Daryl MacLeod's page

"Charge while mounted" is not the same thing as "mounted on something that is charging". The FAQ you quoted is clear that if you charge, your mount also charges, but that doesn't mean that if your mount charges, that you are also charging!

It seems perfectly valid for your mount to charge while you don't do so. You won't gain the benefits for charging, but you shouldn't be forced to accept the drawbacks.

According to the FAQ, charge while mounted does = mounted on something that is charging.

You both charge in unison.

I understood what you were trying to get at. I think Gauss understood what you were trying to get at.

I think this is exactly what other people were trying to get at before the FAQ explained that there is no distinction. It's both are charging, or neither are charging.

You can ask the question 10 different ways, but the answer is always, according to the FAQ, "you both charge in unison".

Now I'm not saying I completely agree with this. I can imagine a few legit role play scenarios where a distinction is merited, but at that point it's a house rule. YMMV, consult your GM.

I can't tell you how many friends I've lost over this same issue. I used to have so much love in my life, now I am all alone.

** spoiler omitted **

I'm on my 3rd marriage thanks to these damn diagonals.

1) My view is, that the monk can use TWF unarmed, even combine flurry and TWF for an "additional off-hand attack" on top of the "flurry additional attack" accepting the applicable attack penalties on all attacks. If the off-hand weapon is not a monk weapon, the standard TWF penalties apply - also applying 1/2 Strength bonus to weapon damage and not increasing the BAB to monk level.

That's not how it works. Flurry is a special full-attack action. TWF requires a full attack.

So just because you're an expert in reloading a light crossbow does not make you an expert in other types of crossbows.

What's he's done is legal, but it doesn't even optimize the weapon (which is sub-optimal to begin with).

If he chose light crossbow when he chose Rapid Reload he's going to be eating AoO's reloading a heavy crossbow as a free action with Crossbow Mastery.

So Crossbow Mastery makes him a master of all crossbows, but he's still has the greatest level of expertise with the Light Crossbow, hence no AoO's when reloading.

This is fine rules & fluff wise. Sub-optimal yes, but still totally fine.

He still needs point-blank master to avoid AoO's when firing. Which is nuts. They should have just rolled that into Crossbow Mastery as far as I'm concerned.

Remember that the "straight line" being referred to does not have to coincide with the grid on the play mat. As in, you're not limited to only running north-south or east-west.

There was a faction trait, Hunter's Eye, that gave longbow proficiency and reduced the penalty on second range increment... Not sure if it's still viable as I haven't updated my society guide in some time.

Well the whole point of this thread is to Flurry with something besides a Light Weapon via Weapon Finesse and preferably good crit range.

A scimitar is a 1 handed weapon that is not normally finessable (Dervish Dance also gets you DEX to damage). Same threat range as a katana, 1 less damage on average from dice.

Ever witness the All Blacks perform the Haka before a Rugby match? Pretty intimidating stuff right? Not so much if the TV is on mute or if you just hear the chanting from the kitchen while you're grabbing another beer.

In all seriousness I don't know why it's and, and not or. But it is what it is. If a player could describe a reason why it should be one or the other; I'd allow it.

I've had good success with my half-orc with a bite attack (I took toothy alt. racial trait). You increase your total number of threatened squares by 8; which is only going to benefit you with Combat Reflexes.

If a foe steps inside your reach you can bite them.

A common schtick I use is attack with glaive, 5 foot step and bite at -5. Then the next round I bite at -5, 5' step and attack with glaive.

I don't think vital strike works with spring attack, which is a shame.

Start with a helping of Power Attack, then flavour to taste. Done.

That's the beauty of THF. They're kind of like a nice steak. You can do whatever you want with it and as long as you don't cook it passed medium rare it's going to be fantastic no matter what.

In case anyone is interested, I have created a web-based DPR calculator. You can find it here

Thank you. But when I clicked the link it wouldn't load. However, I quoted your post and then was able to copy & paste the link into an address bar.

I have a DPR calculator of my own that I use - but I've been looking at ways to improve the appearance and overall ease of use. Your layout is something I will probably borrow aspects of & incorporate into my own sheet if you don't mind?

What is it they say? Something about copying is the sincerest form of flattery?

I have no eye for presentation...

EDIT: Isn't Manyshot multiplied on a crit? That's part of what makes it so good? Did you mean Vital Strike?

I personally dislike melee DEX-to-damage builds, and will never play one myself. I also admit to being biased against them when I GM.

Why bother being biased? A DEX to damage build doesn't really need you to be actively working against it to be less relevant in combat than a STR build. They accomplish that inherently.

Do you want the RAW or the RAI answer?

As Written, it is a 35 DC. Invisibility gives you a +20 and that's just that.

As Intended, it is a 15 DC. There's no reason invisibility would make you quieter.

Invisibility makes it more difficult for the Guard to perceive you. Arguing intent in this instance is a slippery slope.

Your reasoning for a DC 15 check is, reasonable.

It would also be reasonable for me to say that creatures that primarily rely on sight; such as the Humanoid races, put so much emphasis on what they see, they don't utilize their other senses enough. You've heard the phrase "seeing is believing"?

In the case of invisible creatures it's not unreasonable to say that because they cannot be seen, they are much harder for Humanoids to detect.

Hence the reduced modifier for an invisible creature who is also moving...

Ssalarn wrote:

Grooven wrote:

@ Krodjin, what it says is a master of many styles monk may choose a feat in that styles the path as one of these bonus feats if he already has the appropriate style feat. Some people are interpreting the appropriate style feat to mean the preceding feat in the path.

Which would be incorrect under the current RAW.

Crane Style

Crane Wing

Crane Riposte

How many style feats did I just list?

The answer is 1. Crane Wing and Crane Riposte are not style feats and so do not meet the description "appropriate style feat".

Under the Current RAW they're all organized in a separate section titled "style feats" in UC.

Something categorized as a style feat>having "style" in its name

No, what Sslarn is referring to is the fact that in the parenthesis after the feat name it says "Dragon Ferocity (Combat)" or "Dragon Style (Combat, Style)".

So really: Something designated as a Style Feat = Style in its name > Listed in the style feats section.

Where the FAQ is the FAQ?
This is so FAQ'd up.
I can't find the FAQing FAQ for FAQ sakes.

@Grooven: Hero Lab is not the authority on Paizo Rules.

It's expressly stated that a MoMS can in fact take the 3rd feat in the chain without taking the second feat, so long as he/she has the base "Style" feat.

The issue is (as others have pointed out) in a lot of instances the 3rd feat won't do anything for you without the second.

dragonhunterq quoted the rule. It is as unambiguous as anything Paizo has ever written so I don't think there is an argument for the other side... The usual argument regarding the MoMS is regarding the Elemental Fist feat and it's pre-requisites which is not what you're asking.

At the same time though, both are specific exceptions to a general rule, so the bigger question is which one takes precedence?

I agree that's the crux of the issue. I believe the Agile property is a more recent addition to the rules than Doubleslice; which, if I recall correctly is in the CRB.

If the intent was for DoubleSlice & Agile to work in concert I think they would have added a Special line: "If you have taken the Doubleslice Feat, you may apply your full DEX to off-hand damage". Or something like that.

However, I'm in part basing my conclusion on the historical precedence of martial characters routinely getting the short end of the "balance" stick. The Devs probably feel that DEX for initiative, AC, Reflex Saves, ranged attack rolls, melee attack rolls (with a 1 feat investment), and full off-hand damage (with 2 feat + magical property investment), would be "unbalanced".

Do I buy it? Not really.
Am I certain my position is correct? Nope.
Would I like to see this combo work? Yes.
Does history tell me that a FAQ or errata would provide a favourable resolution? Um, No.

Reach is a cube. This is a fact. Anything else breaks the entire operation of reach weapons or at best over complicates them.

I don't think you understand the grid based system. Pathfinder has omitted the rule from 3.5 that specifically permitted reach weapons to threaten the second diagonal; a square that is clearly 15 away according to the Pathfinder rule set.

That being said, the Developers have chimed in and made comments that moving from 15 to 5 on the diaganols should provoke because at some point the creature is moving across the 10' barrier.

Nefreet and Gauss have clearly got a grasp on things and done a very good job of explaining it for the uninitiated. Too bad they can't clear it up for the willfully ignorant.

Everything

I have nothing to add to this thread. I just wanted to say I find your enthusiasm refreshing.

Thank you.

Modify the Phantom Steed Spell.

Or have a higher level Mount spell to make Hippogriffs.

Great suggestions. I'll think on that.

Short Note:

Step 1 — Figure out your player's Challenge Rating (CR for players, assuming your player's Wealth By Level is appropriate, is equal to the player's Level).

Step 2 — Divide the player's CR by 4.

Step 3 — Use the result as your ninja's Average Party Level when constructing encounters. For example, a CR 1 Ninja (1st Level Ninja) has an APL of 1/4.

Long Note:

Check out GM Guide articles #1 and #2 on my blog for a full explanation on why the above strategy works.

Thank you for posting that link. I've read your guide to challenging encounters and your blog looks great so far.

And I agree with Ciaran: Ninja does sound great for a Solo adventure.

How many players? It could be fun to actually play it out. Have the slavers make their play when they have the players isolated and alone.

If they've been sailing with the party for a few days or weeks the Slavers will have a good idea at the PC's strengths and weaknesses; use magic on the fighter, brute force against the mage etc. etc.

Most players I know would be okay with this if they have the prospect of recovering their gear (or better gear)...

If the party is low level, simply give some of the slaver captains masterwork versions of the PC's favoured equipment.

Yeah it sucks to be poisoned and enslaved, but it's great to eventually kick the slaver's butt and take his valuable sword.

a2) Can anyone else think of a one-handed wind instrument?

The voovoozela? You know, the super annoying soccer horn? Get an Adamantine one and club people with it. 2-hand that bad boy for 1.5x STR and 3:1 Power Attack damage when one of those hooligan fans cheering for the other team gets in your grill.

At the start of each session we go round the table giving the GM our passive Sense Motive & Perception scores. The passive score is our skill modifier +10.

That's the DC the GM uses for all of his various checks... I suspect he just uses the highest passive scores if our party is together, methodically moving through an environment...

It works pretty well too as he can just roll behind the screen without giving anything away by asking "Hey Krodjin, what's your Perception modifier again?", and then spark a chain reaction of every PC: "I'm rolling Perception!"

Stick to pathfinder rule sets please.

You've already abandoned the rules with this particular thought exercise. Whatever build you make, and whatever game you play, it won't resemble pathfinder.

We have the correct answer from the original rule. What's to discuss?

true. I think what's happening is people new to thread read the title, read the first post, and then post a comment without reading the posts further down the thread or referencing the rules.

I must admit - I'm guilty of doing that myself from time to time.

We have the correct, true, and unambiguous rules interpretation... We're done here.

(Fantastic referencing in your earlier posts by the way).
Cheers,

D

Okay, thanks everyone for clearing that up! So that means I could use Two-Weapon Fighting, Rapid Shot, and Quick Draw to throw three daggers in a round?

Yes absolutely - but you do take the TWF penalties and the Rapid Shot penalties. So if we assume a Fighter level 6 with the feats you listed and Impr. TWF, he could make 5 attacks at BAB +6/+6/+6/+1/+1, but with the penalties it would be +2/+2/+2/-3/-3

None of those numbers factor in ability modifiers, weapon focus, Point Blank Shot, Deadly Aim, or anything else; just -2 for TWF & -2 for Rapid Shot

Can a Medium creature use a Large lance while mounted; if they use it two-handed?

If so why? If not, why not?

It seems that the Lance is a more appropriate comparison than the Bastard Sword as the Bastard sword is a one-handed weapon, albeit with special properties. The Lance & Earthbreaker are both two-handed weapons that can be wielded in one-hand under certain, specific conditions.

Question: If a Two-handed Fighter Archetype takes Thunder & Fang and makes a charge whilst wielding his Earthbreaker in 1 hand, does he or she still receive the 2x STR modifier to damage granted by the 3rd level class ability Overhand Chop?

At 3rd level, when a two-handed fighter makes a single attack (with the attack action or a charge) with a two-handed weapon, he adds double his Strength bonus on damage rolls.

This ability replaces Armor Training 1.

T&F lets you wield an EB as if it were a 1-handed weapon, but it's still a 2-handed weapon. Does the FAQ on wielding 2-handed weapons in 1-hand apply to Overhand Chop?

Weapons, Two-Handed in One Hand: When a feat or other special ability says to treat a weapon that is normally wielded in two hands as a one handed weapon, does it get treated as one or two handed weapon for the purposes of how to apply the Strength modifier or the Power Attack feat?

If you're wielding it in one hand (even if it is normally a two-handed weapon), treat it as a one-handed weapon for the purpose of how much Strength to apply, the Power Attack damage bonus, and so on.

—Pathfinder Design Team, 07/19/13

I'm so twisted up on how this all interacts right now. Now I'm second guessing everything.

Ok, so a PC can be of an alignment; but that's not the same as being of an alignment subtype. I can follow that... Brings Align Weapon back into play...

1. Turn off Brain
2. Read words, with Brain off.
3. ???
4. Profit

Use two Klars. Thematically appropriate for Shoanti as well.

How about a PFS scenario?

If you & your friends like The Walking Dead you could do a 1 shot that is about a Zombie Horde.

To switch it up have them play commoners or kids...

You could do this with any class so long as the GM builds the adventure for such an endeavour... A bunch of Barbarians breaking out of a Prison (as an example) would need an entirely different set of challenges than Rogues, or Sorcerers, or Paladins...

But you could tailor it so that it is a fun time regardless of the class.

But the 1.5 value is referred to as "Strength Bonus" so they question is which instance of strength bonus is getting doubled, not how they stack.

You are overthinking this. The common terms/rules for multiplying tell us that multipliers are not multiplied by one another, so why would we assume that you multiply and already multiplied bonus?

Unless it's specifically called out we revert to the base number, or in this case the Characters STR bonus.

Krodjin wrote:

HK is correct. To expand;

At BAB +1 the AC gets claw/claw/bite at +1/+1/+1 (not factoring in any other bonuses)
At BAB +6, the AC gets claw/claw/bite at +6/+6/+6 (not factoring in any other bonuses).

The AC does not get iterative attacks with natural weapons regardless of BAB.

There's a minor caveat to this, but it's not relevant for this particular situation. I'm just mentioning it for other people who might happen upon this thread.

This AC has three natural attacks, so iterative attacks are never relevant. However, ACs with only one or two natural attacks actually get one iterative attack when they get Multiattack. So if your AC is a Wolf for instance, at 9th level the Wolf would get two bite attacks at +6/+1.

But the Big Cat AC, which has Claw/Claw/Bite, would get three attacks all at +6, as you said.

Thanks for the tip! I was not aware of that!

Yeah it's one of those builds that can go all sorts of different ways and get require quite a few feats - have fun whichever way you go!

I'll stick with my Bards' band name;

93. N.W.A
(Naga's with attitude).

But some of these are very, very good!

In that thread (thanks Maezer), SKR clarifies it is the closest square "on your path" from which you must attack, not the absolute closest square.

That's good to know. I've been playing it wrong (as a player & GM)... James, I've been playing it the same as you...

Hit the FAQ button and let's see what the designers say!

Krodjin wrote:

What is functional to you? What DPR? What target do we have to hit while being denied the most reliable and easy method of utilizing the classes primary source of damage?

I consider a CRB-only monk functional (although I'm partial qinggong monk + arcane strike + dragon style, I don't think it is required for a monk to be functional. SOURCE: Played CRB-only monk before)

All you need to do is get sneak attack and your core Rogue will out damage your core Monk.

If you can't, I'm afraid it's a user error and not an issue with the class.

Also consider that you are sacrificing a lot for concept here. You could one-hand a Scimitar with Dervish Dance and not have to worry about getting an Agile weapon or STR bonuses.

I prefer a Golarion that includes some Elven warriors that use a Curveblade opposed to a Scimitar.

Do you seriously expect anyone to read that dissertation? Is there a TL/DR version you could post?

I ask because I am interested in what you have to say, I'm just not ^that^ interested.

Krodjin wrote:

EsperMagic wrote:

Tell me more about this temple sword hungry ghost monk and how one would build say a level 13 20 point buy one...

Well, it's good because of the expanded threat range of the Temple Sword. But again, a single level dip into Cleric (seranrae) gets you an even better threat range with a scimitar.

It would take a multitude of feats but I've kicked around the idea of a Dervish Dancing Crusader of Seranrae 1/Hungry Ghost Monk X... The idea of using Dervish Dance with a monk is appealing as you don't lose out on the 1.5 STR to damage, since you never had it... It also makes you a little less mad as you can just pump DEX and WIS.

It is a very feat intensive build though. You need Weapon finesse, dervish dance and crusaders flurry in order to fully function. I find it much easier to use a temple sword and make it keen or take improved critical at 10th lvl. 17-20 is good enough for the purposes of regaining ki. You also want to reach 9th lvl asap so that you can steal temporary hp.

Now if you start the campaign at higher lvls, the cleric dip does have merits. You need to be at least 6 lvl in order to have the 3 vital feats.

For sure it's mainly just theory crafting and spitballing... Heck, you could take a level of Dawnflower Dervish Bard to get Dervish Dance without Weapon Finesse (I think), but that would mean you wait until ECL 4 to get BAB +1. That just hurts too much.

Double the buffs for self only would help offset the list BAB, but man, can you imagine having to play that up from level 1? It may (stress may) be an interesting idea if you can jump in a 6th level or something...

Don't get too hung up on the numbers on the page.

While it's not essential, I consider the "Inner Sea World Guide" as the best Pathfinder purchase I've made.

If you are planning on playing Golarion, which is the Paizo setting, the ISWG is a fantastic resource

Playing an Archer would violate your second rule. But, if you want to play an Archer that stops at level 12, you only have 2 options;

1) Zen Archer
2) Ranger

No other class is worth it because waiting until end game to get Improved Precise Shot won't work in a "dungeon" type environment.

So, between the choices above the Zen Archer gives you more ability to customize. The Ranger has to spend EVERY feat on Archery, the Zen Archer gets just about everything as a class ability and the only archery feat you need us Deadly Aim.

River Rat: the +1 damage with daggers goes a LONG way. Considering that it apples to ALL attacks made with a dagger, including off-hand attacks, it is certainly better than "half a feat".

A character with 10 STR who takes this trait does the same damage as a character with 12 STR (+2 to 1 ability score is worth a feat & 1 skill point/level, according to the Human alternate racial trait) and Double Slice.... So that's 2 feats right there...

I've done the math for a 3/4 BAB character up to level 12 and Daggers w/River Rat provides more DPR than a Kukri - even on a High STR build. Considering that Kukri's are a Martial weapon and most Rogue's would need to burn a feat on it, that puts us at 3 feats...

The ISWG is one of the best pathfinder purchases I've made. Some of the player companion books expand on the info for specific areas. If you know the locale you want to run your campaign in, I'd suggest buying the player companion for that area.

Varisia may be one of the most, if not the most described areas. If you're starting there you will be able to find info from a lot of sources... Maybe too many sources (depending on how much time you have for reading).

Where are you thinking of basing your campaign?

I don't think the jump + flurry is legit.
How does he move, flurry, move?

Sounds like shenanigans to me. If anything is closer to Spring Attack than anything else.

So my answer is you don't kill him. At least, not yet. You're GM won't allow it.