor, but what about spells that target the caster and state "any weapon wielded by the caster" like Lead Blades (if they had access to that on their warpriest spell list some how)?

Can anyone think of any other spells that might be questionable with this application of Fervor?

After defeating Bagoas twice and witnessing him reform, the party fled. That night they discussed possible solutions.
The wise Cleric - "I think his link to this world has something to do with the deed. I think if we show it to him, it will convince him that he is no master of the castle and it will weaken him enough to destroy him."
The genius Wizard - "I think showing him the deed will just incite him to own it, solidifying his hold on this realm. I think we should destroy it in front of him to show that his dream of ruling can never come true."
The worldly Bard - "If we destroy it, we won't be able to use it later if that tactic fails. I think we should give it to him so his unresolved issue of not being the true owner is no longer valid. That should weaken him enough to defeat him permanently."
The strong Fighter - "Everything has a breaking point. I think if we (*player rolls a d20*) defeat him 14 times his energy will no longer be able to restore him."
The apathetic Rogue - "One of you is right. (*player rolls a d4*). I say we beat him 12 more times and go from there."

Wouldn't that also mean that they would need 8 different Reflex saves for half? Seems like a lot of dice rolling for one effect.

Yep. At least they're easy to roll and only happen once per spell under that circumstance.

If the Save only happens once per spell, then the damage should only happen once per spell. So if you are caught in all 8 blasts you should either roll 8 separate saves and resist 8 different damage rolls, or you should roll 1 save and resistance should only count once versus the total damage. Counting 8 different blasts for Fire Resistance, but then rolling only 1 save isn't consistent.

Each. Same thing if your druid leaves them as a trap for another creature with fire resistance and sets them all off at once. Devastating to a foe without fire resistance, but not nearly so much to one that has even moderate resistance.

Wouldn't that also mean that they would need 8 different Reflex saves for half? Seems like a lot of dice rolling for one effect.

To speed up the mundane Masterwork part of the crafting, you could use the 2nd level spell "Masterwork Transformation" from Ultimate Magic Masterwork Transformation. This will turn any normal item into a Masterwork item for the cost of the masterwork component (300g for weapons, 150g for armor, 50g for tool, etc). It is 3x more expensive than making it, but it only takes an hour. Very beneficial for those without weeks of downtime.

I can't find anything about the two abilities not stacking, but at the same time, they both do the same thing basically, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't stack.

Choose a manufactured weapon in your hand (not an unarmed strike or natural attack); if the weapon is a double weapon, you must choose one of its ends to receive this benefit. You imbue the chosen weapon with your elemental energy as part of an attack action, charge action, or full-attack action to add extra damage to each of your attacks with that weapon until the beginning of your next turn. Your attacks with the chosen weapon during that action deal 1d6 additional points of damage. At 7th level and every 6 levels thereafter, this bonus damage increases by 1d6 points. Blue flame blasts deal double this additional damage. The additional damage is of the same type as the infused blast’s damage. This additional damage ignores spell resistance and doesn’t apply any modifiers to your kinetic blast’s damage (such as your Constitution modifier).

Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire that deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.

If a 5th+ level Fire Kineticist with Energize Weapon (and Infusion Specialization so the blast costs 0 burn) picked up a Flaming dagger, would that dagger deal +2d6 fire (1d6 from Energized Weapon, and 1d6 from Flaming) or would only one of the abilities work?

My group just got to Kakishon on a cliffhanger (we can't play again for another 3 weeks!) and they loved the rune imagery of islands and are awestruck at the size of the demi-plane.

My party too has a Summoner in it and I think I'm going to say there is a 50/50 chance per hour that the Eidolon gets "desummoned". Once the Summoner makes a DC20 caster level check (and spends 1 minute) he can summon it again. That way it doesn't outright kill or prevent the eidolon from functioning, but plays into the chaotic nature of the planar boundary. His Eidolon was killed by the mummy under the One Source Guild warehouse (paralyzed + Coup de Grace) so he had to use his summoning spells a little more than he usually did. He was in good spirits about it though, so I'm thinking he will get through Kakishon just fine.

Jason,

If you are still sending out your director cut emails, please add me to the list!

Do mystic bolts require humanoid form to use? I know the class spells would require still/silent spell etc, but beyond "mystic bolt requires the hand to be free" I can't see any restriction on form for using the ability. Are there general rules that apply to abilities like this?

Basically, am able to use mystic bolts in animal form, just forms that have "hands" or just in humanoid forms?

Not 100% sure, but since it says "...requires the hand to be free.." that could imply that it depends on your original form (since a wolf doesn't have any "hands", for instance).

While under the effects of a polymorph spell, you lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form.

Mystic Bolts are listed as a Supernatural ability that requires a free hand so if you assume the free hand thing is a form requirement, then it wouldn't work.

I would probably say any form similar enough to your own that has hands would work. So pretty much any humanoid if you are a standard race should be ok. Of course your DM has final say.

If you are a level 6 Kineticist with the Elemental Ascetic archetype (gets Kinetic Fist for 0 burn), and you have Monk VMC for unarmed damage....

...and you punch a Diminutive Swarm, does all your damage count as "involves a sizable mass of elemental matter or energy, so kinetic blasts always deal full damage to swarms of any size" or is it only the 1d6 from Kinetic Fist that does any damage?

A: 1d8 (unarmed damage) + 1d6 (Kinetic Fist damage) + 2 (STR)
B: 1d6 (Kinetic Fist damage)
C: Something else

...and you punch a Ghost. Does it deal 1/2 damage from the whole attack since "All damage from a kinetic blast is treated as magic for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction", or only 1d6/2 for the Kinetic Fist?

A: (1d8 (unarmed damage) + 1d6 (Kinetic Fist damage) +2 (STR)) /2
B: 1d6/2
C: Something else

In both of those situations I'm pretty sure Kinetic Blade would do:

3d6+6 (16 WIS, simple physical blast) to the Swarm and (3d6+6)/2 to the Ghost but you would only get 1 attack instead of the 2 you would get from flurry. But if only the Kinetic Fist part is doing any damage and your "ordinary" fists aren't doing anything in those situations it seems better.

When you finally get +2d6 on Kinetic Fist, your Unarmed Damage is 1d10, and your Kinetic Blade is 6d6+6+WIS (11th level) per attack with 2 attacks (+8/+3).

If you are using Unchained Monk, do you get the +1 attack at level 11 for the Elemental Ascetic's Elemental Fury ability?

Does "Chained" Monk just use the chart on the Monk Class since it doesn't make any stipulation on base attack bonus like the Warpriest Sacred Fist does?

When using the kinetic fist form infusion with a full attack, he can make a flurry of blows as the monk class feature.

At 11th level, a monk can make an additional attack at his highest base attack bonus whenever he makes a flurry of blows.

A: Unarmed = +8/+8/+8/+3 for 1d10+2d6+STR (Unchained)

I've been thinking about playing a monk (specifically unMonk) and was looking up some builds for them, among them I came across the Circling mongoose monk build.

The Build seems to use both flurry and circling mongoose at the same time, and I was wondering how that's possible when they're both full round actions. Is there some special case that I'm not aware of that allows them both to happen?

** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **

Circling Mongoose is a Full-Round Action.

Circling Mongoose says "..as a full-round action, you can take a full-attack action to make melee attacks.."

So using Circling Mongoose, lets you use Flurry.

Canthin,

I am drawing the 15' exactly as the rules state.

CRB p214 wrote:

Regardless of the shape of the area, you select the point where the spell originates, but otherwise you don’t control which creatures or objects the spell affects.

No debate here, we both agree that we determine where it originates.

CRB p214 wrote:

The point of origin of a spell is always a grid intersection.

Also no debate here.

CRB p214 wrote:

When determining whether a given creature is within the area of a spell, count out the distance from the point of origin

in squares just as you do when moving a character or when determining the range for a ranged attack. The only difference is that instead of counting from the center of one square to the center of the next, you count from intersection to intersection.

The bolded section here radically changes how you count the distance. Some people are counting squares and not counting the lines between (or through) squares from intersection to intersection.

CRB p214 wrote:

You can count diagonally across a square, but remember that every second diagonal counts as 2 squares of distance.

No debate here.

CRB p214 wrote:

If the far edge of a square is within the spell’s area, anything within that square is within the spell’s area. If the spell’s area only touches the near edge of a square, however, anything within that square is unaffected by the spell.

In the diagrams I provided I showed that, using the above rules, the far edges were touched and thus are within the area of the cone.

Next, you state that the cone has a cone shape from the intersection it originates at.

CRB p214 wrote:

A cone-shaped spell shoots away from you in a quartercircle in the direction you designate.

Shoots away from you in a quartercircle, not shoots away from the intersection in a quartercircle. A subtle but important difference. Here is the image that shows this

CRB p214 wrote:

It

...

I agree with you up to the point where you draw it wrong :) Since it is physically impossible to fit your 15' cone into a 15' radius burst, and ALL OTHER cones follow the same "non-rollover from 3.0" rules you need to fit the cone into the rules and not try and fit the rules onto the cone that you are picturing.

Like I said, it would be super easy to show you if I could draw here, but I can't. The last image that you posted shows a blue V (or cone if you will), but the point of origin is the center of your square. If you put that V's point of origin on an intersection and then made the length of the V 15' it would not only fit in a 15' radius burst (2 squares, 4 squares, 2 squares) but if you were to draw a line from that intersection 15' outward as if you were calculating movement (just like the rule that we both agree is correct) you would shade 8 boxes total (2, 4, 2) just like the "quarter circle" that fits in the 15' radius burst.

I'm ok with considering my diagrams (all of which are consistent with the rules of Pathfinder, geometry, AND each other - something the 15' cone pictured can't say) "house rules" since I don't play PFS, I was just pointing out to the original poster that she is not crazy thinking there is something off about the 3.0 D&D diagram that was copied over from a time when the rules were completely different, yet still accepted as RAW because of the picture.

I do respect your position though, it just doesn't fit with my meticulous group. Maybe it is all the bad 3.0 memories :)

Quantum Steve,

The 15' cone counts from the intersection and then counts along the sides of the squares (or diagonally through a square in some cases).

In this image I show how you can count from the intersection.
The 5/10/15 are counting each step of the line, the white "L" is to show that that far edge is legal.

One thing you seem to be forgetting though, Gauss, is that you are supposed to draw from an intersection 15' to form the cone (like all the other cones). The first line that you draw along the 5 square doesn't actually cross that square anywhere so the "If the spell's area only touches the near edge of a square, however, anything within that square is unaffected by the spell." part of the rules would say that your 5 box isn't effected by the spell. If you instead cross that box with the first diagonal (and then draw another diagonal in the other direction) then you get a cone just like all the other diagrams (starting with 2 squares and then moving straight out the length of the cone and forming diagonals equal to the length of the line you draw from the intersection.

It isn't as easy to say with words what you can by just drawing it, but I don't have the capability to post a picture of the templates at work.

Keep in mind, that just like the Mind Blade, you have to cast defensively to full attack + cast a spell in a threatened square, and your Concentration check to do that is 10 higher (25 + 2*spell level).

Thought Components: Thought components represent mental constructs necessary for the spell's function, such as picturing a wolf in vivid detail—down to the saliva dripping from its jaws—in order to cast beast shape to transform into a wolf. Thought components are so mentally demanding that they make interruptions and distractions extremely challenging. The DC for any concentration check for a spell with a thought component increases by 10. A psychic spellcaster casting a spell with a thought component can take a move action before beginning to cast the spell to center herself; she can then use the normal DC instead of the increased DC.

Without any bonuses to Concentration from Improved/Greater Spell Combat, your chances of successfully using Spell Combat with psychic spells is severely low, even with Combat Casting and Focused Mind.

I can't type out the 30-foot cone that would be analogous to the 15-ft cone they present; I really don't have the time. But you can draw it to see. Starting with the bottom row, it too would have just one square above the big red dot, broaden out to three squares, then five, then there'd be two rows of seven, and at the top one row of three. If they'd done that, I'd have to say, "oh, the rules they present don't apply to vertical cones, just angled ones." (Basically, they'd be using two points of origin, one on each side of the caster, and insisting on having the moves be orthagonal for the first square so as to get a better cone shape.)

What frustrates me so is that they apply their own rules in the case of the 30-foot cone they give us, but not the other!

The 15' cone and one of the 30' lines have always bugged me because they blatantly don't fit within their confines.

By the way the rules are written (if you ignore the pictures) you can take the Radius and then cut it in quarters, to get the angled cone. If you draw diagonals from you point out to the distance of 20' (3 squares) and then straight out 20' you get the 20' straight cone (and it fits within the radius). The picture for the 20' and 30' cones support this, but the 15' cone doesn't.

One of the 30' lines also extends out 35' (and doesn't fit in the 30' radius picture) but somehow it is considered 30' because it is pictured.

I find it absurd that according to the pictures, I can be outside of a 30'radius burst (or "anything within 30' of a point") but if you have a spell that effects a 30' line from the same point, I would be in the area.

For my group, we have drawn up templates with a radius' of 10' to 60' and shaded them to make angled and straight cones that fit inside of those shapes to be used at our table. Not RAW according to the pictures, but RAW to the wording of how the shapes should be drawn (and at least correct according to geometry).

The Air Supremacy power from the School of Air says:

You gain a +2 enhancement bonus on Fly skill checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every five wizard levels you possess. In addition, you can cast feather fall on yourself at will. At 5th level, you can cast levitate on yourself at will. At 10th level, you can cast fly on yourself at will. At 20th level, whenever you make a Fly skill check, assume the roll resulted in a natural 20.

This means that at 10th level you would have +4 to Fly checks and the ability to cast Fly on yourself at will.

The subject can fly at a speed of 60 feet (or 40 feet if it wears medium or heavy armor, or if it carries a medium or heavy load). It can ascend at half speed and descend at double speed, and its maneuverability is good.

Using a fly spell requires only as much concentration as walking, so the subject can attack or cast spells normally. The subject of a fly spell can charge but not run, and it cannot carry aloft more weight than its maximum load, plus any armor it wears. The subject gains a bonus on Fly skill checks equal to 1/2 your caster level.

So when you cast Fly on yourself you get Good maneuverability (+4 to Fly checks) and +1/2 level to Fly checks.

Do all of those stack? So a 10th level Air Wizard (or 10th level character with VMC: Wizard(Air)) would get +13 to Fly checks while using the self Fly?

You should play it like it is... movement. And work it as each situation specifies. If the movement would provoke AOO's if it were normal movement, it would do so with this as well.

Ok, so moving through friendly spaces is fine, and using acrobatics to avoid attacks of opportunities could be a thing.

The talents Flame Jet, Gravity Control, and Self Telekinesis all say that you can spend a Standard action to move 60' in a straight line (up costs double). It doesn't say whether the path is blocked by creatures. Can you move through friendly spaces like normal movement? Use Acrobatics to move through enemy squares? (if so, is there a penalty to Acrobatics for moving faster than normal speed?) Can you use the movement to Overrun (possibly knocking over people you blast through)? I know Overrun is a Standard action, but it also says part of a charge, and the "move in a straight line" part is pretty charge-like.

I'm also assuming the movement provokes attacks of opportunity, but the talents don't specify that either. Should I just assume that it is normal movement (within a straight line) without any additional restrictions?

You're able to cherry-pick the best stuff from four elements. There needs to be a pretty steep cost, otherwise your level 20 total utility is way stronger than any other Kineticist, and you've got tons of different blast types to cover every situation.

Not sure I agree with you about blasts. You wouldn't have any Composite Blasts like a normal Kineticist would, the only benefit you have is slight flexibility on damage type (a normal Kineticist could have 3 different simple blasts and several Composites [that deal double damage] at 15th level which is technically more blasts than an Elementalist). As for cherry-picking talents, I'm not sure. At 1 level higher, it would be harder to take some of the ones with prerequisites without going "heavy" on one particular element (the original reason behind Elemental Balance). Maybe make Utility Talents available at 3 (instead of 2) and then one every 3 levels (instead of every 2)?

I definitely am not trying to make an archetype that is "more powerful" than a normal Kineticist, just wanted a "multi-element" theme.

What about choosing either Physical or Energy at level 1 and your blast is that type, but can be any of the 4 elements for damage type. And then at 7th, when a normal Kineticist gains a second blast, you get the other type. This makes it kind of weird though since you could have an Earth "energy" blast. Or should it just be 3 damage types with energy (Electricity, Fire, Cold) and 3 physical (Earth, Air, Water)? And still remove Composite blasts maybe?

Infusions could be used with any compatible type (physical or energy) but with any element. (So you could use Bowling Infusion with any physical blasts, not just Earth for instance).

Maybe get rid of Elemental Balance and treat any talent (not infusion) as 1 level higher (so you need to be 2 levels higher than a normal Kineticist to pick it) unless it is Universal, then you can choose it at the normal level. Not as "rough" as all elements being secondary (needing to be 4 levels higher).

Elemental Balance seems overcomplicated.

I think Elemental Knowledge probably gives too many blasts. Perhaps limit the number of composite blasts, or give them out over levels.

Elemental Resistance is kind of weak.

Thinking maybe just remove Composite blasts completely. Depending on which combination of blasts you take, you would only get 2 or 3 anyway, but if you remove them completely, something minor could be added in their place.

Elemental Resistance is a little weak, but resistance to all elements is pretty handy, and I didn't want it to be too good. There isn't anything else I could think to add to it that wouldn't make it stand out as "winner" against the other Defenses.

I'm not sure how to fix the Elemental Balance issue. I don't want to pidgin-hole the Elementalist into ONLY taking powers that balance, but I wanted there to be some down side if they didn't keep it close.

Can you think of anything else that "Jack-of-all-elements, master-of-none" would have?

So I'm thinking of proposing the following archetype to my DM to see if he will let me play it, but I'm not sure if it is too much or not enough. I also can't seem to get the wording of Elemental Balance right. It doesn't seem complicated until I start trying to explain how it works, then it sounds complicated :)

Elementalist (maybe Primal Elementalist)

Elemental Knowledge (Ex)
An Elementalist adds Knowledge (Planes) to their list of class skills. (This counts as the skills added based on chosen element).

Instead of specializing in one element, an Elementalist has roots in each of the four prime elements (Air, Earth, Fire, and Water). An Elementalist chooses one simple blast from each element at 1st level. At 7th level the Elementalist gains the composite blasts based on their selection of simple blasts.

This replaces Elemental Focus, Expanded Element, the Infusion gained at 1st level, and alters class skills.

Elemental Balance (Su)
The four elements must be kept in balance in order to harness their power safely. For every Infusion or Wild Talent you posses that exceeds any of the other elements by more than one, you start the day with one burn for each point you are out of balance. Examples: You have an Earth Infusion, and a Fire and Air Wild Talent at level 4. If the Infusion you choose at 5th is any element other than Water, you will have 1 burn every morning (because you need 1 Water to be in balance). If you had 4 Fire, 3 Air and 0 in the other two, that would be 6 burn (you would need 3 Water, and 3 Earth to be in balance). A Universal talent/infusion counts as any element you choose when making this calculation (so you could have 2 Fire, and 3 universal and not take any burn, counting each universal as a different element). An Elementalist must choose a balancing talent/infusion if the total burn they would receive every day exceeds the total burn they can accept in a day (3+CON)

You cannot use Internal Buffer if you are out of balance.

This alters Burn and Internal Buffer.

Elemental Resistance (Su)
At 2nd level, an Elementalist gains +2 resistance to Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Fire. At 6th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the resistance increases by 2 to a total of +10 resistance at 18th level. By accepting 1 point of burn, you can increase this resistance by 2 until the next time your burn is removed. The maximum resistance you can gain is 20. This resistance stacks with any resistance you already possess.

This replaces Elemental Defence.

Everything else seems to fit with the Elementalist theme (Elemental Overload, Metakinesis, etc.) Anything else I could/should change before submitting?

Canthin wrote:

Scent to a range of 10'(able to pinpoint creatures within 5' automatically as a Move Action).

You get scent up to 10 feet. If a creature is adjacent, their pinpointed automatically without an action needed. The move action is for figuring out direction if creature isn't adjacent.

"Within 5'" is adjacent. Requires a Move Action, but no Perception check right?

1. The Blind condition states that you get a -4 to Perception checks that don't rely on sight, and automatically fail ones that do rely on sight. Can you still "notice" an invisible opponent that is 30' away using Perception if you are blind? I'm assuming that the "notice" doesn't mean "see the shimmer of movement like the Predator's armor" but more "hear/feel/smell" that there is something there.

2. Base DC to "Notice" an Invisible creature within 30' is 20+Stealth (40+Stealth to pinpoint). Does that already take the distance into consideration? Would that mean it is a 21+Stealth to notice an Invisible creature within 40'? If you have the Unchained Rogue skill unlock for Perception so that you only take -1 for every 30' instead of -1 for every 10' (10 ranks) does that lower the Perception check to notice within 30' then?

3. If you have Blindsight out to 30' (but are blind otherwise) and there is an Invisible opponent 40' away, you have the same chance as noticing them as a normal blind creature correct (including the -4 to Perception)?

4. Greater Blind-Fight says you have to pinpoint an Invisible creature at range to avoid losing your Dex (and giving them a +2 to hit), and states that it can be farther than 30' (which is covered by Improved Blind-Fight) but doesn't give the details on what is required to pinpoint an Invisible foe farther than 30' out. Do we just add distance penalties to the normal 30' DC as in question 2?

5. An Unchained Rogue can Sneak Attack someone with Concealment (unlike a regular Rogue), but not Total Concealment. If you have Greater Blind-Fight so that Total Concealment is treated as Concealment, can you then Sneak Attack an Invisible opponent (or anyone with Total Concealment)?

6. Can you use Stealth to "sneak past" someone with Blindsight? Or would it be the same as trying to use Stealth against someone with Darkvision (i.e. automatically failing due to lack of "concealment")? (I'm just picturing the fight scene with Daredevil and the ninja that "masked their sounds" to fool his "blindsight" being the equivalent of Stealth vs. Perception).

EDIT: 7. Against Mirror Image, Blind-Fight is "accepted" as a way to ignore the spell effect for the favorable 50% miss chance due to the caster being "invisible". I've always wondered what happens to the images though when you "attack a creatures square" and miss due to Total Concealment. Do you automatically miss all the images too? Seems very unlikely that missing AC by 5 or less automatically destroys an image, but hitting AC without an issue, but rolling lower than 50% misses everything in the square.

Sorry for rezzing this thread, but I have a question on the wording for what you "actually" get with the first feat.

The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them. Miss chance against all attackers can be rerolled once to determine if you hit or not. Scent to a range of 10'(able to pinpoint creatures within 5' automatically as a Move Action). +4 to Perception checks based on hearing and smell (for a total of +0 since you still get the -4 to all opposed Perception checks?)

Is all this right or are there some assumptions I didn't make, or synergies I didn't take into account?

So you could spend a Move Action to identify which adjacent square an enemy was in using Scent, then Standard Action attack them, rolling the 50% miss chance twice to see if you hit?

Without any other Feats or abilities you couldn't apply precision based damage (like Sneak Attack) with this attack correct? Due to concealment?

I wanted to create a Magus that can cast 9th level spells and this is what I came up with so far. Could use any advice anyone's got on how to make it more Magus-y without sacrificing power. The feats are just placeholders for now with an included list of possible feat choices. I'm thinking a Shocking Grasp focus, but a Frostbite focus could still be viable, too.

Blade Adept Arcanist/Hexcrafter/Eldritch Knight

1- Blade Adept Arcanist 1: Level 1 Spells; Arcane Reservoir; Cantrips; consume spells; Sword Bond; Weapon Finesse

2- BAA 2

3- BAA 3: Sentient Sword; Intensify Spell

4- BAA 4: Level 2 Spells

5- BAA 5: Spell Strike exploit; Empower Spell

6- BAA 6: Level 3 Spells

7- Hexcrafter 1: Level 1 Magus Spells; Spell Combat; Weapon/Armor proficiencies; Arcane Pool; Extra Arcanist Exploit: Eldritch Blade

8- Eldritch Knight 1: Bonus Combat Feat: Improved Initiative; Diverse Training

9- EK 2: Maximize Spell

10- EK 3: Level 4 Spells

11- EK 4: Dimensional Agility

12- EK 5: Level 5 Spells; Bonus Combat Feat: Power Attack

13- EK 6: Dimensional Assault

14- EK 7: Level 6 Spells

15- EK 8: Spell Perfection: Shocking Grasp

16- EK 9: Level 7 Spells; Bonus Combat Feat

17- EK 10: Spell Critical; Dimensional Dervish

18- BAA 7: Level 8 Spells; Exploit

19- BAA 8: Dimensional Savant

20- BAA 9: Level 9 Spells

Intensify Spell
Empower Spell
Spell Perfection
Dimensional Agility
Dimensional Assault
Dimensional Dervish
Dimensional Savant
Heighten Spell
Preferred Spell
Rime Spell
Dazing Spell
Spell Focus
Greater Spell Focus
Quick Draw?

Thanks!

Unfortunately you can't use Spell Combat with this build (well, you can, but only with your 1st level Magus spells). You have to be at least 6th level Magus and take the Broad Study Arcana in order to use spells from another class with Spellstrike and Spell Combat. If you don't plan on using Spell Combat, then you are probably better off dipping into Slayer or Fighter for the weapon proficiency requirements for Eldritch Knight.

Also, straight Magus only needs to take Dimensional Agility since they can use Spell Combat to cast Dimension Door and do their full attack after they arrive (thus not needing Dimensional Assault or Dimensional Dervish) unless you wanted to move after each attack. You can probably spend the feats on something better.

Don't forget the Arcanist. White Mage can spontaneously cast cure spells like a Cleric, and can take the Fast Healing exploit. Add Unlettered Arcanist to it and you get the Witch spell list instead of Wizard. Can be a pretty effective combo.

_Ozy_ wrote:

From the rules:

Quote:

To determine whether your target has concealment from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target's square passes through a square or border that provides concealment, the target has concealment.

If you choose one of the corners in your square that is at the edge of the cloud, the lines to all of your opponent's square do not pass through any square or border that provides concealment.

However, two of the lines drawn from your opponent to your square will pass through the obscured square and thus you have concealment.

That's a strong rules argument. It's not a particularly elegant outcome but it's a clear result.

So I guess even though you are affected by the spell, you aren't affected by the spell.

Of course if you at the edge of the fog you still have concealment (20%)

and the person outside the fog is clear to you.

Sorry to raise this thread from the dead, but this came up in a session recently.

If you are in the area of a fog cloud, aren't you affected by the fog cloud? Meaning that people adjacent to you have concealment, and those farther away have total concealment? Regardless of where you are in the cloud, it should affect you the same way right? Does being in the last affected square of the area make you immune to the sight restrictions as Jacob suggests?

For example, if an archer takes a 5' step INTO the fog and turns around, are all his targets perfectly visible (ignoring the "A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target)." from the spell description)? And others only treat him as having concealment regardless of how far away they are? Again, that seems like it is ignoring the "within 5 feet = concealment, farther = total concealment" part of the spell.

I know the "5' square" is an abstraction (you aren't actually swinging a sword at someone 5' away from you if you are adjacent), but if you are in a 5'x 5' square of fog isn't there still fog between you and the next square, even if the next square is clear of fog?

1. If a Warpriest 3 / Druid 4 selects Weapon Focus (Claw) and Wildshapes into a Leopard (medium sized animal) the claws deal 1d6 for Sacred Weapon right? (Instead of the 1d3 that they normally would)

2. If you had the Improved Natural Attack (Claw) feat, would the Leopard's claws do 1d8 for the "size" increase of the Warpriest damage or would it stay 1d6 since the Sacred Weapon damage is higher than what the claws would be with the feat (1d4)?

3. If you gained 4 levels in Druid and then Wildshaped into a Lion (large sized animal) would your claws do 1d8 (large size Warpriest) instead of 1d4? 3b. With Improved Natural Attack (Claw) feat, 2d6 for Warpriest increase?

4. Anything prevent you from using Fervor while Wildshaped? For the "Cast a spell as a swift action" part you would probably need the Natural Spell feat, but for normal uses of Fervor (healing / damage to undead)?

Price of the weapon you want to end up with minus the price of the weapon you have now equals the price you pay to upgrade to the weapon you want.

+1 axiomatic = +3 price equivalent = 18,000 gp (plus weapon cost, irrelevant here since it will be the same on both sides of the equation)

So whether you want a +2 axiomatic khopesh or, for instance, a +1 axiomatic flaming khopesh, the result is the equivalent of a +4 weapon.

A +4 weapon costs 32,000 gp (the price for weapons is bonus^2 x 2,000).

+4 cost (32K) - +3 cost (18K) = upgrade cost (14K)

So you'll need 14,000 gold to upgrade your weapon.

CRB Rules Source

Or 1/2 that amount (7k) if you have Craft Arms and Armor and spend 14 days upgrading it yourself. :)

Some of the VMC is pretty straight forward when it comes to abilities vs. "levels" and some are not. Some magic items are pretty straight forward how they relate to abilities and some are not.

For instance:

Bravery: At 3rd level, he gains the bravery class feature as a fighter of his character level – 1.
Armor Training 1: At 7th level, he gains armor training 1.
Weapon Training 1: At 11th level, he gains weapon training 1.
Armor Training 2: At 15th level, he gains armor training 2.
Weapon Training 2: At 19th level, he gains weapon training 2.

Sash of the War Champion (Fighter level is 4 higher for Bravery and Armor Training class features)

Since Bravery has an "equivalent" Fighter level, it would be easy to add 4 to it to find out what the Bravery bonus would be, but Armor Training 1 does't have a level associated with it. Fighters get -1/+1 for ever 4 levels, so the magic item would give a fighter with Armor Training 1, -2 to ACP and +2 Max DEX (the equivalent of Armor Training 2). Would the Fighter VMC get -2/+2 for Armor Training 1 with the item or not gain anything since Armor Training 2 for the VMC isn't available until 15th level? (I think this is along the same lines as the Myrmidarch ability of the same name that "stacks" with Fighter levels, but doesn't have any Fighter levels). Would the Fighter VMC gain Armor Training 2 at level 11 with the item (4 levels sooner than without the item)?

Gloves of Dueling on the other hand (pun TOTALLY intended) gives anyone with the Weapon Training class feature +2 to whatever level they have it at. So a Fighter VMC that was 11th level would get +3 to hit and damage with the one group they choose. Item works just fine for the VMC (and any class/archetype that has the class feature). Not based on level.

Since both Bravery and Armor Training advance every 4 levels, would it break the world if the item was reworded to match the Gloves? "Anyone with the Bravery or Armor Training class features increases their bonus with each ability by 1". That would allow Myrmidarch, Dragoon, and other classes/archetypes that have Armor Training benefit from the item without having actual Fighter levels.

There are other combinations (Sorcerer and Robes of Arcane Heritage, Monk and Monk's Robes, Druid and Druid Vestments, etc. that might have similar wordings that don't work RAW but probably should RAI, it has just taken me most of the day (at work so not able to focus on it) to get these two examples down.

I am DMing a situation that has an unusual combination of factors and I'm wondering how others would interpret the outcome.

I have a player who is human (rogue) but he has an item that allows him to use Alter Self a number of times per day. He's taken to adopting the form of a small humanoid such as a goblin or kobold. This character is now in a melee with a ranger who has favored enemy Humanoid (Human), as well as an inquisitor with the favored judgment feat, also choosing Humanoid (human) as the focus.

So when attacking the rogue altered into goblin form, do these enemies gain the benefits of their favored enemy abilities, since the target is human or does the Alter Self transmutation (polymorph) mean they do not.

I'm inclined to rule that they do not since the form is not human and they don't know it is a human behind the polymorph. But I wondered if there is another meta rule about which takes priority that I'm not familiar with.

I guess it depends on how the favored enemy works. If it is a kind of motivational effect that spurs the character on to better performance when facing the favored enemy, then the polymorph would fool them. But if it is some more magical basis, the magic might not be fooled by the polymorph and manifest in better performance.

It has already been significant since on more than one attack, the favored enemy feature would have meant a hit that otherwise missed.

You might look at this post About Favored Enemies for some debate on the issue.

I have found that the PFSRD isn't accurate when it comes to stating out creatures that are not explicitly listed in the Bestiaries. They extrapolate based on the standard rules and don't always get the details right.

Every dragon in Bestiary 1 that has a "Space" entry in its stat block shows reach for the bite (except for the Young Black, Ancient Brass, and Young Bronze, which don't have a space entry at all). All of the Medium sized dragons in the Bestiary 1 have reach (except for the mentioned Young Black that doesn't have any Space/Reach entry). You should view the rule in the dragon section as applying to all dragons and stat them accordingly, not just blindly follow what is on a third party site (no matter how awesome and useful that site is).

You can only do Metamixing by spending Arcane Reservoir points and you can only spend Arcane Reservoir points whenever they cast arcanist spells (according to the first quote provided by Fernn).

It doesn't say "arcane spells" like the Sorcerer Arcana abilities do, it says "arcanist spells", much like Magus and spell combat and spellstrike.

So if you can only spend points when casting arcanist spells, then you can't use exploits on spells cast by other classes slots/resources.

We've always houseruled that Spark was the fire version of Ray of Frost, Jolt, and Acid Splash. No real reason not to have a d3 fire spell if there is already one for cold, acid, and electricity.

Indeed. As I mentioned, just Spell Resistance and Concentration checks.

That last part has my attention since it appears Kineticists get the major once over when they try and "cast" their blasts defensively (as to not draw two attacks of opportunities). Their blast is always considered the highest level "spell" they can cast, so a 6th level Kineticist needs a 21 (15+(3*2)), 10th level Kineticist needs a 25 (15+(5*2)), etc. for their concentration check to fire off his Kinetic Blast defensively. Always having the hardest check means they have to invest in Combat Casting and Focused Mind trait (you would always need a 9 or 10 to make the check otherwise). Was kind of hoping to be able to get away with not taking those feats/traits for a "non-caster" class. *le sigh*

2- It does seem to be a flurry thing, since it says 'for this attack' before going on about how it treats BAB as kine. level. The specific action would be a devastating blast.

I see what you mean, but it isn't an "action" for Devastating Infusion, it is the attack (weapon) that gets the Good BAB. Kind of potato / potato thing really though since BAB ONLY for a specific weapon still wouldn't meet BAB prerequisites (even if they are only for that weapon).

7- Annihilators can also grab the level 7 infusion if they specialize in their element. So you do get a small handful of infusions to use. And yes, it would appear that they can use the normal blast, which is useful, since it keeps normal infusions and damage dice. A nice use of a standard action, basically. So it seems to be....level 7, 11, and 15? That sounds about right?

Looks like 7 (if you choose same element), 11, 13, 15 (if "same bonuses as above" means bonus infusion for choosing same element), 17, and 19.

6- I don't think you can get utility wild talents with the 7th level infusion as an annihilator. The dampened versatility says 'you can never get utility wild talents'. So that would preclude the normal expanded element rules.

I missed that top line about NEVER gaining them, was only thinking you didn't get any of the ones you normally get for leveling since it states that "This ability replaces the 2nd-, 8th-, 10th-, 14th-, and 18th-level utility wild talents." which doesn't list the level 7 (and maybe 15) possibility.

Thanks guys. Still not sure what route to go with my new character, but Elemental Annihilator still sounds like it could work.

Any tech weapons that shoot physical projectiles will be affected as normal. However, the vast majority of them do not shoot physical projectiles and will thus ignore it.

Much like "rays"

This ability has no effect on ray attacks.

1- Nope, this appear to be more of a flurry thing, where it is treated as full BAB "For this attack". That is most likely part of the reason why you are given those bonus feats- it lets you skip the prerequisite since you wouldn't really keep up otherwise.

4- you don't take AoOs for firing your ranged weapon, but you are still using an SLA, so you take 1 AoO. That does reduce your problems, since it seems to allow 2 AoOs when you blast (one for casting an SLA, one for shooting it)

There is a reason why kinetic blade goes a long way to explain why it doesn't draw AoOs.

But if you can do as you plan, it seems like you are still in for a world of pain. Can't this archetype get the whip infusion? Can you use that to get far, far less pain, since you could fire out of a lot of enemies' threatened space?

Thanks for replying, but it doesn't look like you matched the number to the question you were answering. #1 was the Attack of Opportunity and Snap Shot question. I think you were trying to answer #2? In which case, it states that you get Good base attack when using the Devastating Infusion, not when you use a certain type of action (like Flurry only when using a full attack action).

As for #4, I didn't find anywhere in the Kineticist (or blast) section that states you have to "cast defensively", just that it is a ranged attack. So it would only draw the AoO for shooting it, which could be mitigated by Point Blank Master, right? (would really like verification on the casting defensively thing). Also, Devastating Infusion ISN'T Kinetic Blade, it acts like it in some ways but it is spelled out that it is NOT Kinetic Blade.

I had also thought of something else on the painfully long drive home from work.

6 - Level 7, Kineticist can choose another element with "Expanded Element", however if they choose the same element they started with, they get an additional Utility Wild Talent (or Infusion), and the other simple blast (if there is one). Because of Devastating Infusion, you couldn't use "the other" blast since it would be an energy blast (with DI anyway, see below), but this would be the only way to gain a Wild Talent right? Since you give up all your other ones for Bonus Feats?

7 - (related to lemeres' reply about whip infusion) It doesn't look like Elemental Annihilators give up Kinetic Blast. Does that mean that they can use Kinetic Blast (at Medium base attack, but full damage) OR Devastating Infusion (at Good base attack, 1d8+CON damage)? And use the infusions they can start choosing at 11 for Kinetic Blast?

The Elemental Annihilator seems to be a fighter that uses a modified form of Kinetic Blast (Devastating Infusion) as their weapons (ranged and melee).

They get Good base attack rather than Medium with their Devastating Infusion (which can only be a physical blast, not an elemental blast, so it targets regular AC instead of Touch AC)

Their damage is 1d8+CON and doesn't get better.

They get bonus combat feats that they don't have to qualify for like Specialization and Two-Weapon Fighting.
They can use Vital Strike with their Devastating Infusion.
They can us Rapid Shot with their ranged Devastating Infusion.

At 4th level they can make attacks of opportunity with their Devastating Infusion (to make melee attacks).

They get fighter Weapon Training with their Devastating Infusion.

They can make regular iterate attacks with their Devastating Infusion and benefit from Haste.

Now for the questions:

1 - Since you can make attacks of opportunities with the Devastating Infusion at level 4 (meaning it is "always present"), could you take the Snap Shot tree of feats for the ranged Devastating Infusion? Granted the first feat would do nothing for you since you already threaten within 5' and your melee and ranged attack deal the same damage, but with Improved Snap Shot, could you threaten within 15' with your ranged Devastating Infusion?

2 - Can you take feats with a base attack requirement = to your level (as if you were a fighter) since your base attack with Devastating Infusion is = to your level, or do you have to abide by your actual base attack for feat requirements? (for feats that aren't taken as bonus feats where you don't have to meet requirements).

3 - Because the Devastating Infusion is physical (affected by DR) can you take Clustered Shots for ranged Devastating Infusion?

4 - Since you can take Specialization, you can qualify for Point Blank Master to not draw attacks of opportunities when shooting ranged Devastating Infusions. Could you then take Opening Volley and use your first attack as a ranged attack, giving your second attack (melee) a +4 bonus to hit (after you have iterate attacks of course)?

5 - Devastating Infusion states that the damage bonus from Elemental Overflow doesn't apply to Devastating Infusion, but it doesn't say anything about the bonus to hit. Does that still apply to Devastation Infusions?

It's because the touch is FREE.

Attacking with a spiked gauntlet is a Standard Action.
Casting a spell is a Standard Action.
You can't Cast a spell AND attack with a spiked gauntlet in the same round (unless you are a Magus).
So when you Cast the touch spell, you are given the opportunity to discharge it on the same round by getting a free TOUCH (because giving you a free attack instead would be inconsistent with standard action economy rules, which is only ok for Magus :P)

If I use a Move Action to move 30', and then use a Standard Action to cast a spell, I can still use the Counterspell Exploit (Immediate Action) to prevent an enemy spellcaster from casting right?

Because the Exploit works like dispel magic, I just want to make sure that there isn't a "can't cast more than one spell (the Standard Action spell, and the "Dispel Magic" exploit) in the same round type of restriction.

Elemental Bloodline Arcana allows you to change the elemental damage from one type to your bloodline type. Nothing else on the spell changes. So a Shocking Grasp that deals fire damage instead of electricity still gets +3 to hit against metal wearing targets and is considered a [Fire] spell.

My question is about spells that have multiple elemental types based on when the spell is cast, like Elemental Touch. It is a [Fire] spell when you choose to deal fire damage, [Cold] when you deal cold damage, etc. Can you choose to cast it as an [Electricity] spell and then use your bloodline arcana to change it to [Fire] in order to deal fire damage, but make the target save or be staggered as if it was the [Electricity] type, or by changing the type of the spell as it is cast do you have to use the entry for that type?

Why?

I assume it happens directly after the spell is cast.

In what scenario does it make a difference? The only one I can imagine is casting a spell while an enemy is next to you, which would normally provoke unless cast defensively, because he could potentially disrupt the casting of your spell if you are visible before the spell is cast.

If you were a Rogue/Wizard and under the effects of Invisibility, would your Ray of Frost deal Sneak Attack damage? This would answer if you become visible before the attack roll or after.

Natural Weapons using Vital Strike is well within intended use. A lot of creatures have it, such as many dragons.

Like I said, I could see it for creatures with multiple attacks (like Dragons) since you are giving up attacks to do more damage with one, but I think using it with creatures that only have one to begin with (thus giving up nothing) is against the flavor/intent of the feat.

I'm behind on a couple of these threads. I thought you could only Vital Strike with manufactured weapons because you get added dice for not taking the iterate attack (and Improved Vital Strike gives one more set of dice for missing your third iterate attack, etc.)

Is Vital Strike valid for natural attacks that aren't a part of any form of iterate-ness? By re-reading the feats I guess there is nothing against it specifically, but it seems to be against intent. I mean the reason for the extra damage is giving up attacks. If the creature in question only has 1 attack ever (wolf for example) it just seems cheesy to get something without giving anything up. I mean if you only get one attack anyway, why wouldn't you add damage to it with Vital Strike?

It seems that if you have 1 feat to spend, Vital Strike will always be superior to Improved Natural Attack if that were the case. T-Rex does 4d6. INA increases it to 6d6, but VS would increase it to 8d6. Granted if it works, taking both would be ideal, but if you could only take one, it seems you would always choose Vital Strike (especially since it avoids all "damage as if one size" stuff from the FAQ).

Animal Companions are a little bit of a corner case since they get +6 BAB (required for VS) at 9th level Druid and they also get the special Multiattack at the same level giving Wolf and other "One Natural Attack" companions a second "iterate" attack. So that wolf would give up an attack to add extra damage, but I would think normally could not.

Food for thought anyway. (My table has played using many of the "Elephant in the room: Feat Taxes" changes for a long time, including the "free" Vital Strike, Improved Vital Strike, and Greater Vital Strike when your BAB becomes high enough. We have always just assumed that it was for iterate attacks only since gaining those attacks is what opens the option for you. No one has ever asked to apply it to natural weapons before)

Their spells are separate I think. You could probably use the same physical book, but you'd maybe have to have the spells in their twice, the arcanist version and the wizard version. though you could transcribe one to the other.

My DM ran it like any spell in my Wizard book was considered a "borrowed" spellbook for my Arcanist slots (and vice versa). So I could prepare Magic Missile as a Wizard from my Wizard spellbook without issue, but had to make a spellcraft check to prepare it as an Arcanist from my "Wizard" spellbook. Worked out fine. I ended up scribing a lot to double up some spells though to not worry about the checks at lower levels.