Flame Effigy's page

New skill options are routinely introduced in splatbooks, but as far as I know, those skill options aren't compiled properly on any website.

Can anyone give me a comprehensive list of what skill options are introduced in what book? Anything related to skills, really.

Thanks in advance.

That doesn't say a paladin instantly falls if they violate any part of their code. It says they fall if they intentionally commit an evil act, knowing full well that what they are about to do is evil.

Step 2: Add Class Levels
Once you have determined the creature's role, it's time to add class levels. The first step of this process is to modify the creature's ability scores. Creatures with class levels receive +4, +4, +2, +2, +0, and –2 adjustments to their ability scores, assigned in a manner that enhances their class abilities. Creatures with NPC class levels do not receive adjustments to their ability scores.

Here's something I didn't know about until today.
What exactly is the purpose of the ability score adjustment?

Cross post from gitp.

1. So Penumbras place a shadowy "aura" around a specifically targeted creature, as opposed to creating an area effect. This would be used to target 1 specific creature in an area rather than every creature around it.
Shadows target a specific shadow and applies effects to it. Correct?
If so, then

Shadowed Mien (Shadow)
You may spend a spell point to make your penumbra resistant to low-light and darkvision, though the target can see out of it normally. This hides distinguishing features from observers and grants a bonus of ½ your caster level to Bluff checks to lie or feint, as well as to Intimidation checks to demoralize. Sense Motive checks to get a hunch about your penumbra’s target have their DC increased by ½ your caster level.

Should be a Penumbra rather than Shadow, no? It appears to surround a target in an aura of darkness.
Unless the intention is for it to modify an existing Penumbra that you cast separately...
I think it's just a typo.

Would Black Lung be too powerful as a penumbra?

Shadow Tag could possibly be a Shadow talent, no?

Tenebrous Legerdemain (Blot, Darkness) seems like it should/could be a Meld effect instead...
But I guess if it was a Meld effect it'd take two turns to set up instead of 1? Meh.

Obscure Passage + Event Horizon sounds AWESOME

Suggestions for new talents: [Some of these might already be available, just going off the top of my head here, since Shadow now has a lot of different subtags to fill. A lot of these are probably redundant or are do-nothings. I just don't want one subtag to have far less talents than the others, you know?]

Flame Effigy wrote:

Would it be possible for the Life Sphere to get some sort of offensive ability where it overcharges a target with healing energy?

Like putting too much air into a balloon!

Just a random thought I had.

It's been suggested before. Back in 1e, if you visited the plane of positive energy, you healed 2d6 hit points per round until you reached double your maximum hit points and exploded. It worked there, because everyone there attacked you the same way, but in a normal situation, if you're trying to kill someone by healing them to death, you're actively working against the rest of your party.

Invigorating Blast (blast type)

You may spend a spell point to have your destructive blast deal positive energy damage to non-living creatures using d4 dice instead of d6. Living creatures instead of taking damage gain an equal number of temporary hit points (which cannot exceed their maximum hit points) which last for 1 hour, but also must make a Fortitude save or become dazed for 1 round.

Well Destruction has this, which I now realize is almost exactly what I suggested.
So if Destruction can have it, even though it's "working against the party"...
Shrug. Seems like it'd fit into Life way more than Destruction.

1. Unchained Action Economy Part 2.

Same thing as the last book, but go into further detail on some things, like certain feats that reduce an action from a Move to a Swift. Both of those are single Acts, so they have no function as-is, and making them free actions would be too much most of the time.

It works as-is, and it's great most of the time, but a second coat of polish wouldn't hurt.

2. Magic Unchained.
Bye bye vancian.
This would probably need a huge number of pages dedicated to it, but it's worth a shot.

3. Compilations
Various skill check details have been detailed across multiple splatbooks. Putting them all in one place would be great, even if there's no additional information added.
Lots of other things would be useful if they were compiled too.

4. Multiclassing revisited
Variant Multiclassing was okay. Let's do some more with it.

5. Feat tax reduction
Not much to say here.

Brawling:
This weapon special ability can be applied only to brass knuckles, a cestus, a sap, or a light bludgeoning weapon. The wielder of this weapon gains an enhancement bonus on combat maneuver checks equal to the enhancement bonus of the weapon.

Amulet of Mighty Fists:
This amulet grants an enhancement bonus of +1 to +5 on attack and damage rolls with unarmed attacks and natural weapons.
Alternatively, this amulet can grant melee weapon special abilities, so long as they can be applied to unarmed attacks.

can I legally combine these?

Unchained is honestly one of my favorite books.

I use APB, Unchained Action Economy, Unchained Rogue, and Unchained Summoner in my games. They all plug and play without much modification, although Unchained action economy adds hiccups sometimes, especially when things are reduced from like a move action to a swift action due to a feat.

ABP is pretty great [especially when you can figure out how to read the blog chart, but that's another story. It still works with just what the book says mostly fine.]

The games I'm in also allow for variant multiclassing, but no one ever takes the option because of how uneven the options are.

Fractional Progression is cool, but I kind of wish CL also progressed along with BAB somehow. But thats what spheres of power is for I guess.

Thank you, PossibleCabbage, that answers my question and helps a lot.
Now, just to make sure I have this all correct.

With crafting being half the cost...

Default Unchained
Let's say Jim is Level 4. He has Weapon Attunement 1. He finds a keen sword, and decides to use it. It "costs" him his attunement due to the Keen property, effectively giving him a "+0" Keen sword.
Upon reaching Level 9 with Weapon Attunement 2, he effectively has a "+1" Keen sword.

Chart Unchained.
Jim is Level 4. He has Weapon Attunement 2. He finds a keen sword, and decides to use it. He pays out 3000 gold to improve it to Capacity 1 and Enhancement 1 [1 Attunement and +1 cost from Keen], effectively giving him a "+1" Keen sword.
Upon reaching Level 9 with Weapon Attunement 2, he then pays to have the sword increased to Capacity 2 Enhancement 1 [2 Attunement and +1 cost from Keen.] That would cost 5000, but since he already paid 3000, he would only need to pay the 2000 difference. Now he effectively has a "+2" Keen sword.

If he wanted to THEN upgrade it to Flaming Keen, he would need to pay for it to get to Capacity 2 Enhancement 2, which would cost 12000, but since he already paid out 5000, he'd only need to pay 7000.

I might be looking at the chart backwards, but am I on the right track?
If I am on the right track, then I think just having attunement not be "spent" in the default unchained rules is indeed the way to go.

Okay yeah that doesn't help me at all because I was trying to ignore everything involving prices and capacity.

Prices would come later after I got my question worked out.

Okay so I thought I had a handle on all this but I got myself confused. I'm gonna bump this and try to simplify this as much as I can for my question.

So if I had a +1 Longsword under attunement I'd be getting +1 to my attack and damage rolls.
If I then made lt Keen, I would be getting +0 to my rolls?

The chart which I cannot understand would basically result in me getting a Keen Longsword that gave me a +1 to attack and rolls instead? Am I still correct?

If so, would an easier solution be to just use the chart in the book and not have Keen subtract the +1?
The price would be wonky, but am I right on everything?

Cool, thanks.
The unlimited duration and no cap on the spell levels was what had me unsure.

Can someone explain to me how constant spell turning on Titans work? Maybe give me a few scenarios?

I am definitely in for this.

I just let any attack be attuned.
That means a monk's unarmed strike can be attuned (specific attack style. So let's say that their kick attack gets the maximum +5), and a specific kinetic blast can be attuned. (So let's say their Magma blast can be +5 and their other ones aren't.)

Just a for fun thing.

Best all around Ability Scores and AC for a Level 20 Tetori Monk that I can get using Unchained rules.
25 point buy. Automatic Bonus Progression. Human. Wealth per level can be ignored, but any item used must be actually listed in the book. (With automatic point progression, there's not going to be any items to boost his stats anyway.)
[ Automatic Bonus Progression ]

So far I have
STR 26: [16 base, +4 Leveling, +6 Prowess]
DEX 24: [14 base, +1 Leveling, +6 Prowess, +3 Legendary Ability]
CON 18: [12 base, +6 Prowess]
INT 14: [10 base +4 Prowess]
WIS 26: [16 base, +2 Racial, +6 Prowess, +2 Legendary Ability]
CHA 10: [8 base +2 Prowess]

AC 45 = 10)) + 5 (Armor Attunement) + 7 (Dexterity) + 5 (Monk AC bonus) + 5 (Toughening) + 5 (Deflection) + 8 (Wisdom)

I used Legendary Body 1 and 2 for the +6 to both Str Dex and Con, and Legendary Ability x5

I haven't gone into things like Dodge or other feats yet.

Dotting.

I made this a while ago. A lot of my choices are probably eh, but what are you gonna do.
I was never very satisfied with the racial choice.

Strasiak
---
Physical Description: These thin humanoids are covered in thin strips of black cloth, covering every inch of their body except for their bright solidly colored eyes. Strasiak eyes can come in any color and often resemble precious gems. They take great care of their cloth strips, and often soak them in perfume and place flowers underneath their wrappings. Over the strips of cloth, Strasiak wear clothing normal to the region, and often have animal furs draped across their shoulders. Strasiak are especially fond of masks and hats. Strasiak are very secretive about what is beneath their wrappings, and rarely reveal themselves to outsiders. Their wrappings sometimes squirm, as if something is scuttling beneath them.

Society: No one has ever seen an all-strasiak society, and strasiak are often seen alone and keep quiet about their lineage and homeland. They prefer to live warm arid environments, but will travel almost anywhere. Most are deathly afraid of fire, and avoid water as well.
Relations: Strasiak are a race that prefer to keep to themselves, intermingling among other cultures in cities and towns, preferring to set up shops in back alleys, providing magical items and places to rest. They prefer to gesture rather than speak, but if something needs to be said, they will do so quickly and simply. Their strange voices are often said to sound like multiple different voices overlapping.
Alignment and Religion: Strasiak are withdrawn and easily unnoticed by nature, and thus are mostly neutral or neutral good.

Strasiak Racial Traits
Ability Scores (0 RP): +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength, +2 Charisma: Strasiak are swift and cunning, but physically frail.
Race (3 RP?): Strasiak are humanoids with the Native Outsider subtype. They have the darkvision 60 feet racial trait and breathe, eat, and sleep.
Weapon proficiency (1 RP?): Strasiak are proficient with Rope Darts, Whips, Chain Whips, and other similar weapons.
Medium (0 RP): Strasiak are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties for their size.
Speed (0 RP): Strasiak have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages (0 RP): Strasiak begin play speaking Strasiak and Common. Strasiak with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following languages: Elven, Dwarven, Halfling, Goblin, and Gnome.

Offense Racial Traits
Sticky Tongue (2 RP): Members of this race can make melee attacks with their long, sticky tongues. This is a secondary attack. A creature hit by this attack cannot move more than 10 feet away from the attacker and takes a –2 penalty to AC as long as the tongue is attached (this penalty does not stack if multiple tongues are attached). The tongue can be removed by the target or an adjacent ally by making an opposed Strength check against the attacking creature as a standard action or by dealing 2 points of damage to the tongue (AC 11, damage does not reduce the sticky-tongued creature's hit points). A member of this race cannot move more than 10 feet away from a creature stuck to its tongue, but it can release its tongue from the target as a free action. A member of this race can only have one creature attached to its tongue at a time.
Incessant Buzzing [Terrifying Croak] (2 RP): Members of this race gain the following supernatural ability: Once per hour as a standard action, a member of this race can emit a terrifying buzz. Any creature not of its subtype (if humanoid) or type (if another race type) must make a successful Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the user's character level + the user's Charisma modifier) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds. A target that successfully saves cannot be affected by the user's Incessant Buzzing for 24 hours. Creatures that are already shaken become frightened for 1d4 rounds instead. This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect.

Movement Racial Traits:
Shadow Magic (2 RP): Members of this race add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells of the shadow subschool that they cast. Members of this race with a Charisma score of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities (the caster level is equal to the user's character level)
1/day—ghost sound, pass without trace, ventriloquism

Weakness Racial Traits
Vulnerable to Sunlight (–2 RP): Strasiak take 1 point of Constitution damage after every hour they are exposed to sunlight.
Elemental Vulnerability (-2 RP): Strasiak's bandages cause them to become easily flammable and they are vulnerable to fire.
Light Blindness (-2 RP): Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds members of this race for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.

4 RP

Alternate Racial Traits
Apiary [All Around Vision] (4 RP): Some strasiak are followed by a constant low hum, and smell of sweet honey, granting them a +4 racial bonus on Perception checks and making them immune to flanking. This replaces Sticky Tongue.
Silkworm [Fast Healing](6 RP): Small worms that live under your bandages constantly produce a steady stream of silk. A strasiak with silkworms beneath their bandages gains Fast Healing 1. This ability replaces Incessant buzzing and Sticky Tongue.
Grasshopper (3 RP): Certain strasiak can twist and contort their legs to resemble those of a grasshopper for short periods. They are always considered to have a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump and gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions. This replaces Shadow Magic.
Spider (6 RP): Certain Strasiak are well suited to strange unforgiving locations and can use ugly hooked nails to travel quickly across all manners of surfaces. Members of this race have a climb speed of 20 feet, and gain the +8 racial bonus on Climb checks that a climb speed normally grants. They can cling to cave walls and even ceilings as long as the surface has hand- and footholds. In effect, members of this race are treated as being constantly under the effects of a non-magical spider climb spell, save that members of this race cannot cling to smooth surfaces. This trait doubles the normal +8 racial bonus on Climb checks normally granted to creatures with a climb speed (to a total +16 bonus). This replaces Incessant Buzzing and Sticky Tongue.

Strasiak Equipment
Strasiak have access to the following equipment
Ultra Black Wraps: These deep black bandages are soaked in a special solution and wrapped entirely across the body, hiding all exposed skin other than the eyes. A creature wearing these is immune to sunlight vulnerabilities but suffer -2 to Charisma based skill checks.

Have you considered unchained action economy? It does most of what you're trying to make here.

That sounds like...a class that already exists and isn't a brawler.

Has anyone tried out the Invoker Witch archetype?

I'm trying one out right now, and it's pretty nifty.

Flame Effigy wrote:

Would it be possible for the Life Sphere to get some sort of offensive ability where it overcharges a target with healing energy?

Like putting too much air into a balloon!

Just a random thought I had.

It's been suggested before. Back in 1e, if you visited the plane of positive energy, you healed 2d6 hit points per round until you reached double your maximum hit points and exploded. It worked there, because everyone there attacked you the same way, but in a normal situation, if you're trying to kill someone by healing them to death, you're actively working against the rest of your party.

Perhaps it could place some sort of debuff on the target besides just healing them, so that you aren't actively working against the party so much?

Would it be possible for the Life Sphere to get some sort of offensive ability where it overcharges a target with healing energy?

Like putting too much air into a balloon!

Just a random thought I had.

Thanks!

1. Darkness and Death Handbooks to come out quicker! Illusion could do with more depth as well. Illusion is very...bare and I'm sure prone to immense table variance.

2. The Hedgewitch is awesome, full of fiddly bits from other classes, but at the same time it's /boring/ because it's just random fiddly bits.
I don't know. I want something from it, but I'm just not sure what. The way the classes are grouped into the traditions just feels weird.

3. A big ol book of Sphere Combination examples would be pretty awesome. "You want pathfinder X spell? Here's how to do it!

What I do not want is a new sphere. Any idea you want I'm sure could be incorporated into another sphere.
A new sphere would likely just cannibalize ideas.

Ugh. Case by case bases are the worst.

Belafon wrote:

Quote:

Disarm, sunder, and trip are normally the only kinds of combat maneuvers in which you’re actually using a weapon (natural weapons and unarmed strikes are considered weapons for this purpose) to perform the maneuver, and therefore the weapon’s bonuses (enhancement bonuses, feats such as Weapon Focus, fighter weapon training, and so on) apply to the roll.

So... My monk has Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike) and is wearing an Amulet of Mighty Fists +1. Does this mean he gets to add those two bonuses to other Combat Maneuvers such as Grapple?

I'd file that under "the GM is free to rule that in certain circumstances, a creature can apply weapon bonuses for these maneuvers."

Belafon wrote:

Belafon wrote:

So... My monk has Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike) and is wearing an Amulet of Mighty Fists +1. Does this mean he gets to add those two bonuses to other Combat Maneuvers such as Grapple?

I'm gonna confer with Jason before I post an official answer about this one.

So did this just never get cleared up, or.

So somehow I never came across this little section before. Probably because it didn't list itself in the CMB formula.

Performing a Combat Maneuver:
"When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver, make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus. Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, feats, and other effects. These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver."

Last line in particular.
So let's say I'm a guy using gauntlets as my weapons. Let's say they're +5 gauntlets.

If I attempt a grapple, am I getting a +5 from those gauntlets?
If I attempt a dirty trick, am I getting a +5 from those gauntlets?

What about a trip?

More Witch love.
Hexes with interesting effects that aren't just save/suck save/die.

Blood Hexes were close to being cool, but then they wound up mostly being completely awful.

Grouping Improved X feats under one umbrella feat is a pretty cool idea, so is the only provoking attacks of opportunity if it fails/if the defender has the improved feat themselves.

Combat Maneuvers. Love them or hate them, they seem to have a lot of confusion around them, and a lot of feat taxes limiting their effectiveness.
To even attempt a combat maneuver seriously, you're almost forced to take the Improved X feat.

My question to you all is, what house rules have you encountered to encourage the use and ease of combat maneuvers?

Removal of Improved X feats entirely? Reworkings of vanilla combat maneuvers?

That'd be neat I guess.

I like it. Do go on.

I really like the class.
It was kind of a chore to read through, like a lot of the occult classes for me, but once I did and I rolled up a character, I was pleased with what I got.

No it's not a template.

I assume they get familiars/hexes as normal, since nothing is replacing them, but I'm double checking anyway.

And as soon as I look through my options, I will pm you with my choice, taig.

Winning something caught me off guard.

If all their triggers are the same, they don't have their own readied action. They'd be sharing a single readied action.

It should probably say "unique" instead of "own" or something, but everyone will read it how they want no matter how clear or unclear it is.

I ready four actions. I fire if:
I'm attacked.
I'm attacked.
I'm attacked.
I'm attacked

Those don't each have their own trigger. I'm just readying the same action four times by grouping them on the same event.

Sure thing. I'm interested.

Dotted and downloaded. Will give feedback first chance I get.

Why would you let your characters build themselves into such high powere monstrosities and then worry about a gunslinger being too powerful?

What are you going to do if he just switches to druid or something?

I think that if you're going to be a giant magical snowflake, it shouldn't be that hard to rp, and it it IS hard to rp, then maybe dial it back a bit.

A very, very special snowflake.

The better question is why do you need some?

The pokedexes are written by 10 year olds on the spot. Everything in the pokdex makes sense once you realize that.

There will always be a "best" option no matter what, that's just how games work.
There will always be terrible garbage options that set your player back too.

Guides that tell you to avoid traps shouldn't be blamed for good options being destroyed. That attitude is wrong.

I'd just take a look at Spheres of Power.

I don't know about physical fire, but acid would work for energy earth, wouldn't it?
Or something

Tons more archetypes and talents can never hurt, and I hoooonestly would have rather have seen Kineticist Adventures than Occult Adventures.

Thank you very much.

Alright, I'm DMing again and my players are bringing up more items I'm unsure about.

What about something like a Cloak of Fangs? Does the bonus to resistance stay or not? I'm getting less sure about what stays and what is removed.