When you succeed at a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire, or when you cease taking ongoing fire damage from a spell or effect, you can smear ash on yourself as an immediate action to gain fast healing 1 for 3 rounds. For every Hit Die you have beyond 3, extend the duration of this fast healing by an additional round.
Above is the text of growth in ash, so what I was wondering is does this feat allow for out of combat infinite healing? This seems like a really powerful feat if so. Basically there are some mundane situations where you can catch on fire that can easily be reproduced in a safe environment and with 5 points of fire resist or more you don't care about the small risk of catching on fire. Even without the fire resist a mid level dex based character will only fail on a 1 or 2 for the catch on fire. So what is stopping a character with a +14 or 15 from purposefully putting themselves in situations where they would need to make a save to catch on fire and when they succeed their save they get 3-20 points of healing over 3-20 rounds.
So I have recently been looking through quite alot of things and I have come up with a build I desperately want to play. I want the following things for this build.
1. I want to play a fighter Eldritch Gaurdian (preferably with Mutagen Warrior archetype as well but not needed)
2. My familiar must take the Mauler Archetype.
3. My familiar should be flying unless you have a damn good reason not to.
4. I want to be able to mount my Familiar by level 3 and ride around on it during combat.
So now regarding a few other things. I am assuming a 20pt buy and either core races preferred but featured races are allowed. I want to keep full progression of my familiar as well.
Here is my initial idea
Gnome, Eldritch Guardian/Mutagen Warrior (Fighter)
Str 16
Dex 10
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 9
with an Owl Familiar (Could be hawk both are nearly the same)
I take one of the many traits that give me ride as a class skill again and a +1 to it along with some other trait.
Pick up a lance and take mounted combat at 1 and ride by at 3 then spirited charge at 4 then power attack at 5. After that I was thinking weapon focus and specialization lines.
The owl at level 3 would be medium whenever I wish and have a strength of 17 unless I did some math wrong somewhere which would let it carry a gnome with mild gear while still being on a light load. Anyone interested in tossing me some ideas? (This does not need to be PFS legal just please no 3.5 or third party stuff.)
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So I have looked through the rules questions board many times for everything I can find on improvised weapons either being or not being weapons for a variety of purposes, ranging from feats, to class abilities, to magic, and to enchanting. This is something that as of yet has had no official or convincing response that I could find. This post will hopefully get FAQed enough to get an official response.
Here are the big questions which I see as most important for improvised weapons.
What can be classified as an improvised weapon?
Do improvised weapons count as weapons for all purposes?
Do improvised weapons count as weapons for the purposes of spells which must target an individual weapon such as Magic Weapon or Greater Magic Weapon?
Do improvised weapons count as weapons for class abilities which require a weapon such as Paladin's bond or Magus' spellstrike ability?
Do improvised weapons count as weapons for purposes of enchanting them as weapons?
Do improvised weapons count as weapons for purposes of Feats which require a weapon to use such as Arcane Strike?
Evidence I have found on Improvised Weapons.
Base Rules:
Sometimes objects not crafted to be weapons nonetheless see use in combat. Because such objects are not designed for this use, any creature that uses an improvised weapon in combat is considered to be nonproficient with it and takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls made with that object. To determine the size category and appropriate damage for an improvised weapon, compare its relative size and damage potential to the weapon list to find a reasonable match. An improvised weapon scores a threat on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a critical hit. An improvised thrown weapon has a range increment of 10 feet.
Proficiency Rules:
Most character classes are proficient with all simple weapons. Combat-oriented classes such as barbarians, cavaliers, and fighters are proficient with all simple and all martial weapons. Characters of other classes are proficient with an assortment of simple weapons and possibly some martial or even exotic weapons. All characters are proficient with unarmed strikes and any natural weapons they gain from their race. A character who uses a weapon with which he is not proficient takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls with that weapon.
Improvised Defense Trait:
Whenever you wield an improvised weapon, you gain a +1 shield bonus to AC. If you use the improvised weapon to attack, you lose this shield bonus until the beginning of your next turn. (From PPC Bastards of Galorion)
Living Grimoire Archetype Holy Book Ability:
Holy Book (Su)
At 1st (level, a living grimoire forms a supernatural bond with a large ironbound tome containing the holy text of his deity and learns to use it as a weapon.
When wielding the holy book as a weapon, he deals base damage as if it were a cold iron light mace (but see Sacred Word below), is considered proficient with the book, takes no improvised weapon penalty, and gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls with the book. The tome serves as his holy symbol and divine focus, and can be enchanted as a magic weapon.
He can replace his bonded tome with another book at any time, though he must perform a 24-hour binding ritual to attune himself to the new book. (From Pathfinder Roleplaying game Horror Adventures)
Here is my reasoning on the questions above. Only items which could be used in combat can be considered improvised weapons, that means that things such as paper or a loaf of bread would not work however most things made of metal could count along with many things made of wood or other hard objects. Weapons and Armor are the only items with apparent Proficiency rules and as we are clearly not talking about armor and since non-proficiency is the reason for the -4 to hit it would come to reason that they are weapons for atleast some purposes as they are considered weapons for proficiency reasons. Improvised Weapons must also be considered improvised weapons even when not being actively used as weapons otherwise the trait Improved Defense would do absolutely nothing.
Please feel free to debate these issues here and please press the FAQ button regardless of which side you believe is right if you want to have an official answer.
