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The necromancer in my group is a cleric so he cannot cast such a spell. But the idea was good, is there a way then for a caracter to learn a single spell from another class ?

You could buy a wand or scroll of it and use it with Use Magic Device. That's about all I can think of.

I found the undead lord really powerful. The cleric in our group is only level 5 (with undead master and gifted adept feats) and he is able to animate 40HD of creatures (lvl 5 + 4 lvl from undead master + 1 from gifted adept), he is quite op compare to other PCs in the group which is a pain to balance because monsters hard enough for him would one shot other PCs. Is there something we are doing wrong ?

Animate dead is, I hate to say it, a broken spell. Whenever I take it I am careful not to abuse it. I usually only keep one combat minion and leave the rest of the HD for things like nightmare skeleton mounts for the party.

If it's a problem in your game, you should talk to your player about it and see if you can work something out. I'd suggest taking that step before doing something as drastic as banning the spell and invalidating his entire character concept.

Hi,

I have a question about the cleric undead lord archetype. One of our player in the group is asking if he should double the cost of onyx if he animates a bloody skeleton.
In the animate dead spell we can read that it count as double HD for casting. Is it only regarding the max number of HD he can animate with a single cast or does it count also for the price to pay ?

Bloody skeletons "count as twice their normal number of Hit Dice per casting," so yes, they cost twice as much money to animate. They're well worth it, though, since they self-heal and even if they're destroyed, they come back to "life" an hour later. The types of attacks that can permanently destroy them are things that the bad guys aren't very likely to have at their disposal.

By the way I found the price of animate dead a little expensive for low levels. Is it only my opinion, do you have custom rules for that ? Is there an easy way for the payer to find onyx ?

Gems shouldn't be too hard to come by. Onyx gems aren't like diamonds of other extremely rare gems. It should be possible to buy some in most towns and almost any city.

Your player might want to take a look at the Blood Money spell. It let's you take 1d6 damage and 1+ points of Strength damage in place of an expensive material component. This is an excellent spell for a necromancer, especially if you can animate your minions during downtime when you can rest off the strength damage. Otherwise, just ask the cleric for a lesser restoration, or even better, buy a wand of it for him to use on you. At 90gp per charge, it's still cheaper than most expensive material components.

I don't see why not. "Obey him" is a pretty simple instruction that even skeletons and zombies should be able to understand.

The necromancer's athame let's a necromancer swap any prepared necromancy spell for another necromancy spell he knows of the same level or lower. My question is, can the swapped spell include a metamagic?

For example, let's say I have magic jar prepared, a 5th level spell. Could I exchange that for a bestow curse with the reach metamagic (which raises the spell level of bestow curse from 4th to 5th)?

Here's some Pathfinder spells that cause nausea:
cacophonous call (APG)
eruptive pustules (UM)
loathsome veil (UM)
phantasmal web (APG)
unadulterated loathing (UM)

If you're allowed to use 3.5 spells, there are some really good ones.
The Spell Compendium has burning blood, could of bewilderment and fleshiver, to name a few. Complete Mage has horrid sickness and finger of agony.

The ring of sustenance and handy haversack are the two items I buy for nearly every character I play.

For higher levels, I also love the ring of telekinesis. Having one of my favorite spells at-will is nothing short of amazing, and it gives my wizard lots of fun things to do on those many turns that he doesn't want to use one of his prepared spells. There's so many cool things you can do with it, whether it's disarming, tripping, or grappling your foes with your mind, tossing people around like rag dolls, or using the environment as a weapon.

The Wood Mystery is another option. The Wood Bond ability gives you a +1, +1 per 5 levels on attacks with bows and other wooden weapons. This will help make up for your medium BAB as an oracle as well as the penalty from Deadly Aim.

Make sure you take the divine favor spell, which gives up to +3 on attack and damage rolls. Once you have 4th level spells, take Divine Power, which will make you go from a mediocre archer to amazing. Other good spells are Align Weapon, Air Walk, and the godly Fickle Winds (which lets you attack other people with ranged attacks but makes you all but immune to them). And of course, Summoned Monsters are great for many reasons, if you can afford to spend the full round to summon them.

Sor/Wiz
0th: detect magic, light, mage hand, prestidigitation
1st: magic missile, silent image
2nd: invisibility, mirror image
3rd: haste, slow
4th: black tentacles, dimension door
5th: overland flight, telekinesis
6th: contingency, greater dispel magic
7th: greater teleport, reverse gravity
8th: moment of prescience, polymorph any object
9th: time stop, wish

Cleric/Oracle
0th: create water, detect magic, light, stabilize
1st: cure light wounds, obscuring mist
2nd: lesser restoration, silence
3rd: magic circle, stone shape
4th: air walk, freedom of movement
5th: fickle winds, greater command
6th: greater dispel magic, heal
7th: greater scrying
8th: earthquake
9th: gate, miracle

For both types, add whatever is the best Summon Monster spell you can have at that level.

The 3.5 Warlock works just fine in Pathfinder. I just boost their HD to d8 and add their Cha bonus to their eldritch blast damage.

The Final Revelation of the Heavens Mystery states that if you die "you are reborn 3 days later in the form of a star child, who matures over the course of 7 days (treat as the reincarnate spell)." But how does this happen? Does some random woman somewhere in the world immaculately conceive a baby and give birth to it a week later? Does a stork from heaven come and drop off the baby to the party? What, if anything, happens to your old body?

This spell is indeed pretty useless. Just hit the person with your weapon. They will not only "resume dying", the damage might be enough to kill them outright.

For the last time:

Chakrams Are Martial Weapons!

We cool? Good.

Geez, sorry.

Fixed.

How about this?

Xena, the "Warrior Princess"
16th level Human Fighter

Abilities: Str 16, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 17

Skills: Acrobatics +19, Climb +12, Handle Animal +10, Heal +10, Intimidate +14, Perception +14, Perform (dance) +11, Perform (Sing) +11, Ride +14, Swim +12

Feats: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip), Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Mounted Combat, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Pressure Points*, Richochet Shot*, Snatch Arrows, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack
*New Feat, see below

Pressure Points
Prerequisites: Improved Unarmed Strike, Dex 17, base attack bonus +11, heal 5 ranks
Benefit: Xena can, as a standard action, make an unarmed attack roll with a free hand against a humanoid target. If successful, the attack deals no damage, but instead cuts of the flow of blood to the target's brain or paralyzes one of the target's limbs for one hour (her choice when making the attack). In either case, the target may make a Fortitude Save (DC 10 + 1/2 her level + her Dexterity modifier; DC 20 in Xena's case) to negate the effect. A Heal check with the same DC can also reverse the effect. If she cuts of the blood flow to a target's brain, the victim will fall unconscious in 10 rounds and start dying (as if suffocating) unless she reverses the effect with a touch. Cutting off the blood flow also gives Xena a +10 bonus on Intimidate rolls against the target.

Ricochet Shot
Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: Xena can have her thrown weapons return to her as if they were returning weapons. Xena can also bounce her thrown weapons from one target to another as a full attack action, allowing her to make multiple atacks against separate targets with the same, single thrown weapon, or to perform stunts such as hitting targets around corners by bouncing it off the wall. She may have her weapon make a maximum number of "bounces" per turn equal to the number of attacks she can make with a full attack action.

Class Features and Other Traits:
Bravery +4
Armor Training 4
Weapon Training: Heavy Blades +3, Unarmed +2, Whip +1
Prodigious Jumper: Xena has a +30 bonus on Athletics checks to Jump, as if under the effects of a Jump spell with a permanent duration. Nobody knows for sure whether this is due to some divine heritage, magical effect or special training.

Gear:
Masterwork longsword, yin/yang charkram (see below), whip, leather armor, traveler's kit, light warhorse.

Yin/Yang Chakram: This +4 returning adamantine chakram was formed by combining the chakram of light and darkness into a single weapon. It can be split into two halves or recombined as a free action, doubling the number of attacks and bounces she can make with her ricochet shot feat (without any penalty for using two weapons). It can also be wielded as a melee weapon, whole or split in two.

Note: I didn't provide stats like Xena's AC and Saving Throws. Since Xena lives in a low magic setting with virtually no magical items, her ratings in these traits would only seem to be extremely low for her level (and they would be). Obviously, her world would have somewhat different rules like adding BAB to AC or something similar to make up for the lack of magical items in that setting. In the show, her chakram was pretty much the only magical item she owned.

To be honest, I would rather have a mass version of the spell.

My thoughts exactly.

I think that the ability to divide the spell duration among multiple targets would have worked better as a metamagic feat.

Halfings make great wizards. Their small size is pretty much nothing but a benefit. It's not like they really suffer from the lack of strength or reduced speed (at least not when you can conjure mounts or fly).

The truth is, pretty much any race can do well as a wizard. Even those with a -2 penalty to Intelligence can do well. It's only a 1 or 2 point difference in save DCs and a couple bonus spells per day difference. Just make sure you start with at least a 14 Int and you'll be fine as long as you put all of your level-up ability points into Int. Wizards have the means to overcome whatever weaknesses they may have due to race.

Sometimes, it's more fun to play a less optimal race. I once played a Kobold Wizard and when I told the rest of my group what I was planning on playing they all looked at me in shock. Why would you want to be a kobold, they asked? One player even laughingly suggested that I should get a bonus level (the opposite of a level adjustment) for playing such a weak race! But it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable characters I've ever played.

So, don't listen to what the min/maxers say. If you think a halfling wizard would be a fun character to play, go for it!

A Thri-Kreen with Greater Multi-Weapon Fighting. They have four arms, and each arm is getting 4 attacks, plus a bite, for a total of 17 attacks per round.

This combo really isn't as powerful as some people think. It's a nice ability that makes the spell useful at higher levels (as opposed to totally useless, which we should all agree is unacceptable), but the thing is, those higher HD creatures are going to have higher save bonuses and this is still just a 1st level spell, so the save DC will be pretty low. And, as other people have pointed out, the spell has other big limitations, like its range.

Really, I don't understand why this is such a big deal at those levels when people can be throwing out things like Fear, Confusion and Mass Command. Not only are those spells much more potent, they have a higher save DC and are thus more likely to succeed.

Can a small steel shield be both magically and made of mithral?

Yes. Just add the cost of the enchantment (which is enhancement bonus squared x 1,000 gp) to the price of the mithral shield.

Anyone?

What is your favorite Oracle Mystery, and why?

I would probably have to say mine is Wind. The bonus spell list is pretty good (and includes the best spell ever - control winds). I also love the revelations, which include several very useful and powerful abilities, from invisibily to 90 ft. perfect manueverability flight.

If I want to buy a wand with a caster level higher than minimum, how do I calculate the cost? The prices given in the Corebook are for minimum caster level. Say I want a wand of Fireball with a caster level 10th. Thanks.

The market price of a wand is spell level x caster level x 750 gp. So a wand of fireball (10th) would cost 3 x 10 x 750 = 22,500 gp.

Does the Air Bubble spell protect against posion gases and the like? What about the cloudkill spell?

I just wanted to say again thank you for writing this guide. It's been very helpful. I look forward to seeing it finished.

Quote:

The real problem arises when someone plays a Paladin, since their code of conduct prevents them from tolerating anything "evil." But then, the person playing the paladin is the one who is being disruptive to the group by restricting the other players' choices.

If you wind up with a paladin playing it like that, then that might be a case of Lawful Stupid. Talking to the player about finding ways their paladin can deal with it is probably necessary, since paladins are not JUST Lawful Stupid, and educating the player on such would help tremendously. Having the paladin decide to deal with any Evil AL character in the party is as simple as the Paladin deciding to lead and teach by example, in the hopes one day the Evil AL PC will eventually turn over a new leaf after all of the influence by the Good AL Paladin. Or any other reason the players or DM can come up with, really.

While Paladins don't necessarily like it, they can and will team up with an evil person. Most often to vanquish a greater evil. Give a paladin player that option and a greater recurring evil to vanquish the evil aligned pc is key to defeating, and there ya go.

A little off topic, but might actually be relevant depending on his party set up.

For more info on Paladins that AREN'T Lawful Stupid, please read here

"While she may adventure with good or neutral allies, a paladin avoids working with evil characters or with anyone who consistently offends her moral code." Core Rulebook p. 64

Since skeletons and zombies are "[Evil]" in Pathfinder, a Paladin cannot willingly work with a player who has such minions except, as the book puts it, "under exceptional circumstances" where they are working together to defeat a "greater evil." And even then, it says that the Paladin should have to routinely receive atonement spells for doing so! I am not making this up!

So please, don't blame me for the "lawful stupidness" that is the Paladin class. I didn't write the rules, and don't follow those rules as written in my games.

I have a bit of a problem with this attitude. In my view, the failure of a gaming group is a group failure, not just that of an individual. For most areas that are anywhere near the norm, you really can't expect to roll into town with a pack of shambling zombies and expect to be treated the same as someone walking a dog. Even if they're not attacking anyone most people find the very sight of them offensive.

So in one view, you might castigate a player of a Paladin for putting constraints on the groups actions, but you're not totally immune from the charge yourself. Your public persona will impact the perception of those who associate with you. Your asking players to set aside what would be a natural character revulsion. (this assumes of course you're actually playing with roleplayers and not just munchkins glad for extra cannon fodder.) Most cultures have very strong beliefs on how the dead should be treated. Your necromancer is essentially a walking time bomb that's waiting to be set off by the right cultural group.

You did read the part where I told him to discuss this with his players, didn't you? I said, "Alot of this depends on the attitudes of the players. I suggest talking with them and making sure they're all okay with it."

The problem with Paladins is that they are delibarately restrictive, not just to themselves, but to the other players. It isn't just Necromancers that Paladins have trouble getting along with. So really, when someone decides that they want to play a Paladin, they should be just as mindful of their fellow players and make sure its okay with them as the person who wants to play a necromancer. Both types of characters can be disruptive and sources of conflict, in fact, I think Paladins tend to cause more problems than Necromancers. That's all I meant by that.

Three questions, bear with me. Keep in mind I'm working with only the basic Pathfinder sourcebook.

1. What does an adventuring party absolutely need? All I know for sure is that you need some form of magical healing, and probably a rogue as they're the only ones who can find traps to my knowledge. I need to know because I'm forming a group and one member in particular always loves to play monks, even though they seem doomed to fifth wheel status.

A typical group consists of a fighter-type, a rogue-type, cleric-type and mage-type. That said, the DM has alot of power to make adjustments to accomodate the group. If the party doesn't have a rogue, don't put traps everywhere, and when you do put a trap, make it something that isn't impossible to bypass by other means. There are also other ways of dealing with traps if the players are willing to be creative, such as by sending summoned monsters to set them off or using something like dimension door to bypass them, etc.

If the party lacks a healer, you can give out more potions and other curative items to help make up for the difference. This option is more effective at low-mid levels, but probably not sufficient at high levels. I've played in several level 6-10 games without a dedicated healer and got by just fine with things like wands of cure light wounds. If your group lacks a healer, I strongly suggest that someone have the Use Magic Device skill.

The lack of a mage type can also be dealt with in large part with magic items. If a particular spell is needed in an adventure, let the players find a scroll, or have an NPC available to cast that spell for them.

The lack of a fighter-type is the easiest to overcome, as any character can fight. Summoned monsters, animated dead, animal companions and even melee-focused divine characters can make up for the lack of a dedicated warrior.

A balanced group is always nice to have, but it isn't necessary.

2. What do various alignments, good-aligned in particular, think about necromancy? What about society at large? Another player wishes to be a wizard specializing in it, and is interested in summoning minions. I know the energy is described as "foul" and a few spells have the [Evil] descriptor, but I'm concerned with how that could affect party cohesion, as well as how it could throw a monkey wrench into an otherwise normal adventure.

Alot of this depends on the attitudes of the players. I suggest talking with them and making sure they're all okay with it. Most people, IME, don't really care. It is just a game, after all.

From an in-game roleplaying perspective, how people react to necromancers is a matter of culture and individual beliefs. Most people consider necromancy to be creepy, if not vile, but alot depends on the necromancer and his actions. Is he just animating the dead monsters he slays, like ogres and other evil creatures, or is he raiding the village graveyard for corpses? Is he creating intelligent undead, which involves enslaving and tormenting souls, or is he sticking to mindless zombies and skeletons? Alot of people wouldn't really care about a necromancer that rasies the occasional skeleton, especially if he uses this power to do good and help others. When I play a necromancer, I tend to either disguise my undead or leave them outside when I go into town. As for the rest of my party, I've been fortunate to play with people that aren't bothered by it.

The real problem arises when someone plays a Paladin, since their code of conduct prevents them from tolerating anything "evil." But then, the person playing the paladin is the one who is being disruptive to the group by restricting the other players' choices. Like I said, this is really something you just need to talk to the players about and try to resolve any conflicts before the game even begins. The DM also can help resolve such conflicts by using house rules (i.e. mindless undead are N alignment, as in 3.0 and previous editions, so raising them isn't "evil").

3. The same friend likes to get his kicks. He finds griefing videos funny and I suspect his prankish humor might seep into the game too.

My problem isn't about him specifically so much as it is about how to maintain a serious atmosphere while not being a stuffy DM. I don't know what it is about D&D, but every game I've been in generates enough in-jokes to last a lifetime. But I'm not in it for the comedy, I'm in it for the fabled emergent storytelling. RPGs (actual ones) have great potential in that respect, and it seems difficult to really tap into it while someone goes on about how they urinate on their vanquished foes.

The best way to deal with these kinds of situations is to talk to the person and let them know your concerns. Alot of times, people aren't aware that what they're doing is offending others, and will stop if asked to. If talking to them doesn't work, find different people to play with. That said, don't be too serious. Laughing and having fun is part of the experience.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Everburning torch. Not only is it a torch that never goes out, since it doesn't require oxygen you can even use it underwater. I always carry one strapped to my belt that way I can have my hands free. I also tie a leather cover to the end of it that I can slip on quickly in case we need to hide.

Another inexpensive favorite of mine is the tree feather token, which can serve as an impromptu ladder or shelter. I also enjoy the hilarity that ensues when I toss one under an enemy's feet.

Arcane Bond: Wand

Why a wand? Is this for flavor reasons? If not, I would suggest having a ring or amulet as your arcane bond instead. Those items don't depend upon you having an item held in your hand and are virtually impossible to disarm, sunder or steal.

Known Spells:
1st - Charm Person, Color Spray, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Silent Image, Sleep, Vanish (Probably with Color Spray, Magic Missile, and Vanish prepared).

I suggest not preparing magic missile at 1st level. 1d4 + 1 damage is insignificant, even at that level. Since you have Sleep, I'd suggest perparing that instead. Sleep is godly until after 5th level, so enjoy it while it lasts!

I also highly recommend Silent Image. At the very least, always keep a few scrolls of it handy, as it is an amazingly useful spell. It can do everything from create fake creature images for your foes to waste attacks on to creating illusionary walls, terrain and other objects to hide behind or trick your enemies. It also has alot of roleplaying uses. For example, I once used a combination of that spell and ghost sound to make someone believe that they were visited by the ghost of a dead loved one.

probably Threatening Illusion, and possibly Arcane School Spirit.

I am not familiar with these feats. Where can they be found?

I voted for level 10, though I don't really mind playing a couple levels beyond that. Once things get around 14-15 though, I find that they just really get bogged down with the excessive number of attack rolls, players having dozens of magic items each, high level divination and travel spells that ruin adventures, creatures with a ridiuclous number of immunities, and so on.

Edit! -- No, sorry. Summon Minor Monster summons creatures with the animal type.

Giant Vermin affects only creatures with the vermin type, and yeah, there is a difference in Pathfinder.

Bummer. I thought I had finally found a use for summon minor monsters!

Could I summon spiders, scorpions or centipedes with summon minor monsters and then cast giant vermin on them to make them enormous?

I'd actually put the Shatter spell as green. Beyond its not-inconsiderable uses for sundering weapons, component pouches and the like, it's also one of the most powerful demolishing tools in the game. Columns, keystones in arches, and other key architectural stress points are very vulnerable to this spell. A cleverly targeted use of this spell can bring down an entire building!

The rules for the Oracle's curse state that it "cannot be removed or dispelled without the aid of a deity." The miracle spell states that "you don't so much cast a miracle as request one. You state what you would like to happen and request that your deity (or the power you pray to for spells) intercede."

So can a miracle spell be used to get rid of an Oracle's curse? If so, what happens? Would the oracle lose the entire curse (including its beneficial effects) or just the negative part of the curse?

The miracle spell also states that "in any event, a request that is out of line with the deity's (or alignment's) nature is refused." Since it was the gods (or other divine forces) that cursed oracles to begin with, would lifting their cuse be something they'd refuse to do?

If a miracle spell wouldn't do the trick, what about wish? Wish is considered to be equivalent in power to divine intervention, as far as I recall. Would this fall under the "remove injuries and afflictions" function of that spell, or would it be one of the potentially dangerous "greater effects" that you can attempt with that spell?

Here's another question, does this curse affect material components and foci for spells?

The Haunted curse says that "any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction." So let's say I have a metamagic rod, and I put a strap on it, which I then attach to my belt. Wouldn't it simply fall to my side when I drop it, rather than land 10 feet away?

You say you get it, but then proceed to demonstrate that you do not.

Let me try and put this as simply as possible for you. The simple fact of the matter is that all of the other racial bonuses you are comparing this to are just as valuable at level 20 as they are at level 1. If you had your way, a Drow's spell resistance would become completely worthless beyond level 6. That's just not right.

Too much quoting and not enough content. Yes, it would be of diminishing value like every other racial trait - a simple +2 bonus represents a progressively smaller portion of a total bonus, for example. Non-scaling SR would be no less useful against level 1 opponents when you were level 1 or level 20, it just wouldn't have a ton of utility against level 20 opponents, which is consistent with the front-loaded, temporary benfits of racial traits.

Maybe this is an easier way for you (and some others) to wrap their head around the difference between flat and scaling bonuses: what is the cost of a magic item that produces the same effect, at level 1, level 10, and level 20? For a +2 skill bonus the magic item will cost the same at all 3 levels. For +1 skill point per level you can price the item as being a +2 INT bonus with reduced utility, which again is an unchanging cost. For Spell Resistance 11, 21, and 31, the cost of a magic item changes dramatically - that's a scaling bonus.

Now don't be rude, I can "wrap my head around it" just fine. As for the magic item comparison you make, number bonuses scale exponentially in price as well. A +2 magic sword is not merely twice as much money as a +1 sword, it's eight times as much, even though it's the same difference in power over a +1 weapon that a +1 weapon is over an ordinary one (a +1 difference on your attack and damage rolls). Magic items scale in price this way because of the way that player characters are assumed to accumulate wealth, and to also simulate the rarity of higher powered magic items over weaker ones. The same is true of characters, btw, 20th level characters are very scarce compared to level 1 characters!

Imagaine, for the sake of argument, that a race had a special ability that improved the effective enchantment bonus of any weapon it wields by +2. Obviously, the effective gp value of that benefit would increase the more powerful the weapon you have, but it's still the same difference to your character's power and effectiveness at level 20 when wielding a +5 weapon that it was at level 1 when wielding an ordinary weapon. In either case, your character is getting a +2 to hit and damage.

Skill bonuses are really no different in this regard. A person with a +2 Perception will always be 2 points better at it than he otherwise would be, whether he has 1 rank in that skill or 20. Likewise, a drow is able to resist spells cast by an equal level character about 30% of the time, whether he is level 1 or level 20. A skill bonus NEVER becomes useless because of character leveling. Why should a Drow's SR?

Detect Magic wrote:

VoodooMike wrote:

Having a scaling benefit based on level breaks with that, giving a lasting benefit, and making any race that has that benefit better across the entire 20 level progression.

You mean like humans?

Core Rulebook wrote:

Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

An extra skill point is a flat bonus, not a scaling bonus - it doesnt get better with time. It is the equivalent of having a one point higher intelligence modifier, but only for calculating skills per level.

Spell Resistance increasing with level means that spells cast by lower level enemies get progressively easier to resist. It represents a benefit that is not given to all characters (favoured class, for example, is something all races have, and can likewise give a bonus skill rank) and which gives a relevant in-combat bonus that scales to level. Barring modifiers like spell penetration, your chance to resist the spells of even-level opponents will stay the same as you gain levels - something that, unlike a flat bonus, doesn't lose its power as time goes on.

Had you wished to be clever with your quip, you might have used the bonus feat as the scaling benefit instead as it actually does represent something similar due to the fact that it can be used to qualify for higher feats on a tree at an earlier level than other classes, and that subsequent feats on that tree will each be taken earlier (assuming no other level-gating prerequisites). There's a reason the bonus feat of the player's choice is so popular.

But it is a "flat" bonus, it's just subtle. Effectively, drow have a 30% chance (or less, depending on whether someone has Spell Penetration) to resist spells cast by a creature with a caster level equal to their character level. The scaling keeps that percentage consistent across all levels of play. If the value of a Drow's SR didn't increase with level, it would effectively decrease in effectiveness by 5% per level until it became completely worthless.

While I like most of the changes that Pathfinder made to 3.5, I must admit that I was disappointed that they didn't eliminate what is, IMO, one of the worst elements of the magic system, the Hit Die limit on certain spells. Cause Fear, Sleep, and several other spells have a limit on how many HD they can affect, meaning that these spells eventually become completely useless. I think this is an absolutely terrible mechanic. A spell should never become useless! Worse, in some cases this is used to justify a spell being quite overpowered (Sleep, I'm looking at YOU), with the rationale that it's okay for it to be overpowered from level 1 to 4 because after level 5 it's useless. This is just terrible game design.

And looking at Cause Fear, for example, why is the 5 HD limit even needed? It affects a single target and only lasts for 1d4 rounds. I can't imagine this spell being overpowered even if you could attempt to use it on a level 20 monster. This is even worse for its successor spell, Scare, since it is only useful for a whopping 2 levels before becoming ineffective (or only 1 level for a sorcerer). Fear, thankfully, doesn't have this problem. Granted, it's a 4th level spell, but it also affects a large area and inflicts a worse degree of fear than Cause Fear and Scare do. These spells really would be just fine with their HD limit removed.

So, would it really kill the game to remove the HD limit on these spells? Naturally, a couple of them would need to be adjusted to balance this change, like Sleep and Deep Slumber, though most of these spells would probably not need to be changed in any other way. Pathfinder did change one spell that became useless at higher levels in 3rd edition - Dispel Magic, and I welcomed that change. They really should have gone all the way and made sure that every spell has some relevance no matter what level you are.

It is my official opinion that first level cleric spells suck. It's a good thing the spell list gets better.

Yeah, the Oracle's limited spells known doesn't feel like such a hindrance at that level, since there's so few spells I would want anyway.

You will never be able to convince me that more hitpoints are a poor choice. It's the equivalent to a +2 boost to constitution, and the difference between an oracle and a fighter. Everything about that sounds like it's worth it.

This is why I was surprised when you said that False Life is "rarely worth the effort to cast it." False Life gives 1d10 + 1/level HP, which is equal to what Toughness gives you plus 1d10 on top of that! It also lasts for hours, and even once those temp HP are lost (which they probably will be), as an Oracle you can cast the spell again whenever needed.

I'm feeling that despite all this, nobody seems to really be having any advice on what to do if the enemy has Antimagic or Disjunction available to them... After all, Who'd want a book of wizard's spells more than another Wizard?

And as creative as shrinking a book, putting it into a vile and... inserting it... is... I wouldn't want to be the unlucky Wizard that has it Re-expand down there

...As far as I can tell, Contingency'd spells are about the only sure-fire way a Wizard can ensure a Third intervention, when both the Wizard and the Spellbook are disarmed by dispelling/antimagic...

Does anyone have a different defense to counter this?

Antimagic only suppresses magic temporarily, so as soon as the book is removed from the area, it'd be fine. As for Disjunction, Pathfinder changed that spell. It can now only permanently ruin magic items if it is specifically targeted at that item (and that item alone). So unless someone is deliberately targeting your spellbook, it's not going to be destroyed.

And as I said, above, the most certain way to ensure your spells aren't lost to things like Disjunction is to keep a regular spellbook around. Only blessed books need to fear being disjoined.

Since copying spells into a Blessed Book is free, I recommend always putting the 2 free spells you get from leveling into a regular, non-magical spellbook. Normally this would cost money, but the 2 spells you get at each level are explicitly free. That way you'll have a backup copy of at least all of those spells free of charge.

Deathwatch is a situational spell, but it does have some uses. Want to know if there are any vampires in the room? Want to know if the guy you're talking to is undead? Want to know if the corpses littering the area are just dead, or will get up and try to eat you? Want to know if that statue over there is just a statue, or a construct? Want to be sure your enemy is really dead or is just feigning death? It's probably not the best spell for an Oracle, with their limited spells known, but it is definitely worth having on a scroll.

I'm not sure if this is intended, but it also seems like a handy way of detecting nearby invisible creatures.

Sean, I'm curious why you put a Str 14 and Wis 8 as optimal for a caster Oracle? Why do you feel that a caster Oracle need such a high Str score?

Do Oracles even need component pouches or Eschew Materials? Most spells say M/DF, so divine casters use a DF instead of a material component (and Oracles don't even need the DF component).

As for Aging Touch, am I correct that, since it is Strength damage rather than a penalty to Strength, it stacks with itself? If so, that might make the ability fairly potent, since, at least at higher levels, two or three uses of this ability can cripple virtually any creature. There doesn't seem to be any saving throw, so... ouch.

Also, in addition to the uses you mentioned, couldn't Time Hop also be used to escape from grapples?

I'm not arguing the usefulness of the permanency spell, or how great it is to get access to those as a divine caster. Those are both clear advantages. The problem is that you've got an expensive and rarely used spell on your spells known, and that's a serious mark against it. It's occupying space that's at a premium for spontaneous casters.

True, but I think that is offset by the other spells known you can remove from your list because they're now permanent. Though I guess you could have just used a scroll of Permanency to do the same thing. So I'll agree it's not the best spell, but it's certainly better than some of the nigh-useless spells like Temporal Stasis.

18. By my reading of RAW, you don't get new abilities as you level from Time Sight. They get replaced:

"Time Sight (Su): You can peer through the mists of time to see things as they truly are, as if using the true seeing spell. At 15th level, this functions like moment of prescience. At 18th level, this functions like foresight. You can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to your oracle level, but these minutes do not need to be consecutive. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation."

"This functions", not "this can function". Though most campaigns don't get to 18th level anyway. I think it's still worth noting though.

I never noticed that. That's a rough interpretation, and really drives the usefulness of the ability down. I'll have to make a note of that.

I think it was intended that you get all of those abilities when it is active. Otherwise, I'd rather not level, since I consider true seeing to be more useful than either of moment of prescience or foresight.

It's also just odd having moment of prescience in there, since it's a one-shot ability. Can you only use the bonus it grants once, or multiple times while it's active? It'd be nice if Paizo clarified this power.

I don't think Drow are overpowered. As other people have mentioned, SR is a double-edged sword, and it's only 6 + level, unlike the 11 + level they used to get. That means it works about 25% less often than it used to. Their darkvision is great, but light blindness makes up for it. Their other abilities really aren't much better than what other races get.

Another thing to keep in mind are the penalties that aren't written on paper. Drow are hated and feared by most of the common races. Few other races suffer as much prejudice as Drow.

One thing about the bleeding revelation, it effectively turns Harm into an instant-kill spell. Harm can lower them to one HP, and then they bleed and die. *cackles evily*