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Yes, it's possible to disrupt a SLA, e.g. with a readied arrow. None of this implies that the underwater rule, which specifically only mentions actual spellcasting, should disrupt SLAs as well. The fact that breathing water solves the problem clearly shows that the verbal spell component is the problem, which does not exist for SLAs.But it is a spell-like ability, and Kinetic Blasts still need Concentration Checks.Why? The text appears, to me, to indicate the exact opposite, but feel free to rule however you wish.
But it is a spell-like ability, and Kinetic Blasts still need Concentration Checks.Why? Because that's how spell-like abilities work. It is possible to make a concentration check to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, just as when casting a spell. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled.
Thrown weapons are ineffective underwater, even when launched from land. Attacks with other ranged weapons take a –2 penalty on attack rolls for every 5 feet of water they pass through, in addition to the normal penalties for range. Seems applicable to me. I do remember reading a dialogue with Mark Seifter suggesting a houserule that Water Kineticists shouldn't suffer the penalty, though, FWIW.
How would go about acquiring one? You can't use the Extra Wild Talent feat, because
A wispy female Sylph floats over and turns her head to the side, revealing a tattoo of a maple leaf on her neck, just below her ear. "I had a dear friend once. We met to explore a Fallen Fortress in the Cairnlands one day and enjoyed the thrill so much we decided to become Pathfinders. We graduated our Confirmation together. "Leif" was his name. "Leif of the Lucky Puck", we called him. He was so nice. Could never bring himself to draw blood or say a single mean word. If someone got disagreeable with him, sure, he'd knock them to the ground... Sometimes repeatedly... But he always offered to help them back up. He said it came from years of practice playing this game on frozen lakes with sticks and flat river rocks. And then we heard there was adventure in the River Kingdoms. "The Halls under the Hill", they were called. At first we found Goblins, and the occasional undead villager, but nothing could have prepared us for what we found in the Menagerie. It had wings and claws and was definitely not of this world. When it came time to flee, we knew that the first to move would trigger it's wrath. I froze in terror, and Leif paid the ultimate sacrifice. Today I wear this tattoo in remembrance of him. Maybe if his story is told by others, he can live on even longer than I."
"a grappled character who attempts to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability must make a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler's CMB + spell level), or lose the spell."Mark is the class creator and a Paizo developer. He says the blade does not provoke. "Provoking" and "Casting in a Grapple" are two different things. He clarified the bit about the former, not the latter.
Casting defensively will always be of concern for a Kineticist. Their Blast DC increases as they level. A 10th level Kineticist has +10 to Concentration, for example, but their DC for casting defensively is 15 plus 5×2=10 as well. They need either a Con of 40 (for a +15 bonus), or reliance on outside sources to boost their Concentration checks. Taking a Trait for +2 to Concentration checks goes a long way for a Kineticist. At least with casters, there's always the option to cast a lower level spell, which requires a lower DC check. But for a Kineticist in a grapple it's probably better to just carry a potion of gaseous form.
I don't really play Psionics, because they're extremely confusing and add a whole new level of unnecessary depth (at least, in my opinion), so YMMV. Pathfinder doesn't have Psionics. Pathfinder does have Psychic Magic (not really different from Divine or Arcane magic), but the Kineticist doesn't dabble in that. A Kinetic Blast is a spell-like ability, no different than a Sorcerer/Wizard/Cleric's elemental dart.
I regret taking that archetype now. That's a shame. We've had completely opposite experiences with the same thing. Mine just reached 9th level, and I absolutely love her. Maxed social skills is always useful. +20 Fly with only 1 rank. Maxed UMD and Perception. In combat I totally agree that blast/blast/blast is absolutely dull, but it's effective. More than once I was both the party face and the main damage dealer. If I had instead just stuck with the base Kineticist I'd probably be as bored as you are now with your Overwhelming Soul.
Immunity, energy resistance, and spell resistance are why most Kineticists (or at least most in my immediate area, including mine) pick up a physical blast first. As touch ACs go down the higher enemy CRs go up, picking up an energy blast at 7th level is the smarter tactic. Unless you're a Fire Kineticist, which doesn't have a choice.
A Kinetic Blast crits on a 20 and has a multiplier of x2. You can select "Improved Critical (Kinetic Blast)" if you want to improve that further. Performing a coup de grace requires using a melee weapon, a bow, or a crossbow, so you could not perform a coup de grace with a Kinetic Blast. Likewise you cannot perform a coup de grace with a Kinetic Blade, as it can only be used "as part of an attack action, a charge action, or a full-attack action", and performing a coup de grace is a full-round action.
Human kineticist: +1/6 extra wild talentThat doesn't clear up the question of whether this is a Warpriest Bonus Feat or just a generic bonus feat.Can you give an example of a single FCB that gives bonus feats to a class that doesn't grant bonus feats? That should be allowable at 1st level, since Kineticists gain access to Wild Talents at 1st level.
It's not the same. If you're taking 1 round to cast summon monster, that entire time is spent casting the spell. Any damage taken during that time is factored into your concentration check. This is different. The Kineticist is taking 1 round to lower a burn cost of something that hasn't been declared. In fact, the Kineticist need not even blast anything. They could simply walk away and not require a concentration check at all, thus saving them the chance of acquiring unwanted burn.
I see the OP's problem. The Kineticist is spending their full round to Gather Power. They haven't "cast" anything. That won't come until next round. Interesting question. If she has both hands free (or all of her prehensile appendages free, for unusual kineticists), a kineticist can gather energy or elemental matter as a move action. Gathering power creates an extremely loud, visible display in a 20-foot radius centered on the kineticist, as the energy or matter swirls around her. Gathering power in this way allows the kineticist to reduce the total burn cost of a blast wild talent she uses in the same round by 1 point. The kineticist can instead gather power for 1 full round in order to reduce the total burn cost of a blast wild talent used on her next turn by 2 points (to a minimum of 0 points). If she does so, she can also gather power as a move action during her next turn to reduce the burn cost by a total of 3 points. If the kineticist takes damage during or after gathering power and before using the kinetic blast that releases it, she must succeed at a concentration check (DC = 10 + damage taken + effective spell level of her kinetic blast) or lose the energy in a wild surge that forces her to accept a number of points of burn equal to the number of points by which her gathered power would have reduced the burn cost. This ability can never reduce the burn cost of a wild talent below 0 points.
sorry for the wrong forum, advice would have been better indeed No need to apologize. Moving it is for your benefit. Ppl come to the Rules Forum to answer Rules Questions, and ppl go to the Homebrew Forum to ask questions like "would you allow this in your game?". The Advice Forum would be better for asking how to best optimize your fire blast.
That whole section is really up to GM interpretation. Some GMs halve fire damage to wood, some apply hardness, and some do neither. It's left intentionally vague, IMO. But ever since I first read the Kineticist playtest document I've been joking that every siege needs a small handful of low level Aerokineticists. The ability to infinitely buffet a stone wall (hardness 8) from 400+ feet away would likely be the deciding factor in any castle siege.
Careful. Since the FAQ on SLAs was reversed, it actually isn't that simple anymore. Used to be that if you had an SLA, your Caster Level using that SLA qualified you for feat prerequisites. Now, it doesn't, so "Caster Level" is a bit more ambiguous, and questions such as this arise out of that confusion. Plus, Alchemists/Investigators.
Indeed. As I mentioned, just Spell Resistance and Concentration checks.That last part has my attention since it appears Kineticists get the major once over when they try and "cast" their blasts defensively Indeed. I even brought that up during the playtest. A 2nd level Kineticist and a 20th level Kineticist have the same base chance of failure when casting defensively. Only outside sources such as feats and stat increases will help you. 2nd level, with 18 Con, DC is 17, check is +6. 50% failure rate. 20th level, with 18 Con, DC is 35, check is +24. 50% failure rate. Even if you devote 4 stat increases to Con and purchase a +6 Belt you still have a 25% failure rate. You're going to need Combat Casting or some equivalent if you ever want to completely mitigate your Concentration checks.
Did you respond with the fact that Weapon Focus (Kinetic Blast) exists?That only adds to the to hit roll, not damage. And I made no such claim. The post I was responding to, immediately before mine, was describing a GM that didn't believe Kinetic Blasts were weapons. Clearly if you can take Weapon Focus (Kinetic Blast), it's a weapon.
I'd say that most likely you don't have a "caster level in that class" to raise, like Chess Pwn describes, though I'm not 100% convinced. Even if this was incorrect, though, kineticist's stuff tends to scale with kineticist level and not caster level, so you wouldn't get too many benefits beyond being better against SR. Indeed. As I mentioned, just Spell Resistance and Concentration checks.
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