Wizard/Sorc/Arcanist are all good choices. If you're looking for something a little different you could probably also play a Cleric/Oracle (of Asmodeus) since they get all the Summon Monster spells. Throw on a few good feats/items to improve your summoning of devils. You could even play a summoner (though summoners have fewer debilitating spells).
- It basically adds a character to the PC side requiring the GM to rebalance all encounters around a larger party.
- It changes the turn balance in favor of one player. Unless everyone at the table has a cohort, a piece of the table has more turns than the rest. This is going to disengage those without leadership.
- It's a ridiculous power boost for a single feat. This has been covered pretty well already.
I considered allowing leadership in the game I'm currently running with the caveat that the cohort would be an NPC that they had met in the adventure. IMO this is the only reasonable way to use the leadership feat, if the PCs meet and really take a shine to an NPC let them recruit said NPC as a cohort. Even doing this which nerfs the feat significantly fails to address any of the above though.
I had a thought today, wondering how (and if) bouncing interacts with dispel magic's targeted dispel option.
Targeted Dispel:
Targeted Dispel: One object, creature, or spell is the target of the dispel magic spell. You make one dispel check (1d20 + your caster level) and compare that to the spell with highest caster level (DC = 11 + the spell's caster level). If successful, that spell ends. If not, compare the same result to the spell with the next highest caster level. Repeat this process until you have dispelled one spell affecting the target, or you have failed to dispel every spell.
Bouncing Metamagic:
Whenever a bouncing spell targeting a single creature has no effect on its intended target (whether due to spell resistance or a successful saving throw) you may, as a swift action, redirect it to target another eligible creature within range. The redirected spell behaves in all ways as if its new target were the original target for the spell. Spells that affect a target in any way (including a lesser effect from a successful saving throw) may not be redirected in this manner.
So the important question to answer is: do you think the "due to spell resistance or a successful saving throw" is rules text or just a short list of examples? Dispel doesn't allow SR or a save however it can still fail to have an effect if
#1 The target had no spells on it or
#2 If you roll low on the CL check and fail to dispel every magical affect on the target.
If you think the spell bounces, do you get to reroll the CL check on the second target?
Our group has usually assumed diamond dust is a kind of adventurer currency. By the rules it should be able to be bought and sold with no loss because it is a gem, and players should also be able to make "change" with it unlike cut stones.
Bonus utility in that several spells call for diamond dust as a material component, so if your PC is carrying 90% of their wealth in dust you're unlikely to run out.
I have a medium fighter (titan fighter) wielding a large great axe. A large great axe does 3d6 Damage damage x3 on crits. Does that mean I roll 9d6 on a crit? Or 3d6 plus 3d6?
Your critical will deal 9d6 + 3*(any static bonuses you have which are not called out as precision damage).
One often overlooked rule is that you can't prepare a full set of new divine spells after a rest. Clerics get one set of spells per day.
Spoiler:
Time of Day: A divine spellcaster chooses and prepares spells ahead of time, but unlike a wizard, does not require a period of rest to prepare spells. Instead, the character chooses a particular time of day to pray and receive spells. The time is usually associated with some daily event. If some event prevents a character from praying at the proper time, she must do so as soon as possible. If the character does not stop to pray for spells at the first opportunity, she must wait until the next day to prepare spells.
You can make it clear that 20 min of dungeon followed by a whole day of nothing means time is passing quick. They might run low on food, might have bad weather, might just hit them with lots of wandering monsters.
Some people in our group love ring of sustenance, so we usually have several watch volunteers, generally we hand-waive rest inside cities or while traveling but have an actual discussion about rests mid-dungeon.
I think the most common interpretation (perhaps not the most sane) is going to come down to
Benefit: Your penalties on attack rolls for fighting with two weapons are reduced. The penalty for your primary hand lessens by 2 and the one for your off hand lessens by 6.
Two weapon fighting, despite its name, doesn't function on two weapons. It functions on two hands which are being used independently instead of cooperatively. As such if you "two hand" one of your two weapons you're using hands (plural) on that weapon and TWF no longer applies to anything. The text of TWF does not say "primary hand(s)" or "off hand(s)". It is written in a way that does not leave it open to use with more than 2 hands total, one primary and one off.
Which is to say if you interpret it as a primary and off weapon your argument makes some sense, but TWF read strictly only functions when a weapon is wielded in a hand singular. Dual Slice has the same problem.
TWF supports a reading that attack bonuses are not applied to the weapon, but to the hand that wields it. I readily admit that this interpretation runs afoul of some many armed monster stat blocks, but PFS is rules strict and explicitly forbids the player use of the appropriate monster feats.
The Quieting Weapon spell can reduce a struck target to a whisper if it fails its save. But it then includes this line: "Because the creature can still whisper, this doesn’t interfere with verbal spell components. "
Wrong, verbal components have to be spoken in a full, loud voice, so this spell necessarily prevents verbal components or it doesn't limit you to a whisper, pick one.
I see the problem here, but I don't think they're going to errata this because specific trumps general. That said it does invite stabbing yourself with a dagger of Quieting as a way to cast spells discretely.
The immortal dancing kobold readies an action to attack you and then five foot step away once you attack
You can only ready a standard action (or a move by downgrading). How are you readying a standard and a 5' step? When your prepped action goes off it is NOT your turn so you cannot take actions which you can normally take on your turn except the 1 standard action you prepped. (you may speak and take immediate actions as normal)
To the OP, I would allow it using the appropriate triggering conditions. Here's my reasoning.
See post above yours. 5 foot stepping is totally legal with a readied standard action. It just has to be with your action in a round - which a readied action qualifies for.
I don't see how that logic works, however I should have looked at the text of readied action instead of the text of 5' step.
Quote:
You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round.
The immortal dancing kobold readies an action to attack you and then five foot step away once you attack
You can only ready a standard action (or a move by downgrading). How are you readying a standard and a 5' step? When your prepped action goes off it is NOT your turn so you cannot take actions which you can normally take on your turn except the 1 standard action you prepped. (you may speak and take immediate actions as normal)
To the OP, I would allow it using the appropriate triggering conditions. Here's my reasoning.
It's perfectly valid to ready an action for "If the Wizard begins to cast a spell". For example you might ready an arrow to shoot the Wizard if he does that, you can ready to counterspell etc.
If you want to ready against an AoE you'd better be able to identify with a spellcraft check (spellcraft to identify a spell as it's being cast is a reaction, can be preformed not on your turn and takes no action).
Similarly I'd allow you to prep an action to move if a dragon takes a deep breath (some might call this rule of cool, I call it immersion/role play). Trying to do this a couple times might cause the dragon to fake you out but will probably work the first time.
In either case you would have to move before the effect is targeted.
I think RAW you might be able to move after the effect is targeted, but doing so would require very careful word choice and probably be subject to table variation. I don't read your first post as asking for the best way to do that, only if its possible to use your actions to protect yourself from an expected breath attack.
Mythic is very rocket tag, but 1100 damage is on 8 hits (at least). It seems a little high for what I can see of feats and abilities, but maybe not too high for what's possible. I've seen lots of damage from a mythic monk and mythic paladin, but this seems a bit beyond what I think is likely. If you could post the relevant abilities, numbers and attack rotation we might be able to find if there's something wrong (I have no idea where he's getting precision dice), if you assume it's all legal...
All hits landing on an appropriate level encounter is very unlikely. How does he plan to get past Mythic DR? It also seems like he's doing significant damage with bleed perhaps even with con damage, any mythic "boss" should be immune to one or both.
If you're looking for houserules to make mythic more balanced (I won't defend the balance, its just not)...
I know some people ban mythic power attack, personally I'd just make it so you can't pierce mythic DR, abilities/effects that pierce it instead reduce it by 1/2. By the time you get to Lvl 20 MR 10 there should never be a 1 monster encounter.
That said though mythic arcane casters can generally break the game much worse than mythic mundanes. Look up mythic time stop.
Some effects (eg sleep and fascination) can be automatically ended, usually if some ally/enemy takes a specific action. Does this count as saving if the cause says saving makes a creature immune?
As an example the Nosoi Improved Familiar can fascinate with it's song (su ability).
"A creature that successfully saves is not subject to that nosoi's song for 24 hours."
Fascination automatically ends if you are exposed to an obvious threat. Does breaking fascination this way make you immune to the song, or do you have to succeed at an actual saving throw?
My feeling is that you have to actually succeed at a saving throw, but there could be a rule contradicting me that I don't know about.
Thanks for the reply. If anybody has managed to make Isuma useful in the Annihilator fight I've probably got at least a month for suggestions. If nothing else I can use her to warn my PCs of it's more dangerous abilities.
My players have finally hit this book, which I've been anticipating. I have a couple questions though.
Anybody know what the dominion(?) art on page 69 represents?
Any suggestions as to what Isuma should do if she's present for the fight with the Damaged Annihilator? I want her to be useful since she's already destroyed one of these things.
I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I'd like to make sure I haven't overlooked anything. Wearing multiple suits of armor would normally be a bad idea because the bonuses don't stack and the penalties do (these are the basic rules for bonuses and penalties not armor specific rules).
The Scatterlight Suit
Spoiler:
A scatterlight suit is a tight, form-fitting suit of highly reflective polymers and synthetic metal fibers. It's designed to reflect beam weapon attacks, and provides only minimal protection against physical damage. Activating a scatterlight suit is a standard action; once activated, the suit diffuses and blurs light reflected from its surface, making the wearer appear hazy and indistinct.
While active, a scatterlight suit increases the wearer's touch AC by a variable amount—this bonus is an armor bonus, but does not increase the wearer's normal or flat-footed AC beyond the scatterlight suit's baseline armor bonus of +1. This bonus to touch AC only applies to attacks made by beam weapons and rays—it does not provide additional protection to other touch attacks.
Provides an armor bonus of up to 9 on ray and beam touch attacks (where you normally would not get an armor bonus) for a check penalty of -1 and a max dex of 8 (highest possible) and could in theory be masterworked for no penalty. Since you don't normally get an armor bonus against touch attacks wearing this plus your normal suit of armor should give both bonuses.
Now obviously this could be overwritten by GM fiat, but am I overlooking something in the rules?
I have a friend who I am constantly bouncing ideas off of. Anything from "Do you think giving items like this in the Brinewall treasury would help bind the characters to the AP and be helpful in the long run?" to "Dude... If I dump the caravan combat mechanic and add a handful of hectic melees and cunning ambushes would it keep everyone more engaged and happier or should I just have people take turns making caravan rolls?" and also some "Ok, you ran me through Savage Tide in Greyhawk and I plan on running it set in Golarion and I plan on doing this, this and this... Thoughts? Oh and can I borrow your Savage Tide dungeon magazines?"
He is even a player in my upcoming Jade Regent campaign but I feel like his many years of quality GMing for our group and his ability to quickly forget what we talk about has been invaluable to me as a newer GM.
Yes ditch the caravan rules in Jade Regent. Not only do they generally involve only one player at the table but caravan combat takes many rounds, is very abstract and is not well balanced. I really liked Jade Regent but would not do caravan combat again.
If you like the theory of it allow some of the caravan feats and other caravan related rules to affect the fight once it starts. If players circle wagons they get bonuses. Maybe make it so purchasing the right wagons reduces the chance they need repair or allows them to drive off the attackers easier.
On topic, one thing I like to ask about is house rules. Some people have revealed to me whole different styles of play via their houserules, some roleplay all their social skills instead of spending them. Some hate certain other skills or feats or classes. Some have made me think deeper about stealth mechanics. It's a very efficient shortcut to learning about someone's unique style and viewpoint of the game.
I see, thanks Naal. I might have her fight defensively, 19 AC is going to mean her hitpoints vanish pretty quickly and she probably will have enough to-hit between touch attacks and favored enemy (and possibly divine favor).
Meyanda is listed as having a Chain Shirt (4 AC) and casts Magic Vestment and Shield of Faith (CL 5th) before combat. Magic Vestment should be +2 AC starting at level 4 right? Her stat block says AC 19 (5 armor 2 dex 2 deflection).
