Flames of Chaos's page

Like the label on the tin says, I'm wondering about Eldritch Tricksters. I've seen a lot of people kinda talk up the other rackets as being better at being the same just taking longer. (Usually Scoundrel + Sorc or Mastermind + Wizard, with occasional other CHA/INT casters taking the place of either Sorc or Wizard)

What I'm wondering is this: I get the arguments, and on paper they're quite convincing for longer campaigns, but what about shorter ones like Gatewalkers or Alkenstar?

I'm about to give Gatewalkers a go after playing in Alkenstar for a few levels - a couple of players can't make it anymore and the DM said they can run Gatewalkers okay instead.

I had a concept I want to run for Gatewalkers that is a partial caster with lots of combat tricks, and Eldritch Trickster seemed like a good fit. I then did some research and I'm honestly torn now. Any advice would be really, really, really appreciated. Oh, and just to be clear, the other PCs are currently a Fighter with Martial Artist archetype for maximum tankiness/interference, a Psychic healer using the Empathy conscious mind, and a striker (we're pulling double-duty and I haven't sorted the striker yet, but probably a Thaumaturge)

Thanks in advance!

Spellheart rules for reference.

And yes I would agree with HammerJack. While Spellhearts share a lot of the same rules and restrictions, they are different item types.

Fulu would be a closer match, though only certain types of those. And there is still an argument that they are different enough to not be given by Talisman Esoterica.

Thanks! I see some of the fuulu (spelled correctly?) were listed on the generic talismans section of 2e.aonprd.com. Would those be the certain ones I could MacGeiver up for free each day?

Quick silly question:

Can a Thaumaturge with Talisman Esoterica make Spellhearts with their 2 free talismans per day?

Talisman Esoterica:
:----:

You know how to assemble the supernatural objects in your esoterica into a number of temporary talismans. Each day during your daily preparations, you can make two talismans with an item level no higher than half your level. You must know each talisman's formula. A talisman created this way is a temporary item and loses its magic the next time you make your daily preparations.

You know the formulas for all common talismans in the Core Rulebook of your level or lower. You remember your talisman formulas through oral tradition or mnemonics, so you don't need a formula book for them.

Very silly question, but I need to be safe for a barbarian build I'm theory-crafting:

The Gnoll's Jaws trait on the Ancestry page reads as follows:

"Bite
Your sharp teeth and powerful jaws are fearsome weapons. You have a jaws unarmed attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage. Your jaws are in the brawling group."

What I'm wondering is this: What traits does this attack have beyond "Unarmed"? Would it suffer the reduced damage penalty while raging due to being an Agile/Finesse attack since it's not listed anywhere in the entry?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks all, for the help with this concept! I think on some level I was pining for the good ol' days of Dirty Trick maneuvers, even if it took WAAAAAAYYYYY too many feats just to get them to decent action sinks for the enemy.

Was definitely thinking wrestler at one point, and may do this with a different class; just was kinda torn between the ranger vs. gymnast swash as they seemed the closest to on brand for the concept I wanted.

Have a good night all and again thanks for the help!

What, exactly, do you mean by "Takedown"?

If you are wanting hunting/tracking abilities like a Ranger there is the Bounty Hunter.

If you are wanting to bring people in alive, there is Gladiator with Stage Fighting or Investigator multiclass with Takedown Expert.

All of those could be put onto any (but probably martial type) class base.

I mean a char who specializes in returning bounties alive, but isn't a gimp in a combat scenario, hencethe two mains I was originally looking at.

That being said, I thought the primary way to do this would be using the athletics attack maneuvers. If there's a better way, please, please, please enlighten me as this is my first attempt at trying this kind of build.

Thanks!

Hello
I am starting an Outlaws campaign, so like the title says: I need help figuring out the best chassis/build for a bounty hunter-esque take-down artist. I've tried looking up guides and other articles in the advice area, but I'm lost at an endless sea here.

Right now I see Swash gymnast (for the eventual Daring Do combo at 10th) or the Flurry Ranger as the most straight-forward and interesting builds; the first because this would be my second swing at the class, the second because I've never been that attracted in general in the past to rangers and would love an excuse to try the build. (Also, I can see some the potential in the Flurry Edge/Twin Takedown tree).

While the above two are the ones Ive been focused on the most, I'm open to other suggestions with the one caveat of "AMMA gonna need a REEEEL good reason to go monk". Doesn't fit the flavor of what I had in my head, but still open if there's a persuasive argument.

Any help is super appreciated and hope I'm not asking for retreads of a billion other articles my lack of Google Fu is causing. (P.S. My focus for this is we have like 1.5 meleers in the party, and we could really use a more front-line focused build.)

Thanks a ton in advance!

Thanks all for your clairfications. I mostly asked for links to avoid some rather protracted arguments I saw in the advice thread that got quite heated over some very fine dissections of word use. IMHO I can't wait to unleash some doomsday bombs in a few weeks when we hit lv20. :D

My Kingmaker campaign is getting close to LV20 territory, and I wanted to plot out my feat selections before getting there. As such, I'm seriously considering the Mega Bomb feat for my bomber alchemist, but I have some questions that I haven't been able to find on here. Any help would be deeply appreciated:

1. How many actions does it take to make a Mega Bomb and throw it? The feat as written says it's "1 action" and "if your next action isn't an interact action to throw it, the bomb denatures". So without additional feats, is it 1 action to Quick Alchemy, 1 action to add the additive and 1 action to "throw" the bomb?
2. My alchemist has the Quick Bomber feat. How does this change the answer to the previous question, if at all?
3. Do I have to roll a skill check to "throw" the bomb using an interact action? If so, what skill?
4. I have the Uncanny Bombs feat which says "Your range for thrown items extends to 60 feet". Does this impact the Mega Bomb range for the blast radius at all?
5. Does the feat let me do both the primary damage (4d8+9 for a Major Alch Fire since I also have both Expanded and Calculated Splash feats), or just 9 fire as just the splash? On my previous reads it sounds like the feat makes the bomb turn into an AoE version of the Electric Arc spell dealing whatever damage the bomb does instead. May be a bad analogy, but that's how my brain is reading it.

For reference, here's the Uncanny Bombs feat text:

Prerequisites Far Lobber
You lob bombs unerringly, despite obstructions or distance. When you throw an alchemical item with the bomb trait, its range increment increases to 60 feet, you reduce any circumstance bonus to the target’s AC from cover by 1, and you automatically succeed at the flat check when targeting a concealed creature.

here's the Electric Arc's main body of text (I'm leaving out the spell component stuff as it's not relevant to my ask):
Electric Arc
Range 30 feet; Targets 1 or 2 creatures
Saving Throw basic Reflex
An arc of lightning leaps from one target to another. You deal electricity damage equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.
Heightened (+1) The damage increases by 1d4.

And here's the full text of the Mega Bomb feat:

Mega Bomb
[one-action]
Feat 20
Additive 3 Alchemist
Source Core Rulebook pg. 81 4.0
Prerequisites Expanded Splash
Requirements You are holding an infused alchemical bomb you crafted, with a level at least 3 lower than your advanced alchemy level.
You add an incredibly powerful additive to a held bomb to create a mega bomb, greatly increasing its area and power. You use an Interact action to throw the mega bomb, rather than Strike, and you don’t make an attack roll. The mega bomb affects creatures in a 30-foot-radius burst, centered within 60 feet of you. The bomb deals damage as if each creature were the primary target, with a basic Reflex save. On a failed save, a creature also takes any extra effects that affect a primary target (such as flat-footed from bottled lightning). While all targets in the area take splash damage as primary targets, there is no further splash beyond that area. If your next action after creating a mega bomb isn’t an Interact action to throw it, the mega bomb denatures and loses all effects.

---

Any help folks can provide would be really helpful. On the damage question, it would also be helpful if anyone can provide links to where I can find more on either Archives of Nethys or dev links from the forums here as all I've found so far are random bits and bobs on the forums under the advice area.

Hopefully what it says on the tin:
I'm playing a Half-orc fighter who took Orc Weapon Familiarity. It says:

"In combat, you favor the brutal weapons that are traditional for your orc ancestors. You are trained with the falchion and greataxe. In addition, you gain access to all uncommon orc weapons. For the purpose of determining your proficiency, martial orc weapons are simple weapons and advanced orc weapons are martial weapons."

My fighter is 15th, and has Weapon Legend among other things, which says:

"You've learned fighting techniques that apply to all armaments, and you've developed unparalleled skill with your favorite weapons. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to master. Your proficiency rank for advanced weapons increases to expert.

You can select one weapon group and increase your proficiency ranks to legendary for all simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks in that weapon group, and to master for all advanced weapons in that weapon group."

Sooo what I'm wondering is this:
Does Orc Weapon Familiarity (and other feats like it) make the advanced weapons due to ancestry (in my case the Orc Necksplitter) count as Martial for determining the proficiency level just for what I can weild, or even for things like Weapon Spec? Or does it only count for determining "Can I pick this weapon up and use it atmax attack bonus?"

My character has axes as Weapon Legend and is wielding a +2 Greater Striking Flaming Necksplitter, so I was wondering how much extra damage I'd get from things like said Weapon Specialization or Greater WS.

Thanks in advance!

Oh, and forgot to mention the char is lv15 in the math above.

So a silly question here as I've just now picked up the Impossible Riposte feat:

Impossible Riposte:
Feat 14
Swashbuckler
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 93 2.0
Prerequisites Opportune Riposte
Your ripostes can deflect attacks back at their source. You can use Opportune Riposte with a trigger of “A foe outside of your reach critically fails an attack roll against you” in addition to its usual trigger. When you use Opportune Riposte with this new trigger against a ranged attack, your Strike deflects some of the triggering effect back toward its source. Compare the result of your attack roll to the AC of the triggering foe. On a hit, you deal the normal amount of damage for your Strike, but the damage type changes to that of the triggering attack. For instance, if you used Opportune Riposte to deflect a ray of frost, your Strike would deal cold damage instead of its normal damage type.
---

So what I'm wondering is this:

Spellcaster a targets my swashbuckler with a Ray of Frost at 120 ft.
Spellcaster gets a nat 1.
Washbuckler initiates Riposte

What, if any, range penalties would the ricocheted spell/attack get? Especially if said swash is using a +2 Greater Striking Frost shortsword (+28 for 3d6+7 piercing + 1d6 cold + 5 extra if panache is in play)?

Thanks in advance!

1 and 2) no, and no.

Subordinate Actions. Both Attack of Opportunity and Opportune Riposte specifically call for a Strike. You can't substitute in a different action like Flurry of Blows, or Confident Finisher no matter how much they look like a Strike action when you squint.

You could probably use Ready to make a Finisher attack since it is only one action cost. There is some debate on such things, so check with your GM.

3) Somewhat moot of a point, but it is worth mentioning. "The rest of your turn" ends at the end of your turn. And when it is not your turn it ends immediately after any reaction that you make. The 'current turn' may not end, but that isn't what Finisher trait is looking at. When you are making a reaction like Attack of Opportunity, the current turn is someone else's turn - not your turn.

Thanks for clarifying! I'd gotten this mistaken impression from a guide somewhere on the forums, so I'm glad I asked.

Thanks to everyone for the massive help with the last thread regarding my fumbling with understanding the 2e Swashbuckler.

Unfortunately some new questions arise given some of the neat but corner case interactions playing at higher levels have thrown up for my Swash:

I have both Reflexive Riposte and Attack of Opportunity now that my char is lv12. Here's the questions I'm pondering and would love help with:

1. Can I use a Finisher on an Attack of Opportunity?
2. If not, can I use a Finisher on a Riposte?
3. If either 1 or 2 is yes, how does that interact with the other Reaction I can take to make attacks on other folks turns? For example, do I have to make sure I wait to use the Riposte reaction because a finisher would shut down attacks "for that turn"?
4. If yes to 1 or 2, are there any restrictions beyond the regular "Finisher" trait rules?

Thanks in advance!

Ah, no worries. I was more just trying to prepare my expectations if I did take that background. I definitely like the flyssa and will probably go ahead and use that. Thanks for the suggestions!

I haven't actually played the AP either. So I don't entirely know what would or wouldn't fit. The player's guide should have some useful information in it. But I would expect that Fencer Swashbuckler would be fine.

I would expect that the Sailor background would be almost entirely flavor rather than directly helpful. Athletics is a good skill. Underwater Marauder and Sailing Lore would rarely, if ever, come up. But not everything about a character has to be completely optimized in order to create a good, playable, and fun character. Most backgrounds are not going to be directly applicable to the majority of a campaign.

Swashbuckler and fists would lean towards Gymnast style - which is more strength based than charisma based. Both could have a pirate theme with either just flavor or with mechanics like using a background of Press-Ganged or Sailor or even more mechanics with Pirate archetype.

For weapon similar to a cutlass, I like the stats, flavor, and crit spec of the Flyssa. They look really cool too.

*re-reads OP* Whoops, I didn't mean to imply the style was using fists, rather was just trying to short-cut the AP name. I am currently leaning towards Fencer, which is why I'm struggling over the weapon to use. I could make it work as a Gymnast and not lose too much of the concept I originally had.

Would the stuff from Sailor background actually be helpful, or just for flavor? I've never played Fists of the Ruby Phoenix before, so no idea what works well vs. really bad idea.

Thanks!

My party just decided to abandon Abomination Vaults in order to fast-forward to Fists of the Ruby Phoenix. I kind of wanted to port over a character from 1e I really enjoyed, which was a swashbuckler who was kind of a river pirate in Avistan when he wasn't forced to work for the Pathfinder Society.

I'm okay with that not translating one to one - what I need help with is does a piratey-themed kind of character mesh at all with Fists? I can retheme the character since I have to change enough things to make swashbuckler work in 2e, so I'd love any suggestions. In particular I'm struggling with what weapon to use since I need an Agile or Finesse weapon to use my Precise strike and while I don't really want to use a rapier, the weapon I would have wanted to use doesn't exist in PF 2e yet (cutlass). What would work to re-flavor if this concept isn't completely at odds with the AP?

Many thanks in advance!

Thanks all for the help; apologies for the extreme examples in the OP, but the wording on the trait had me utterly scratching my head:

Incapacitation trait from Archives of Nethys:
"If a spell has the incapacitation trait, any creature of more than twice the spell’s level treats the result of their check to prevent being incapacitated by the spell as one degree of success better, or the result of any check the spellcaster made to incapacitate them as one degree of success worse."

Maybe this is worse with spells than it is with class abilities, as I've mostly used non-spell feats/strikes with this trait, and the whole utterly nerfing or overpowered-ness never seemed to kick in. The "double" or "half" level is what made me me question the negativity towards them so much.

My apologies if this seems like a rant, but I am having some serious issues understanding the community's reaction to effects with the Incapacitation tag: several posts, especially those which include guides to character building, seem to think anything tagged with an Incapacitation effect is automatically one step worse for character consideration. I truly don't get this thinking, as while it could be a problem in some situations, it's not exactly game-breaking. Sure you don't want to toss a 3rd level Paralysis spell or use a Flurry as a 2nd level monk against a 15+ character, but outside of extreme "Kill the PCs dead ASAP" situations like that, it almost seems like the trait doesn't really impact game play.

Can someone please explain how often the drawbacks are going to kick in, especially at what levels it's a serious problem for the character/party?

Thank you in advance and sorry if this is the wrong area to post this as I wasn't quite sure where to put it.

Re 2: I was worried I'd get choked up deciding which "reaction" to use since I've been experiencing that problem with a Ruffian rogue in Abomination Vaults I was running to try experimenting with since I always wanted to run that kind of concept. Unfortunately I suffered from bad feat choices and focusing too hard on strength over other stats, so I couldn't pick up dedications to smooth out the problems I was having. I wanted to avoid the "well, crap, I have to pic kbetween 4 different reactions this turn" again if I could help it.

I'm trying to put together a swashbuckler for Fists of the Ruby Pheonix when my group gets to it (starting lv11), and I'm having some problems wrapping my head around some feat interactions:

1. Flying Blade vs. just grabbing a bow:
I'm very happy they kept a way for Swashbucklers to be chucking weapons and not just look cool doing it, but I don't know if the Precise Strike plus throwing a dagger is better than just pulling out a bow and plinking for 1-2d6 or 1-2d8 damage. (Not sure if I'll have enough gold for a +1 striking ranged weapon on top of +1 armor and +1 striking melee weapon). Especially since bucklers seem a little crap even with feat investment, so I kinda want to go Dueling Parry/Dueling Dance.

2. How does "After You" interact with the initiative? Is it always on, or do I get to pick at the beginning of combat, assuming I've seen enough of the battle revealed at start to make strategic decisions? I see my char being one of the few melee folks in a party of ranged/castery folks, even if some of the others can melee. I'd like to have the option to benefit from holding init if I have to.

3. What's the "proper balance" of reaction options? I want very much to take Attack of Opportunity, but there are several other good options like Charmed Life that want my reactiopn. Is 2 the right number, or just 1? It feels like having more than 2 is just setting me up for decision paralysis when plotting out my move before I take it.

4. Does Goading Feint replace my ability to gain Panache when messing with opponents? The char is a Fencer Swash, and the Panache option that isn't Tumbling specifically calls out "Feinting" or "Creating diversions":
"You gain panache during an encounter whenever you successfully Feint or Create a Diversion against a foe."
Goading Feint says:
"Prerequisites trained in Deception
When you trick a foe, you can goad them into overextending their next attack. On a Feint, you can use the following success and critical success effects instead of any other effects you would gain when you Feint; if you do, other abilities that adjust the normal effects of your Feint no longer apply. You can choose whether to use the Goading Feint benefits or the normal benefits each time you Feint a given foe.

Critical Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls against you before the end of its next turn.
Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its next attack roll against you before the end of its next turn."

Thanks in advance - still trying to wrap my head around this wonderful class!

I'm trying to put together a swashbuckler for Fists of the Ruby Pheonix when my group gets to it (starting lv11), and I'm having some problems wrapping my head around some feat interactions:

1. Flying Blade vs. just grabbing a bow:
I'm very happy they kept a way for Swashbucklers to be chucking weapons and not just look cool doing it, but I don't know if the Precise Strike plus throwing a dagger is better than just pulling out a bow and plinking for 1-2d6 or 1-2d8 damage. (Not sure if I'll have enough gold for a +1 striking ranged weapon on top of +1 armor and +1 striking melee weapon). Especially since bucklers seem a little crap even with feat investment, so I kinda want to go Dueling Parry/Dueling Dance.

2. How does "After You" interact with the initiative? Is it always on, or do I get to pick at the beginning of combat, assuming I've seen enough of the battle revealed at start to make strategic decisions? I see my char being one of the few melee folks in a party of ranged/castery folks, even if some of the others can melee. I'd like to have the option to benefit from holding init if I have to.

3. What's the "proper balance" of reaction options? I want very much to take Attack of Opportunity, but there are several other good options like Charmed Life that want my reactiopn. Is 2 the right number, or just 1? It feels like having more than 2 is just setting me up for decision paralysis when plotting out my move before I take it.

4. Does Goading Feint replace my ability to gain Panache when messing with opponents? The char is a Fencer Swash, and the Panache option that isn't Tumbling specifically calls out "Feinting" or "Creating diversions":
"You gain panache during an encounter whenever you successfully Feint or Create a Diversion against a foe."
Goading Feint says:
"Prerequisites trained in Deception
When you trick a foe, you can goad them into overextending their next attack. On a Feint, you can use the following success and critical success effects instead of any other effects you would gain when you Feint; if you do, other abilities that adjust the normal effects of your Feint no longer apply. You can choose whether to use the Goading Feint benefits or the normal benefits each time you Feint a given foe.

Critical Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls against you before the end of its next turn.
Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its next attack roll against you before the end of its next turn."

Thanks in advance - still trying to wrap my head around this wonderful class!

breithauptclan wrote:

Maybe there are some shenanigans with a free-hand weapon. Holding a dagger in a hand that is also wearing a gauntlet. Then you could throw the dagger and immediately still be wielding the gauntlet. But that seems like a very strange edge case that is rather sub-optimal.

Yeah, free hand weapons are the way to go here: just use the free weapon hand as the hand you throw with and you're good to go.

PS: you could also Juggle 2+ weapons at once and still qualify after throwing one of them.

I don't quite follow how either of those options would would work?I assume once I toss the main weapon, I'm breaking the parry since I no longer have a single one-handed weapon to parry with.

How on earth would juggling another weapon not break the parry? I'm open to the idea as it's quite shenanigans, but my DM would never go for it, I'm afraid - at least without an almost unassailable argument.

I know at first glance these two feats are going to be at cross purposes, but I wanted to double-check something.

The text for Dueling Parry says:

Requirements You are wielding only a single one-handed melee weapon and have your other hand or hands free.
You can parry attacks against you with your weapon. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn as long as you continue to meet the requirements.

I had wondered if I can get the quick draw feat at some point or just have to eat the extra action, can I draw the dagger/other thrown weapon, chuck it and then since I have the hand free re-gain the circumstance bonus? Or would I have to spend the action after throwing the weapon?

Oh, and before I froget again, Flying Blade's text is:
Prerequisites precise strike
You've learned to apply your flashy techniques to thrown weapons as easily as melee attacks. When you have panache, you apply your precise strike damage on ranged Strikes you make with a thrown weapon within that weapon's first range increment. The thrown weapon must be an agile or finesse weapon. This also allows you to make a thrown weapon ranged Strike for Confident Finisher and any other finisher that includes a Strike that can benefit from your precise strike.

Thanks in advance!

Apologies if this is quite obvious given the nature of the "Consumable" trait, but the text of the Climbing Bolt magical item is confusing me a bit:

"The shaft of this bolt is wrapped with fine twine. When the bolt strikes a solid surface, the twine unwinds and enlarges into a 50-foot-long rope, securely fastened to the surface the bolt struck. The rope can be pulled free with an Interact action and a successful DC 20 Athletics check."

So does this mean the rope part sticks around, but the bolt itself is expended? If not, can you "reclaim" the bolt ala Thief the Dark Project/Thief 2: the Metal Age?

Thanks in advance and happy holidays whatever you're celebrating!

Apologies first off if I'm posting this in the wrong place as it's been some time since I've been on the forums, either 1e or 2e.

That being said, how on earth does one make an effective Sword Scion at 1st level? The background says you get access to Aldori dueling swords, but it doesn't say you just get one and it's freaking 30 GP to buy, which is double your starting gold. I would appreciate any and all advice as I'm making a back-up char for a Kingmaker run and I'm still wrapping my head around the fighter class.

Are there better classes for Sword Scion while I'm at it?

Thanks all and good luck with your campaigns, whether running or playing.

I've been playing in an AP (I don't recall the name) and our party just finished fighting essentially magma elementals. (Thwocks or something like that?)

I am playing a nanocyte who uses gear array melee weapons and I looked up the rules for weapon damage - they by-passed hardness entirely - and it says "sturdy items like weapons and armor typically have 15 hitpoints plus 3 times their level". My frosthaft doshko is lv4, so 27 HP?

How does the damage interact with the gear array weapons since I typically switch-hit as necessary between two different doshkos and a vortex rifle? Does the 5 total damage my Frosthaft doshko (Chill) took translate over to the other gear arrays? Or does the weapon damage fall off when the form shifts?

Thanks all!

I can't seem to find that table on Archives of Nethys. Is it anywhere on there?

I was reading through the entry for Advanced First Aid on Archives of Nethys and I noticed it doesn't include a Critical Failure effect. Does this mean I just lose the actions spent on attempting the AFA since that's what happens with a failure? I only ask because regular First Aid inflicts penalties when you critically fail such as Stablizing attempts increasing dying value by 1 or Persistent damage inflicting immediate bleed damage on a crit fail.

Thanks all!

How long do items formed from your gear array last outside combat - if at all - before you have to burn nanite surges to switch/use them? It seems like one of three possibilities:

1. They just don't - this seems silly since minor forms exist at all, but I can see an argument for that interpretation.
2. They do, but it's only for 10 min. or however long it takes to burn a resolve point to regain stamina.
3. They stay formed in that form until you burn a move action in combat or give an order out of combat to reform/close them down/long rest for the day.

Do any of these seem right? I'm still grappling with the concept myself.

I've been playing Extinction curse with a monk since level 1, and I've mostly been ignoring the Reflection of Light(?) you get that gives you darkvision and Searing Light once per day. That being said, I'm getting tired of not being able to contribute to ranged combat and would like to figure out how to use it as I'm not sure if the spell part of the power heightens?

My monk is using Occultism for his tradition, as he has a couple of Ki spells. Do I use Occultism + level (15) plus charisma (sadly 10, so mod 0)? What level do I count the spell at for purposes of heightening it (if any at all) since the spell is technically innate?

Rules for innate spells here:
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=259

I'm having problems because of this section under "Innate spells":

"You can't use your spell slots to cast your innate spells, but you might have an innate spell and also be able to prepare or cast the same spell through your class. You also can't heighten innate spells, but some abilities that grant innate spells might give you the spell at a higher level than its base level or change the level at which you cast the spell."

Thanks in advance!

Ah, I completely misunderstood the interaction with the class feature. Thanks all for setting me straight. I do wonder why they didn't allow you to take it multiple times if it only ever gives you 1 extra sneak attack die?

I'm currently playing a slayer (vanilla, no archetypes) and I picked up Accomplished Sneak Attacker to help off-set the delayed sneak attack progression (1d6 every 3 levels normally). What I'm trying to figure out is does the combination of my normal progression plus that feat let me get additional dice at regular rogue speed, or am I just always +1 extra sneak attack dice?

For context, I just hit level 5 and I picked up ASA at 3rd. Here's the text of the feat:

Your strikes against a foe’s vital spots are extra deadly.

Prerequisite(s): Sneak attack class feature.

Benefit(s): Your sneak attack damage increases by 1d6. Your number of sneak attack dice cannot exceed half your character level (rounded up).

Many thanks in advance!

Here goes:

Know Thy Enemy (Ex): When the lore warden succeeds at a Knowledge check to identify a creature’s abilities and weaknesses, she can also use a standard action to grant herself a +2 insight bonus on all attack and weapon damage rolls made against that enemy. This bonus lasts for a number of rounds equal to half her class level (minimum 2 rounds), or until the lore warden uses this ability against a different creature. At 11th level, she also gains a +2 bonus to her AC against the creature when using this ability. At 19th level, the insight bonus increases to +3.

So my question is, do you have to do a new Knowledge (whatever) check each time you fight a new monster in combat? Especially if they're multiples of the same monster? If not, how does that work?

Example: Ionius, lv 11 Lore Warden is fighting against 5 zombies. He uses Knowledge (Religion) to identify one of the zombies, and gets a total of 25. (10 ranks in Know Religion, 3 from class skill, 2 from INT). He uses a move action to base the first zombie, and converts the standard to a second move and activates KTE. Does that mean he has to make a new KR check for the other 4 zombies? Does this also mean he has to split his 5 rounds of KTE (11/2 = 5.5, rounds down to 5) among all 5 zombies?

Thanks!

You can throw more bombs per day.

Prerequisites: Bomb class feature.

Benefit: You can throw two additional bombs per day.

Special: You can gain Extra Bombs multiple times. Its effects stack.

It's the second portion that is destroying my mind, especially since apparently there is nothing out there about this feat on the forums... *growls*

Does it mean that you get 2 bombs per feat taken, or is it exponential; EB 1 = 2 bombs, EB 2 = 6 (2+4), Eb 3 = 12, etc.

Please help!

BAB +9 means your attack penalty is -3 and your damage bonus is +6 with the main hand and +3 with the off hand. Piranha strike applies to all your attacks in the round.

Primary and secondary are terms for natural weapons, not weapon attacks. I think this might be contributing to your confusion. With +9 BAB, you're entitled to two attacks each round. These attacks are treated as main-hand attacks regardless of which weapon you use to make them. So if you use your agile cestus on both attacks, your attack routine looks like +13/+8 (d4+13). You could also make the first attack with the agile cestus and the second with your mithral one, getting one attack at +13 (d4+13), and one at +8 (d4+7). Or you could do both with your mithral cestus.

Again, it doesn't matter which weapon you use, they're all treated as main hand attacks.

If you use two weapon fighting, you can get bonus attacks in a round. These extra attacks are the only things that are treated as off hand attacks. For example, if you have the two-weapon fighting feat, you could make two attacks with your agile cestus as the main hand weapon, and a bonus attack with your mithral off-hand, taking a -2 penalty on all attack rolls (as described in the feat). These three attacks would look like this:

Agile Cestus Main Hand: +11/+6 (d4+7+6)
Mithral Cestus Off-hand: +11 (d4+1+3)

Hope that answers your question.

Thanks very much, it does! So it looks like it is -3 for +6 (-1/+2x3) on the main hand and +3 on the off-hand. I wasn't sure if the wording meant the damage overall was halved or just the bonus. And yes, I think I was confusing terms, so thanks for catching that!

I should probably add just so it's completely clear: I couldn't afford agile enchantment on both cesti, so only my primary gets to add Dex to damage. My off-hand is a +1 mithral cestus. I'm hoping to eventually add Agile to it as well.

First of all, apologies if this exists somewhere without using the name as I kept trying to find something similar and alls I found were discussions of "MNAAA POWER ATTACK BETTER!!!"

What I need help with is what's on the tin, at least for off-hand attacks:

Pirahna Strike (Combat):
You make a combination of quick strikes, sacrificing accuracy for multiple, minor wounds that prove exceptionally deadly.

Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse, base attack bonus +1.

Benefit: When wielding a light weapon, you can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and for every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus on damage rolls increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before the attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage. This feat cannot be used in conjunction with the Power Attack feat.
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So if my BAB is 9/4, my full attack bonus is 16/11 (Alchemist with + to Dex mutagen and agile nonsense), and my damage prior to Pirahna Strike is d4+7, which of the following is accurate for my 2 iterative attacks?

A. d20+13 for d4+13 primary, d20+8 for d4+4 (+1 cestus)
B. d20+13 for d4+10 primary, d20+8 for d4+4 secondary
c. d20+13 for d4+13 primary, d20+8 for d4+6 secondary
d. d20+13 for d4+10 primary, d20+8 for d4+4 secondary

I'm asking because my secondary weapon is mithral for dealing with demons/fei, and that's a monster type that is encountered sporadically in large groups so it would be nice to know when I need to bust out the secondary attacks.

Thanks in advance!

Hello
I am building a rondelero swashbuckler for a campaign as a back-up character starting at 11th. I am having problems with one of the features of the archetype vs. base class features as listed on the tin:

Buckler Bash (Ex): At 2nd level, a rondelero swashbuckler can perform a shield bash with a buckler (use the same damage and critical multiplier as for a light shield). He can treat a buckler as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for the purposes of the swashbuckler’s finesse and all feats and class abilities that refer to such a weapon.

Precise Strike:
At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, a swashbuckler gains the ability to strike precisely with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon (though not natural weapon attacks), adding her swashbuckler level to the damage dealt. To use this deed, a swashbuckler cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield other than a buckler. She can even use this ability with thrown light or onehanded piercing melee weapons, so long as the target is within 30 feet of her. Any creature that is immune to sneak attacks is immune to the additional damage granted by precise strike, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from the additional damage of a precise strike. This additional damage is precision damage, and isn’t multiplied on a critical hit.

As a swift action, a swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point to double her precise strike’s damage bonus on the next attack. This benefit must be used before the end of her turn, or it is lost. This deed’s cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the amount of panache points a deed costs (such as the Signature Deed feat).

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My problem is this: Does the first feature make my buckler count as a second weapon for the purposes of determining if features like Precise Strike which clearly says "no second weapon" turn off, or does Buckler Bash let me ignore that little issue? It's kind of breaking my brain as the archetype clearly is built to work with both a falcata and a buckler alternating as situations and personal flavor dictate. Thanks!

P.s. Here's a link to the archetype: https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Swashbuckler%20Rondelero %20Swashbuckler

Thanks all for setting me straight; I sometimes get a little hung up on weird differences like class level versus character level when it's a feature rather than a feat or something.

There is a difference between character level and class level. Class levels are how many levels you have in a particular class. So if you have 3 levels of oracle and 1 level of fighter you have 3 class levels of oracle and 1 of fighter. Any class features including bonus feats are based on the number of class levels you have in a particular class. Character level refers to the sum of all your levels from all classics. Most things are based on class level. About the only things that are based on character level XP totals to determine when you level up, standard (not bonus) feats and attribute bonuses.

Some abilities like BAB and saves are cumulative so you add them all together to get the final total. For example a 3rd level oracle has a BAB of +2, a fighter has a BAB of +1. So your oracle 3/fighter 1 has a BAB of +3. All your oracle abilities including spells and caster level would be those of a 3rd level oracle. You would have 2 standard feats and a +1 bonus to 1 attribute. Other than BAB, saves and having proficiency with heavy armor and martial weapons all 1 level of fighter gives you is 1 bonus feat. You do not gain Bravery or any other fighter class ability until your level of fighter is high enough.

It also does not matter what level you multiclass at. You could be a 12th level oracle and when you hit 13th level deicide to pick up a level of fighter. You get all the abilities including bonus feats of a 1st level fighter and nothing else.

I was using those levels as an example to illustrate my point. Thanks for the clarifications, though.

The bonus feats class ability is specific to your fighter class level, not character level. You get bonus feats at FIGHTER LEVEL 1, 2, 4, 6, etc... NOT at character level 1,2,4,6...

So if I were to go Oracle 3 levels then kick in Cad at level 4, I would get the bonus feat for level 4, and that's it? I only ask because it's a specific class feature, and it refers to specific levels. Thanks!

Apologies if this has already been asked, but my google fu skills are sucking magnificently right now.

Since the Fighter Bonus feats is a class feature, do you "back-fill" the combat/bonus feats for 1, 2, 4, etc., etc. if you dip into fighter at a later level? I ask because I'm trying a build for maximum dirty trick shenanigans using Battle Oracle and the Cad fighter archetype. And no, I don't want to go Monk Master of AManeuvers as some of the later features don't work with my vision of the character not to mention the personality is absolutely not "lawful" which I'd have to be.

Thank you very much in advance!

It means that purely magical flight isn't affected, yes.

Do things that fly from magic at least suffer the dex/attack penalties, or the slowed movement? I'm playing a level 10 alchemist in the Jade Regent campaign and there's a lot of annoying fliers that half the damn party can't deal with, and it'd be nice if I could offer a tool - even if it's very, very limited in scope - to drag some of the fliers down to our level.

Thanks!

I'm having some problems understanding parts of the Tanglefoot property the bomb discovery grants:

Tanglefoot Bomb (Su)* (Ultimate Magic pg. 17): A creature that takes a direct hit from a tanglefoot bomb must save against the bomb’s DC or be entangled and glued to the floor as if it had failed its save against a tanglefoot bag. Creatures in the splash area that fail their saves are entangled but not glued to the floor; those who make this save are not entangled at all.
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Tanglefoot bag says:
A tanglefoot bag is a small sack filled with tar, resin, and other sticky substances. When you throw a tanglefoot bag at a creature (as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet), the bag comes apart and goo bursts out, entangling the target and then becoming tough and resilient upon exposure to air. An entangled creature takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity and must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be glued to the floor, unable to move. Even on a successful save, it can move only at half speed. Huge or larger creatures are unaffected by a tanglefoot bag. A flying creature is not stuck to the floor, but it must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be unable to fly (assuming it uses its wings to fly) and fall to the ground. A tanglefoot bag does not function underwater.

A creature that is glued to the floor (or unable to fly) can break free by making a DC 17 Strength check or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A creature trying to scrape goo off itself, or another creature assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the creature that hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off. Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half speed. If the entangled creature attempts to cast a spell, it must make a concentration check with a DC of 15 + the spell’s level or be unable to cast the spell. The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its effectiveness. An application of universal solvent to a stuck creature dissolves the alchemical goo immediately. Crafting this item is a DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check.

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So the part I'm having problems with is the section regarding flying creatures. It specifically calls out "if using wings". Does this mean creatures, say like Oni, who fly using at-will SLAs or the actual Fly spell aren't subject to the "knocked out of the sky" portion, let alone the nonsense regarding slowed movement?

Thanks for the help!

It's meant to impede flight gained from mundane forms of flying, like flapping wings. SLA's are magical so Flight gained from an SLA would not be impeded.

Spell-Like Abilities wrote:

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp)

Spell-like abilities, as the name implies, are magical abilities that are very much like spells. Spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance and dispel magic. They do not function in areas where magic is suppressed or negated (such as an antimagic field). Spell-like abilities can be dispelled but they cannot be counterspelled or used to counterspell.

Ooooohhh, so they're abilities that are inherently magical and mimic spells, but they're not actually full spells in their own right. Tha'ts what has been confusing me for years. Sad to know about Grounding Goo as I've been playing Jade Regent, and it's chock full of oni among other annoying nasties with the fly spell or a fly SLA. *sigh*

Thanks all!

First off, apologies if this is in the wrong area, but I'm never quite sure what goes under "Advice" and what should be asked under "Rules Questions" If this is in the wrong section, please move it to where it belongs, and my thanks in advance!

That out of the way, here's my question: The Grounding Goo Alchemical Discovery says it impedes non-magical flying, including a penalty to fly checks.

Does this mean creatures with Fly as a spell-like ability are also immune to this penalty? I've always been confused on the difference between spells and SLAs that mimic those spells.

Here's the exact wording on the discovery, courtesy of Archives of Nethys:

Grounding Goo* (Su) (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 34): The alchemist’s bomb applies a sticky residue after any damage from the bomb is resolved. If a creature damaged by the bomb has a nonmagical fly speed, its flight is severely impaired, and it takes a penalty equal to the alchemist’s level on Fly checks for 1 minute.

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Thoughts?

Hello hive mind:

Apologies for posting this when there's so many guides and nonsense out there, but I can't seem to figure out a basic question I have when it comes to Variant Multi-classing:

When you VMC a class like fighter or Oracle that gets a feature at level 1 that isn't mentioned outright in the advancement track for your secondary class conditions, do you get those at all, or not?

In specific, I'm wondering if an Oracle I'd like to VMC into fighter would get the Bonus Feats class feature or not as neither Archive of Nethys nor D20pfsrd mention this.

Thanks!

*casts raise thread*
If you're still out there, Lizard Mage, consider the Aerial Assaulter fighter archetype:

https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Fighter%20Aerial%20Assau lter

The very first ability gives you the high jump and swan dive for eventually massive damage bonuses. All you sacrifice for this archetype is the armor trainings/armor mastery, which Vega almost never used from what I could figure out in classic SF beyond his trademark mask.

Thanks all for the suggestions! I think I'm going to try to talk my GM into using the stamina rules as it's an unique system and several feats I have now or will have at next level will benefit from it. Will also look into the scabbard as 10k GP is a touch prohibitive right now.