The idea is that at level one, rogues can choose a specialization: Assassin or Swashbuckler (I'm aware that these are a PRC and an Archetype already, but bear with me).
Assassin: The assassin rogue can only make sneak attacks when attacking flat-footed opponents, and not when flanking an opponent with an ally. The assassin's number of sneak attack dice are doubled when making sneak attacks against flat-footed opponents up to a maximum of 20d6 damage at level 20.
Swashbuckler: The swashbuckler rogue can only make sneak attacks when flanking an opponent with an ally, and not when attacking flat-footed opponents, except if he has made a successful feint attempt against them. The swashbuckler can choose between either Intelligence and Charisma to add to his weapon damage rolls when using finesse weapons. This choice is made at level 1 and can never be changed. The amount of damage added to his weapon damage rolls can never exceed the rogue's level.
I've just been mulling over how to make rogues a bit less reliant on backstabbing recently, and was thinking of ideas how to work around that. So far I have two ideas:
1) - Give them Precise Strike as the Duelist
I really like this idea, as it allows them to have consistent damage without having to rely on allies. I don't think it would be overpowered either, since the damage is a lot lower than what you'd gain when sneak attacking, and you'd be limited to using only a single one handed weapon. A +20 to precision damage at level 20 does sound a bit sweet, doesn't it?
2) - Give them Bombs as the Alchemist
Since the Vivisectionist archetype stole sneak attack from the rogue, why shouldn't the rogue strike back? Bomb alteration discoveries could be made into rogue talents. I'd imagine this kind of rogue would skulk about using delayed bombs and would be super at infiltrating and sabotaging enemy equipment.
Combat Expertise is a prerequisite for a LOT of feats, namely a lot of feats that deal with combat maneuvers, such as Improved Trip, Improved Dirty Trick and others such as Whirlwind Attack. This is really a slap in the face when trying to build a fighter around one of these feats, since you'll need to have at least 13 intelligence to do so, as well as spending a feat on something that has absolutely NOTHING to do with the following feats. Intelligence is often a dump stat for fighters, and combat expertise gives you a penalty to attack rolls which is something you really don't want when trying to make a successful trip attempt or whirlwind attack.
I'm asking this because a player of mine really wanted to get improved dirty trick, but since he's a fighter with "just" 10 intelligence, he can't get it. I understand that the option of making a smart fighter is appealing, since not every fighter should be dumb, but is this really the way to go about it? You don't see a 13 Wis prerequisite to choosing Spell Focus or various metamagic feats. This feels like a really cumbersome leftover from 3.5, and an unnecessary tax on martial characters.
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Weird Words (Su): At 6th level, a sound striker can start a performance as a standard action, lashing out with 1 potent sound per bard level (maximum 10), each sound affecting one target within 30 feet. These are ranged touch attacks. Each weird word deals 1d8 points of damage plus the bard’s Charisma bonus (Fortitude half ), and the bard chooses whether it deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage for each word. This performance replaces suggestion.
A couple of questions:
1) Even though each word can only affect 1 creature, couldn't you have all of them target a single creature? That is, make a maximum 10 words strike against a single target? Or do all of them have to affect separate targets (please don't be the case!)?
2) Can this performance be maintained, or is it just a standard action, 1 round deal?
I really hope question 1) works as I hope it does, playing as a damage dealing bard sounds really appealing.
Just creating a place to drop some mechanically interesting or powerful character builds. No fluff, just crunch, so if you're looking for a place to get your backstory evaluated, this ain't it. If you've got some DPR monster or bizarre one trick ponies, bring em on! I'll start things off with something I've been working on.
The Pyromancer
Before we begin, yes, this build will get screwed over by things with fire immunity. If that's a dealbreaker for you, too bad. Anyways, let's get down to business.
This will give you two arcanas that gives you +1 damage per die rolled when casting fire spells. That means a fireball that normally deals 10d6 damage will deal 10d6+20 damage, or a 40% damage increase without having to resort to metamagic. Pretty impressive. If you add Intensify Spell from the Advanced Player's Guide, you'll be dealing 15d6+30 damage with your fireballs for a 4th level slot, or 82,5 damage on average. Even targets that resist or make their saves against that are gonna get hurt. Not too shabby for area damage.
But what about single target damage? Well, that's even better! A single scorching ray with point blank shot, will deal 4d6+9 damage, or 23 damage on average, before any metamagic. At 11th level, you can cast up to 6 rays a round with quicken spell, or up to around 138 damage a round if you hit with them all. If you empower one of them, that goes up to 159 damage. For an 11th level character, that's a LOT of damage. Sure, some of them could miss, but some of them could be critical hits, too!
Feats that work well with this build are of course metamagic feats, like Empower spell, Intensify spell and Quicken spell. Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot are vital for the ranged touch attacks you'll be using.
The build suffers a bit in utility since crossblooded sorcerers learn one spell less each level, but it makes up for that in pure power. Just don't try it if your GM is going to be having an adventure in the elemental plane of fire.
Daze, hypnotism, sleep, daze monster, deep slumber, lesser geas, bungle. All of these enchantment spells have a fixed HD limit that never increases. So do Cause Fear and Scare, necromancy spells which affect the mind. I realize these spells have powerful effects, such as sleep, which can singlehandedly beat encounters at lower levels, but they quickly become completely useless and make you regret picking them in the first place.
Why is this? You don't see powerful conjuration spells such as grease, create pit or black tentacles only affecting creatures of a set HD. Your fireball never fails to damage a creature because its HD is too high. Why is enchantment treated differently? It's not the strongest school and has got plenty of problems, I don't see the need for a handicap like this.
At least allow the HD limit to scale as you gain levels.
I know, I know, I've made a thread about this before, but I just found something that explains what I had in mind better than I did before, so before you tell me to give it a rest, just give it a chance.
I ran into this article the other day for 4E (please don't murder me). It provides the 4E races that usually have fixed ability scores with an alternative to choose from, although they will always have a fixed ability score. So the halfling that usually gets +2 DEX +2 CHA can also have the option to have +2 DEX +2 CON. The dexterity bonus is fixed, but it can choose between the either charisma or constitution as his secondary score.
I personally think this is pretty cool, as it allows greater versatility for races that aren't human, half-elf or half-orc. Furthermore, since Pathfinder has negative ability modifiers for races as well, this could work for that as well.
You might be thinking that this all sounds a bit power-gamey, but I do think it has merits for fluff as well. I don't think every single group of a race should have the exact same modifiers to abilities. A little variety wouldn't hurt.
Would you like to see a similar option for Pathfinder races, and if so, what alternative options would you like to see? I'd like to see the following:
Dwarf: +2 Con +2 Wis -2 Dex
I'd love to play a dwarf that didn't get a penalty to charisma. Playing a dwarf paladin or an oracle with the stone revelation or a sorcerer with the earth bloodline would become a lot more appealing, and we'd get more use of those alternate racial bonuses the APG granted dwarves.
Gnome: +2 Con +2 Int -2 Str
Two words: Gnome illusionists. I would love for them to become popular again, as it's one of the most classic D&D archetype I know of. It might be a bit too good for wizards (and alchemists) though, so I'm kind of on the fence. The Int bonus might replace the Con bonus instead, if that'd be better.
Elf +2 Dex +2 Wis -2 Con
I think this is a lot more appropriate for elves that live in the wilderness than an intelligence bonus is. Elves would make (even more) kickass druids and rangers than they already are, and it'd be an attractive bonus for clerics as well.
While reading through the rules I stumbled upon a pretty funny loophole.
"An arrow used as a melee weapon is treated as a light improvised weapon (-4 penalty on attack rolls) and deals damage as a dagger of its size (critical multiplier x2)."
Now, if you combine that with:
"Catch Off-Guard (Combat)"
Spoiler:
Foes are surprised by your skilled use of unorthodox and improvised weapons.
Benefit: You do not suffer any penalties for using an improvised melee weapon. Unarmed opponents are flat-footed against any attacks you make with an improvised melee weapon.
Normal: You take a –4 penalty on attack rolls made with an improvised weapon.
you can use arrows as melee weapons without penalty. And the great thing about arrows is that enchanted arrows are a lot cheaper than regular weapons! A single magical arrow is 50 times cheaper than a melee weapon counterpart. This means you can get your +10 melee weapon as soon as level 3 or 4 (assuming standard wealth and access to a magic item mart) and you're good to go!
Have fun slaying evil wearing a full-plate, tower shield and wielding your deadly arrow. Stabby stabby!
The composite longbow is arguably the most powerful weapon in Pathfinder, followed only by its smaller brother, the composite shortbow. I wanted to touch down on a few problems I have with them, even if it's been done to death before.
1. Scaling: No other ranged weapon can have its base damage increased by increasing ability scores, aside from the sling and thrown weapons. This is huge. While the crossbow and regular bow remain at their 1d6-1d10 damage range + weapon enchantments and stuff such as deadly aim and weapon specialization, the composite longbow becomes more and more powerful as the user gains strength.
2. No Real Disadvantages: The composite longbow has a range of 110 ft., only 10 ft. less than the heavy crossbow. However, while the heavy crossbow requires two feats to load as a free action, the composite longbow can be reloaded freely from the start. In addition, they have access to very powerful feats straight off the bat. Rapid shot gives them an iterative attack as soon as level 1 at the cost of a -2 to attack rolls. I don't think you'd have to ask the average melee fighter if that's a tradeoff he'd be happy with. To top it all off, in the various DPR competitions we had, the characters using composite longbows were usually ahead of their melee counterparts. More damage, more range at no real cost. This is a no-brainer, really.
3. Hindering Character Creation: If you want to be the best ranged character around, you're going to have to put a significant amount of points into strength, and you're going to have to use a composite bow. If you don't, you'll be vastly outclassed. A character with amazing dexterity and weak strength will be VASTLY outclassed by someone with good dexterity and good strength. And you'd best not get any ideas about using a crossbow, bub.
4. Silly Bookkeeping: Why are composite bows the only weapons with an ability requirement? A character with 6 strength can wield a greatsword just fine, and a character with 3 dexterity can shoot a bow, even though the two will never do so effectively. The composite bow is the only weapon that has such a clause, and it becomes pretty annoying later on when you have to re-buy your weapon every time your ability scores increase if you want to stay at your optimal capacity.
I think these are all points that have been driven into the ground already, so I wouldn't be adding much to the discussion unless I had some ideas of my own. Which I do! I've got a couple of rule changes I'd love to see implemented:
1. Every ranged weapon gets half the wielder's dexterity modifier as a bonus to damage.
Now we can see ranged characters that don't have a shred of strength, yet manage to deal more damage as they get more dexterity. Getting only half the modifier sounds reasonable enough, meaning a character with 26 dexterity and a regular bow is getting the same amount of bonus damage as a character with 18 strength and a composite bow under the rules as they are. Doesn't sound gamebreaking, does it?
2. When using a composite bow, you may use your half your strength modifier instead of your dexterity modifier when determining bonus damage, if it is higher.
The composite bow remains a viable weapon for those characters with high strength who want a ranged weapon to fall back on. There are no longer +3 strength composite bows or +5 strength composite bows, simply composite bows that remain usable for everyone. The drop in damage from full strength modifier to half is not something I'm too worried about, as it is a bit too strong as currently ruled.
I know we have the crossbowman archetype for the fighter, but that kinda sucks, and with guns and crossbows both taking a long time to reload this could work. This would also allow people to use the gunslinger in settings where guns don't exist. Let's see what abilities would and would not work for a crossbow archetype:
Deeds:
Deadeye: Don't see much of a problem here, should work fine.
Gunslinger's Dodge: Fine.
Quick Clear: Crossbows don't break, so this would need replacing.
Gunslinger Initiative: Fine.
Pistol-Whip: Might need renaming but it sounds fine to me.
Utility Shot: Scoot Unattended Object would work, but Stop Bleeding and Blast Lock not so much.
Dead Shot: Works perfectly with a crossbow.
Startling Shot: Pretty iffy, but I think it works.
Targeting: No problems here.
Bleeding Wound: Fine.
Expert Loading: This'd need replacing.
Lightning Reload: Would probably need replacing.
Evasive: Fine.
Menacing Shot: Doesn't really work with a silent weapon like a crossbow.
Slinger's Luck: Fine.
Cheat Death: Fine.
Death's Shot: Fine.
Stunning Shot: Eh, not sure.
Bravery: Fine.
Bonus feats: Fine.
Gun training:Renamed, otherwise fine. The misfire thing wouldn't apply.
True Grit: Fine.
So all in all there's a few things that might need replacing or renaming and the crossbow archetype might need some sort of drawback since it doesn't have to deal with misfiring and it isn't quite as hampered by slow reload times. Otherwise I think this could work. What do you think?
This is just something I'm interested in, I'm not trying to prove a point or start a heated argument.
Which of the following feats do you think are either acceptable or unacceptable for a mundane class such as a fighter or rogue to accomplish at some point in their career through non-magical means (no items etc. or spells cast on them)? Just write your reply and either acceptable or unacceptable next to the number of each feat. You are free to explain your opinion, of course.
1. Attacking an opponent 4 times with a greataxe in 6 seconds
2. Slamming the ground with your weapon, causing a shockwave/ripple that damages opponents in a line
3. Cleaving through and killing 6 armored warriors with one attack
4. Taunting your enemy, forcing him to attack you and not your allies
5. Drawing upon inner strength, regaining lost hit points a few times a day
6. Managing to hide from a peasant that's looking at you from 30 ft away with no cover in broad daylight
7. Running across a pool of water, like a small lake
8. Jumping 50 feet long after a running start
9. Roaring load enough to deafen or stun enemies temporarily
10. Slicing the air, creating a vacuum wave that cuts your opponent from a distance
After some discussions on what the next version of Pathfinder should be, the general consensus seems to be that people don't want a new version any time soon (myself included). I doubt anyone wants a repeat of 3.5, which came out only three years after the release of 3.0, rendering a lot of books obsolete. After all, we chose to Pathfinder out of a lot of alternatives, so there must be something we like. If it ain't broken, don't fix it!
However, there are some debatable qualms people have with the current rules, which are hard to fix with just supplements. These include skills such as craft and stealth which are shoddily implemented (it can take years to craft a single dose of poison), prestige classes such as the pathfinder chronicler and the assassin are lacking in power while classes like the summoner can be very overpowering when played correctly and the fighter's inability to contribute outside of combat. A lot of these problems could be solved with simple tweaking, but the policy so far seems to have been to fix things with supplements (such as the huge power boost the barbarian gained in the Advanced Player's Guide).
Now, instead of just tacking on more and more features to the classes to bring them up to par, and leaving dodgy rules untouched, would you consider buying an update of the rules? This would cover all the books that would be out so far (up to Ultimate Combat, which is the latest release I know of) and give the subjects at hand a rewrite. Having this organized and printed would allow groups to quickly look things up at the game table. And another question, if the Paizo gang read this: would you ever consider releasing something like this?
Now that single classed characters are more viable than ever, we hardly ever see multi-classed characters any more. Giving up the higher level goodies and abilities that scale with levels are just too good to pass up. Maybe that's a good thing, because god knows we don't want things to become like late 3.5 where taking a whole slew of classes and prestige classes was the key to success.
However, if Paizo does things carefully, we could see a whole new world of original character concepts come to life. I loved the "Ascetic" feats the Complete books from 3.5 brought us, which allowed monk unarmed damage and another class's ability to scale alongside each other as you took levels from both classes. I'd love to see something in that vein again and I'm sure other people would too.
Instead of merely pointing out stuff you dislike, let's discuss how you'd change the Ninja if you had the power to do so. Remember to post your reasons for each change to keep this as constructive as possible. I'll start things off:
Change: Reduce the number of skill ranks gained per level from 8 to 6.
Reason: Helps to differentiate the ninja from the rogue. Reducing the total number of ranks helps to balance out the edge given to the ninja with its slew of cool supernatural abilities. The highest number of skills has always been the rogue's trademark. Let's keep it that way.
Change: Change the charisma dependent abilities to wisdom dependent. Remove diplomacy from the skill list. Add survival to the skill list.
Reason: Ki abilities have so far been dependent on wisdom. I see no reason to change that. Also, since the aim is to create a fantasy ninja instead of an historical one, wouldn't it be better to go for the silent loner type than the social one? Removing diplomacy from the skill list would also make sense, and help further differentiate it from the regular rogue, who can also act as a party face.
Change: Remove the ability to use certain abilities free once per day.
Reason: I just don't see the point.
Change: Reduce the duration of the Vanishing Trick ninja trick to 1 round for all levels. Possibly make the Vanishing Trick available to the ninja as soon as it gains access to its Ki pool.
Reason: Giving the ninja access to a quickened vanish for a single ki point is insane. A single round of vanish is enough to allow it to make a quick getaway, get past enemies without being seen or set up sneak attacks. If it wants to do so for a longer time, it should have to pay the price. As it is it makes a high stealth skill pretty redundant at higher levels, as well as overshadow the rogue massively.
Also, every single ninja will take this ninja trick. There's no need to tax them all, and with my proposed nerf I think it wouldn't be too unbalanced to give it to them.
I know this might seem a bit harsh on the ninja, but as it stands I really like the ninja class and would just like to see it on par with the rogue.
A problem a lot of people have within the Pathfinder ruleset is making a suitable combat encounter with only one enemy facing the party, a boss or a miniboss if you will. Since combat is very fast in this game, either the creature or the party are quickly killed which often leads to an anti-climax after a long buildup. This can most often be remedied by adding in a few henchmen, but that isn't always appropriate. Below you can find my attempt at a simple solution to give monsters more options and longetivity without overpowering them.
Boss (Monster Template)
Spoiler:
CR: +1 for every 5 HD the creature possesses.
Special:
- The creature's hit points are equal to its full HD + Constitution modifier instead of the average + Constitution modifier.
- The creature gains another standard action per round. This standard action cannot be used as a move action.
- Treat all of the creature's saving throws as good.
The biggest boost is the additional standard action per round. This allows the creature to make more actions per round to keep up with the action economy of the party. Being able to drink a potion without having to give up one of your attacks or being able to cast two spells in one round is a godsend. Despite that, the creature's spells or attacks don't get any more powerful. It also allows the creature to use actions it normally wouldn't have time for, such as bull rushes and overruns. If that wasn't enough, the creature also gains additional hit points and better saving throws, giving it more longetivity.
As an example, you could slap the template onto a basic Minotaur who's usually CR 4. His HP would rise from 45 to 72, his fortitude save would increase by +3 and he'd gain another standard action. His CR would rise to an appropriate 6. All of this without adding to his attack bonus or damage.
And that's that. I'd love to get some feedback on this since it's still WIP but this is the general gist of what I'd like to accomplish. I still have some worries about spellcasters at higher levels and would love to hear suggestions on how to treat them differently. Perhaps give them an additional +1 CR?
To veer away from the usual discussions of how powerful a class is, let's have a discussion on how what classes you think have the best (and worst) design. This has to do with how the class performs in an adventure, his advantages and disadvantages, the abilities of the class, how effectively the class performs what it's supposed to and so on. I'm going to divide my list into four tiers, but you don't have to
restrict yourself to those by any means. I'll start things off.
Tier 1 - Great design
The bard, the paladin, the ranger, the sorcerer and the witch
I love these classes. They're thematically strong yet very customizable. They have abilities that allow them to shine in at least one area, perform well in others and are most often able to at contribute at least somewhat. They do have their downsides, such as the ranger in social situations, the paladin's lack of skills or the bard's lack of pure combat ability, but those can be mitigated by good thinking and teamwork. They do what exactly what you'd expect them to.
Can you really ask for more?
Tier 2 - Good design
The Alchemist, the druid, the inquisitor, the oracle, the rogue and the wizard. (and the Magus!)
These classes are great. They all have their specific niches and can be customized in various ways, and are for the most part, thematically strong. Their downsides from a design point of view, however, are a bit bigger than those of the tier 1 classes. It's very hard to challenge an optimized wizard as the GM without resorting to unfair measures or punishing the rest of the party as well. The rogue can be a bit too
dependent on the rest of the party, moreso than other classes. I'm very opposed to the alchemist's bombs being on a limited daily usage when you can expect him to use them as often as he does, and so on. Despite this, a good player can make great use of these classes and more often than not they'll deliver exactly what you want them to.
Tier 3 - Average design
The barbarian, the cavalier and the fighter.
Interestingly enough, these are all martial classes with full base attack! Anyways, these classes are very strong thematically and have ties to a great deal of characters from history and pop culture. However, whereas they might sometimes work out, their flaws are almost as hefty as their benefits. The fighter has a steep learning curve; you will have to wade through a ton of feats and analyze which ones will give you any benefit at all, and if you make a few mistakes you'll end up with a disappointing character. The uses of a fighter outside of combat have also a very popular discussion, and I'm not sure we should go into that right now. The barbarian and cavalier have problems at their higher levels. Whereas other classes have new and exciting class abilities to look forward to, the barbarian and cavalier will mostly see their old abilities scaling as you'd expect them to keep up with the rest of the classes. The barbarian is also a bit too dependent on its rage ability, while the cavalier has a few too many abilities that are situational bonuses. In addition, they'll spend a lot of their time doing full attacks which aren't especially exciting when compared to some of the cool stuff the other classes get. Despite their shortcomings, a skilled player can make good use of these classes and even though unskilled players might create subpar characters, they will rarely be unplayable.
Tier 4 - Poor design
The monk and the summoner.
I'd like to begin by saying I'm happy here are only two classes in this section when pathfinder offers so many to choose from. Well, where to start? The monk is horribly dependent on multible attributes, his abilities are counter-inituative (a very mobile character that depends on full-round actions) and there is little customization to be had. I have two main problems with the summoner: It's a class that utilizes point buy abilities in a system where no other class does, which I feel is extremely clunky and allows for serious powergaming. The other one is the sheer power of the class. While the eidolon alone might not seem too gamebreaking (that's putting it lightly), one can't forget the summoner himself which can cast spells without taking up actions from the eidolon and can even be a formidable warrior on his own. He also has access to some of the best arcane spells, and can even get some of them earlier than the master of the arcane arts; the wizard! Top that off with the ability to summon countless times a day as a standard action if you happen to lose your eidolon, and you've got a class that I pretty much hate.
And those are my two cents. What's your take on the class designs in Pathfinder?
With the advent of Pathfinder, wizards could finally cast spells from opposed schools, although with a penalty. The universalist, a somewhat dodgy choice before Pathfinder, became almost completely unviable, since giving up an extra spell every level to be able to cast opposed spells for only one slot, is like Treantmonk put it so well: "a practice in masochism". Now that Ultimate Magic is on the way, this can finally be remedied. But how?
Well, the Universalist didn't get any subschools in the Advanced Player's Guide, which is understandable, but giving them at alternative to their already decent school abilities could still be a good idea. This would need to be something that allows them make up for their reduced spellcasting without becoming too powerful. Here's my take:
Replacement Power: The following school power replaces the metamagic mastery power of the universal school.
Improved Arcane Bond (Su): At 8th level, your arcane bond is strengthened. The effect is different depending on whether you chose a familiar or a bonded item.
If your arcane bond is a bonded item, you can spontaneously cast another spell per day per day, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell must be of a level at least two levels lower than your maximum spell level. At 16th level, you may use this ability an additional time, but for this use the spell must be of a level at least four levels lower than your maximum spell level.
If your arcane bond is a familiar, your familiar gains minor spellcasting abilities. Once per day, your familiar may spontaneously cast a spell which it has seen you cast that day, using your level as its caster level. This spell must be of a level at least two levels lower than your maximum spell level.
I'm not sure this is the right place to post this, so you guys can correct me if I'm in the wrong.
My current gaming group is looking to expand its miniature collection. One of us bought a lot of booster packs back in the day when they were a bit cheaper, but the only option we have at our local gaming shop is the 4E Lords of Madness booster packs which are risky to say the least. After buying 3 packs we got around 50-60% of creatures we can see ourselves using, the rest, well... not so much! There's only so often you'll be using the brain in a jar miniature, and most of the time we're just hoping to get something simple like a human town guard or mounted cavalry. So we wondered whether or not buying individual miniatures would be a better solution.
We found most of what we need here at Paizo's webpage, but there's a couple of issues we need sorted out. We live outside the US, so ordering things from abroad usually comes with a shipping fee. If you buy a bulk package, can you get all the miniatures you ordered along with a single shipping fee, or do you need to make several smaller orders? We don't have any experience making these sorts of purchases, so personal experiences and tips would be greatly appreciated :)
I am considering removing the various types of Composite bows and simply make a single type for both Shortbows and Longbow that deal +2 damage and requires 14 strength. This is really just to make things easier for me as the DM and I don't think the players would mind too much.
Is there something drastic I'm not noticing that's bad for gameplay, apart from some fighter/barbarian frustration?
In this thread we'll discuss what niches and roles wordcasters can fill better than regular casters. As Jason has stated, we don't have all of the words from the final product at hand so passing judgement might be a bit early, but let's try and work with what we've got so far.
Blasting: Wordcasters, especially sorcerers, make excellent blasters. Not only can they sculpt their spells for any given situation so as to get the most out of their blast, but their damage output is also signifigantly higher than that of a regular caster. For example, a 10th level sorcerer wordcaster can combine Lightning Blast and Fire Blast for a single target nuke that deals 20d6 damage, with a reflex save for half. With Word Burning, you can pull off even more impressive numbers, even allowing you to hit multiple targets. Blasters can finally keep up with the rest of the classes in damage dealing.
Another great addition to blasters is that you can finally add effects that aren't damage to your blast. Adding any of the Pain words to your blasts will allow you to weaken the monster as well as rain fiery death upon it, which makes the blaster a better team player.
A downside, however, is the fact that as of yet there is no meta-word that allows you to quicken abilities, which makes other spellcasters edge out against you if they go all out. Still, it'll be pretty interesting to see how blasters will fare once the dust around the playtesting settles.
Are there any existing rules that you would like to see expanded upon in Ultimate Magic or Ultimate Combat? What I mean is to see something that already exists getting some new usage.
For example, I'd like to see more rules concerning Bull Rush:
Pathfinder wrote:
You can make a bull rush as a standard action or as part of a charge, in place of the melee attack. You can only bull rush an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. A bull rush attempts to push an opponent straight back without doing any harm. If you do not have the Improved Bull Rush feat, or a similar ability, initiating a bull rush provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.
If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back 5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent's CMD you can push the target back an additional 5 feet. You can move with the target if you wish but you must have the available movement to do so. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target.
I'd love to see some rules as to what happens to people when they reach a solid object after being Bull Rushed. Just having them stop doesn't seem drastic enough, does it? Something along the lines of the bull rusher dealing 1d6 damage + strength modifier + another 1d6 for every 5 by which his attack exceeded the opponent's CMD as long as he manages to push him into a solid object. The object could even take some damage as well, so if you overcame hardness and dealt enough damage you could be pushing an opponent through multiple walls!
Or some new usages to classic spells? What happens when an area that has been Greased comes into contact with fire? Having the grease catch fire and deal lighting creatures on fire would be awesome, but the grease would of course disappear after a round or two.
So, let's hear it, are there any rules we already have in the system that you'd like to see clarified or expanded upon? Nothing that requires new feats or spells or abilities, but something players would be able to use right away without changing their characters at all.
Well? What guidelines do you think the magus' spell list should follow?
I'm not fond of him learning conjuration spells such as black tentacles, obscuring mist, mount or stinking cloud. To me, his spells should be instantaneous and flashy, or otherwise buff him up somehow. No battlefield control. I'm not fond of him gaining illusion spells either. Try to restrict the spell list to abjuration, evocation and transformation spells, with some exceptions of course, such as true strike. I'd also like him to get some of the necromancy touch attacks. Vampiric touch with spellstrike would be great.
I don't think there's any other class that's as dependant on going for a single type of fighting style. Although not every style is as optimal, the rest of the classes can go for a number of different styles, except for the magus, which relies on using only one weapon.
I'd like to see the option, possibly in the form of a Magus Arcana, to use a two handed weapon and even a bow when used in conjunction with spell combat. The downside would be a higher penalty to attack rolls, something like -2 (we're probably going to see a lesser penalty with the revised version of the Magus so I don't think it would become -6 at 2nd level (ouch!)).
Spell Combat (Ex): At 2nd level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons effectively at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free, while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a -4 penalty. He can also cast any spell with a casting time of 1 standard action from the magus spell list. He must cast this spell defensively, and he takes a -2 penalty on the concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still suffer the -4 penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks if he has more than one attack. Casting a spell in this manner does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The magus must have one hand free to use this ability, even if the spell being cast does not contain somatic components.
What are your opinions on this ability?
My main gripe with it is the -4 penalty. Sure, it's a powerful ability, but a -4 penalty to hit on a medium BAB class is far too steep, at least early on. A 2nd level Magus with 16 STR and 16 INT fighting a creature with 15 AC will have a roughly 25% chance of hitting the target with his weapon and a 30% chance of casting a 1st level spell (roughly 50% with combat casting). Not exactly reliable. This becomes even more bothersome when you factor in that it requires a full-round action.
I'd prefer it to work pretty much exactly like two-weapon fighting, with the spell being cast being treated like a light weapon. The two-weapon fighting feat would reduce the penalties as it does normally, so that you could reduce the penalty down to -2.
I'm currently running a game and my players are becoming pretty frustrated towards the summoner's eidolon which is overshadowing the rest of the party in every single combat encounter. The party, which is 5th level, consists of a fighter, a rogue, a druid, a sorcerer and a summoner. The eidolon is a quadruped (some sort of hell-hound) with a bite attack, 2 claws (improved), a gore attack, energy attacks, power attack and most importantly, pounce. Whenever he makes a charge with power attack, his attack routine looks like this:
Bite +7 1d6+7 +1d6 fire damage
2 claws +7 1d6+7 +1d6 fire damage
Gore +7 1d6+7 +1d6 fire damage
And this is unbuffed. He's got bull's strength to make these numbers even higher and after reading through the share spells class ability, he can apparently cast enlarge person on it as well. This might not be so bad if it was easy to kill, but with mage armor cast it has a high AC, and every single time it's close to dying the summoner can just take damage for it, acting as a HP battery in the back.
It's very hard to create challenging encounters for eidolon without overpowering the rest of the party. I know making terrain to block charges and such is an option but I don't want every single fight to be in that kind of environment. This is a very big problem in my group and frankly I don't really know what to do except outright banning the summoner class.
Well, to call it a new class isn't really fair. It's more of a ranger redux, with changes to areas I didn't like. I'm not a fan of favored enemies or terrains, since I'm not a fan of situational bonuses, especially ones that are as massive as favored enemy. I took out most of the stuff that has anything to do with nature, and there's no spellcasting either. I feel as if this gives the class greater flexibility to fit into various settings.
The combat style is no longer a focus on a type of weapon but rather a style of fighting.
The class excels when fighting a small number of enemies and can easily bring a single enemy down in a short period of time.
This is the first draft, so go easy on it. If there are any suggestions or changes you'd like to see, please let me know.
Hit die: d10
Base Attack: Full
Class Skills:Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Once per day, a hunter can designate a single target within line of sight as his quarry as a swift action. The target remains the hunter's quarry until reduced to 0 or fewer hit points or until the hunter designates
a new quarry, whichever occurs first. The hunter adds his Wis bonus (if any) to all attack rolls against that creature, as well as Bluff, Intimidate, Perception, Sense Motive and Survival checks. In addition he gains
a dodge bonus equal to his Wisdom modifier (if any) to his AC against attacks made by his quarry.
At 4th level and at every three levels thereafter, the hunter may designate a quarry one additional time per day, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.
Track (Ex)
A hunter adds half his level (minimum 1) to Survival checks made to follow or identify tracks,
Wild Empathy (Ex)
A hunter can improve the initial attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person (see Using Skills). The hunter rolls 1d20 and adds his ranger level and his Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the hunter and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
The hunter can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a –4 penalty on the check.
Combat Style (Ex)
At 2nd level, the hunter must select one of two combat styles to pursue: skirmish or sneak attack. His combat style grants him a bonus to damage which increases at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.
If the hunter selects the skirmishing combat style, he adds his combat style bonus damage whenever he moves more than 10 feet prior to making an attack.
If the hunter selects the sneak attack combat style, he adds his combat style bonus damage whenever he attacks a target that is flanked or denied its Dex bonus to AC. This bonus damage is considered precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Ranged attacks only gain the combat style bonus damage when used within 30 ft of the target.
Trapper (Ex)
At 3rd level, the hunter gains a +1 bonus to Craft (trapmaking) checks and to perception checks made to locate traps. At 6th level, and every three levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1. A hunter may use disable device to disarm a magical trap.
Hunter's Bond (Ex)
At 5th level, a hunter forms a bond with his hunting companions. This bond can take one of two forms. Once the form is chosen, it cannot be changed. The first is a bond to his companions. This bond allows him to spend a move action to grant half his quarry bonus to all allies within
30 ft who can see or hear him against his designated quarry. This bonus lasts for a number of rounds equal to the hunter's Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). This bonus does not stack with any other quarry effects possessed by his allies; they use whichever bonus is higher.
The second is to form a close bond with an animal companion. A hunter who selects an animal companion can choose from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper or constrictor), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the hunter may choose a shark instead. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the hunter on his adventures as appropriate for its kind.
This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (which is part of the nature bond class feature), except that the hunter's effective druid level is equal to his hunter level -3.
Swift Tracker (Ex)
Beginning at 8th level, a hunter can move at his normal speed while using Survival to follow tracks without taking the normal –5 penalty. He takes only a –10 penalty (instead of the normal –20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
Evasion (Ex)
When he reaches 9th level, whenever the hunter makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the hunter is wearing light armor, medium armor, or no armor. A helpless hunter does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Improved Hunter's Bond (Ex)
When a hunter reacher 11th level, his bond with his hunting companions increases.
If he chose a bond to his companions, he may now grant them half his quarry bonus as a swift action instead of a move action.
If he chose an animal companion, his effective druid level is now equal to his hunter level.
Improved Evasion (Ex)
At 16th level, the hunter's evasion improves. This ability works like evasion, except that while the hunter still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, he henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless hunter does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Predator (Ex)
A hunter of 20th level becomes a fearsome predator. He can always move at full speed while using Survival to follow tracks without penalty. He can, as a standard action, make a single attack against his quarry at his full attack bonus. If the attack hits, the target takes damage normally and must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the hunter's level + the hunter's Wisdom modifier. A hunter can choose instead to deal an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the creature's current hit points. A successful save negates this damage. A hunter can use this ability once per day but only once against a specific creature in a 24 hour period.
Warning: Rough draft ahead. This needs a lot of work so any criticism or suggestions are welcome.
A little something I cooked up now that the APG is out. Basically a mashup between a martial class and a witch, with some inspiration from the 3.5 base class.
Requirements
To qualify to become a hexblade, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks.
Special: Hex class feature.
Weapon Proficiency: Must be proficient with all martial weapons.
Class Skills: The Hexblade's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Ride (Dex) and Spellcraft (Int)
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier
Class Features
All of the following are features of the hexblade prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Hexblades gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Base attack bonus
Full progression.
Spells per day
As arcane archer/dragon disciple.
Harrow (Su):
At 1st level, a hexblade may make a single attack at his highest attack bonus as a standard action. If the attack hits, the hexblade may as a free action use a hex against the target of his attack. The hex chosen must be a negative effect that targets a single enemy. The hexblade may use this ability a number of days equal to his hexblade level + the hexblade's Intelligence modifier.
Hex (Su):
At 2nd level, and every three levels thereafter, the hexblade gains a new hex chosen from the list of hexes available to the witch. At 8th level, the hexblade may choose from a major hex.
Arcane Resistance (Su):
At 3rd level, the hexblade gains a +1 bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. This bonus increases by +1 at 6th and 9th level.
Aura of Unluck (Su):
At 4th level, the hexblade can create a baleful aura of misfortune as a free action. Any melee or ranged attack against the hexblade while the aura is active has a 20% miss chance. The aura lasts for a number of rounds equal to the hexblade's level. These rounds need not be consecutive.
Stalwart (Su):
At 7th level, whenever the hexblade makes a fortitude or will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, he avoids the effect entirely. A helpless hexblade does not gain the benefit of the stalwart ability.
Swift Harrow (Su):
At 10th level, the hexblade may apply his harrow ability to an attack as a swift action.
7 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Staff response: no reply required.
"Freezing Spells (Su): Whenever a creature fails a saving throw and takes cold damage from one of your spells, it is slowed (as the slow spell) for 1 round. Spells that do not allow a save do not slow creatures. At 11th level, the duration increases to 1d4 rounds."
Does an Oracle of Waves get ANY spell that deals cold damage? Aside from Wall of Ice, of course, because that's very situational. Am I missing something or is this revelation useless?
Going through the Advanced Player's Guide, I was very happy too see a lot of suggestion implemented from a wishlist thread we had a long time ago. It's always nice when a company listens to its customers. Seeing as how Ultimate Magic won't be out for a long time, this would be the perfect time to write down your wishes for Paizo Claus. I'll start things off:
I'd love to see feats that would help you scale up the 3 + modifier a day abilities of various spellcasters so they'd remain useful at higher levels. Increasing the damage dice of abilities such as Acid Darts or Fire Bolt and the HD limit of others such as Dazing Touch and Phantasm by +2 or +3 would go a long way to make them remain in play at higher levels.
I don't think I'm the only one that considers archetypes to be a superior concept to prestige classes. Sure, some prestige classes wouldn't work as archetypes, such as the mystic theurge, but other such as the duelist and assassin could well use the power boost a base class provides.
I tried to stick to as many of the base abilities the duelist has with a few modifications and I'm pretty pleased with the result. I used the fighter archetypes in the APG as guidelines and I think this is spot on.
Criticism needed!
The Duelist
Skills
The duelist adds Acrobatics, Bluff and Sense Motive to his list of class skills and removes Intimidate, Ride and Survival.
Precise Strike (Ex)
When wielding a light or one-handed piercing weapon, the duelist may add half his class level to his damage roll (minimum +1). When making a precise strike, a duelist cannot attack with a weapon in his other hand or use a shield. A duelist's precise strike only works against living creatures with discernible anatomies. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is also immune to a precise strike, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from a precise strike. This ability replaces the bonus feat at level 1.
Improved Reactions (Ex)
Starting at 2nd level, a fighter gains a +1 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd. This bonus stacks with the benefit provided by the Improved Initiative feat. This ability replaces Bravery.
Canny Defense (Ex)
At 3rd level, when wearing light or no armor and not using a shield, a duelist adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per duelist class level to his Dexterity bonus to modify Armor Class while wielding a melee weapon. If a duelist is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied his Dexterity bonus, he also loses this bonus. This ability replaces armor training 1.
Fencer (Ex)
At 5th level, a duelist gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when wielding a light or one-handed piercing weapon in one hand and nothing in the other. This bonus increases by +1 per four levels after 5th. This ability replaces weapon training 1.
Parry (Ex)
At 7th level, a duelist learns to parry the attacks of other creatures, causing them to miss. Whenever the duelist takes a full attack action with a light or one-handed piercing weapon, he can elect not to take one of his attacks. At any time before his next turn, he can attempt to parry an attack against his or an adjacent ally as an immediate action. To parry the attack, the duelist makes an attack roll, using the same bonuses as the attack he chose to forego during her previous action. If his attack roll is greater than the roll of the attacking creature, the attack automatically misses. For each size category that the attacking creature is larger than the duelist, the duelist takes a –4 penalty on his attack roll. The duelist also takes a –4 penalty when attempting to parry an attack made against an adjacent ally. The duelist must declare the use of this ability after the attack is announced, but before the roll is made. This ability replaces armor training 2.
Riposte (Ex)
At 9th level, a duelist can make an attack of opportunity against any creature whose attack he successfully parries, so long as the creature he is attacking is within reach. This ability replaces weapon training 2.
Acrobatic Charge (Ex)
At 11th level, a duelist gains the ability to charge in situations where others cannot. He may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement. Depending on the circumstance, he may still need to make appropriate checks to successfully move over the terrain. This ability replaces armor training 3.
Elaborate Defense (Ex)
At 13th level, if a duelist chooses to fight defensively or use total defense in melee combat, he gains an additional +1 dodge bonus to AC for every 3 levels of duelist he has attained. This ability replaces weapon training 3.
Deflect Arrows
At 15th level, a duelist gains the benefit of the Deflect Arrows feat when using a light or one-handed piercing weapon. The duelist does not need a free hand to use this feat. This ability replaces armor training 4.
No Retreat (Ex)
At 17th level, enemies adjacent to the duelist that take a withdraw action provoke an attack of opportunity from the duelist. This ability replaces armor training 4.
Extravagant defense (Ex)
At 19th level, a duelist gains Damage Reduction 5/— whenever he is wielding a light weapon or one-handed piercing weapon in one hand and nothing in the other. This ability replaces armor mastery.
Weapon Mastery (Ex)
A duelist must choose a type of light weapon or one-handed piercing weapon.
Acrobatic Assault (Ex): Whenever you make a successful acrobatics check to move through an opponent's square, your opponent is considered flat-footed to your attacks until the beginning of your next turn.
I really like this one, it allows rogues to get in sneak attacks when fighting on their own after combat has begun, but it's risky and can fail. Also, since you need to move through the opponent's square, full-attacks are a no-go.
Fast Talk (Ex): Once per day, you may reroll a bluff, diplomacy or intimidate check. You must decide to use this ability before the results are revealed. You must take the second roll, even if it is worse.
I love this one. A rogue insulting the king but managing to turn it into flattery with some fast talk is both great aesthetically and mechanically.
One-Hand Strike (Ex): Whenever you make a sneak-attack with your off-hand empty, you deal +1 point of sneak attack damage per die rolled.
And this one is for all the rogues that don't want to fight with two weapons. Being the dirty optimizer I am, I ran a lot of numbers for this one, and it's a decent alternative to the two-weapon fighting style.
That's all I've got for now. Post criticism and rogue talents of your own!
Bought the GMG yesterday, great book. Can't wait to delve deeper into it!
At the very end of the book there's a cheat sheet with the very basics of the game written down in a basic format similar to a character sheet. Is this in PDF format somewhere? It'd be super handy to have around when introducing new players to the game.
I wanted to make a rogue acrobat that used a quarterstaff and I was browsing through the rules. When using the quarterstaff as a double weapon, you use it as if you were fighting with a one handed weapon and a light weapon. Does that mean that only the off-hand end of your weapon gets the benefit of weapon finesse? It certainly seems that way but it seems a bit stupid. My DM will no doubt allow me to use it the other way but I just wanted to be sure.
I know they don't automatically get them, but can a level 1 inquisitor with, say, the fire domain get burning hands as a spell if he uses up one of his known spells to do so?
How would you feel about a Summoner that could summon multiple Eidolons (only one at a time), but had fewer evolution points to work with? He'd get access to maybe 3 eidolons and could only summon one per day as usual, but he could build them differently to use in different situations. One for massive combat, one for utility, one for aquatic stuff, one for flight etc. At level 20 when the regular summoner has 26 evolution points, this one would have maybe 19-20. He would be a weaker than the usual summoner but a lot more flexible.
This is an attempt to make a mage/thief base class, drawing on inspiration from the rogue, arcane trickster, beguiler and spellthief. I'm pretty happy with it but I'd like to see if you guys can see anything wrong with it which I should fine-tune. I was considering giving it its own spell list but that's never popular and to be honest I don't see anything gamebreaking by him having the sorcerer/wizard spell list.
Alignment: Any
HD/Base attack: d8/Medium
Good saves: Reflex/Will
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape artist (Dex), Knowledge (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense motive (Wis), Sleight of hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Conmages are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. A conmage can cast conmage spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a conmage wearing medium or heavy armor or wielding a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass conmage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Spells: A conmage casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a conmage must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a conmage’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the conmage’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a conmage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Conmage. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.
The conmage’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A conmage begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the conmage’s choice. At each new conmage level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Conmage Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a conmage knows is not affected by his Charisma score.
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third conmage level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a conmage can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the conmage “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level conmage spell the conmage can cast. A conmage may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
A conmage need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
For spells per day and spells known, just look at the link above (although it's the exact same as the bard).
Cantrips (Sp): Conmages learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Conmage Spells Known under “Spells Known.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Cloaked casting (Ex): At 1st level, whenever you cast a spell on a foe who would be denied its dexterity bonus to AC, you gain a +1 bonus to your spell‘s DC and caster level checks to overcome spell resistance. At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1.
Ranged ledgermain (Su): A conmage can use Disable Device and Sleight of Hand at a range of 30 feet. Working at a distance increases the normal skill check DC by 5, and a conmage cannot take 10 on this check. Any object to be manipulated must weigh 5 pounds or less. He can only use this ability if she has at least 1 rank in the skill being used.
Trapfinding: A conmage adds 1/2 his level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). A conmage can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.
Sneak attack: At 2nd level, a conmage gains the ability to make sneak attacks as a rogue for 1d6 extra damage. Every four levels thereafter, the sneak attack damage improves by 1d6.
Evasion (Ex): At 3rd level and higher, a conmage can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the conmage is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless conmage does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Silent spell: A conmage gains Silent spell as a bonus feat at 4th level.
Still spell: A conmage gains Still spell as a bonus feat at 6th level.
Tricky spells (Su): Starting at 8th level, a conmage can apply the benefits of silent spell and still spell on a spell he casts without increasing its casting time or spell level. He can use this ability twice per day at 8th level and two additional times every four levels thereafter. The conmage decides to use this ability at the time of casting.
Dispelling Attack (Su): At 9th level opponents that are dealt sneak attack damage by a conmage are affected by a targeted dispel magic, targeting the lowest-level spell effect active on the target. The caster level for this ability is equal to the conmage's level.
Pilfer magic (Su): At 13th level, whenver the conmage successfully dispels a magic effect from an opponent he gains the benefit of that effect for a number of rounds equal to his charisma bonus, or for the remaining rounds the spell would have lasted (whichever is lower). A conmage could only pilfer magic which he is a legible target for.
Vanish (Su): At 17th level, whenever the conmage makes a reflex saving throw to avoid damage, he can turn invisible as an immediate action. He can stay invisible in this way for a number of rounds per day equal to his charisma bonus. These rounds must not be consecutive.
Surprise Spells (Su): At 19th level, a conmage can add her sneak attack damage to any spell that deals damage, if the targets are flat-footed. This additional damage only applies to spells that deal hit point damage, and the additional damage is of the same type as the spell. If the spell allows a saving throw to negate or halve the damage, it also negates or halves the sneak attack damage.
Master trickster (Su): At 20th level, a conmage becomes a master trickster. He can use the tricky spells ability at will. Furhtermore, each time he deals sneak attack damage, the target must make a will save or be confused (as Confusion). The DC of this is 10 + 1/2 the conmage's level + the conmage's charisma modifier.
I've been having a lot of fun with homebrewing for the last couple of days. What started out as a new take on the sorcerer class ended up as a whole new class, the elementalist. Funny how things go. Right before posting this, I noticed another thread with a class with the exact same name, so I'm sorry for the conceptual overlap, Felgoroth. Thankfully, we had quite different takes on the class itself, though!
The spell is heavily based on the warlock from 3.5, the alchemist from the playtest and has some inspiration from the elemental oracle revelations. It's meant to play out as a pure blaster, something I immensely enjoy. I'm pretty pleased with how it's shaping up, but I need some help with it though. Looking at the level progression, it does seem to lack something early on, any suggestions on what I could add?
Elemental blast (Sp): At 1st level, the elementalist gains the ability go make an elemental blast. The elemental blast is a ray with a range of 30 ft. It is a ranged touch attack that allows no saving throw. An elemental blast deals 1d6 damage at first level, dealing an additional 1d6 damage for every 2 levels the elementalist gains thereafter. The elemental blast is equal to a spell whose level is equal to one half the elementalist‘s class level (rounded down) with a minimum spell level of 1 and a maximum spell level of 9. The elemental blast is subject to spell resistance, but feats such as Spell penetration apply to the elemental blast. If the elemental has sufficient base attack bonus, he may make multiple elemental blasts as a full round action.
Favored element (Su): At 1st level, the elementalist must choose one element which he has power over. The elements are air, earth, fire and water. The elementalist‘s elemental blast deals energy damage according to the element chosen. The air element deals electrical damage, the earth element deals acid damage, the fire element deals fire damage and the water element deals ice damage. When dealing damage with this particular energy descriptor, the elementalist deals an extra +1 damage per die rolled. This choice cannot be changed, although additional elements may be learned through a talent.
Talents (Su): At 2nd level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the elementalists acquires a talent that empowers his abilities. Unless otherwise noted, a talent cannot be chosen more than once. The DC for any saving throw called for by a talent is equal to 10 + ½ the elementalist‘s level + the elementalist‘s charisma modifier.
Spoiler:
Additional element (Su): You gain the ability to use another element in addition to your favored element. This ability can be taken more than once, up to a maximum of all four elements.
Corrosive blasts (Su): Creatures that are hit by your acid elemental blasts must make a fortitude save or take half damage again on their next round. You must be at least 4th level before choosing this talent.
Combustion blasts(Su): Creatures that are hit by your fire elemental blasts must make a reflex save or catch fire. The flames deal 1d6 damage each round for rounds equal to your charisma modifier. Extinguishing the flames is a full-round action that requires a Reflex save. Rolling on the ground provides a +2 bonus on the save. Dousing the target with at least two gallons of water automatically extinguishes the flames. You must be at least 4th level before choosing this talent.
Emulate spell (Sp): Select one spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list with a descriptor that matches an element you know (such as [acid], [electric], [fire] or[ice]). You gain this spell as a spell-like ability that you can cast two times per day. You must be of a level equal to or greater than twice the spell's level to select this talent.
Elemental form (Sp): As a standard action, you may assume the form of a small elemental as elemental body I. This must be an elemental of a type you can use. At 9th level, you may assume the form of a medium elemental as elemental body II. At 11th level, you may assume the form of a large elemental as elemental body III. At 13th level, you may assume the form of a huge elemental as elemental body IV. You may use this ability for up to 1 turn/level. You cannot use elementalal abilities that are of another type than the form of the elemental. These hours must not be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1 turn increments. You must be at least 7th level before choosing this talent.
Elemental movement (Su): You gain a special movement type or bonus of a single element. The air element gains a fly speed of 30 ft. This increases to 60 ft. at 15th level. The earth element gains a burrow speed of 15 ft. This increases to 30 ft. at 15th level. The fire element gains +20. feet to their base speed. This increases to 30 ft. at 15th level. The water element gains a swim speed of 30 ft. This increases to 60 ft. at 15th level. You may choose this talent multiple times. Each time it applies to a different element. You must be at least 8th level before choosing this talent.
Elemental defense (Ex): You gain a bonus to your defenses according to the elemental type selected. You must know the elemental type you choose. The air and water elements gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC. The earth and fire elements gain a damage reduction of 1/-. These bonuses increase to +2 and 2/- at 7th level, to +3 and 3/- at 11th level and +4 and 4/- at 15th level. You may only choose this talent once. You must be at least 4th level before choosing this talent.
Extend reach (Su): Increases the base range of your elemental blast by 10 ft. This talent can taken more than once.
Freezing blast(Su): Creatures that are hit by your cold elemental blasts must make a fortitude save or be staggered for one round. This increases to two rounds at 11th level. You must be at least 4th level before choosing this talent.
Infuse weapon(Sp): As a standard action, you may imbue a weapon you wield with an element you know, granting it either the flaming, frost or shock ability. At 11th level, these improve to flaming burst, icy burst and shocking burst. If your elemental power is acid, it gains the flaming or flaming burst ability, but the damage dealt is acid damage. This ability lasts for 1 min/level. These minutes must not be spent consecutively but they must be spent in 1 min increments. You must be at least 6th level before choosing this talent.
Precise blasts(Su): You can choose a number of squares equal to your charisma modifier that are not affected by your shaped blasts.
Raw power(Su): Increases the damage of your elemental blasts by 1d6. This talent can be taken more than once.
Resilient skin (Ex): You gain a resistance of 5 to an element you know. This resistance increases to 10 at 5th level and 20 at 11th level. At 20th level you gain an immunity to this element.You may choose this talent more than once. Each time it applies to a different element.
Thundering blasts (Su): You may choose to divide the damage of your electrical elemental blasts in half, dealing half electrical damage and half sonic damage. Furthermore, creatures that are hit by this sonic damage must make a will save or be deafened for a number of rounds equal to your charisma modifier. You must be at least 4th level before choosing this talent.
Shapes (Su): At 2nd level, you learn how to shape your elemental blasts. Elemental blasts that have been shaped do no longer count as ranged touch attacks, but rather as spells that have a reflex saving throw DC of 10 + ½ the elementalist‘s level + the elementalists charisma modifier. You can shape your elemental blasts at will. Shaped blasts gain all the improvements elemental blasts gain from talents. You begin by knowing one shape at 2nd level and you gain more shapes as your levels progress. The shapes you can learn are listed below. Improved shapes can only be learned at 8th level or higher and must have had their lesser variants learned beforehand. Greater shapes can only be learned at 15th level or higher and must have both lesser variants learned beforehand.
(Take a look at the google doc link at the top of the post to see how many shapes the class learns)
Spoiler:
Ball: Your elemental blast deals its damage in a 5 ft radius.
Improved ball: As ball, but the radius increases to 10 ft.
Greater ball: As improved ball, but the radius increases to 15 ft.
Cone: Your elemental blast takes the shape of a cone with half its range.
Improved cone: As cone, but the range of the cone increases to full range.
Greater cone: As improved cone, but the range of the cone increases to one and one half range.
Line: Your elemental blast deals damage in a line with its full range.
Improved line: As line, but the range is doubled.
Greater line: As improved line, but the range is tripled.
Nova: Your elemental blasts deal damage in a radius centered on you with half your elemental blast range
Improved nova: As nova, but the radius is full elemental blast range.
Greater nova: As improved nova, but the radius is one and one half elemental blast range.
Elemental mastery (Su): At 20th level you become a master of the elements. Your shaped elemental blasts deal 50% more damage and your regular elemental blasts' critical hits are automatically confirmed. In addition, their critical damage increases from x2 to x3.
Yes, this is yet another attempt at making a gish base class, sorry ;_; . It is based loosely on the Duskblade and is meant to play out like an arcane counterpart to the paladin, with a heavier emphasis on spellcasting. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome and I don't see any glaring problems with it, but I guess that's why post things here :)
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spellknights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor and shields (except tower shields). A spellknight can cast spellknight spells while wearing light or medium armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a spellknight wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass spellknight still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Spells: A spellknight casts arcane spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. Hhe can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a spellknight must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a spellknight's spell is 10 + the spell level + the spellknight's Charisma modifier.
A spellknight's selection of spells is extremely limited. A spellknight begins play knowing four 0-level spells of his choice. At each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Spellknight Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a spellknight knows is not affected by her Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Spellknight Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the spellknight has gained some understanding of through study.
A spellknight can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.
Cantrips: Spellknights learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Spellknight Spells Known under “Spells Known.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Arcane strike: A spellknight gets arcane strike as a bonus feat at first level.
Arcane Bond (Su): At 1st level, you gain an arcane bond, as a wizard equal to your spellknight level. Your spellknight levels stack with any wizard levels you possess when determining the powers of your familiar or bonded object. This ability does not allow you to have both a familiar and a bonded item.
Combat casting: A spellknight gets combat casting as a bonus feat at second level.
Mystic shroud (Su): At 3rd level, the spellknight gets a +2 bonus on all saving throws made against spells or spell-like abilities. Every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, 15th, 19th) this bonus increases by +1.
Spellstrike (Su): Beginning at 4th level, you may as a standard action make an attack at your full attack bonus and cast any spell you know. Casting a spell in this manner does not cause an attack of opportunity. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. If the spell used has a target other than the caster, the target of the spell must be the creature attacked. If the attack misses and the target is an enemy, the spell fails and is used up. Otherwise it is cast as normal, even if the attack misses. If the spell used is a touch attack, the touch attack roll is automatically made if your attack hits. If the spell used has an area of effect, it is centered on the target of the spellstrike. Any spell used in conjunction with spellstrike counts as used for the spellknight‘s spells per day.
Bonus Feat: At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, a spellknight gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats or metamagic feats.
Spell power (Su): At 6th level, the spellknight gets a +1 bonus to the DC of his spells when used in conjunction with spellstrike and a +1 bonus to overcome any spell resistance the target might have. Every three levels thereafter (9th, 12th, 15th, 18th) this bonus increases by +1.
Efficient metamagic (Su): At 8th level the spellknight can apply metamagic feats to his spells without increasing their casting time. In addition, the level adjustment required for using metamagic feats is decreased by 1. For example, an empowered spell usually takes up a spellslot two levels higher than the usual spell level. Efficient metamagic reduces that to a spellslot one level higher than the usual spell level.
Intense spellstrike (Su): At 13th level, whenever the spellknight casts an evocation spell that deals hit point damage, he adds 1/2 his spellknight level to the damage. This bonus only applies once to a spell, not once per missile or ray, and cannot be split between multiple missiles or rays. This damage is of the same type as the spell.
Arcane aura (Su): At 14th level, each ally within 10 feet of the spellknight gains half the benefits of mystic shroud and spell power (rounded down).
Shape spellstrike (Su): At 16th level, whenever the spellknight uses a spell with an area of effect in conjunction with spellstrike, he may choose to exclude himself from the area of effect.
High arcana (Sp): At 17th level, the spellknight may choose one spell of seventh level or lower from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He may from then on cast that spell once per day as a spell-like ability. This ability can be used in conjunction with spellstrike.
Arcane champion (Su): At 20th level, the spellknight‘s bond with the mystic arts peaks. He gains damage reduction 10/magic. In addition, he is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the spellknight's creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. Unlike other outsiders, the spellknight can still be brought back from the dead as if he were a member of his previous creature type.
So yeah, there it is. Like I said earlier, it has some things in common with the duskblade, but I never really liked that class too much so I fixed what I didn't like about it.
I'm making a new thread for these since the last one was getting a bit cluttered. Anyways,
Kits! Who doesn't love kits, or class variants as we have come to know them today. I've been working on a few class variants in my spare time (which is totally not so spare) and have now revised them, fixed them up and chosen the best out of them for you.
For those of you unfamiliar with class variants, the basic gist is that an existing class gains new abilities at the expense of older ones, resulting (hopefully) in a net gain of zero. Class variants should be as powerful as the original class, but in other areas. Without further ado, let's get down to business:
The Assassin A variant for the rogue that strengthens its ability to, well, murder things, at the expense of non-murder related activities.
The Marshal
A variant for the fighter that sacrifices pure fighting power for the ability to fight smart, and lead your allies to victory.
The Stalker
A variant for the ranger that sacrifices animal companionship and combat style for the ability to better elude your enemies and deal damage when they don't expect it.
The Swashbuckler
A variant for the rogue with an emphasis on daring-do, who needs sneak attack anyways?
The Thug
A variant for the fighter and one mean customer. He'll stab you in the gut and punch you in the face, all in one round, and probably disarm your sandwich while he's at it.
The Vicar
A variant for the cleric. Less clanking about in full plate and clobbering stuff with morningstars, more skills, spellcasting and other stuff.
There you have it, the plan is/was to make two kits for every core class, but paizo has made that pretty hard to do because they've covered pretty much everything with their excellent customization options. Still, expect to see more in months to come (if you guys like it, that is).
While I liked powers for martial classes in 4e (heresy!), I didn't like how they were limited to specific classes. When Pathfinder came around with feats like cleave and vital strike, I was very glad to see some options to use when full attacks aren't an option. I wasn't glad to see some of the steep prerequisites for abilities such as shatter defenses and whirlwind attack, so below are some are some easily accessible feats that I've been fiddling with. Most of these are based on existing stuff with some modifications.
Feedback is more than welcome.
Below are a couple of feats I've been fiddling with and I'd love to hear some feedback.
Impact
You know how to smash your foe into an obstacle.
Prerequisites: Str 15
Benefit: If you force an opponent to move into a wall or solid object when using a bull rush, you can use the momentum to crush him against it dealing damage equal to 1d4 per square pushed + your strength bonus.
Benefit: As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus as well as one iterative attack. If you are fighting with two weapons, you can make an iterative attack with each, provided you have the feats to do so. When you use this feat, you take a -2 penalty to your Armor Class until your next turn. Abilities that require you to take a fullround action such as rapid shot cannot be used in conjunction with this ability.
Improved Skirmish
Prerequisites: Skirmish, Dex 17, base attack bonus +11
Benefit: This ability functions like Skirmish, except you can make two iterative attacks with a single weapon, or two iterative attacks with each weapon if you are fighting with two weapons, provided you have the feats to do so. The penalty to armor class remains at -2.
With great precicion, you make an attack that bypasses the defenses of your foe.
Prerequisites: Dex 15, base attack bonus +6
Benefit:As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a single enemy. If the attack hits, the enemy is treated as flat-footed (for purposes of sneak attack) and you add your dexterity modifier as precicion damage.
With improved counterspell, you can counterspell with a spell from the same school as the opposed spell instead of the exact same spell. A level 20 arcane sorcerer doesn't increase the casting time of his metamagic spells, so if he had heighten spell and a level 1 spell of every school, could he counterspell every single spell an enemy spellcaster could cast by heightening them to an appropriate level?
I've been playing Baldur's Gate 2 recently and thought to myself that implementing the rogue kits in Pathfinder shouldn't be too tough. I am not a big fan of the assassin prestige class and I think this new swashbuckler could fill a niche some people might be looking for.
- Gets weapon training and weapon mastery as a fighter
- Gets bonus combat feats as a fighter every five levels
- Uses swashbuckler level to qualify for fighter feats
Disadvantages:
- No sneak attack. Rogue talents that rely on sneak attack still usable whenever a rogue would be able to sneak attack.
Assassin Advantages:
- Sneak attack dice increased to d8
- Gets poison use and potent poisons
- Gets death attack and swift death
Disadvantages:
- Only 4 skill points per level
- No rogue talents
- No trap sense
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Most of the abilities can be found on the fighter class and the existing assassin prestige class. The only new ability is potent poisons, which increases the DC of all poisons the assassin uses as listed. The Angel of Death ability now also allows the assassin to use swift death at will.
I might be late for the party but I'd just like to chime in with ideas of my own to fix the crossbow problem. A player in my group recently wanted to make a character using a crossbow, but was put off by how vastly superior regular bows were.
These weapons are based on the feat 'Crossbow Sniper' from PHB II from 3.5, but are weapons instead of feats. Repeating crossbows have always been a really lousy counterpart to the composite bows, since they add in a drawback which pretty much nullifies their bonuses. They also fall way behind the composite bows in damage, and to me crossbows should always be the slow, hard hitting ranged weapon.
The precision crossbows differ from the composite bows because they do not require a high strength score to use effectively, rather a high dexterity score. Light precision crossbows will be more or less equal to the composite longbows, while heavy precision crossbows will fire around one bolt per round which will deal massive damage.
Precision Crossbows
Whether fitted with a sniper's scope or a highly sensitive trigger, the precision crossbow is a highly modified and complex weapon. To properly use it requires finesse, but in return it allows the user to make shots with lethal accuracy, adding a portion of the users dexterity modifier to the attack's damage, light crossbows adding half damage and heavy crossbows full damage. They are made with a particular dexterity rating which is required to use them effectively.
Light Precision Crossbow
A +1 precision light crossbow required a dexterity modifier of +2 to use effectively, a +2 precision crossbow requires a dexterity modifier of +4 and so on. If the user does not have a sufficient dexterity score he gains no bonus to damage and a -2 penalty on attack rolls. Otherwise, the precision crossbow's bonus to damage corresponds to its modifier. Each +1 modifier adds 100 gp to the base price of the crossbow.
For purposes of Weapon Proficiency and similar feats, a light precision crossbow is treated as if it were a light crossbow.
Heavy Precision Crossbow
A +1 precision light crossbow required a dexterity modifier of +1 to use effectively, a +2 precision crossbow requires a dexterity modifier of +2 and so on. If the user does not have a sufficient dexterity score he gains no bonus to damage and a -2 penalty on attack rolls. Otherwise, the precision crossbow's bonus to damage corresponds to its modifier. Each +1 modifier adds 100 gp to the base price of the crossbow. For purposes of Weapon Proficiency and similar feats, a heavy precision crossbow is treated as if it were a heavy crossbow.
If you want to make it a bit better on the fluff side, you could even call it a gnome precision crossbow, which every gnome can use but regular races would need to have martial weapon proficiency to use :)
One of the big problems of implementing reoccurring villains in your campaign is to find the means of having them escape after an encounter with the heroes. Sure, you can give some of them dimension door, but not every villain has magical powers and it can get a bit stale after a while. Running away is classic, but ultimately unreliable. Smoke bombs are cool, but often a bit too 'ninja' for the villain's style.
When and if you have reoccurring villains in your adventure, how do they escape the heroes?
