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Mechanically speaking Bard doesn't need the Perform skill for Inspire Courage at all.
Which classes/archetypes would allow for your character to actively be doing very little, but still contribute in a meaningful way to combat? Things loaded with passive buffs like auras etc. For example: The Promethean Alchemist.
Are there any other classes/archetypes that would let a character help a party without having to do much more than exist?
You just gave me an idea for a villainous kitsune in a Pathfinder campaign who brainwashes people into thinking that he is their familiar. He manipulates weaker casters with enchantments to get them to do what he wants and occasionally uses hidden spellcasting techniques to support them when necessary. When one of his brainwashed stooges gets killed off by an adventurer, he disappears into the shadows and finds another person to manipulate into getting revenge for him. Convince the brainwashed people that they can become a Witch. Witches already get all their power from a patron funneling it through a familiar. Just have the kitsune keep saying "You'll get your own spells when you're ready".
So lets say you've got a Kitsune thats taken the "Superior Shapechanger" Alternate Racial Trait. Now they can be a tiny fox at level one. If this Kitsune was a coward, or very lazy, they might want to try and pretend to be a familiar or a pet and get someone/something else to do all the dangerous work. Maybe hiding it from the rest of the party. What would be some ways to go about that convincingly, even from level 1? The first step would probably to get a hireling to pretend they're your "Wizard" friend or something that you can hang out with. Footmen are only 5 silver a day. Get a high diplomacy to convince them not to ditch you after the first combat (if they survived that is). Might be worth it to invest in Bodyguard/Aid Another to keep them alive. Any class with Verbal/Somatic spells would be out pretty much. Unfortunately "Natural Spell" only works while wildshaped, which Fox Shape is not. There are items (Ring of Eloquence for example) that can allow a non-druid to use Verbal components while polymorphed, but they're too expensive for level 1. I haven't seen any good way outside of metamagic to get around the Somatic components. That mostly leaves psychic casters with the Cunning Caster feat and a high Bluff. Since psychic spells have no verbal or somatic components, and only use material components if they're expensive, you can do them just fine while in fox shape. Also because they don't have those components it makes Cunning Caster a flat Bluff vs Perception to hide all your casting. Mesmerist, Medium, Fractured Mind Spiritualist, and Psychic Bloodline Sorcerers are all CHA-based psychic casters which should make hitting those bluff checks easy. Mesmerist even gains half its level as a bonus to Bluff. Vizier Mesmerist gets an ability to make it look like all their spellcasting/Mesmerist Tricks are coming from one of their allies instead of them. Its not a terribly high Will save to see through it, but its an option. Depending on how your group decides, you could possibly disguise the Spiritualist's Phantom as a normal person when its in Ectoplasmic form, so it can pretend to be your "Wizard". You'd need to make sure to get your own room/tent when sleeping though, since the Phantom will disappear when you're unconscious, and people would suspicious real quick if only the fox familiar was ever around while everyone sleeps. While almost definitely weaker, the other option is the Promethean Alchemist. They give up most of what it is to be an Alchemist to get a Homunculus that scales similar to how animal companions do, but weaker. However, the Homunculus can use any of your extracts without the infusion discovery, and can even prepare them every day on their own, whithout your help. Get a good Disguise skill and convince everyone that this small person making extracts with a fox on their head is a gnome or halfling with a familiar. Call it a growth spurt when they suddenly become medium at level 4. While not as strong as a psychic caster, I feel like this one is a more convincing decoy. It can carry a weapon, drink extracts, and even be seen preparing them without assistance. Plus it is fully dedicated to you and won't run away or spill your secret. Are there any other sneaky ways to hide the fact that the little fox "Familiar" is actually the character?
So a book not made by Paizo, and a 2 year old post about a different game, mean that Starfinder doesn't like flight?
Not everyone is aware of all the discussions going on, man.Not going to lie, this is a poor excuse. There is a search feature. Simply type in the thing you are looking for, an OMG something may pop that is relevant to what you searched for. So you don't have to start duplicate threads. I don't know about you, but search is straight busted for me lately. I tried searching for "exocortex" earlier, then sorting it by recent, and the most recent results it can find are from July 20th.
I'm not entirely sure on how heavy weapons with the Explode property (Plasma and Shock) are meant to work. It says you aim them at a grid intersection, and not a creature, so is there an attack roll? If so, whats the target number? I see that grenades have a target AC of 5. Is this also the case for the heavy weapons? If they do, it seems like it would be way cheaper, in the long run, to just buy a plasma cannon or shock caster, even without proficiency, than paying for grenades.
Page 59. "Grenades, missiles, and other consumable weapons never add specialization damage, even when you’re using weapons like a cyberbow or grenade launcher."
Healer's Handbook adds a bunch of feats to give non-casters self-healing during and outside of combat. They're all Combat feats so Fighters, Brawlers and all those other martial folks who get free Combat feats have easy access to them.
I already said in the first post that I have permission from my DM. Do not start the paladin debate in this thread. It is not helpful or relevant.
What class/multiclassing/vmc/builds combine to make the hardest-to-kill character? I'm talking AC, Saves, HP, immunities, healing. The whole lot. Bonus if they can actually do decently in combat as well. The one I've come up with so far is: One level of Scaled Fist UnMonk for CHA bonus to AC and flurry. 1 level of Nature Mystery Oracle for Nature's Whispers (CHA replaces DEX for AC and CMD). The rest in Hospitaler/Tempered Champion Paladin. At some point grabbing Desna's Shooting Star for CHA to hit/damage with starknives (which improve in damage thanks to Tempered Champion, and can be taken as a bonus feat from that archetype). Grabbing Crusader's Flurry when thats available too. Also getting VMC Order of the Star Cavalier, to over-level Channel and Lay on Hands. Hospitaler loses some uses of Smite, but VMC Cavalier gives you some uses of Challenge to make up for it.
(note because I've seen the tangent before: Theres no rule in the text saying a Paladin can't worship outside the one-step thing, and my DM has specifically already given their blessing on worshiping Desna.) I ??think?? all the AC stuff would stack? Monk's CHA to AC is untyped, Oracle's replaces DEX, and Smite's is Deflection. Not a lot of skills, and not as many feats to use (made up for slightly with Tempered Champion). Max out CHA and CON and it seems pretty solid? Unless theres some glaring problem I'm overlooking. What other types of builds are just really difficult to kill?
The "Nameless One" feat (and the feats that have it as a prerequisite) would be a good start.
A Lawful-Evil city with monsters that come out at night, and devil contracts, and nobody has mentioned Westcrown from Council of Thieves? |