ConanAndrew Harmon 540's page

Hello all
First of all, apologies if this has been addressed somewhere else as my search skills on the Paizo forums is sometimes very weak.

That being said, I wondered how on earth the Trick Magic Item feat works with items if you have a spellcasting archetype?

Trick Magic Item:
Prerequisites: Trained in Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion

You examine a magic item you normally couldn’t use in an effort to fool it and activate it temporarily. For example, this might allow a fighter to cast a spell from a wand or allow a wizard to cast a spell that’s not on the arcane list using a scroll. You must know what activating the item does, or you can’t attempt to trick it.

Attempt a check using the skill matching the item’s magic tradition, or matching a tradition that has the spell on its list, if you’re trying to cast a spell from the item. The relevant skills are Arcana for arcane, Nature for primal, Occultism for occult, Religion for divine, or any of the four for an item that has the magical trait and not a tradition trait. The GM determines the DC based on the item’s level (possibly adjusted depending on the item or situation).

If you activate a magic item that requires a spell attack modifier or spell DC and you don’t have proficiency in the relevant statistic, use your level as your proficiency bonus and the highest of your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifiers. If you’re a master in the appropriate skill for the item’s tradition, you instead use the trained proficiency bonus; if you’re legendary, you instead use the expert proficiency bonus.

Success For the rest of the current turn, you can spend actions to activate the item as if you could normally use it.
Failure You can’t use the item or try to trick it again this turn, but you can try again on subsequent turns.
Critical Failure You can’t use the item, and you can’t try to trick it again until your next daily preparations.

I'm playing a Scroll Thaum who picked up Bard archetype thinking stupidly I could advance my proficiency with a single tradition so I could get away with 3-activity spells on a given turn. It didn't work out, but I kept the archetype as the cantrips were really helpful in some of the battles. I wanted to know how the above feat would work with a wand that has a spell on both the Arcana and Occult traditions? Specifically can I still trick the wand to coax a higher proficiency out of it than "Trained" since I'm now Master in Occultism and will eventually be Legendary before the end of the campaign, thus getting to treat it like "Expert" spellcasters do (assuming I survive as the character's been through the River of Souls a few times like a punching clown)? Stolen Fate is a serious gauntlet sometimes....

Thanks in advance!

Like the label on the tin says, I'm wondering about Eldritch Tricksters. I've seen a lot of people kinda talk up the other rackets as being better at being the same just taking longer. (Usually Scoundrel + Sorc or Mastermind + Wizard, with occasional other CHA/INT casters taking the place of either Sorc or Wizard)

What I'm wondering is this: I get the arguments, and on paper they're quite convincing for longer campaigns, but what about shorter ones like Gatewalkers or Alkenstar?

I'm about to give Gatewalkers a go after playing in Alkenstar for a few levels - a couple of players can't make it anymore and the DM said they can run Gatewalkers okay instead.

I had a concept I want to run for Gatewalkers that is a partial caster with lots of combat tricks, and Eldritch Trickster seemed like a good fit. I then did some research and I'm honestly torn now. Any advice would be really, really, really appreciated. Oh, and just to be clear, the other PCs are currently a Fighter with Martial Artist archetype for maximum tankiness/interference, a Psychic healer using the Empathy conscious mind, and a striker (we're pulling double-duty and I haven't sorted the striker yet, but probably a Thaumaturge)

Thanks in advance!

Quick silly question:

Can a Thaumaturge with Talisman Esoterica make Spellhearts with their 2 free talismans per day?

Talisman Esoterica:
:----:

You know how to assemble the supernatural objects in your esoterica into a number of temporary talismans. Each day during your daily preparations, you can make two talismans with an item level no higher than half your level. You must know each talisman's formula. A talisman created this way is a temporary item and loses its magic the next time you make your daily preparations.

You know the formulas for all common talismans in the Core Rulebook of your level or lower. You remember your talisman formulas through oral tradition or mnemonics, so you don't need a formula book for them.

Very silly question, but I need to be safe for a barbarian build I'm theory-crafting:

The Gnoll's Jaws trait on the Ancestry page reads as follows:

"Bite
Your sharp teeth and powerful jaws are fearsome weapons. You have a jaws unarmed attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage. Your jaws are in the brawling group."

What I'm wondering is this: What traits does this attack have beyond "Unarmed"? Would it suffer the reduced damage penalty while raging due to being an Agile/Finesse attack since it's not listed anywhere in the entry?

Thanks in advance!

Hello
I am starting an Outlaws campaign, so like the title says: I need help figuring out the best chassis/build for a bounty hunter-esque take-down artist. I've tried looking up guides and other articles in the advice area, but I'm lost at an endless sea here.

Right now I see Swash gymnast (for the eventual Daring Do combo at 10th) or the Flurry Ranger as the most straight-forward and interesting builds; the first because this would be my second swing at the class, the second because I've never been that attracted in general in the past to rangers and would love an excuse to try the build. (Also, I can see some the potential in the Flurry Edge/Twin Takedown tree).

While the above two are the ones Ive been focused on the most, I'm open to other suggestions with the one caveat of "AMMA gonna need a REEEEL good reason to go monk". Doesn't fit the flavor of what I had in my head, but still open if there's a persuasive argument.

Any help is super appreciated and hope I'm not asking for retreads of a billion other articles my lack of Google Fu is causing. (P.S. My focus for this is we have like 1.5 meleers in the party, and we could really use a more front-line focused build.)

Thanks a ton in advance!

My Kingmaker campaign is getting close to LV20 territory, and I wanted to plot out my feat selections before getting there. As such, I'm seriously considering the Mega Bomb feat for my bomber alchemist, but I have some questions that I haven't been able to find on here. Any help would be deeply appreciated:

1. How many actions does it take to make a Mega Bomb and throw it? The feat as written says it's "1 action" and "if your next action isn't an interact action to throw it, the bomb denatures". So without additional feats, is it 1 action to Quick Alchemy, 1 action to add the additive and 1 action to "throw" the bomb?
2. My alchemist has the Quick Bomber feat. How does this change the answer to the previous question, if at all?
3. Do I have to roll a skill check to "throw" the bomb using an interact action? If so, what skill?
4. I have the Uncanny Bombs feat which says "Your range for thrown items extends to 60 feet". Does this impact the Mega Bomb range for the blast radius at all?
5. Does the feat let me do both the primary damage (4d8+9 for a Major Alch Fire since I also have both Expanded and Calculated Splash feats), or just 9 fire as just the splash? On my previous reads it sounds like the feat makes the bomb turn into an AoE version of the Electric Arc spell dealing whatever damage the bomb does instead. May be a bad analogy, but that's how my brain is reading it.

For reference, here's the Uncanny Bombs feat text:

Prerequisites Far Lobber
You lob bombs unerringly, despite obstructions or distance. When you throw an alchemical item with the bomb trait, its range increment increases to 60 feet, you reduce any circumstance bonus to the target’s AC from cover by 1, and you automatically succeed at the flat check when targeting a concealed creature.

here's the Electric Arc's main body of text (I'm leaving out the spell component stuff as it's not relevant to my ask):
Electric Arc
Range 30 feet; Targets 1 or 2 creatures
Saving Throw basic Reflex
An arc of lightning leaps from one target to another. You deal electricity damage equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.
Heightened (+1) The damage increases by 1d4.

And here's the full text of the Mega Bomb feat:

Mega Bomb
[one-action]
Feat 20
Additive 3 Alchemist
Source Core Rulebook pg. 81 4.0
Prerequisites Expanded Splash
Requirements You are holding an infused alchemical bomb you crafted, with a level at least 3 lower than your advanced alchemy level.
You add an incredibly powerful additive to a held bomb to create a mega bomb, greatly increasing its area and power. You use an Interact action to throw the mega bomb, rather than Strike, and you don’t make an attack roll. The mega bomb affects creatures in a 30-foot-radius burst, centered within 60 feet of you. The bomb deals damage as if each creature were the primary target, with a basic Reflex save. On a failed save, a creature also takes any extra effects that affect a primary target (such as flat-footed from bottled lightning). While all targets in the area take splash damage as primary targets, there is no further splash beyond that area. If your next action after creating a mega bomb isn’t an Interact action to throw it, the mega bomb denatures and loses all effects.

---

Any help folks can provide would be really helpful. On the damage question, it would also be helpful if anyone can provide links to where I can find more on either Archives of Nethys or dev links from the forums here as all I've found so far are random bits and bobs on the forums under the advice area.

Hopefully what it says on the tin:
I'm playing a Half-orc fighter who took Orc Weapon Familiarity. It says:

"In combat, you favor the brutal weapons that are traditional for your orc ancestors. You are trained with the falchion and greataxe. In addition, you gain access to all uncommon orc weapons. For the purpose of determining your proficiency, martial orc weapons are simple weapons and advanced orc weapons are martial weapons."

My fighter is 15th, and has Weapon Legend among other things, which says:

"You've learned fighting techniques that apply to all armaments, and you've developed unparalleled skill with your favorite weapons. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to master. Your proficiency rank for advanced weapons increases to expert.

You can select one weapon group and increase your proficiency ranks to legendary for all simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks in that weapon group, and to master for all advanced weapons in that weapon group."

Sooo what I'm wondering is this:
Does Orc Weapon Familiarity (and other feats like it) make the advanced weapons due to ancestry (in my case the Orc Necksplitter) count as Martial for determining the proficiency level just for what I can weild, or even for things like Weapon Spec? Or does it only count for determining "Can I pick this weapon up and use it atmax attack bonus?"

My character has axes as Weapon Legend and is wielding a +2 Greater Striking Flaming Necksplitter, so I was wondering how much extra damage I'd get from things like said Weapon Specialization or Greater WS.

Thanks in advance!

So a silly question here as I've just now picked up the Impossible Riposte feat:

Impossible Riposte:
Feat 14
Swashbuckler
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 93 2.0
Prerequisites Opportune Riposte
Your ripostes can deflect attacks back at their source. You can use Opportune Riposte with a trigger of “A foe outside of your reach critically fails an attack roll against you” in addition to its usual trigger. When you use Opportune Riposte with this new trigger against a ranged attack, your Strike deflects some of the triggering effect back toward its source. Compare the result of your attack roll to the AC of the triggering foe. On a hit, you deal the normal amount of damage for your Strike, but the damage type changes to that of the triggering attack. For instance, if you used Opportune Riposte to deflect a ray of frost, your Strike would deal cold damage instead of its normal damage type.
---

So what I'm wondering is this:

Spellcaster a targets my swashbuckler with a Ray of Frost at 120 ft.
Spellcaster gets a nat 1.
Washbuckler initiates Riposte

What, if any, range penalties would the ricocheted spell/attack get? Especially if said swash is using a +2 Greater Striking Frost shortsword (+28 for 3d6+7 piercing + 1d6 cold + 5 extra if panache is in play)?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks to everyone for the massive help with the last thread regarding my fumbling with understanding the 2e Swashbuckler.

Unfortunately some new questions arise given some of the neat but corner case interactions playing at higher levels have thrown up for my Swash:

I have both Reflexive Riposte and Attack of Opportunity now that my char is lv12. Here's the questions I'm pondering and would love help with:

1. Can I use a Finisher on an Attack of Opportunity?
2. If not, can I use a Finisher on a Riposte?
3. If either 1 or 2 is yes, how does that interact with the other Reaction I can take to make attacks on other folks turns? For example, do I have to make sure I wait to use the Riposte reaction because a finisher would shut down attacks "for that turn"?
4. If yes to 1 or 2, are there any restrictions beyond the regular "Finisher" trait rules?

Thanks in advance!

My party just decided to abandon Abomination Vaults in order to fast-forward to Fists of the Ruby Phoenix. I kind of wanted to port over a character from 1e I really enjoyed, which was a swashbuckler who was kind of a river pirate in Avistan when he wasn't forced to work for the Pathfinder Society.

I'm okay with that not translating one to one - what I need help with is does a piratey-themed kind of character mesh at all with Fists? I can retheme the character since I have to change enough things to make swashbuckler work in 2e, so I'd love any suggestions. In particular I'm struggling with what weapon to use since I need an Agile or Finesse weapon to use my Precise strike and while I don't really want to use a rapier, the weapon I would have wanted to use doesn't exist in PF 2e yet (cutlass). What would work to re-flavor if this concept isn't completely at odds with the AP?

Many thanks in advance!

My apologies if this seems like a rant, but I am having some serious issues understanding the community's reaction to effects with the Incapacitation tag: several posts, especially those which include guides to character building, seem to think anything tagged with an Incapacitation effect is automatically one step worse for character consideration. I truly don't get this thinking, as while it could be a problem in some situations, it's not exactly game-breaking. Sure you don't want to toss a 3rd level Paralysis spell or use a Flurry as a 2nd level monk against a 15+ character, but outside of extreme "Kill the PCs dead ASAP" situations like that, it almost seems like the trait doesn't really impact game play.

Can someone please explain how often the drawbacks are going to kick in, especially at what levels it's a serious problem for the character/party?

Thank you in advance and sorry if this is the wrong area to post this as I wasn't quite sure where to put it.

I'm trying to put together a swashbuckler for Fists of the Ruby Pheonix when my group gets to it (starting lv11), and I'm having some problems wrapping my head around some feat interactions:

1. Flying Blade vs. just grabbing a bow:
I'm very happy they kept a way for Swashbucklers to be chucking weapons and not just look cool doing it, but I don't know if the Precise Strike plus throwing a dagger is better than just pulling out a bow and plinking for 1-2d6 or 1-2d8 damage. (Not sure if I'll have enough gold for a +1 striking ranged weapon on top of +1 armor and +1 striking melee weapon). Especially since bucklers seem a little crap even with feat investment, so I kinda want to go Dueling Parry/Dueling Dance.

2. How does "After You" interact with the initiative? Is it always on, or do I get to pick at the beginning of combat, assuming I've seen enough of the battle revealed at start to make strategic decisions? I see my char being one of the few melee folks in a party of ranged/castery folks, even if some of the others can melee. I'd like to have the option to benefit from holding init if I have to.

3. What's the "proper balance" of reaction options? I want very much to take Attack of Opportunity, but there are several other good options like Charmed Life that want my reactiopn. Is 2 the right number, or just 1? It feels like having more than 2 is just setting me up for decision paralysis when plotting out my move before I take it.

4. Does Goading Feint replace my ability to gain Panache when messing with opponents? The char is a Fencer Swash, and the Panache option that isn't Tumbling specifically calls out "Feinting" or "Creating diversions":
"You gain panache during an encounter whenever you successfully Feint or Create a Diversion against a foe."
Goading Feint says:
"Prerequisites trained in Deception
When you trick a foe, you can goad them into overextending their next attack. On a Feint, you can use the following success and critical success effects instead of any other effects you would gain when you Feint; if you do, other abilities that adjust the normal effects of your Feint no longer apply. You can choose whether to use the Goading Feint benefits or the normal benefits each time you Feint a given foe.

Critical Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls against you before the end of its next turn.
Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its next attack roll against you before the end of its next turn."

Thanks in advance - still trying to wrap my head around this wonderful class!

I'm trying to put together a swashbuckler for Fists of the Ruby Pheonix when my group gets to it (starting lv11), and I'm having some problems wrapping my head around some feat interactions:

1. Flying Blade vs. just grabbing a bow:
I'm very happy they kept a way for Swashbucklers to be chucking weapons and not just look cool doing it, but I don't know if the Precise Strike plus throwing a dagger is better than just pulling out a bow and plinking for 1-2d6 or 1-2d8 damage. (Not sure if I'll have enough gold for a +1 striking ranged weapon on top of +1 armor and +1 striking melee weapon). Especially since bucklers seem a little crap even with feat investment, so I kinda want to go Dueling Parry/Dueling Dance.

2. How does "After You" interact with the initiative? Is it always on, or do I get to pick at the beginning of combat, assuming I've seen enough of the battle revealed at start to make strategic decisions? I see my char being one of the few melee folks in a party of ranged/castery folks, even if some of the others can melee. I'd like to have the option to benefit from holding init if I have to.

3. What's the "proper balance" of reaction options? I want very much to take Attack of Opportunity, but there are several other good options like Charmed Life that want my reactiopn. Is 2 the right number, or just 1? It feels like having more than 2 is just setting me up for decision paralysis when plotting out my move before I take it.

4. Does Goading Feint replace my ability to gain Panache when messing with opponents? The char is a Fencer Swash, and the Panache option that isn't Tumbling specifically calls out "Feinting" or "Creating diversions":
"You gain panache during an encounter whenever you successfully Feint or Create a Diversion against a foe."
Goading Feint says:
"Prerequisites trained in Deception
When you trick a foe, you can goad them into overextending their next attack. On a Feint, you can use the following success and critical success effects instead of any other effects you would gain when you Feint; if you do, other abilities that adjust the normal effects of your Feint no longer apply. You can choose whether to use the Goading Feint benefits or the normal benefits each time you Feint a given foe.

Critical Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls against you before the end of its next turn.
Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its next attack roll against you before the end of its next turn."

Thanks in advance - still trying to wrap my head around this wonderful class!

I know at first glance these two feats are going to be at cross purposes, but I wanted to double-check something.

The text for Dueling Parry says:

Requirements You are wielding only a single one-handed melee weapon and have your other hand or hands free.
You can parry attacks against you with your weapon. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn as long as you continue to meet the requirements.

I had wondered if I can get the quick draw feat at some point or just have to eat the extra action, can I draw the dagger/other thrown weapon, chuck it and then since I have the hand free re-gain the circumstance bonus? Or would I have to spend the action after throwing the weapon?

Oh, and before I froget again, Flying Blade's text is:
Prerequisites precise strike
You've learned to apply your flashy techniques to thrown weapons as easily as melee attacks. When you have panache, you apply your precise strike damage on ranged Strikes you make with a thrown weapon within that weapon's first range increment. The thrown weapon must be an agile or finesse weapon. This also allows you to make a thrown weapon ranged Strike for Confident Finisher and any other finisher that includes a Strike that can benefit from your precise strike.

Thanks in advance!

Apologies if this is quite obvious given the nature of the "Consumable" trait, but the text of the Climbing Bolt magical item is confusing me a bit:

"The shaft of this bolt is wrapped with fine twine. When the bolt strikes a solid surface, the twine unwinds and enlarges into a 50-foot-long rope, securely fastened to the surface the bolt struck. The rope can be pulled free with an Interact action and a successful DC 20 Athletics check."

So does this mean the rope part sticks around, but the bolt itself is expended? If not, can you "reclaim" the bolt ala Thief the Dark Project/Thief 2: the Metal Age?

Thanks in advance and happy holidays whatever you're celebrating!

Apologies first off if I'm posting this in the wrong place as it's been some time since I've been on the forums, either 1e or 2e.

That being said, how on earth does one make an effective Sword Scion at 1st level? The background says you get access to Aldori dueling swords, but it doesn't say you just get one and it's freaking 30 GP to buy, which is double your starting gold. I would appreciate any and all advice as I'm making a back-up char for a Kingmaker run and I'm still wrapping my head around the fighter class.

Are there better classes for Sword Scion while I'm at it?

Thanks all and good luck with your campaigns, whether running or playing.

I've been playing in an AP (I don't recall the name) and our party just finished fighting essentially magma elementals. (Thwocks or something like that?)

I am playing a nanocyte who uses gear array melee weapons and I looked up the rules for weapon damage - they by-passed hardness entirely - and it says "sturdy items like weapons and armor typically have 15 hitpoints plus 3 times their level". My frosthaft doshko is lv4, so 27 HP?

How does the damage interact with the gear array weapons since I typically switch-hit as necessary between two different doshkos and a vortex rifle? Does the 5 total damage my Frosthaft doshko (Chill) took translate over to the other gear arrays? Or does the weapon damage fall off when the form shifts?

Thanks all!

I was reading through the entry for Advanced First Aid on Archives of Nethys and I noticed it doesn't include a Critical Failure effect. Does this mean I just lose the actions spent on attempting the AFA since that's what happens with a failure? I only ask because regular First Aid inflicts penalties when you critically fail such as Stablizing attempts increasing dying value by 1 or Persistent damage inflicting immediate bleed damage on a crit fail.

Thanks all!

I've been playing Extinction curse with a monk since level 1, and I've mostly been ignoring the Reflection of Light(?) you get that gives you darkvision and Searing Light once per day. That being said, I'm getting tired of not being able to contribute to ranged combat and would like to figure out how to use it as I'm not sure if the spell part of the power heightens?

My monk is using Occultism for his tradition, as he has a couple of Ki spells. Do I use Occultism + level (15) plus charisma (sadly 10, so mod 0)? What level do I count the spell at for purposes of heightening it (if any at all) since the spell is technically innate?

Rules for innate spells here:
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=259

I'm having problems because of this section under "Innate spells":

"You can't use your spell slots to cast your innate spells, but you might have an innate spell and also be able to prepare or cast the same spell through your class. You also can't heighten innate spells, but some abilities that grant innate spells might give you the spell at a higher level than its base level or change the level at which you cast the spell."

Thanks in advance!

I'm currently playing a slayer (vanilla, no archetypes) and I picked up Accomplished Sneak Attacker to help off-set the delayed sneak attack progression (1d6 every 3 levels normally). What I'm trying to figure out is does the combination of my normal progression plus that feat let me get additional dice at regular rogue speed, or am I just always +1 extra sneak attack dice?

For context, I just hit level 5 and I picked up ASA at 3rd. Here's the text of the feat:

Your strikes against a foe’s vital spots are extra deadly.

Prerequisite(s): Sneak attack class feature.

Benefit(s): Your sneak attack damage increases by 1d6. Your number of sneak attack dice cannot exceed half your character level (rounded up).

Many thanks in advance!

Here goes:

Know Thy Enemy (Ex): When the lore warden succeeds at a Knowledge check to identify a creature’s abilities and weaknesses, she can also use a standard action to grant herself a +2 insight bonus on all attack and weapon damage rolls made against that enemy. This bonus lasts for a number of rounds equal to half her class level (minimum 2 rounds), or until the lore warden uses this ability against a different creature. At 11th level, she also gains a +2 bonus to her AC against the creature when using this ability. At 19th level, the insight bonus increases to +3.

So my question is, do you have to do a new Knowledge (whatever) check each time you fight a new monster in combat? Especially if they're multiples of the same monster? If not, how does that work?

Example: Ionius, lv 11 Lore Warden is fighting against 5 zombies. He uses Knowledge (Religion) to identify one of the zombies, and gets a total of 25. (10 ranks in Know Religion, 3 from class skill, 2 from INT). He uses a move action to base the first zombie, and converts the standard to a second move and activates KTE. Does that mean he has to make a new KR check for the other 4 zombies? Does this also mean he has to split his 5 rounds of KTE (11/2 = 5.5, rounds down to 5) among all 5 zombies?

Thanks!

You can throw more bombs per day.

Prerequisites: Bomb class feature.

Benefit: You can throw two additional bombs per day.

Special: You can gain Extra Bombs multiple times. Its effects stack.

It's the second portion that is destroying my mind, especially since apparently there is nothing out there about this feat on the forums... *growls*

Does it mean that you get 2 bombs per feat taken, or is it exponential; EB 1 = 2 bombs, EB 2 = 6 (2+4), Eb 3 = 12, etc.

Please help!

First of all, apologies if this exists somewhere without using the name as I kept trying to find something similar and alls I found were discussions of "MNAAA POWER ATTACK BETTER!!!"

What I need help with is what's on the tin, at least for off-hand attacks:

Pirahna Strike (Combat):
You make a combination of quick strikes, sacrificing accuracy for multiple, minor wounds that prove exceptionally deadly.

Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse, base attack bonus +1.

Benefit: When wielding a light weapon, you can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and for every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus on damage rolls increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before the attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage. This feat cannot be used in conjunction with the Power Attack feat.
---

So if my BAB is 9/4, my full attack bonus is 16/11 (Alchemist with + to Dex mutagen and agile nonsense), and my damage prior to Pirahna Strike is d4+7, which of the following is accurate for my 2 iterative attacks?

A. d20+13 for d4+13 primary, d20+8 for d4+4 (+1 cestus)
B. d20+13 for d4+10 primary, d20+8 for d4+4 secondary
c. d20+13 for d4+13 primary, d20+8 for d4+6 secondary
d. d20+13 for d4+10 primary, d20+8 for d4+4 secondary

I'm asking because my secondary weapon is mithral for dealing with demons/fei, and that's a monster type that is encountered sporadically in large groups so it would be nice to know when I need to bust out the secondary attacks.

Thanks in advance!

Hello
I am building a rondelero swashbuckler for a campaign as a back-up character starting at 11th. I am having problems with one of the features of the archetype vs. base class features as listed on the tin:

Buckler Bash (Ex): At 2nd level, a rondelero swashbuckler can perform a shield bash with a buckler (use the same damage and critical multiplier as for a light shield). He can treat a buckler as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for the purposes of the swashbuckler’s finesse and all feats and class abilities that refer to such a weapon.

Precise Strike:
At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, a swashbuckler gains the ability to strike precisely with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon (though not natural weapon attacks), adding her swashbuckler level to the damage dealt. To use this deed, a swashbuckler cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield other than a buckler. She can even use this ability with thrown light or onehanded piercing melee weapons, so long as the target is within 30 feet of her. Any creature that is immune to sneak attacks is immune to the additional damage granted by precise strike, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from the additional damage of a precise strike. This additional damage is precision damage, and isn’t multiplied on a critical hit.

As a swift action, a swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point to double her precise strike’s damage bonus on the next attack. This benefit must be used before the end of her turn, or it is lost. This deed’s cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the amount of panache points a deed costs (such as the Signature Deed feat).

----

My problem is this: Does the first feature make my buckler count as a second weapon for the purposes of determining if features like Precise Strike which clearly says "no second weapon" turn off, or does Buckler Bash let me ignore that little issue? It's kind of breaking my brain as the archetype clearly is built to work with both a falcata and a buckler alternating as situations and personal flavor dictate. Thanks!

P.s. Here's a link to the archetype: https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Swashbuckler%20Rondelero %20Swashbuckler

Apologies if this has already been asked, but my google fu skills are sucking magnificently right now.

Since the Fighter Bonus feats is a class feature, do you "back-fill" the combat/bonus feats for 1, 2, 4, etc., etc. if you dip into fighter at a later level? I ask because I'm trying a build for maximum dirty trick shenanigans using Battle Oracle and the Cad fighter archetype. And no, I don't want to go Monk Master of AManeuvers as some of the later features don't work with my vision of the character not to mention the personality is absolutely not "lawful" which I'd have to be.

Thank you very much in advance!

I'm having some problems understanding parts of the Tanglefoot property the bomb discovery grants:

Tanglefoot Bomb (Su)* (Ultimate Magic pg. 17): A creature that takes a direct hit from a tanglefoot bomb must save against the bomb’s DC or be entangled and glued to the floor as if it had failed its save against a tanglefoot bag. Creatures in the splash area that fail their saves are entangled but not glued to the floor; those who make this save are not entangled at all.
----

Tanglefoot bag says:
A tanglefoot bag is a small sack filled with tar, resin, and other sticky substances. When you throw a tanglefoot bag at a creature (as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet), the bag comes apart and goo bursts out, entangling the target and then becoming tough and resilient upon exposure to air. An entangled creature takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity and must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be glued to the floor, unable to move. Even on a successful save, it can move only at half speed. Huge or larger creatures are unaffected by a tanglefoot bag. A flying creature is not stuck to the floor, but it must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be unable to fly (assuming it uses its wings to fly) and fall to the ground. A tanglefoot bag does not function underwater.

A creature that is glued to the floor (or unable to fly) can break free by making a DC 17 Strength check or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A creature trying to scrape goo off itself, or another creature assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the creature that hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off. Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half speed. If the entangled creature attempts to cast a spell, it must make a concentration check with a DC of 15 + the spell’s level or be unable to cast the spell. The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its effectiveness. An application of universal solvent to a stuck creature dissolves the alchemical goo immediately. Crafting this item is a DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check.

----

So the part I'm having problems with is the section regarding flying creatures. It specifically calls out "if using wings". Does this mean creatures, say like Oni, who fly using at-will SLAs or the actual Fly spell aren't subject to the "knocked out of the sky" portion, let alone the nonsense regarding slowed movement?

Thanks for the help!

First off, apologies if this is in the wrong area, but I'm never quite sure what goes under "Advice" and what should be asked under "Rules Questions" If this is in the wrong section, please move it to where it belongs, and my thanks in advance!

That out of the way, here's my question: The Grounding Goo Alchemical Discovery says it impedes non-magical flying, including a penalty to fly checks.

Does this mean creatures with Fly as a spell-like ability are also immune to this penalty? I've always been confused on the difference between spells and SLAs that mimic those spells.

Here's the exact wording on the discovery, courtesy of Archives of Nethys:

Grounding Goo* (Su) (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 34): The alchemist’s bomb applies a sticky residue after any damage from the bomb is resolved. If a creature damaged by the bomb has a nonmagical fly speed, its flight is severely impaired, and it takes a penalty equal to the alchemist’s level on Fly checks for 1 minute.

----

Thoughts?

Hello hive mind:

Apologies for posting this when there's so many guides and nonsense out there, but I can't seem to figure out a basic question I have when it comes to Variant Multi-classing:

When you VMC a class like fighter or Oracle that gets a feature at level 1 that isn't mentioned outright in the advancement track for your secondary class conditions, do you get those at all, or not?

In specific, I'm wondering if an Oracle I'd like to VMC into fighter would get the Bonus Feats class feature or not as neither Archive of Nethys nor D20pfsrd mention this.

Thanks!

Apologies in advance if this is already addressed somewhere, but the topic is coming up with so many results that don't relate beyond "Quick draw's a thing" it's insane... *grumbles about broad search parameters*.

So my question is this: I know you can *draw* weapons as a free action with QD, but can you *STOW* those weapons as a free action? I'm wondering because of a fighter I'm playing who relies on throwing axes for his ranged option, and fights in melee with falcata/buckler ala Buckler Duelist/Rondelero Fighter. Would be good to know for optimal battle preparations mid-combat. (Many frigging flying enemies keep surprising the party with that ability and it's frankly getting on both my and my fighter's nerves; would be good to be able to switch and still have full attacks - Jade Regent is a full-on B***H.)

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hello all
I need help with pretty much what's on the tin for this thread; I'm curious about taking weapon specialist and don't know what feats (if any) outside of Weapon Focus/Spec - which I've already taken for my main weapon - I can apply. To make things even worse for me, I'm playing a Rondelero duelist (Buckler duelist according to the dreaded d20pfsrd site), which only took away weapon training 1 but still allows the weapon training at later levels. I'm going to hopefully hit 9th within a couple of weeks and need to get ready in case I get to radically alter my feat progression plans.

If anyone needs to see the archetype, here's the Archives of Nethys link:https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Fighter Taldor Rondelero Duelist

Any and all help is supremely appreciated!

I'm playing a Buckler Duelist fighter (more commonly known in PFS as a Rondelero fighter), and I have a question:

I have the Duelist feat and am considering the chain of feats that leads to Shield Charge, which Requires Shield Focus. Do the bonuses from Duelist and Shield focus overlap, or do they interact with each other?

Duelist:
You trained at an elite fighting school and are skilled at fighting with the falcata and buckler.

Prerequisite: Dex 13, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (falcata), Shield Proficiency (buckler), Weapon Focus (falcata).

Benefit: When fighting with the falcata and buckler, your shield bonus to AC increases by +1 and you gain a +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks.

Shield Focus:
You are skilled at deflecting blows with your shield.

Prerequisites: Shield Proficiency, base attack bonus +1.

Benefit: Increase the AC bonus granted by any shield you are using by 1.

---

Thanks for any help in advance!

Was building a Rondalero fighter (buckler duelist) archetype fighter, and given how it does a lot with bucklers I was wondering if there's a feat or specific ability one could get that allows you to ignore the restriction on shield spikes regarding bucklers?

Thanks!

I'm building an Oracle for a module as a backup character, and I am a little confused about something I found on Archive of Nethys:

Lich (Horror Realms pg. 14): Every living spellcaster hides a secret in their flesh—a unique, personalized set of conditions that, when all are fulfilled in the correct order, can trigger the transformation into a lich. Normally, one must expend years and tens of thousands of gold pieces to research this deeply personalized method of attaining immortality. Yet, in a rare few cases, chance and ill fortune can conspire against an unsuspecting spellcaster. You have unknowingly) fulfilled most (but not all) of the ritualistic components to achieve lichdom. You have yet to turn into an undead creature, but you are close. You take damage from positive energy and heal from negative energy as if you were undead. At 5th level, add control undead to your list of 2nd-level oracle spells known. At 10th level, add undead anatomy IUM to your list of 3rd-level oracle spells known and undead anatomy IIUM to your list of 5th-level oracle spells known. At 15th level, you are immune to death effects.

---

First off, is this really legal to take? I thought the Additional Resources had banned this curse?
Secondly, how does this curse's base effect interact with the Resist Life Revellation from the Bones Mystery?

Resist Life (Su): You are treated as an undead creature when you are targeted by positive or negative energy. You are not subject to Turn Undead or Command Undead (or any other effect that specifically targets undead), unless you are actually an undead creature. At 7th level, you receive channel resistance +2. This bonus increases by +2 at 11th and 15th level.

---

Thanks for any assistance you can give!

Hello
I'm re-creating a PFS character I really enjoyed the hell out of playing only to die hopelessly in a 3-7 mission ... *sigh*.

Was looking at the notepad file containing her stats and realized I have a lot of nice stuff on her sheet, and was wondering what happened to it after she died? Didn't have enough for a recovery team as I had to help the party recover from a TPK the last two scenarios in a row and was down to 2 Prestige.

Thanks!

Oh, and before I forget, she didn't have enough to Raise without selling stuff, and didn't know you could do that until about 24 hours ago and she died late last year. *sniffs*.

This is going to be lengthy, so apologies in advance:

I built a psychic out of curiosity, and enjoyed it to some extent, but found the direction I want to go in is more complimented by the Psychic Detective Investigator archetype. Unfortunately this character is already level 2, so I can't just un-do some things, and besides it wouldn't be completely gimped in both directions, just the one I'm less interested in.

My problem comes when I put in my level of PsD as I would now have both a pool of Inspiration (I took the Amateur Investigator archetype, so no prob there) and two pools of Frenic points. Which do I draw on?

Also, the Psychic Detective says:

"Spell Casting
A psychic detective casts psychic spells drawn from the psychic class spell list and augmented by a select set of additional spells (see Psychic Detective Spells). Only spells from the psychic class spell list of 6th level or lower and psychic detective spells are considered to be part of the psychic detective’s spell list. If a spell appears on both the psychic detective and psychic class spell lists, the psychic detective uses the spell level from the psychic detective spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a psychic detective must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell’s level. The saving throw DC against a psychic detective’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the psychic detective’s Intelligence modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a psychic detective can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. She knows the same number of spells and receives the same number of spells slots per day as a bard of her investigator level, and knows and uses 0-level knacks as a bard uses cantrips. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.
At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a psychic detective can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows, using the same rules as a bard.
In effect, the psychic detective loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell the psychic detective can cast.
A psychic detective need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any psychic detective spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
"

I already draw spells from the Psychic spell list as this character would be Psychic 2/Psychic Detective 1. Do I use both spell lists, only the bard list as directed above, or do I now have effectively two pools of spell slots , one with slight more than the other, with one drawing from the Bard list and one drawing from the Psychic list?

Thanks all for the help, and apologies/digital meds for the migraines some of you may get!

Hi, I need a bit of help for my Bones Oracle:

I have Resist Life, and I am trying to figure out if bleed effects are considered "negative energy" when used with the Bleeding Wounds Revellation:

(Bones page from D20pfsrd: https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/mysteries/paizo-oracle -mysteries/bones/)

Resist Life: (SU) You are considered Undead for the purposes of channeled energy. At 7th you gain Channel Resistance +2 and at 11th this increases to +4. You are not actually Undead unless you are a creature that is actually Undead.

Bleeding Wounds (SU): You cause grievous wounds to open on your enemey, causing them to bleed 1 HP per round. This can be prevented with a Heal check DC 15. The bleed damage increases to 2 at 5th, and again at every 5 levels.

---

So what I'm wondering is, when I hit 10th and can get Inflict Mass, would the bleed effect from Bleeding Wounds grant me effectively Fast Healing 2+ as it's tied to the Inflict spell?

Thanks much!

After reading the first thoughts of others on this class, I lost the love for what was probably my go-to non-spellcaster class for PF1: the barbarian.

Here's why:

Fast movement tied to rage: why? makes no sense

Rage: Arbitrary limits on use of the Rage, despite *EVERYTHING* requiring you to be actively in Rage. Sooo you get to use your features for exactly 3 rounds. Wait 1 round minimum to use again... *blinks rapidly*....

Rage powers nerfed from PF1 or add measures that are overly complicated:
Why's everything a totem?
Dragon Totem Breath is once per hour... how is a "feat" attack so brokenly strong that it has to wait every hundred rounds to be used?! Even "save or die" spells from PF1 weren't that gated, and they were level 6+ spells.

So enough of my ranting about problems, here's a few fixes:

Fast Movement: Remove the "rage" wording. Or better yet: "You are filled with a zeal for battle or a deep passion for life. As such, you naturally run faster. Increase your movement speed by 10 feet." If this is too much of a power for level 1-4, make it a level 4+ feat.

Rage:
If your goal is to blatantly avoid the "x uses per day", no matter one's opinion on the logic of such, then here's a quick fix:
Your rage lasts for 1 minute, or until you fall unconscious. You can end the rage early, but doing so imposes -1 penalty Strength, Dexterity and Constitution checks. This penalty is untyped."

However, if you are keeping a number of "rounds", here's a quick easy fix:
Replace the 3 rounds line of text with "You are considered to be proficient in the use of your rage, as someone who is trained in the use of martial skills. As such, your duration is equal to double your proficiency plus your constitution modifier. At third level, this proficiency increases to Expert, and again to Master at 7th. At 11th, you are Legendary in the use of rage." This would mean at 1st level, , using the Human Fighter block of starting stats from page 16-19, you would be able to rage for 5 rounds (1*2 = 2 + 3 = 5), and you would get 2 additional rounds at 2nd level. At 3rd, you would go to "Expert", and thus go up to 11 (LVL 3 + 1 Expert = 4, 4*2 = 8, 8+3 = 11). Again you would add 2 rounds until 7th, wherein the total would be "Master" level, so 21, unless you bumped the Con score to 18, which would then make your rages 22. Add 2 more rounds each level until 11th, where you would hit the cap in proficiency bumps to this total, although you could add to your con score if you wanted. Thus 11th would net you a total of 28 plus your con of 18 or 19 to total out for 32 rounds. Finally at 20th and assuming you kept adding to your con, you would have 22 CON or +6 to equal out for 52 rounds.

I'm sure the wording could be made a bit easier, but this would give you enough rounds to comfortably get through the encounter without being "in time out" without being knocked unconscious. Fatigue would probably still play a role in that if you got KO'd you'd have to wait a round or so, but there you go.

Oh, and for Dragon Totem Breath:

Replace frequency with "Once per combat" or if that's too much like 4e for others, then you could probably get away with "once per 3 rounds" or "once per 1D4 rounds" as in PF1.

If this seems cumbersome, then by all means tell me how this would work better - I am wanting to play a Barbarian again, but not how the playtest as written currently works.

Good night and good luck!

Despite every effort to the contrary, my efforts to make a druid for PFS for this coming wed have taken me almost a full week and I'm still not done.

I say this to frame my complaint here fully as between the time I started making the character and now the rulebook was updated TWICE:

Why on Golarion are Druids losing a skill rank?! They're already being forced to dedicate additional ranks more than others as their order throws additional "signature skills" at them, yet now I'm supposed to go with 3 plus int mod rather than 4 + int mod?!

Please explain the reasoning behind this.

Okay, this might be because I'm using a screenreader, so I will understand if I'm in the minority here. That being said, this needs to be said:

1. Pagination, people, pagination! The PDF is structured so loosely Adobe refuses outright to shift pages when I engage the "go to page" command.
2. Why on earth do I need to search random semi-related sections to find related information? I am trying for the fourth day now to put together a level 1 character and I keep having to flip back and forth between the "Skills" chapter vs. the "introduction" chapter to find very basic information.

Example? The skills have been replaced with a "proficiency" modifier based on what "category" of skill you have. Yet after searching page after page in the skill section, I had to revert to a full PDF search to find that in page freaking 8 the modifier was simply character level plus category - meaning Trained is level +1, Master is +2, so on and so forth. I don't understand why it couldn't have been included RIGHT at the beginning of the skills chapter under the explanation of the categories of skill mastery.

3. Why is Perception not listed as a skill under the skills section? I understand - if barely - why this is the new initiative stat, but it's only addressed under the combat section. This seems quite confusing, especially since the "Character construction" schema goes out of its way to mention Perception and its importance, but not how to calculate it.

4. Why on Golarion does Armor check penalty apply to Con checks? It *NEVER* did in PF 1.0. I don't even understand from a lore/flavor perspective why this decision; armor would be tiring to wear all the time until you bulked up and got used to wearing it, so if you are trying for "fatigue due to unfamiliarity" as a flavor approach, can't there be a better approach? I'm not sure what as each idea I've been thinking of sound awful - fatigue the first few rounds of combat equal to penalty or half con mod or something... *sigh*. It just seems unnecessary as you're already penalizing strength and dex for this armor "drag".

5. This last point is more of a general question due to coming slightly late to PF 1.0 - I started playing it in 2007, so much of the expansions were out for years: why do the core races consist of less races than PF 1.0? I'm particularly confused as to why no half-orcs or half-elves. Were they additions to the core in a later expansion of some sort, and that's why they aren't included in this?

These are just my initial thoughts; hopefully these glitches will be addressed or work themselves out somehow.

I was wondering how the level sets for a given scenario on a multi-part scenario interact with a character that is potentially going to level above the top tier in that scenario?

I'm going to be playing an old two-parter - I forget the name, but it's a bloodcove scenario - that is tiered 1-7. At least one of my regulars I'm playing with has a level 6 that's about to hit level 7 if they aren't already and I'm forgetting. . If they play a different scenario before this two parter and would hit 8th at the end of part 1, what happens?

Thanks!

Hi
I've run a session so far of PFS at my local game store, and enjoyed it; I am contemplating doing it at Carnage Royale's convention in Killington but am uncertain what would be a good first time out in such a setting. I wanted to run "We Be Goblins" but have been informed it's likely to be offered by enough other DMs I wouldn't get a table up and running. Any suggestions?

So I've been playing a Bones Oracle now for several levels, and I took Resist Life around level 4. I just hit 6th level and have a 2nd level or lower spell I can take thanks to my favored class bonus. I want to take Life Channel as we have a cleric of Serenrae in the party who has had to rearrange her spell list significantly to make sure I can heal my oracle.

Can I use the Life Channel spell with "Resist Life"? The spell says:

"When cast on a creature with negative energy affinity, the target is able to convert channeled positive energy into temporary hit points. When subject to an effect that heals hit points only to living creatures (such as cure light wounds or channel positive energy), the target gains a number of temporary hit points equal to half the number of hit points that the positive energy would normally heal. These temporary hit points go away at the end of this spell’s duration.
"

Negative energy affinity:
"Negative Energy Affinity (Ex) The creature is alive but is healed by negative energy and harmed by positive energy, as if it were an undead creature. Format negative energy affinity; Location Defensive Abilities"

Resist Life says:

"Resist Life (Su): You are treated as an undead creature when you are targeted by positive or negative energy. You are not subject to Turn Undead or Command Undead (or any other effect that specifically targets undead), unless you are actually an undead creature. At 7th level, you receive channel resistance +2. This bonus increases by +2 at 11th and 15th level.
"

Any help with this would be very appreciated!

I don't know where else to post this, so here goes:

I've been playing an Oracle with the Bones mystery since level 1, and upon hitting level 3 I took "Voice of the Grave" as my character is a devout follower of Pharasma and didn't want to take "Undead Servitude" or "Animate Dead". I have now played for 4 sessions with this character since hitting level 3, and in several places where following the RAW for "Voice of the Grave"/"Speak with Dead", I should in theory have been able to ask a question or two of a fallen NPC/enemy.

Unfortunately my DM has yet to be able to let me do so - not because he doesn't want to, but because the flippin module literally gives no indication of what the NPC in life would have said/done.

Speadk with Dead:
School necromancy [language-dependent]; Level cleric 3

Casting Time 10 minutes

Components V, S, DF

Range 10 ft.

Target one dead creature

Duration 1 min./level

Saving Throw Will negates; see text; Spell Resistance no

You grant the semblance of life to a corpse, allowing it to answer questions. You may ask one question per two caster levels. The corpse's knowledge is limited to what it knew during life, including the languages it spoke. Answers are brief, cryptic, or repetitive, especially if the creature would have opposed you in life.

If the dead creature's alignment was different from yours, the corpse gets a Will save to resist the spell as if it were alive. If successful, the corpse can refuse to answer your questions or attempt to deceive you, using Bluff. The soul can only speak about what it knew in life. It cannot answer any questions that pertain to events that occurred after its death.

If the corpse has been subject to speak with dead within the past week, the new spell fails. You can cast this spell on a corpse that has been deceased for any amount of time, but the body must be mostly intact to be able to respond. A damaged corpse may be able to give partial answers or partially correct answers, but it must at least have a mouth in order to speak at all. This spell does not affect a corpse that has been turned into an undead creature.

---

This in effect means I will never be able to use this revelation, nor will any spell caster with access to the Speak with Dead spell ever be able to use it, at least given the situation I faced tonight and in the past. If you would like specific circumstances, I would be happy to list them out as I am trying to avoid spoilers at the moment.

Thank you and please help!

Okay, dirp question I know, but I've spent days on IE looking for this and can't find specifics:

I know when you're level 1 you can effectively red mage everything on your character sheet other than your PFS no. Problem I'm having is how you handle the equipment if you're unsatisfied. Do I "sell back" the armor/weaponry, effectively getting back half price, or do I get full gold as if I never took it in the first place? Also, are there any "off-limits" stuff outside of what gold costwould limit? (i.e. can I buy "always available" stuff? I got one XP on the sheet already.)

Thanks!