Dukai's page

So I've got a great concept for a character that I really want to stick with, but I'm concerned about how effective I'll be in combat. The concept is a Kitsune Mesmerist (in case you couldn't tell from the subject line). His first level feat will be the Kitsune racial feat Realistic Likeness which allows him to shapechange into any individual he has encountered (essentially a +10 on disguise checks). Combined with his high charisma as well as his racial and class bonuses on bluff checks, he will be a very strong roleplay character to have some fun with.

Here's my concern. Mechanically and from his backstory, he has some focus in illusion magic (as well as enchantment cuz duh...mesmerist), but other than messing with the heads of the enemies, I'm worried about how he will be in terms of contributing to combat. I'm completely fine with a support role (witch is my favorite class). Is a mesmerist that is investing in RP-based feats asking to suck in combat? Can I sustain my group contribution through spell-casting as a 6th level caster?

Side note, this is a character for a campaign that hasn't even started yet, so I don't even know what the party makeup will be like. It will be for Hell's Rebels for those who have played that one. I also like the idea of the fox shape feat for sneaky related things as necessary. I'm not asking you to min/max my character. I just don't want him to be pointless in combat. Thanks in advance for the feedback.

The subject more or less says it all. Can I give my Lantern Archon a touch spell to hold, have it use it's greater teleport SLA, and have it deliver said touch spell? The deliver touch spells section states that the spell is only lost if the master casts a new spell. It does not mention whether or not a familiar could cast a spell.

Now, I would argue a SLA that is a touch spell might interfere simply because one touch should overwrite the other, but if the SLA isn't a touch spell, I don't really see why it wouldn't work. I'm not too fussed either way, but I thought I'd get the forum opinion on the matter.

I'm about to start Serpent's Skull. The party is a battle cleric, archer ranger, barb, and rogue. I decided to fill in the arcane slot by playing a magus. I'm playing a half-orc for rp reasons, but I'm trying to decide on my build. I'm currently leaning toward Kensai, but I'm not sure.

If I go hexcrafter, I'd do a str build. However, my ac will be pretty low for a few levels and will never really catch up to the dex build I'm thinking about. However, I will have full spellcasting as well as access to hexes. I love witches, but since I play them in other campaigns, getting access to hexes on this toon isn't essential. It's more just fun flavor.

If I go kensai, I'd do a dervish dance dex build. However, since I'm the only arcane caster, losing a spell per level is a pretty hefty penalty. At the same time, I would have a lot more ac with both int and dex.

I'm also taking Magical Lineage (Frostbite) and Wayang Spellhunter (Shocking Grasp). I plan to pick up both Rime Spell and Intensify Spell. If I grab Rime, I'll also prob grab enforcer for free intimidates when Frostbite is going. Basically, I plan on having a backpack full of lvl 1 pearls of power to fuel these two spells over and over. Frostbite is awesome for debuffing (fatigue, entangle, and shaken with the above combo), but shocking grasp is clearly better burst as well as being useful vs mobs immune to cold or non-lethal damage.

I really like both concepts. I'm leaning toward Kensai, but I'm really torn. Thoughts?

If you want two spells, both the archmage and heirophant have an ability that allows them to get another spell cast in the round.

I'm trying to figure out what ability allows archmagi and hierophants to cast 2 spells (without quicken). The only abilities I can find are the Archmage Arcana and Divine Surge abilities that talk about casting spells.

My initial reading of those abilities was that you could do that as a standard action. Was my reading wrong? Can you use these abilities as a free action unless otherwise specified? I would love to find out this is the case, but I have a feeling that this is not the intent of these abilities.

First things first: Ryan, Kari, James, and Mark stop reading now please.

I'm going to be starting a gestalt campaign in the near future with some friends. As both part of the story as well as a balancing factor, I am causing healing to be more or less malfunctioning. Essentially, all healing will always heal the minimum amount. ie - CLW heals 1+1/lvl rather than 1d8+1/lvl.

However, I am going to be including some alchemical "medicine" in the game from time to time which will function like a regular CLW (and CMW, CSW, etc). While the alchemical "medicine" fits very nicely into the first module I'm planning (set in Alkenstar), the later modules will have much less connection to the area. What I'm wanting are some creative ways to provide healing for the party. I don't want it to be easily/readily accessible at all times, but I'm okay with limited use magic items and other ideas people may have.

Another issue I'm trying to figure out is Heal and fast healing effects. Heal is an issue because it is not variable beyond caster level. I'm thinking it might always heal for 5/caster level instead of 10 or that is has a base heal of 1/caster level with a chance to heal for more (likely a % role to see how effective it is). However, I am open to other ideas. Fast healing on the other hand is more complicated because it generally provides only 1hp at a time. I still want it to be viable, but I want to limit its usefulness and am currently at a loss of how to do so. As a side note, I'm allowing temporary HP spells to function as normal as there are generally fewer of them and cannot be stacked.

Any help with any of these concepts, items, or rule adjustments would be most appreciated. Also, I realize this should possibly be in the homebrew forum, but since I'm asking for help I decided to post here.

If I mark a few members of my party with the scar hex, I can then use any hex on them from up to 1 mile away. That's great for healing, fortune, and cackle. However, if I toss in the split hex feat, can I then reuse the scar hex on an ally while targetting an additional creature (in this case an enemy) with a scar? I think it makes sense according to RAW, but I'm not 100% sure.

Secondly...am I right in what I said above, that you can cackle on creatures with scars up to 1 mile away? Again, I think this is correct, but seems sneaky.

Okay, so I get bored sometimes...here's what I came up with. Let me know what you think. I realize I'm adding a +5 and 2 +4 stat tomes which is pretty unrealistic, but this is theory craft...deal with it.

Halfling 11 MoMS Monk/9 Duelist

20-point buy
Str 7
Dex 18 (+5 levels +5 inherent +6 item) = 34
Con 14 (+6 item) = 20
Int 14 (+4 inherent +6 item) = 24
Wis 14 (+4 inherent +6 item) = 24
Cha 9

Feats
1 Weapon Finesse
1 Crane Style (bonus)
2 Crane Wing (bonus)
3 TWF
5 Dodge
6 Crane Riposte
7 Mobility
9 ITWF
10 Snake Style (bonus)
11 Combat Expertise
13 Cautious Fighter (halfling)
15 GTWF
17 Weapon Focus (unarmed)
19 Uncanny Defense (halfling)

The key magic item to this build is an amulet of mighty fists with the agile property. Agile says it can only be applied to finessable weapons, but both natural attacks and unarmed strikes are treated as light weapons and can therefore be finessed which means agile should be okay on an AoMF.

Snake style allows your unarmed strikes to deal piercing damage which means you can use unarmed attacks for precise strikes. I took the TWF line so that you can forego all 3 off hand attacks to use for parries while still getting 4-6 main hand attacks depending on haste and ki points.

For AC:
10 base
12 dex
7 int
7 wis
8 armor (+8 bracers)
5 deflection (+5 ring)
5 natural (barkskin, replace slow fall)
1 size (small)
5 dodge (combat expertise)
2 dodge (fighting defensively)
1 dodge (3 ranks in acro while fighting defensively)
2 dodge (cautious fighter while fighting defensively)
1 dodge (crane style while fighting defensively)
3 dodge (elaborate defense while fighting defensively)
1 dodge (dodge feat)
4 bonus (monk bonus with monk robes)
1 insight (ioun stone)

= 75 ac, 62 touch, 46 flat footed

Now, after all this delicious untouchability I was worried that I wouldn't be able to deal much damage. I think I would be satisfied with the following numbers:

Attack:
17 BAB
12 Dex
4 Amulet of Mighty Fists (1 bonus reserved for agile)
1 Small Size
1 Weapon Focus
-1 Fighting Defensively
-5 Combat Expertise
-2 TWF

27/27/22/22/17/17/12 with an extra couple 27's with haste and a ki point. Damage would be 2d6 +25 (small size with monk robes, dex, AoMF, and duelist levels). Forego a 27/22/17 with off hand for parries. Your parries will provoke attacks of opportunity which will be back at your full +27 and deal full damage as they are no longer off hand attacks. Granted you have to successfully parry for these attacks to happen, but for the potential to attack at a higher bonus as well as the chance to negate attacks against you, I think it's worth it.

He's weakest in terms of his CMD because of his low str and small size, but his dodge bonuses would stack and Uncanny Defense would add an extra 4 dodge bonus to CMD 10base +12dex -2str -1 size +15dodge +4uncanny +1insight +5deflection +7wis = 51 (better than I expected tbh)

Saves are also really solid cuz of the monk levels

Fort 7monk +3duelist +5con +1halfling +5cloak = 21
Ref 7monk +4duelist +12dex +1halfling +5cloak +4uncanny defense = 33
Will 7monk +3duelist +7wis +1halfling +5cloak = 23

The other obvious weakness is situations when I can't actually make an attack thus losing the combat expertise bonus as well as the total defense bonus if I have to move. However, I see very few situations where this would be a problem with 50ft of movement. I should almost always be able to move and make at least one attack. With total defense (thus losing combat expertise) I'd only lose a total of 2 ac once you add in the extra dodge from total defense.

As I said before, using the Qinggong options I would replace slow fall with barkskin, but I'd also replace diamond body with restoration. Whew...I think I'm done. I'm pretty sure everything is within the rules and explained. If something doesn't make sense, I'll be happy to clarify my thinking. However, there's a definite possibility that I made some mistakes.

*edit* - I forgot to mention that since combat expertise is a bit overkill and also reduces my atk bonus, I may drop it in lieu of possibly monkey style at 10 and snake style at 11. I was also thinking that I would take the dangerously curious trait and invest in UMD to use wands of shield for another +4 AC (but that's overkill on my overkill...so meh).

Bout to start carrion crown. I'm playing a heroism/sun domain cleric of sarenrae. I'm playing aasimar to make use of the racial feats especially the channel force line. Here are my stats (15-point buy with +2 wis/cha racial):

Str 14
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 7
Wis 16
Cha 14

I'm going scimitar/shield, and I'm wanting to tank more than dish out damage. Channel force will give me a decent amount of battlefield positioning especially at higher levels (prob grab alignment channel for evil outsiders as well), but what other feats and ideas should I take advantage of for a "tanking" cleric? Currently, I don't have the skill points to put in intimidate, but I am investing in diplomacy. I'm thinking antagonize could be a good choice, but I'd only have half the utility. I also don't have the dex to justify combat reflexes and the other feats that go nicely with that (combat patrol, stand still, etc).

Let me know what you think

So while the Improved Familiar feat is really really nice, I noticed that the list of improved familiars does not give a special ability to the wizard (like the +3 stealth a cat does for example).

I'm just wondering if you keep the special ability from your first familiar when you get an improved familiar, or if you don't get a special ability because of the innately better abilities of the improved familiar itself. I would lean toward the latter, but I think it would be nice to keep a bonus to saves or certain skill checks (or something completely different related to the new familiar).

Thoughts?

The Rage Prophet class ability "Savage Seer" says a rage prophet's class level stacks with barbarian (and I assume oracle even though it's not actually there) levels for determining the effects of his rage powers, oracle revelations, and his oracle's curse. This does not grand additional abilities.

I understand how it works with the above features that were taken as part of the class progressions leading up to rage prophet eligibility, but I'm curious how the extra rage power and extra revelation feats work in this context. Do you add your rage prophet levels to your barbarian/oracle levels to determine if you are eligible for higher level rage powers/revelations?

I hope the answer is yes, but I have a feeling the answer is no.

My whole point is that I'm conceptualizing a rage prophet who has the spirit totem rage powers, but greater spirit totem requires lvl 10 barbarian which is completely impossible as a rage prophet...am I just SoL?

First things first, you can make a skeleton out of an outsider, right? I'm sure it would be difficult to locate one, but the angel section says that there are fallen angels who no longer dwell in the good realms which means some could be found living on the material plane and thus ripe for harvesting into the legions of the undead. Obviously, this first questions determines if the others are even needed, but I'm pretty sure you can.

Now onto the real questions:

1. When creating a skeleton, the template says that skeletons keep all subtypes other than alignment and kind (such as giant). Is Angel a "kind" subtype? I can't seem to find anything that specifically deliniates what is and what is not a "kind" subtype.

2. When creating a skeleton, the template says that skeletons lose all special qualities other than extraordinary abilities that improve melee or ranged attacks. I assume this means it will lose the "Stun (su)" ability, but does that mean it also loses "Uncanny Dodge (ex)"?

I have a monk wanting to use Cestus in my campaign. Reading the description, I have a few questions:

1. Does a cestus always deal 1d4 damage as listed, or does a monk's unarmed damage trump the weapon damage since it's considered an unarmed attack?

2. The description of a cestus calls it a glove. Does that mean that it fills the monk's glove slots which prevents wearing gloves and bracers?

My personal conclusions have been that monk unarmed damage will continue to scale even when attacking with a cestus. Also, I think I am going to houserule that the monk cannot wear any other gloves, but because of the way a cestus fits, bracers can still be worn.

Let me know what you think.

I've been trying to figure this out by reading the book and checking the forums, but I can't seem to find the answer. (feel free to point at the blatantly obvious text I've missed if that's the case)

Can I have two summon monster spells active at the same time as a wizard? I wouldn't think I could have two Summon Monster V's going at once, but what about SM IV and V at the same time?

On a somewhat related note, if I were a Mystic Theurge, could I have a divine summon monster spell and an arcane summon monster spell active at the same time?

Bout to start a horror campaign with some friends where we're starting at lvl 15. I've decided to go with a 3 Cler/3 Wiz/9 Mystic Theurge for my character. However, this has caused a few odd questions to come up. Let me know what you guys think:

1. The spell Animate Dead allows you to create up to twice your caster level in skeletons or zombies, and a character cannot control more than 4x his caster lvl in undead minions. I know in this context that I would only have a caster level of 12 in this instance. However, I effectively have a caster level of 12 cleric and 12 wizard. Would this allow me to control a total 96 HD of undead (48 as a wizard and 48 as a cleric)? I can cast the spell as both classes (divine spell duh, and I learned it as a wizard).

2. In that same vein, I chose necromancy as my school of magic which gives me the bonus feat of command undead or turn undead (clearly I chose command undead). That being said, how many HD of undead can I control? The feat specifically states I can control a number of HD of undead no greater than my cleric level. The necromancy school ability description does not specify to use your wizard level to determine the number of undead you can turn/command with this feat. I'm wondering if I should use my wizard level, my cleric level, or my effective caster level (in this case, 12). I'm leaning toward using my wizard level, but that means it kinda sux as a lvl 3 wiz, so I'd like this not to be the case.

Sorry these are kinda long questions, but hopefully some of you guys can shed some light on these very specific situations.