Ellery's page

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!

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.

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).

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.