Ellery's page

yeah, i just hate it when the description is clearly worded to indicate one thing but the mechanics say a whole different thing.

If you were not the correct caster level (a prerequisite) would that not just up the DC by +5 again?

"Note that all items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed). The DC to create a magic item increases by +5 for each prerequisite the caster does not meet. The only exception to this is the requisite item creation feat, which is mandatory. In addition, you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting their spell prerequisites."

Hi! I have a couple of questions about the occult skill unlock "Automatic Writing".

First! How many questions do you get? "you can spend 1 hour posing questions" is pretty vague, and as it is based on Augury my DM is leaning towards only one. I think it should be more especially as you don't know the results of the questions until after they have been asked so you can't just chase lines of questioning based on answers you have gotten, and they might be wrong, and you need to make a skill check.

Secondly, if you do get more than one question would you have roll for each question to see if the Augury answers it correctly "The GM rolls the check and d% roll secretly, so that you can’t tell whether the messages are accurate." seems to indicate that there is only one check (and that there could be multiple questions), but that would make it a bit easier to game the system by asking a control question or two (things you already know the answer to).

So if anyone has any clarity to this it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Ah, misunderstood the question. Glad to have that cleared up!

Nope, you told me why that feat but not others :D which was exactly what I was looking for!

Awesome, thanks for the clarification! Though I wish they had used another term other than bonus in the description of the ability, just for clarity.

Ok, so I just came across Ally Shield and how it works with Solo Tactics (see below), and this information really makes me wonder if we have ben too quick to disallow certain teamwork feats as usable with solo tactics

Anyone want to give a second opinion or say why Ally Shield is the exception but not the rule?

Below are the relevant copy pasted sections from the srd

Solo Tactics
At 3rd level, all of the inquisitor’s allies are treated as if they possessed the same teamwork feats as the inquisitor for the purpose of determining whether the inquisitor receives a bonus from her teamwork feats. Her allies do not receive any bonuses from these feats unless they actually possess the feats themselves. The allies’ positioning and actions must still meet the prerequisites listed in the teamwork feat for the inquisitor to receive the listed bonus.

Glossary
Bonuses are numerical values that are added to checks and statistical scores. Most bonuses have a type, and as a general rule, bonuses of the same type are not cumulative (do not “stack”)—only the greater bonus granted applies.

Ally Shield
Benefit(s): Whenever you are the target of a melee or ranged attack and are adjacent to an ally who also has this feat, you can initiate this feat to skillfully pull the abettor into harm’s way or dodge behind the abettor as an immediate action.

You gain cover against that attack (and only that attack). If the attack misses you but would have hit you if not for the cover bonus to your armor class, the abettor becomes the target of the attack and the attacker must make a new attack roll (with all the same modifiers) against the abettor’s armor class.

Betrayal Feats (only the last part that actually talks about inquisitors)
Characters with class abilities granting allies access to teamwork feats (such as cavaliers or inquisitors) can select these teamwork feats normally, but allies who are granted these feats can use the feats only as initiators, not as abettors. An inquisitor could not grant an ally the Ally Shield feat and then use the ally as a shield, for example, but he could allow that ally to use him as a shield.

Hit the FAQ button at the top and maybe it'll finally get a firm answer :-)

Seems like more of a general PFRPG rules question...

Would I just repost on the pathfinder rules forum? And how do I know which replies are "official" rules calls?

OK, after doing some serious reading here is my argument for allowing this, in the Core Rule book starting on page 140 is the heading "weapons" that lists, well, weapons, and under that heading is improvised weapons. And according to masterwork weapons even if you plan on using using something such as a shield as a weapon you cannot get the enhancement bonus to attacks, and as shield bash (on page 152) says a shield "can be made into a magic weapon in its own right". This does seem to indicate that items, even if they are not "weapons" could be enchanted as weapons.

So in short I'd say that a masterwork crowbar would not give an enhancement bonus to attacks but could be still enchanted as a magic weapon.

Any thoughts on this?

I have a name plate card holder in front of me during play. My Chellish Lawyer has the name of his legal firm and the advertising line "Contracts and Legal Advice - Mundane and Infernal". Everyone can see it... and periodically I offer "legal" advice, so go for it... its what makes a character... well, a character, and not just a list of stats and feats.

Nice to know I'm not the only one to think that lawyer would be a good character profession.

I have the same issue with a bard that wields his instrument (sax). He just carries a wand of bless weapon. Since your weapon is improvised it's not really a viable weapon. If it was, in your case, it'd be a masterwork club.

So you can target a musical instrument with bless weapon, even though the target is weapon touched? Why couldn't I do the same with my crowbar?

I've made a character with catch off guard who wields a crowbar. I just wondering if I can (besides getting it made out of a special material like mitheral) buy a masterwork and/or a +1 crowbar (not to mention other magic enchantments when I get enough fame).

Could you enchant a crowbar like you would a weapon? (Assuming that the +1 or other magic enhacements would only apply in combat and not to prying things open)

I don't want it active all the time, but I'm not sure how long it would stay active for if i made it use activated.

The mist mail (plus the horn of fog and the ever smoking bottle) makes me think that I'm on the right track with the cost of 2000gp for a cloak that when activated creates an obscuring mist around the wearer.

I based on items like the mist mail, the ever smoking bottle and the lantern of revealing, I guess it stays active until I deactivate it.... I guess that's right.

I would have an issue (and I'm a player not a dm) with using breath of life or any similar spell on a brainless body, if having quieting needles shoved in you can prevent you from staying alive for very long after you've been raised, I imagine not having a brain wouldn't work so well either.

I've been wonder about use-activated vs continuous myself. I'm looking at creation a magic item that creates a continual obscuring mist around my character when activated but I'm not entirely sure what to do about the cost.

Technically 1×1×2000=2000 (or 1800 if command word activated) if it has an item slot (i'm thinking cloak) and when compared to the slotless though less powerful horn of fog it seems right (also an ever smoking bottle is 5400 but once again it is slotless, so if it had a slot it would be about 2700).

Is there any thing else I need to add, for extending the duration of the spell (like you would it were continual) or anything?

How long does it stay activated for? The duration of the spell or until deactivated? I'm leaning words the latter based on items like the ever smoking bottle and the lantern of revealing.