I'm gonna be in a gestalt Kingmaker-esque (open world exploration, kingdom founding, possible large scale war) campaign soon, and I find myself at a loss. I wanted to take a more supplementary route than I'm used to, usually favoring sneaky assassin types, so I locked myself in to play a Vitalist. I like the life leech and sadist combo, and I want to make the character have kind of a blood manipulation concept.
The problem comes with the second class, I didn't realize how active the vitalist actually is being able to use every action every round and often not having room for a lot of other things. Unfortunately, I have already generated stats and am locked in to them (we played a game with M&Ms and wouldn't be able to re do the game without re doing everyones stats).
Stats are as follows-
Str-10
Dex-18
Con-14
Int-12
Wis-18
Cha-9
leaning toward Elan as race to add +2 to wisdom and to have aberrant subtype, which can get me fast healing with a feat later on.
Other players are as follows:
Alchemist//Magus -concept: Mounted gunner
Cavalier//Druid/Mammoth Rider -concept: Huge monster rider
Witch//Mesmerist -concept: Halfling jinx debuffer
Brawler//Ninja -concept: Mortal combat brutal fist fighter
Allowed material is all pathfinder, 3.5, and dreamscarred press material. Right now I'm leaning toward either psionic Wilder (contemplative archetype),akashic Guru (sineater philosophy), or path of war Medic (sanguinist archetype). Medic has the best feel for concept, but initiators are another heavy action use class. Wilder would give me godlike psionic power, but the chasse sucks (3/4 Bab, 2 good saves, 2 skills per level), and guru is... I don't know much about akashia, but it could still fit the concept with the whole chakra control through blood manipulation.
I'm open to any help I can get and can answer any questions. I'm not limited to these options (except the stats and vitalist) so throw any ideas you can at me. Thanks in advance!
I want to help a friend with a build concept and thought I'd seek the guidance of the internet hivemind for assistance. So thank you all in advance!
He wants to make a character that functions like an actual tank...
like, the military vehicle...
massive cannon and all...
I loved this idea and wanted to give him the best chance to run around and do tank stuff, so I decided to run a Kingmaker game (nice, open areas; little to no persecution on character type/races/etc) and to give them the most options, make it gestalt.
I allow anything piazo, but I try to keep the world flavor for selections on feats and such. I also allow most dreamscarred press stuff, primarily psionics and path of war. I'd be open to other 3pp after I review it for balance.
First thought that comes to mind is a Half-giant with a large double hackbut, but I'm at a loss for which classes will give him the best feel. I've considered Spellslinger wizard to give him unique cannon blasts or Gun Chemist alchemist for explosive ordinance, and probably vital strike for big damage.
The umbral blade pulls concealing shadow to bend perception around him, and may hide in plain sight in areas of dim illumination or darker. This allows the umbral blade to roll a Stealth check in dim illumination or darker, even while being observed.
Does this ability actually DO anything? I thought I could already use stealth in dim illumination.
Path of War, Pg. 151 wrote:
Terror in the Dark (Su)
The umbral blade’s power lies in his ability to strike with shadow and fear both, rending mind and body with his actions to feed the entity the terror it craves. The umbral blade may use the Stealth skill to hide as a swift action.
How does this work? Stealth is a non-action used while moving (except for sniping). This ability doesn't remove the movement clause... So what does it do?
Hi guys!
I'm throwing together a campaign idea, and I wanted the crux of the game to be that death has stopped. I plan on revealing this to the characters relatively early (If we were comparing this to an adventure path, I'd say the end of book one), and I have a great endgame for solving the problem, but I'm looking for ideas or concepts that I could flesh out into entire arcs. Oh, and I had plans to lean heavily into comedy whenever possible!
Some idea's I've had:
- A typical "go kill the goblins" but instead they have to somehow keep them from "procreation".
- A cult of necromancers who have to make do with whatever corpses are left after all the good ones are used. Run from the 20-chickens-stapled-together zombie!
Is there any way to have a weapon count as another weapon for the purposes of feats, class features, etc.? Im trying to get a knifemaster rogue to weild a different weapon than listed, and I'd rather do it in the rules than DM fiat the problem away. Even if I could expand it to a weapon group would be usefull. Any help appreciated.
Can a lycanthrope (natural or afflicted) contract another form of lycanthropy?
If so:
Can a natural lycanthrope be infected with the same type of lycanthropy, making them effectively afflicted but with better stats?
If I have a character thats an afflicted lycanthrope, let's say wolf, and I contract another type of lycanthropy, let's say shark, what happens during a full moon? Do I become a wolfshark?
I have charismatic socialite alchemist that I'd like to take a familiar with, but the visual imagery of a large grotesque lump sticking out of her flesh just doesn't mesh with garden parties and high society balls. I was thinking something like a tattoo, but I didn't want to step on the sorcerer's shtick. Any thoughts?
Was working on a campaign and was building a ghost fighter with both corrupting and draining touch. Didn't want to waste weapon training on a weapon (I'd have to give him a ghost touch one, which would put his wealth much higher than I'd like).
If there isn't any exact rules, I'm leaning toward one of the groups that unarmed strikes fall into, but I don't know which one. Any suggestions?
One more thing; should I add the bonus to weapon damage on corrupting touch (obviously to powerful to add to draining touch)?
At 4th level, the pack leader learns advanced techniques for fighting as a group. As a standard action, the pack leader can add up to his Wisdom modifier in creatures into his pack, which functions like the collective of a tactician with a class level equal to half of the pack leader’s ranger level (round down), but the pack can only have a maximum number of creatures equal to the pack leader’s Wisdom modifier. The pack leader does not count against this limit.
When members of the pack are attacking the same creature, they gain a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against that creature.
This ability replaces hunter’s bond.
Bolded for question.
How does this work? Do we have to ready actions to attack at the same time? Do we have to be threatening the same creature or merely be able to make attacks at the same creature? does one of the pack have to have made an attack before the bonus can be used? Do they have to hit? Does the 'I count as my own ally' rule apply? How long does the pack get the bonus? If I made a potshot at a recurring villain that one time, does the pack continue to get the bonus versus him until we kill him?
I've tried to email several times about this issue and every time it tells me (several hours later) the message could not be received, so i'll try it here.
If at all possible, i would like to remove the second copy of both the Starfinder Core Rulebook and Incident at Absalom Station from order #4373148. I would also like to remove all the items from my sidecart as i would rather subscribe now instead of waiting for there delivery. thank you.
I've been playing around with race design for a little while and I need some observational assistance. Here's what I'm starting with:
Receptive Transformer: Due to their inconsistent and dynamic form, [CREATURE] are quite responsive to magic that alters the body. Whenever a [CREATURE] is the target of a beneficial transmutation spell or effect, they may increase all static numeric effects of the transmutation by 50%. For instance, a bull's strength cast on the [CREATURE] would provide a +6 enhancement bonus, instead of the standard +4; or a [CREATURE] with expeditious retreat cast on them could increase their land speed by 45ft., instead of 30ft. This bonus only applies to the [CREATURE] regardless of if there are other recipients to the transmutation effect.
1) Are there any holes? (spell's that might be too powerful or have weird interactions)
2)Could it be clarified better/written differently?
3) How many Racial Points should this cost? (I was thinking 5 or 6, but I'm not good at eyeballing these things.)
How would one go about maximizing the potential for the stalwart & Improved stalwart feats? I have a character coming up who is looking to be one hell of a tank, and I'd like to get the most bang for my buck.
Is it better to use combat expertise or fight defensively (or both)?
How can we mitigate the penalties (particularly because I would like to use power attack as well)?
I'm already aware of some options, including: Aldori swordlord (archetype), Crane style tree (feats), Cautious fighter (feat), Threatening defender (trait), Rod of balance (magic item), Madu (mundane weapon). Is there anything else?
For those interested in the character, I will be messing with a bunch of Dreamscarred press stuff, playing a Half-Giant Aegis (War Hulk) // Warder (Sworn Protector, Zweihander Sentinel). Thanks in advance!
I'm getting all the way to the "What Will Happen When You Place Your Order" page, but when I click "place your order" it only seems to refresh the page. I checked my email and nothing has been sent. Please help!
Weapons made of cold iron cost twice as much to make as their normal counterparts. Also, adding any magical enhancements to a cold iron weapon increases its price by 2,000 gp. This increase is applied the first time the item is enhanced, not once per ability added.
Is the additional 2,000 GP cost for cold iron reduced by half when crafting it yourself?
I've followed the advice in the FAQ and I can't seem to find a way into my sidecart to make adjustments. What am I missing?
If at all possible, I need someone to remove all of the Star Wars miniatures from my sidecart, as I no longer have a need for them. I would still like to purchase the bank, medallion, and Pale Tower guard miniature, however. Thanks in advance.
Can I stop using acrobatics in the middle of my movement?
Specifically, can I use acrobatics to avoid attacks of opportunity in a creature's extended reach (10' and beyond) but stop using acrobatics when adjacent to provoke for the purposes of Panther Style and Snake Fang?
If a vampire has successfully pinned a creature, does he deal negative levels in addition to constitution damage on subsequent successful grapple checks so long as he is choosing the 'deal damage' option and using a natural weapon?
Does he have to make an attack roll with a natural weapon to deal negative levels or is dealing natural attack damage enough?
If a monk with the crane style feat tree decided on her turn to fight defensively while making a maneuver attempt for which she didn't have the improved feat, would she still benefit from fighting defensively / the crane style feats for the attack of opportunity even though she hasn't made an attack yet?
Is there anything (other than GM fiat) that would prevent an animal companion, familiar, mount, eidolon, or cohort from ascending along with the PCs? I'd feel a little awkward if Mr. Ed dealt the killing blow to the source of power, then Wilber gets all the credit.
I've also seen some talk of companions being "incredibly useless" in mythic play. Would this be a way to solve that, or is the possibility too overpowered? What if companions had tier limits and restricted paths based on type?
"Apply penalties and bonuses in the most beneficial order"
This little innocuous statement has me baffled. I've seen it repeated over and over on these boards and others like them. It's been used for philosophical rules games and cheese factory character building alike.
...But where is this rule?
I've searched every copy of every book I own for this statement, even back into my 3.5 and 3.0 books. I've even looked online and I mostly find people using this "rule" for some build or such, posting it as gospel yet citing no source.
The closest things I've found that remotely look like a source are a Sage ruleing about poison and death attacks that I believe to have been written by Skip Williams and a question about the Practiced Spellcaster feat in the 3.5 FAQ (last updated 2008).
Where did this little gem come from? Why does it seem everyone knows it? Does it exist anywhere in pathfinder?
A couple of questions have come to mind about a character I'm making for an upcoming evil campaign. This character will rely heavily on his ability to become ethereal.
Question #1) Does a vampire on the ethereal plane need to worry about sunlight? (No. This question has been answered by James Jacobs here)
Question #2) Is a vampire on the ethereal plane still influenced by mirrors or holy symbols?
Question #3) Can a vampire enter the ethereal version of someones home without permission?
Question #4; Though not ethereal based) What happens if a vampire reduced to gaseous form via damage is subsequently healed (inflicted) before reaching its coffin? What if it has fast healing or regeneration from a different source?
I was looking around at character ideas when this question popped up.
What are all the different ways for a PC to gain the scent ability?
Note* I would not count an animal companion as that's more "gaining a creature with scent" and not scent for yourself. A synthesist would work, though.
We'll be starting a new campaign soon. I proposed a character concept, to which my GM response was "You're doing that!". I'd like any advice or critiquing I can get.
We'll be going from levels 1 to 15 with 20 point buy, and we're allowed to use any Pathfinder published material.
The rest of the party will consist of a halfling witch jinxer, a dwarven mounted barbarian mammoth rider, and a gnome casting-focused nature oracle. We will be going through the Jade Reagent adventure path.
My Build- It's a dual-wielding archer. Mainly worried about the feats.
Human Internal Vivisectionist Alchemist 1/Fighter 1/I V Alch 3/Fighter 11
Attributes
STR 14
DEX 19
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 7
Human +2 went into Dex. Planning on putting all increases in Dex
Skills
5 skill points Alchemist levels; 4 at fighter levels (with fav class)
Max Perception, Diplomacy (I ALWAYS end up being the talker; taking a trait to get this), & Knowledge (nature)(adds to heal with Cruel anatomist which in our campaigns we use as Knowledge (medical & CSI)). Other skills open.
I'm also worried if my attack bonus will be high enough with the penalties I'll be accruing. -4 from two-weapon fighting, -2 from rapid shot, and up to a -4 from Deadly aim. That's -10 to attack at 13th level O_O. Will I be able to counter that to a respectable attack bonus?
I love the concept behind the WHW, but find the execution a little lackluster, giving up most of what makes a witch a witch. Starting with an attack with a bunch of holes making its weaker counterpart seem more powerful by comparison and ending with numerous roguish options that are either entirely ineffective or show up at too late a level to be relevant.
I made a few minor adjustments to give back some "witchiness" to the white-haired witch. Too strong? Too weak? Easy to understand? Feedback is much appreciated.
White-Haired Witch Redux:
White Hair (Su): At 1st level, a white-haired witch gains
the ability to use her hair as a weapon. This functions as
the prehensile hair hex except as noted below. The hair is
a primary natural attack with a reach of 5 feet that
deals 1d4 points of damage (1d3 for a Small witch). In
addition, the witch gains the Grab ability with her hair When
a white-haired witch grapples a foe, she does not gain the
grappled condition and is not forced to move the opponent
adjacent. The witch is not limited in the amount of time she
may use her hair in this manner.
At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, a white-haired
witch’s hair adds 5 feet to its reach, to a maximum of
30 feet at 20th level.
A white-haired witch can choose from any of the following
upgrades to her white hair in place of a hex:
Constrict (Ex): The white-haired witch gains the constrict
ability with her hair, dealing damage equal to that of its attack
whenever she successfully maintains a grapple.
Trip (Ex): A white-haired witch who successfully strikes a
foe with her hair can attempt a combat maneuver check to
trip the creature as a swift action.
Pull (Ex): A white-haired witch who successfully strikes a
foe with her hair can attempt a combat maneuver check to
pull the creature 5 feet closer to her as a swift action.
Strangle (Ex): When the white-haired witch’s hair is
grappling with an opponent, that creature is considered
strangled, and cannot speak or cast spells with verbal
components. You must be at least 8th level to select this
upgrade.
This ability replaces the hexes gained at 1st and 2nd level.
Rogue Talents: At 4th level, a white-haired witch may
choose to learn a rogue talent instead of a hex, using her
white-haired witch level in place of her rogue level. A
white-haired witch cannot select an individual rogue talent
more than once. These tricks must be selected from among
the following: assault leader*, combat trick, finesse rogue,
major magic, minor magic, positioning attack*, resiliency,
surprise attack, and weapon training. At 14th level a
white-haired witch adds the following advanced rogue talents
to the list: another day*, defensive roll, improved evasion,
opportunist, redirect attack*, slippery mind, and thoughtful
reexamining*.
If you have the curse of tongues and "gift" somebody your curse in combat, are they then forced to speak a language they (probably) don't know? Does this mean they can't talk? Just wondering, since oracle's burden says they don't receive the benefits of the curse, in this case knowledge of the language they're forced to speak.
Around December this question came up and I don't believe it was ever answered: does a human sorcerer under the words of power rules who takes the favored class bonus from the APG get a bonus spell or a bonus word?
I just got my copy of The Inner Sea World Guide and was blown away at the amazing amount of time, devotion and talent put into this book. I love the excessive amount of information available in this book. Now I'm willing to say that Golarion has beat out Eberron as my favorite setting, and one of the many reasons why is the Red Mantis Assassins.
From the interesting and unorthodox fighting style to the ninja-like castle/temple headquarters and standardized uniform, everything about them makes me love those evil bastards more. I couldn't wait to play one in the next game my friend is running (he already o.k.ed it because he knows I've been wanting to prove that evil can be played at the gaming table if it's done properly, cooperatively, and with maturity). So naturally I threw around some ideas and put some builds together and was shocked . There were so many...problems. It started with one then led to more and more. Let me bullet point:
#1 The Sawtooth Saber- Casually reading through the weapons section, I spied The RMA's favored weapon and noticed that it weapon finesse no longer worked with it (which explained its removal as a prerequisite). In fact, the only time it was treated as light was for Two-weapon fighting. At first, I thought “Alright. Now people won't be power attack & piranha striking, but dex is still very much an assassin staple: stealth, light armor, mobility-style feats like... TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING! Wait, I need a minimum 15 dexterity (provided I don't want to continue the tree), but need strength for hit and damage, charisma for spells and prayer attack, AND constitution for three other class features. But thats...
#2 M.A.D.- Yes folks, my favorite class has become “Multiple Attribute Dependant”, just like the 3.5 paladin. I would love to know the reasoning behind this choice in particular. Never being one to fret when a challenge is set, I continued my build. Looks like two levels of ranger are necessary to free up some of the point buy, but that just doesn't feel right. Was my assassin going to be running around in medium armor? Even the Mantis form reinforced the dex dumping decision with +4 Str,-2 dex, and large size with a 1d6 natural attack (I would bullet point this but it's a minor adjustment... I just wouldn't use it until ninth level, maybe not then either) Crap, I was going to be the slowest assassin in the world. I would have such a hard time making a quick escape with the impedance placed on acrobatics , limited move speed, and penalties (both armor and lack of dex) to stealth, escape artist, ride, and disable device. And I didn't even know if the RMA could cast spells in medium armor. Let me check...
#3 Spell Failure- Turns out the RMA can't cast spells in any armor. The bard-like spellcasting was stripped, and with it the arcane spell failure avoidance. But at least I could still optimize my prayer attack.
#4 Prayer Attack- This is my favorite part about the RMA, their death attack. But from what I can gather is it doesn't work. Maybe it's just me, but how do I maintain concentration (Standard Action) to keep them fascinated on my turn and coup-de-grace (Full Round Action). I hope that at the very least that when concentration lapses, they're still fascinated until the end of your turn. But from what I've seen, that isn't the case. (at this point, I cried a little.)
So here I am, on the boards looking for answers. I would love to hear from what anyone has to say, but especially the reasons behind the decisions from the creators. So I cast my spell:
SUMMON STAFF IX School Conjuration (Summoning) Level cleric/oracle 9,
sorcerer/wizard 9, summoner 6, witch 9
Casting Time 30 minutes...or less!
Components V, S, M ( a family size pizza and a six-pack
of an alcoholic beverage, worth at least $15.99 American)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./ 2 levels)
Effect one summoned paizo staff member
Duration permanent, until material component is gone (discharged)
Saving Throw None or Will Negates (see text); Spell Resistance No
Calling on the mightiest powers know to be, you summon “The
Grand Designer” himself, James Jacobs. This spell functions as
summon staff I, except it's James Jacobs. The summoned staff
member appears wherever he wants (within range) and questions
why you didn't just post your problem on the boards. Regardless
of your answer, he proclaims “Well. I'm here now. What's the
problem?” and begins to ingest the material component.
Paizo staff members will not interfere with the encounter
in which the are summoned. They make no attacks, cast no spells,
and will likely refuse to “at least hold your weapon while you
use the little adventurers room”. You're the PC, that's your job.
However, when summoned in this manner, James Jacobs
has the power to errata one aspect of the Pathfinder(tm) rules
for a “provisional” 24 hours. This errata is a simple adjustment,
such as the number of hit points a creatures stat block says it
has or that wizards cast off of Intelligence. If this change
affects a creature, that creature gets a will save, but only in
the presence of any PC aware of their presence and only once.
This power does not function on house rules or against big bad
evil guys (bbegs), because where's the fun in that? As is, the
overwhelming power of James' errata pen affects all instances of
the altered rule in the campaign, which may cause some background
events to change (subject to the GM and whether or not the errata
is game destroying or just plain funny). After granting the
errata, James thanks the caster for the grub and returns to the
office, taking the leftovers with him.
After 24 hours, James returns and informs the PC's of the
necessity of the errataed rule, and reinstates the current
campaign ruleset. At this time, James may ask the caster for a
gold or two for the vending machine on his way back. Just give
it to him, he deserves it.
The casting time of this spell is entirely dependant on the
pizza delivery time.
… And hope I get my answer soon! Thank you all for reading my long winded post!
