Heymitch's page

Apparently, the SRD that was published under Creative Commons mentions beholders, slaads, and mind flayers (although it doesn't include stat blocks).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this mean that Paizo could include their own versions of these creatures in Pathfinder and in Golarion, as long as they give proper attribution to the Creative Commons license?

I'm surprised to not see Battlezoo listed.

I see Roll For Combat listed. Isn't that the same company?

Great list of publishers!

Everyone on my shopping list is represented.

Go to Akali the Rogue Assassin

Not really.

Have you looked at a Lunar Oracle? They have additional animal companion options.

Jingasa has been nerfed. It gives a +1 deflection bonus, so it won't work with Fate's Favored.

Also, the critical hit nullification now works one time only, not once per day.

It went from the magic item that everyone wants to the magic item that no one needs.

Something else to consider would be Inquisitor with the Sanctified Slayer archetype.

It gives you a combination of Studied Target, Sneak Attack (albeit at a slower progression), Bane and Greater Bane, and 6-Level Spontaneous Wisdom-Based Divine Spellcasting.

I played a character with this archetype with the Two-Weapon Fighting feats and Double Bane, and he was a freaking cuisinart (and increasingly scary when he was sporting Deadly Juggernaut).

Also, you get Solo Tactics for Precise Strike, Outflank, and Escape Route.

And a Good Will save.

You do give up most of your Rogue or Slayer Talents, though.

Get your Cleric buddy to cast Bestow Curse for you.

I think that Slayer is a good choice, for the combination of Full BAB, Studied Target, and Sneak Attack (for your short-range shots), as well as Slayer Talents.

Psst... and save up for Sniper Goggles.

I know that people are going to be of differing opinions about about whether or not Paizo did right or not in their attempts to re-balance various items in the game.

I will say this about the Jingasa, though. In the campaign I'm currently playing in, every PC except for one is wearing a Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier (although based on the theme of the campaign, they're probably more like Pirate Hats of the Lucky Freebooters). The one guy that doesn't is a Spellslinger Wizard sporting a Cyclop's Helm. Barring any changes, in our next game, everyone would have been sporting brand spanking new Jingasas, even if they doubled the price.

Someone argued that making an item that everyone must have into an item that nobody wants doesn't improve the game (or something to that effect). I disagree. I actually think it makes the game marginally better. Removing the Jingasa from the game entirely is preferable to having it everywhere, in my opinion.

Think of it like Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

You don't have to be Brazilian, or live in Brazil.

Son of a @#$%!! Why didn't someone tell me this sooner? I could've been a martial arts master by now!

Oh, well. Too late. Back to my Cheetos...

Flash-freeze them in a block of carbonite.

I liked the guide but I felt as though you underrated the Undead Lord archetype.

When you brought up the trade offs, you never mentioned the 8th level ability Unlife Healer, which essentially gives you free Empowered healing for undead, and free Maximized and Empowered undead healing at 16th level.

Also, your suggestion of having a custom Staff of Command Undead won't work out as you intended. Because the spell isn't one that you are capable of casting (unless you took the Inevitable domain), you would never be able to recharge it. The solution is to add a spell to the staff the you can cast in addition, such as Animate Dead. For example, if Command Undead was single-charged, and Animate Dead was triple-charged, the cost would be 6400gp.

Staves hold a maximum of 10 charges. Each spell cast from a staff consumes one or more charges. When a staff runs out of charges, it cannot be used until it is recharged. Each morning, when a spellcaster prepares spells or regains spell slots, he can also imbue one staff with a portion of his power so long as one or more of the spells cast by the staff is on his spell list and he is capable of casting at least one of the spells. Imbuing a staff with this power restores one charge to the staff, but the caster must forgo one prepared spell or spell slot of a level equal to the highest-level spell cast by the staff. For example, a 9th-level wizard with a staff of fire could imbue the staff with one charge per day by using up one of his 4th-level spells. A staff cannot gain more than one charge per day and a caster cannot imbue more than one staff per day.

If you're going to be fighting defensively a lot, consider taking the Threatening Defender trait.

A Sorcerer in a party on his own does best as a generalist mage with the best of the best Sorc spells available.

A Sorcerer trying to play that game in the same party as a Wizard looks like a child trying and failing to imitate his parent.

This probably explains why every PFS party is composed of nothing but Wizards...

Wizard: I've scryed the enemy, and I've prepared the perfect combination of spells to deal with them. Their doom is upon them.

Sorcerer: Too late. I killed them all yesterday.

I kind of feel that Dragon Disciple is a bit of a trap option for someone taking a number of Sorcerer levels, and that it works better with one level of Sorcerer, and then a full base attack class (especially Paladin).

Frankly, I think the most effective Draconic Sorcerers tend to skip Dragon Disciple and just advance Sorcerer. And they probably take Tattooed Sorcerer so they can trade out the claws and breath weapon. That prevents them from making the mistake of closing to melee range (even with a longspear), or breath weapon range, frankly.

Take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

An experienced Wizard player in the same party as a sorcerer [of equal experience] has to try very hard not to overshadow said sorcerer [such as perhaps collaborating with the sorcerer player in advance and selecting Prohibited Schools of magic that align with the Sorcerer's intended magical focus.]

If I'm understanding this correctly, then I disagree with it. If you believe that Sorcerers need to have an "intended magic focus" then it's likely that you're picking their spells poorly (and therefore handicapping them). A Sorcerer needs a bunch of spells that are likely to prove useful. They don't require a theme, although they can benefit from spells that synergize well together (mechanically, not thematically).

With proper preparation, a Wizard can have the perfect spell at his fingertips. With no preparation whatsoever, a Sorcerer can have a spell that will do quite nicely, and cast it half a dozen or more times.

I think that a Charisma of 1 may be indicative of a player who needs a new GM. Seriously, are you going to enjoy roleplaying an ooze? And, if not, why did he make it happen? Seems like he's playing with his food to me.

To those who suggested roleplaying like a zombie, they have a Cha of 10, an Ant Swarm has a Cha of 2. Then there's you.

How about taking a level of Oracle with the Lore, Nature, or Lunar Mystery? Now you can hose your armor class (and, depending on your choice, your CMD or Reflex save). Plus, you'll never have to worry about any pesky spells with your Charisma of 1.

Two levels of Paladin will let you add your Cha mod to your saves (although, if you took Lore or Lunar Oracle, you should know that you won't be able to add it twice to your Reflex save, more's the pity). Who knows? You might just roll a natural 20 from time to time, and successfully save.

I don't know about you, but your GM is now having a grand old time. And isn't that what's important?

Interesting idea. How far did you get working something up?

Wand of True Strike and UMD?

I was fiddling around with a bit of theory crafting in the past week or so, and I've been focused on Necromancy as of late. Here's what I came up with:

Start with a Half-Elf Oracle, and choose to spontaneously cast Inflict spells. Take the Ancient Lorekeeper and Black-Blooded Oracle archetypes.
Pick a Mystery that works for you (I went with Lunar).

Ancient Lorekeeper replaces your bonus spells with spells of your choice from the Sorcerer/Wizard list (although you cast them as one level higher). Now, your character doesn't channel, but he does spontaneously cast Inflict spells, which he can use to heal himself thanks to the Black-Blooded Oracle archetype.

You can pick up some additional Necromancy spells from Ancient Lorekeeper, such as Touch of Fatigue, Chill Touch, Spectral Hand, Vampiric Touch, and Enervation. Spectral Hand lets you deliver touch spells from Medium range (without a Rod of Reach, but by all means pick one of those up as a backup). Now you're delivering Chill Touch, Vampiric Touch, Inflict Spells, Bestow Curse, and Poison from more than 100 feet away.

Black-Blooded Oracle gives access to Dark Resilience, which allows for a limited number of re-rolls of failed saves vs. poison, paralyzation, disease, death effects, energy drain, and ability drain, all with a +4 circumstance bonus. It can also grant Darkvision, if you like. It also grants us cold resistance, and eventual immunity.

Lunar Mystery gives us access to Prophetic Armor (Cha to AC and Reflex saves, instead of Dex). We'll probably want to pick up the Noble Scion of War feat at first level, to give us Cha to Initiative, too.

Other nice revelations include Primal Companion, which is really fun for a necromancer. Now when our critter dies, we can keep him around as a Bloody Skeleton, and then go get a new one.

Once we get access to Mass Inflict spells, the revelation Touch of the Moon is awesome, adding a confusion effect with a scaling DC against anyone damaged by our Inflict spells.

I basically love necromantic characters, but I'm not a fan of walking into the midst of a bunch of brutish bad guys with a Death/Undead Cleric and channeling for damage (mainly because I hate it when a dozen or so not-quite-dead guys decide to return the favor). This build lets me play something that has more of a Sorcerer feel to it while getting access to the cleric list, and I get to display the bravery that comes from being safely out of reach.

Also, as a Half-Elf, it gets a leg up on the Eldritch Heritage feat chain, and it get's a FCB of Extra Spells Known.

Anyone have any other Oracle concepts that make use of Ancient Lorekeeper?

Sorcerers can also use Rings of Wizardry.

Edit: ninja'd.

Okay, that's totally everything that I can think of.

You could potentially capture a use of Emergency Force Sphere by counterspelling it with Dispel Magic and trapping it in a Spell-Capturing Gem for later use. It would only last for Caster Level minus 4 (Spell Level) days.

Veiled Illusionist prestige class can give you access to Shadow Evocation, which can emulate any Evocation spell of 4th level or lower, including Emergency Force Sphere. Of course, there is the whole problem of it only being one-fifth as strong as the real thing...

Also, you might be able to manage it by taking the Daivrat prestige class (from Pathfinder Companion: Qadira, Gateway to the East).

At 2nd level, they get the Spell-Fetch ability, which can get you spells from other classes. You would lose a caster level, though. Also, you'd need to be a 5th level Daivrat before you could nab Emergency Force Sphere, and you'd cast it as a 6th level spell (two levels higher).

It's possible with the Dreamed Secrets feat from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods book.

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Dreamed Secrets

When you sleep you gain secrets from beyond the stars, but such power comes with a price.

Prerequisite(s): Ability to cast divine spells, caster level 7th, worshiper of a Great Old One or Outer God.

Benefit(s): With each night's rest, you can choose two spells from the wizard spell list, both of which must be at least 1 wizard spell level lower than the highest level divine spell you can cast. If you are a spontaneous caster, these spells are added to your spells known for 24 hours. If you prepare spells, you can prepare these spells any time you do so in the next 24 hours. Each time you attempt to cast one of the wizard spells you have chosen, you must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or take 1d2 points of Wisdom damage and fail to cast the spell, though you do not lose the spell.

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You'd need access to 5th level Cleric spells, and you'd need to worship the right god(s).

Pst! Hail Hydra.

No, Extra Channeling does not grant 2 more channels to each type of channeling. See page 159 Sidebar of the Advanced Class Guide entitled "Feats that grant extra uses". Essentially, it gives you two extra uses that you can spend on any type of channeling that you wish.

Yes, Channel from Life Spirit and Rebuke Spirits from Spirit Warden archetype both get their own pool of channels, and if you have Extra Channeling you can apply it where you need it each day (but it only gives you two extra channels, not two per type).

No, Channel and Rebuke Spirits don't stack for damage. You can use Channel to heal or to harm undead as a Cleric of your Shaman level (1+Cha mod times per day), and you can use Rebuke Spirits to harm undead as a Cleric of your Shaman level (3+Cha mod times per day). The damage doesn't stack.

Succubi are always redeemable. They just need snuggling.

If you actually call yourself evil, you are likely beyond saving.

Dr. Evil says you're wrong...

You could still take it at third level if you had the Magical Knack trait for either Sorcerer or Warpriest, though. Then you would be caster level 3.

Cosmopolitan

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg

Living in large, exotic cities has put you in touch with many diverse civilizations, cultures, and races.

Benefit: You can speak and read two additional languages of your choice. In addition, choose two Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based skills. Those skills always count as class skills for you.

Do they have to be the same score or can you just pick say intimidate and knowledge nature.

I've always read that to be choose any two skills that are Int, Wis, or Cha-based. So, Intimidate and Knowledge (Nature) would be fine. There's no mention that the two skills need to be based off of the same attribute.

I'm pretty sure the answer is none.

Long enough to see humans land on the Moon?

I have seen humans land on a Hollywood sound stage that NASA claimed was the moon. I suppose that doesn't count, though?

Furious Finish

You channel all of your rage into one massive blow to crush your enemy.

Prerequisite: Rage class feature, Vital Strike, base attack bonus +6.

Benefit: While raging, when you use the Vital Strike feat, you can choose not to roll your damage dice and instead deal damage equal to the maximum roll possible on those damage dice. If you do, your rage immediately ends, and you are fatigued (even if you would not normally be).

If you critical, you don't roll your damage, so...

If you do 1d12+15(x3) with your great axe (for example), that would be also be an additional 1d12 damage on a Vital Strike.

So you would deal (12+15) x 3 = 81 + 12 (for Vital Strike) = 93 points of damage.

At least that's how I'd read it.

Agreed; time travel makes me face-plant, no matter the film or show.

I'd make an exception for the DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", that featured the DS9 crew crossing over with the original series "Trouble With Tribbles". That was a hoot.

I'd also like to point out that if it wasn't for Star Trek, there'd never been a Galaxy Quest...

Misfortune can last forever... IF you stay within 30 feet, AND you spend that move action every round. Those are two big "if"s. Unless you have a means to move away and back every round without using a move action you're going to get smashed cackling regularly as a witch if you do anything else.

Flight isn't bad, it can save on spell slots -- but by level 9 I can instead cast overland flight, and honestly a fly speed before that point is useful... but not needed -- not to mention that it can be covered by the actual fly spell.

In a lot of earlier encounters, though, the Flight hex will make it easier to Cackle to extend Misfortune while continuing to stay out of reach of your target.

I said "All witches are EVIL". I meant "All witches are female".

Bad break-up? :)

Two options, as far as I can see:

1) Talk to the DM about how it is boring for PCs to lose the spotlight to NPCs. I think this point will be echoed by many, in which case you can direct your DM to this thread.

2) Find another DM.

So long as your DM is treating the NPCs as his Player Characters, you and your party are going to get trounced.

You said these NPCs are important to the campaign and the story. The problem is that no one should be more integral to the campaign and story than the Player Characters.

It seems as though the DM has relegated the PCs to the status of bit players.

It is true that you can't win the AC race, but I would not rely only on illusions as a unique line of defense.

At level 9, Erinyes is a very probable encounter (by itself or summoned through Summon Monster VI by the evil wizard/cleric/whatever). You will not like the [ranged attacks + True Seeing] stuff.

That's true, but a casting of wind wall or fickle winds will probably help you there better than a couple of points of AC.

Having said that, I would invest in some items that would raise your AC. A Belt of Incredible Dexterity will also increase your attack rolls with ranged touch spells, and your initiative. A Ring of Protection will raise your Touch AC and your CMD. And any increase to AC may help your mirror image spell survive being taken down by lower level minions.

The combination of "free" silent casting, Silence, and Surprising Charge is what originally inspired me to make a deaf oracle. It makes him extremely good at stopping spellcasters.

I agree totally with this.

I also think this character would benefit from the Step Up line of feats, even though you'll often be operating with reach, thanks to Enlarge Person or Righteous Might.

The ghost or apprentice necromancer is often only alive long enough to die by player hands, so it doesn't mind negative levels and ability damage quite as much as the player does.

Yep, I'm pretty sure that ghost doesn't mind negative levels at all... :)

I'm also in the camp that believes that a Lesser Metamagic Rod can modify a fireball spell even if it is already enhanced by a metamagic feat, and cast using a spell slot higher than 3rd.

You must be within 1 step of your deity's alignment. Being Neutral Good, the only options for Sarenites are Lawful Good, Neutral Good, and Chaotic Good.

Wouldn't Neutral also be an option? It's one step from Neutral Good.

Neutral people still wouldn't commit or endorse acts like torture and encouraging the killing of innocents for religious reasons. These Sarenites are trying to start a war between Qadira and Taldor, believing Qadira will win and install a Sarenite theocracy in a nation that had the impudence to ban the worship of their goddess. That seems evil in my book. You wouldn't be bound for an evil plane of existence when you die if it weren't.

Yeah. I never said they would. I'm pretty sure I just said that it was an option you didn't list.

You must be within 1 step of your deity's alignment. Being Neutral Good, the only options for Sarenites are Lawful Good, Neutral Good, and Chaotic Good.

Wouldn't Neutral also be an option? It's one step from Neutral Good.

Could they not worship sanerae but really be getting their power from elsewhere?

This.

Just because you think it's Sarenrae granting you your spells, doesn't mean that it is...

...Except for all of that rampant anti-goblin bigotry...

And anti-dwarven sentiments often displayed on these boards!

Goblins and dwarves are fine. It's the goblin-dwarf hybrids that I find distasteful...

Lefties still face difficulties. Heck, every time I move, I have to reconfgure my desk because the movers' default configuration is for a right handed person.

My apologies. I had no real idea just how much suffering you've had to endure just for being left-handed.

Stay strong.