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Are there any classes who have access to both Flame Blade and Fireball and can use both effectively?

Druids with the Fire domain get both, but only get Fireball in the very limited domain spell slot.
Theologian archetype Clerics who worship Sarenrae and take the Fire domain get both, but now Flame Blade is competing for the same 3rd level spell slots that Fireball uses.
Magaambyan Initiate archetype Arcanists can get both without competing spell levels, but their BAB is awful, so using Flame Blade pretty tough.
Enlightened Bloodragers can get both and have great BAB, but extremely limited spells per day.

Nature Bonded Magus can get both, at the correct levels, with decent BAB, but the archetype gives up Arcane Pool and Spell Recall for stuff that totally isn't worth that loss.

Is there any way to get both spells on the other 6th-level casters?


Are Psychics and Clerics the only 9th level casters without access to immortality? Either not ageing, or automatically coming back to life. Seems like all the rest can get it in one way or another.

Wizards get it as a 20th level discovery.
Sorcerers can do it via the Imperious bloodline. Maybe Astral too if you just sit in a timeless demiplane (that you don't take any of the retroactive ageing penalties from if you do leave) with your mega-astral-projection.
Arcanists get it by taking the Blood Arcanist archetype and grabbing the same bloodlines Sorcerer has.
Witches have Forced Reincarnation that they can just use on themselves.
Druids can take the Reincarnated Druid archetype and effectively live forever starting at level 5.
Multiple Oracle mysteries grant it.
Shamans get it through the Heavens spirit.

The ones with automatic resurrection/reincarnation don't care about ageing, and the ones who don't age can be brought back if an accident happens with things like contingency or clones.

Clerics are all about serving their god, so I can see why they wouldn't really care about immortality, because dying lets them go live with their favorite being in the universe.

Psychics are pretty much left out, except for one subpar and mostly non-functional option. The "Artificial Ascension" Psi-Tech Discovery.
The smaller problem is that it requires access to robots (not constructs, specifically robots). Really only found in one specific part of Golarion, and even then not exactly common.
The middle problem is that if the robot body dies, thats it. "You cannot be brought back to life by any means". So you don't age, but you're never coming back if you do die.
The biggest issue is that you have to be 20th level to select it. Psi-Tech Discoveries can be taken in the place of either a feat or a Phrenic Amplification. Psychics get their last Phrenic Amplification at 19th, and they don't get a feat at 20th, so you can't take it anyway even if it was worth it, which it really isn't in comparison with the other classes.

Did I miss something or is that really Psychic's only in-class option?


Ranged Trip, Ranged Disarm, Ace Trip, and Ace Disarm are all "Targeting" feats. Targeting feats say that they count as Called Shots for anything that effects those. Improved/Greater Called shot let you full-attack with Called Shots.

With all those feats then you can full-attack with ranged trips/disarms that also do damage when they hit. What build would be able to pull that off/do so effectively?

Or is it really possible at all? From what I can tell the feats you want, as someone doing ranged attacks and maneuvers are:
Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Deadly Aim, Combat Expertise, Ranged Trip, Ranged Disarm, Improved Called Shot, Greater Called Shot, Ace Trip, Ace Disarm, Improved Trip, Greater Trip, Improved Disarm, Greater Disarm.
Thats already 16 feats, assuming you didn't need anything else. 17 feats if you're an archer with Manyshot, a crossbowman with Rapid Reload, or a thrower with Quick Draw. Is this a Fighter-only strategy?


How would you build a Good Goblin who worships Sarenrae?

Specifically focusing on the Sun (or even more specifically Fire) and Redemption parts of her portfolio?

Are there any classes/archetypes that are very focused on fire and/or nonlethal damage? Even better if using a Scimitar.


I'm going to be playing in a game that will reach, and spend a decent amount of time at, level 20. Which classes get the coolest stuff at level 20?


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If I have a level of Sorcerer, and then go into Arcanist and grab the Bloodline Development exploit, it says:

"If the arcanist already has a bloodline (or gains one later), taking this exploit instead allows her arcanist levels to stack with the levels of the class that granted her access to the bloodline when determining the powers and abilities of her bloodline."

What all exactly is being inherited with this? What falls under "powers and abilities"? If its just the Bloodline Powers, whats the "and abilities" text referring to? Does it get the Bloodline Arcana? The Bloodline Feats or Bloodline Spells? All of those things fall under the "Bloodline" Class Feature of the Sorcerer and could I suppose be described as "abilities". It seems like getting access to all of those things for a level dip and an exploit would be too much, but that "powers and abilities" text is throwing me off.


Are there any particularly useful items/feats/archetypes/prestige classes/etc for a character specializing in Necromancy spells (with some Transmutation thrown in there), but that doesn't plan to ever use undead?


Is it possible to make a spell with an area effect have a smaller area? Things like Fireball or Darkness etc.

Basically the opposite of Widen Spell.


Would it be reasonable to think that with a decent enough Disguise check that a Spiritualist's Phantom could be made to look like a living being, and not a Phantom?

I figure a Hat of Disguise would do the trick, but there's always the occasional person who can see through illusions.


If a Wizard with an Arcane School takes a 1 level dip in School Savant Arcanist and chooses a different school then, do they now function as if they had two Arcane Schools?

Theres no text that says you have to choose a school you already have, like a lot of similar Bloodline abilities do.

It also says that you treat your Arcanist level as Wizard levels for the school, so would you keep progressing the second school once you went back to Wizard afterward?


If you wanted to be able to pump out as many scrolls as possible, with the widest variety, what would be the best options to do so? And once you have them, who is the best at using them?

A 17th level Medium can get access to 9th level Wizard spells once per day, or 8th level Cleric spells and 7th level spells from any other list (via Miracle) once per day, so I imagine they're hard to beat on variety. They don't really have anything built into the class for scroll creation or use though, as far as I've seen. Plus, 17th level is pretty late to be getting access to a single higher-than-6th level spell per day.

Spell Sage Wizard can get access to Cleric/Bard/Druid spells of whatever level they have at least 2 prepared spells of, but they give up their Arcane School to do it. No access to Psychic spells though.

Rebirth Discipline Psychics can get up to 8th level spells from any list, but only once per day.

The Pathfinder Savant prestige class and the Razmiran Priest Sorcerer are both good at using scrolls, but don't quite have the range for variety, or special abilities for crafting.

Spontaneous casters could use Mnemonic Vestments to essentially make copies of scrolls they already have without using up the original.

Are there any other ways to cast from a scroll without using it up?


Without multiclassing (prestige classes are ok), or relying on scrolls, whats the best way to get a caster with 9th-level spells to be able to have the widest range of possible spells?

I know the Shaman can use Arcane Enlightenment as a wandering hex to get new Wiz/Sorc spells every day. The Spell Sage Wizard can get into the Bard/Cleric/Druid lists by spending 2 spells.

Samsarans and Magaambyan Initiate/Magaambyan Arcanist (prestige) can add a limited number of spells from specific other lists.

Skalds get Spell-Kenning (and the various feats/items to expand its options), but it only gets up to 6th level spells.

I know about the list someone wrote on gitp, but thats from 2013 and is extremely out of date. Are there any better ways since then to get access to as many spells from the big 4 lists (Wiz/Sorc, Cleric, Druid, Psychic) as possible?

Prepared casters preferred, since they aren't limited by Spells Known.

Edit: The Pathfinder Savant prestige class gets Esoteric Magic which allows adding one spell every level from any list onto your own, but it counts as 1 level higher.


I'd like to make an Oracle that focuses on buffing the party, but all the information I can find is "Get the Life Mystery, take Life Link, and be Dual-Cursed for the Misfortune debuff".

What are the best options purely for party buffing, without the healing or debuffs?


I like Inspire Courage/Competence/Greatness/Heroics. I like the Bard spell list. All the knowledge stuff is useful, if not as important.

But the rest of the performances? No thanks.

Is there any good way to keep most of the good stuff (Inspire Courage most importantly), but get rid of Distraction/Fascinate/Countersong/Suggestion?

I know there are other class archetypes that get Inspire Courage (Evangelist Cleric, Ocean's Echo Oracle/etc.), but then you lose out on the Bard-only spells. Skalds get the Bard spell list, but they dont have Inspire Courage, and their rage isn't any good for all your caster allies.

There must be some way to be a fully buff/defense focused Bard without getting offense-focused/mind-effecting class features you'll never use, right?


If a Prestige Class advances the Bardic Performance class feature (Pathfinder Chronicler, Dawnflower Anchorite, etc.), do you continue to get new performances?

Is each performance its own class feature, or are they abilities granted by the Bardic Performance class feature?


What would you build if you were determined to play a more support-oriented role in a group with a bunch of full-casters? And not in a "be the meat-shield/damage-dealer" type of way.

My first thought was a Court Poet Skald, to buff up their INT/CHA. WIS casters are out of luck, but it covers 2 out of the 3 casting stats so still pretty good. Are there any other classes that are particularly good at boosting up casters?


Assuming the character, for whatever reason, doesn't have access to the Interplanetary Teleport spell, what are the options for travelling between planets?


Is there any good way to get a Druid set up for hopping around the planes without relying on others? Any way to access the spells they'd need that they don't normally have access to? Gear that could reliably stand in for not having access to those spells?


I'd like to try and make a battlefield control type character, but in a more physical way. Not with fog or things like that, but more like Wood Shape, Create Pit, and the various walls.

What are the best spells/abilities to physically alter your surroundings, and what classes are best at it?


Specifically at this link: http://paizo.com/community/forums/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG

When I'm not signed in, everything looks fine.
https://i.imgur.com/v0uusqB.png

If I log in, all the topics disappear.
https://i.imgur.com/3MAUFVt.png


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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.
The archetype trades away most of the alchemist abilities for a Homunculus companion that scales similar to an animal companion, except the homunculus can prepare and use all of your extracts without you. You have to be within 1,500 feet of it for it to prepare extracts, but other than that you don't even really need to show up. The archetype stacks with Preservationist so your homunculus can even bring along some summons to help it out.

Are there any other classes/archetypes that would let a character help a party without having to do much more than exist?


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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?


What would be everyone's favorite non-combat abilities/classes/spells? I don't mean just "best at rolling skills", but actual neat class features or spells.

Bonus points if they're not prepared-casting spells, for being able to pull them out at a moments notice.

Personally I'm a big fan of Telekinetic Haul, especially once you start spending burn on it. Hard to beat being able to float around things weighing up to 1000 pounds per level. Telekineticist gets a lot of my favorite utility abilities, really.


After looking at the Terrakineticist in Ultimate Wilderness, it got me wondering if there are any other classes/archetypes that can change so wildly.

Prepared casters can switch out their spells. Mediums have their choice of pretty different Spirits. Shamans have their Wandering Spirit. But those are all things the character gets to pick.

With the Terrakineticist, your element changes based on your terrain, which is only partially under your control, and mostly dependent on where your adventures take you. Are there any others that change so drastically from day-to-day / moment-to-moment while not being in full control of that change?


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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.


With Heavy Armor, for the cost of more credits, an armor check penalty, a speed penalty, and more bulk, it seems like you get anywhere from 0-2 extra AC over Light Armor of the same level, if you're hitting the DEX limit on both.

For Heavy Weapons, when compared to Longarms, you're usually getting one die size larger for more bulk, more credits, and increased ammo usage.

Plus, if you're not a soldier you're likely paying in feats.

Am I missing something big or does it seem like some hefty costs for not a lot of benefit?


For the Occultist, can one item count for multiple implement schools if it qualifies for them?

For example, the Abjuration school can be used with a shield. The Transmutation school can be used with a weapon. Since a shield is a weapon, can I pick a single shield to be the implement for both schools at once?


If a character manages to get Blindsight out to 30ft (such as with Blinded Master), what would be the best ways to take advantage of that?

Fog/Smoke or Deeper Darkness would do the trick, but likely hinder your teammates more than they're worth, I'd think.


I've noticed there are a few ways to send your own body parts off to do their own thing, and it makes me wonder if its possible to make a character (if not a very useful one) that combines a bunch of them.

The ones I can think of off the top of my head:

The Eyebiter archetype for Mesmerist can have one of their eyes pop out and float around as a familiar.

The Possessed Hand/Hand's Autonomy/Hand's Detachment feat chain lets one of your hands detach and move around, also potentially functioning as a familiar.

The Skinsend spell has all your skin peel off your body and wander around for a few hours.

An Alchemist's Tumor Familiar is a gross chunk of your body that can detach and re-attach itself whenever.

Are there more ways to detach other body parts?

Edit: The Swarm of Fangs spell technically isnt *your* teeth, but you could pretend it was.


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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.
Also going Tiefling for Paladin FCB, and getting Fey Foundling at level 1.

(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?


Can you put enchantments on Shurikens that specify being allowed on thrown weapons?

Or, more specifically, can I put Sharding on skurikens?


So I'm gonna be needing a primarily ranged character, but it looks like most of the suggested builds for ranged characters basically boil down to "full-attack every round".

Are there any good/decent/even situationally useful ranged builds that have more interesting options available to them? Anything to switch things up occasionally.


Theres the 7th level Shield Champion Brawler.
The 2nd level Bounty Hunter Slayer. (I'm not convinced this one actually works)
The 8th level Telekinetic Maneuvers talent for Aether Kineticists.
Edit:
Along the same lines as the Bounty Hunter Slayer, being ambiguously legal, a 7th level Cad Fighter gets a non-specific "if you hit, dirty trick" ability.
A 1st level Skulking Slayer Rogue seems to get it too.

Are there any other ways to do Dirty Trick maneuvers at range?


I'd like to build a character that focuses on the combination of the "Sliding Axe Throw" and "Relentless Shot" feats, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it.

I'm leaning toward Lore-Warden for the CMB bonus and extra feats, right now. Are there any other good options for something like this?


Short and possibly simple question.

"A mystic bolt deals 1d6 points of damage plus 1 for every 4 vigilante levels the warlock has."

Just so I'm sure, does this mean at level 1 it's doing 1d6 damage and then increasing to 1d6+1 at level 4, or is it doing 1d6+1 at level 1 and increasing to 1d6+2 at level 4?

Or is it 1d6+1 at level 1, then increasing to 1d6+2 at level 5, because thats more than 4 levels now?


Would this combo work at all? A specialist at really messing with people's heads.

I know Hypnotic Stare and Evil Eye don't stack, but since the stare is a swift, it softens up the save for Evil Eye, or if you don't care about debuffing saves other than will, lets you get a different Evil Eye debuff in on the same round.

Would the "Psychic Inception" Bold Stare allow the Witch hexes to effect mindless/mind-effecting immune creatures?


I completely know this is just nitpicking at a tiny thing but...

The Mesmerist's Hypnotic Stare ability says:
"The penalties from multiple mesmerists' stares don't stack, nor do they stack with penalties from witches' evil eye hexes."

Since it specifically calls out the Witch... does that mean it DOES stack with the Shaman's Evil Eye hex? RAW at least?

I'm sure RAI it shouldn't stack with the Shaman version either, but it never mentions Shaman in the text. The Shaman gains the ability to gain Witch hexes, and points out that even though some have the same name, they aren't the same hex.

"Witch Hex: The shaman selects any one hex normally available through the witch's hex class feature... The shaman cannot select a witch hex that has the same name as a shaman hex."


If I want a character that throws out a bunch of conditions at enemies to just completely ruin their day, what kind of classes/feats/etc should I be looking at?

Witch(or Shaman, or Hexcrafter Magus) for Evil Eye, then pump up Intimidate? I think they have spells that can add on other conditions too.

Maybe Mesmerist for their easier intimidation and/or feinting?

I just want to hit enemies with as many conditions as possible.