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Hiya folks, trying to grok the way a meta-magic effect (Eclipsed Spell) changes the light cantrip. The relevant parts of Eclipsed Spell are:

You alter how your spells affect illumination.

Benefit(s): Only spells that create areas of light or darkness can be eclipsed spells. If the eclipsed spell creates an area that shines like a torch or raises the light level by one step, you can choose to have the spell lower the illumination level in the affected area by one step, functioning like darkness.

Since light is a Cantrip and lasts 10 min/level rather than the 1 min/level darkness, an Eclipsed Spell of light seems to be the much superior option. It would have the con of easier dispel, but at low levels, this seems like a game-changer.

A possible caveat, Darkness specifically states that it sniffs out non-magical lighting, returning a space to whatever the "ambient" light conditions are (sunlight and any non-mobile lighting fixtures, if I have my FAQs right). An Eclipsed version of light only states that it functions "like" darkness, but doesn't have the specific language about dousing non-ambient light sources.

This would cause the eclipsed version of the light spell to be much more effective for its place, but the optimizer in me feels like this is too good to pass up.

Thoughts?

I'm looking into picking up flensing strike for my Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor, but at just about the level he'd gain access (9) most truly dangerous enemies that rely on natural armor have access to fast healing or regeneration. Regeneration is easy enough to counter by applying whatever kind of damage negates it. Fast healing, on the other hand, leaves me pretty well out of luck.

So, are there any abilities, magic items, obscure feats or class pick up's that will allow me to counter those abilities?

Thanks!

So I'm attempting to build a Dragonscale Loyalist (Avenger) Vigilante for a Kingmaker AP game, but am having a devil of a time trying to make him effective in combat.

One option I'm pursuing is throwing Vital Strike onto Serren's Masterstroke.
This translates to an extra 10 damage at level 8, 17 at level 12, and 24 at level 16.

Assuming gear, magic items, 2 handed damage bonus and ability increases go towards maintaining strength this would get me DPR of..
17 at 4,
34 at 8,
48 at 12
61 at 16.

Not really worth the 4 feat investment.

I could pick up an impact weapon that would increase my damage to 52 at level 12 and 73 at level 16. This moves me from subpar to adequate, but it feels like I should be tossing more onto here to be meaning ful in combat.

Which gets me to here. I still have enough between feat slots and skills to go for a few feats on an intimidate build, Enforcer + Take 'em Alive is a pretty effective combination. Otherwise, there's..?

Well, I'm hoping you could suggest stuff. The Aldori Dueling Sword has a lot of other feat options, but those all require weapon finesse. That would be doable, but pirhana strike is just low enough compared to power attack that I'd be losing out on too much by keeping vital strike and Serren's Masterstroke.

Anyone have any helpful ideas? Not looking to min-max or dominate, just keep my abilities in the green range as a martial. Any help would be appreciated.

Can't seem to find 'em in the core book. There are rough approximations for them in the longsword, rapier, katana (more or less) and elven curve blade; but none that fits all the widgets that the dueling sword did lat edition.

Is this due to come out in a campaign guide, already out elsewhere, or is there somewhere in the book that spells out just what the Aldori swords are assumed to be in this edition?

Spinning my wheels on multiclassing a Monk, I'm womdering if I'm reading the "learn a class feat meeting prereq's as if 1/2 your character level". More to the point is there a downside to taking a power in terms of its overall effectiveness or its ability to be heightened?

Say I'm making a fighter but want to dip into monk powers. If I take Wholeness of Body at level 8 through Adv Kata, can I highten the power as a monk of my character level or as a monk of 1/2 my level? I haven't found a ruling one way or the other so far, but I'm not fantastic at missing little rulings hidden in long descriptions.

Outside of the heightening issue, I imagine the big downside compared to a getting the power as a primary class would be DC. It'd be a mistake, for instance to pick up Ki Blast since my Monk power dc's will never be greater than trained.

Of course, the other big sacrifice is Fighter feat focus in general, but it seems that depending on the character in question it could be worth it..

Sooo, those skill feats in the playtest. Were those meant to be a sampling, or a full list of options? And 3ven if only a sampling, the number and effect of those feats seem pretty underwhelming; mostly occupying space that the feat should already exist in but possible with a penalty, or offering up utilities that I've never seen players take an active hand in, at least in my experience..

So, am I just estimating these badly? Are there promises of much more relevant skill feats once the real book shows? What's the community interpretation?

Looking for a bit of clarification; does the class feat Ki Strike no longer grant 2 Spell points to the monk on selection?

Along a similar vein, does selecting both Ki Strike and Ki Rush mean no additional spell points as well, unlike other instances of Ki Power feasts?

The language for both feats indicate that "you gain a spell point pool if you don't already have one" rather than indicating a specific increase to your spell point pool like other ki power feats.

Thanks

I can't tell if this is my math, my missing a detail, or if I'm reading this right..

A power (like a monks Ki Blast or Paladins LoH) automatically heightens to 1/2 level rounded up, what happens when 1/2 your level rounded up exceeds 9?

For example:
A level 3 power, Ki Blast Regular = 4d4, +2d4 for each level its heightened.
So at spell level 4 (character level 7) it does 6d4, and so on.

But at character level 17 (unlikely though such characters are) the power does 16d4 (reasonable for character level, I think) as a "level 10" spell. The next and final upgrade comes in at level 19, increasing damage to 18d4 (again, fair I think) but making the "spell level" 11?

I mean, prolly this isn't a big deal since spell level doesn't really mean much anymore, but all my PF1 / 3.X instincts tell me I'm missing something.

...Am I?

Thanks

Curious on your thoughts about whether a human could take the Natural Ambition Ancestry Feat more than once. This feat grants you an additional 1st level class feat.

My assumption is yes, but I've seen other instance of selectable ...things which specifically call out the ability to take them more than once, and Natural Ambition doesn'y have that; so now I'm leaning toward no.

Thanks!

After reviewing the Un Monk Ki powers for my monk / pala, I discovered a bit of a hitch in the Building Up Koan power.

The power allows the monk to force themselves to make a will save. If successful they add their Wisdom Bonus as an Insight bonus to attack, ac, saves, and skill checks.

The problem is; the monk already adds wisdom to AC. And Will Saves (like everyone else). And there are the Wisdom based skills like perception and sense motive. Now, it's got big risks and only lasts a round, but that's not the biggest concern.

So, is this an exception to the double ability stacking rules, or is this ability much worse than it would have you expect?

Laying aside the fact that the Expulsionist if kinda a garbage archtype for the Inquisitor, am I correct in assuming Expel Spirit works to meet the prequisites for Crusader's Flurry?

Link to Expulsionist Archtype
http://www.aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Inquisitor%20Explusio nist

Relavent ability:
Expel Spirit (Su) : At 1st level, an expulsionist receives Alignment Channel and Turn Undead as bonus feats. She can channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier as per a cleric with an effective level equal to her inquisitor level, but only to harm or turn evil outsiders or undead (treating all evil outsiders as undead creatures for the purpose of determining whether they can be affected by Turn Undead). She can take other feats that add to this ability, such as Extra Channel or Improved Channel, but not other feats that fundamentally alter this ability, such as Elemental Channel, and she cannot select Alignment Channel multiple times. The DC to save against this ability is equal to 10 + 1/2 the expulsionist’s inquisitor level + her Charisma modifier.

Crusader's Flurry requires the Channel Energy class feature, which I don't see specifically named in Expel Spirit until one gets to the "She can channel energy a number of times per day" etc etc.

Thoughts?

I have a character idea in mind, but I'd like to make sure he doesn't lag so far behind better optimized characters that he becomes an albatross 'round the party neck.

I'm fully aware this character could be better optimized, just looking to make sure he's playable since I'm new to Pathfinder and (relatively) low ability point build characters.

Right now I'm looking at Dawnflower Dervish Bard 1, Tempered Champion / Knight of Coins Paladin 4, Scaled Fist Un-Monk all the rest of the way.

Stats would be
Str 8
Dex 18 (16 points +2 Aasimar Subtype)
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 18 (16 points +2 Aasimar Subtype)

DD Bard lets me dump Str out the gate, and by level 7 I'm picking up Crusaders Flurry Scimitar to get that sweet extra attack.

Tempered Champion Pal nets me weapon focus for free at character level 5, and knight of coins keeps my skill point progression sitting at a neat 4/level. I considered Virtuoso Bravo instead of Dawnflower D, but there are no good deities that match with the rapier (or similar weapons) for Crusader's Flurry. Aside's, DD Bard gets me positive damage out the gate.

The idea here here is a Sword Saint of Serenrae who can substitute as party face in a pinch. I don't need him to be a powerhouse, just competent.

Definitely need to pick up toughness @ lvl 1, even after that point his HP are still a problem.

A/c sits at 18 for most of the build outside magic item boosts (chain shirt until monk levels kick in to add Cha). Getting Barkskin helps, but doesn't come in till character level 11 thanks to the Scaled Fist Mandatory elemental fury ki power.

Saves would, happily, be pretty excellent. My big concern would be damage. Until he picks up the additional attack at 7 he's just not contributing much to harm opponents.

Thoughts, suggestions or criticisms?

So, reviewing the requirements and powers of this feat, it seemed a little too good to be true, espescially in light of a high level campaign where you mostly fight High Natural AC monsters.

But I get ahead of myself; this feat allows you to make a stunning fist attack attempt as a melee touch attack, 1/round. It requires an 8th level monk with Weapon Finesse. It states it can't be used in conjunction with Power Attack.

So, given the sorts of monsters one fights at high level, this seems like a 1/round garaunteed hit, and doesn't mess up your other attacks in a FoB the way the One Touch Ki Ability does.

Am I missing something here? Why isn't it on more class guides?