ClavierCavalier's page

I'm trying to figure out how to combine traps and monsters in one encounter. For example, the ettercap uses traps, as do kobolds. Does one just treat the trap as a creature of the same CR?

Another idea I had is to have combat on a bridge/ledge by a body of water. If anything gets knocked in, a hidden aquatic creature, maybe a swarm, attacks the unfortunate creature. How does one figure the difficulty of such an encounter?

How about a good three way fight? Every creature on the other two sides are opponents, so does one use the combined CRs? They will technically get help from the creatures, too.

This is an idea I've been throwing around. I originally started out trying to create a switch hitter ranger. I then read the unchained rogue and the elven curve blade, so I changed thought of a two-handed build that has low strength. I've been away from RPG's for a while, but I feel like it might progress a little slow. I'm starting to think that the slower BAB is hurting the build.

Honestly, this might be easier with a Strength based build. Problem is that the story requires it to be an elf... I might go for an archer ranger. The Con penalty hurts.

Race: Elf (Thinking of using the Silent Hunter alternate racial trait)
Classes: Ranger/Unchained Rogue

Abilities: 20 points

Str 9
Dex 20 (+1 at lvl 12, +1 at lvl 16)
Con 13 (+1 at lvl 4)
Int 10
Wis 13 (+1 at lvl 8)
Cha 7

Put lvl 20 ability increase to either strength or charisma to negate a -1?

Levels:
1 Ranger
2 Rogue
3 Ranger
4 Rogue
5 Rogue
6+ Ranger

Feats
1 Weapon Focus (Elven curve blade)
2 Weapon Finesse (Rogue)
3 Toughness; Power Attack (Ranger)
4 Improved Initiative (Rogue talent combat trick)
6 Endurance (Ranger); Skill Focus (Acrobatics)*
9 Improved Critical (Elven curve blade); Great Cleave (Ranger)
12 Critical Focus
13 Furious Focus (Ranger)
15 Vital Strike
17 Improved Sunder (Ranger)
18 Blinding Critical
*Not sure about the skill focus. Thinking of flanking bonuses.

So, by the time the Unchained Rogue levels (character level 5) are all acquired, the character has the following attacks:

Elven curve blade +10 (1d10+7/18-20/x2, 8-17, or 12 average?)
w/ power attack +8 (1d10+13/18-20/x2, 14-23, 18 average?)
w/ power attack + sneak attack +8 (1d10+13/18-20/x2 +2d6, 16-35, average 24?)

Attacks assume basic weapon without enhancements or special modifiers.

Earlier I got an idea involving a spider necromancer. That could be interesting.

The corpse puppets might work once or twice. Not sure. Perhaps it can move in it's web and push down bodies stuck on webs that can trigger player AoO's and readied actions.

Good news is that our other player will be joining us, so we'll have a wizard to deal with some swarms.

This is great! On d20pfsrd.com I found I can search by type!

I like the centipedes and cockroaches because they're 1/2 CR, so I can put in many of them.

The spider swarms might cause problems due to the lack of a wizard. I'm thinking of putting in an encounter with a giant spider and some spider swarms.

I like the blight druid. I like the telepathic idea.

I also thought about ants. Queen can be the boss.

So, taking all of this, I came up with this idea: Giant spider blight druid! Big fight can be the spider, a few swarms, and maybe a couple of other insects under it's control.

I'm really wishing the party was higher level! It'd be great to have a huge swarm and a spider throwing around summons and quakes!

We haven't done much with insects. I'm working on an underground temple and decided to make it infested. I drew tunnels around the temple, and drew holes on the map where different tunnels go above or below the map for insects to climb through. Any suggestions on creatures? We're third level.

Thanks for all of the advice, everyone. I'll keep all of this in mind when we meet on Tuesday.

Believe it or not, our team worked much better when we started 10 years ago. One of us was attracted to wizards, one to monks, one to fighters, etc. Then we kept branching out and started having overlaps. Now the problem is that we don't communicate about characters. How does one say "Jim already has a cleric, so Joe can't make another."

We did a game once with completely randomized characters. Abilities were rolled, hit points rolled, and even sex, race, and class rolled from some NPC table. Everyone ended up playing a new character. That was entertaining.

Our group has a lot of problems. I think the real problem is that we don't have a dedicated DM. The two of us who are willing to have our issues.

First, there is me. I actually prefer to be a player. I tend to be the face of the party, and tend to act as our leader. Without me, the party seems to break into petty squabbles and sometimes results in characters drawing weapons on each other. Nothing really seems to get accomplished. A party NPC doesn't work because then it feels like leading the characters around by the nose. I like having a problem to overcome, but the DM has to present challenges.

The other DM's issues are that he doesn't really keep things organized. He also loves to lead us around by the nose, treating us like actors in a scripted adventure. I often times feel like we're just supporting character in some other hero's adventure due to all of the higher level NPC's we get led by. I want to play Batman, not Robin! Another issue that I have, and I seem to be the only one, is the constant cameos of past characters from long passed campaigns. Sure, seeing my favorite wizard appear as a contact or even a villain is fun on occasion, but every adventure/session gets too much. Feels like we're doing the same adventures.

Another large problem is our lack of teamwork. The game is based on teamwork and specialization. Everyone here seems to want to be a 1-person party. For example, our last party makeup was thus: Rogue, samurai, magus, and another magus.

A lot more, but maybe those can come later. I'm honestly starting to think it might be time for us to start looking for new players and/or break up the group. Well, find things besides RPG's.

I might have posted this on the wrong forum.

I've been considering the issue with the bard. This is the only class I can think of that gets a boost with this alternate. Here are a few ideas I've had over the last couple of days:

1. It has already been mentioned, but skills used for class features always count as adventuring skills.

2. Limit the skills acquisition to 1/level after first

3. Maximum ranks are HD/2 with a minimum of 1. The player can choose to permanently make a skill an adventuring skill, so this allows a bard to still use the perform skill as normal.

4. Another idea I had is that the skills, or at least the options between skills, are awarded by the DM based on successful use. Lets say the characters travels. This would give a character access to Knowledge (Geography) due to learning of small towns and cultures along the way. If they ride a horse, they can also take Handle Animal. If they interact with some NPC's that speak languages they don't, then this opens Linguistics as an option. From this one trip, the PC's can choose between several skills. This is not supposed to be everyday skill use, either. Bards, who uses perform several times a day and/or adventure, doesn't have perform as an option.

Honestly, I'm thinking about option 3. 4 can take a lot of work and I'm sure there might be arguments with players as to what qualifies as a prerequisite to take a skill.

Oh, I forgot one:

5. Split skills into more categories and allow 1 rank/category at each level. For example:

Performance skills:
Perform and Sleight of Hand

Creation:
Appraise, Artistry and craft

Knowledge:
Knowledge, Linguistics, Lore

Life:
Handle Animal, Profession