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I was lurking on reddit looking for posts about this argument and I just happend to found one.

At first I was interested in just the first question, but reading the others I realized that there are several possibilities.

I have recently started playing an oscillating wave for AV, and I was wondering whether I might have been able to provide assistance to my whole party without a secondary healer instead ( currently we have a warpriest, that would like to reroll a different character ).

Anyway, what's your take on this subject?

Assuming a dromaeosaur companion being used as a mount, how is going to work the support benefit for both the dromaeosaur? And as for the rider?

A couple of examples:

1) Mounted character with one enemy within their melee reach.
Given the support benefit, would move just the dromaeosaur or the mounted character as a whole?

2) Mounted character and 2 enemies within 10 feet from the dromaeosaur // mounted character.
Would the mounted character be able to strike in different positions? Or would just the dromaeosaur do so?

The point here is that there are 2 possible outcome.
D = Dromaeosaur
E = Enemy
R = Rider mounting the Dromaeosaur

The first would see a ninja dromaeosaur providing flanking to their rider ( DER ).
The other one would see the dromaosaur darting with the owner too ( either RE or ER ).

The latter would allows to strike from different positions, but unable to get flanking from the support benefit. The former would allow the rider to strike from their standard position, benefitting from the flanking, but not to strike from two different positions.

Since the 2e remastered announcement, apart from the big farwell to alignment ( thanks Paizo ), what caught my attention the most is the rework of how focus spells are going to work.

First thought was something like

"That's excellent! I have the feel they looked how good the psychic was, and decide to give all classes refocus x2, but only if the class uses their own spells"

So, giving refocus x2 to all spellcasters ( I am not sure about combatants like champions, rangers, monks ,etc... )

But then I thought about the fact that the psychic is made in that specific way because they also have a double edge mechanic ( psyche ) and 33% less slot compared to the other spellcasters ( or 50% less slots compared to a sorcerer or wizard ).

This would probably require the psychic to have 3x spells per day ( but AFAIK, the psychic is not going to be tweaked, thought I suppose it might be addressed with an errata, in the meanwhile).

I am also not sure who would ever go for archetype spells, renouncing to a refocus x2 ( tied to class spells ) until lvl 18.

But I am probably overthinking all of this.

What do you expect in terms of focus pool/spells?
Would you like a 2x refocus like the Psychic one ( choice between using a wide range of focus spells but refocusing 1x or using just class spells and refocusing x2 )?

GLIMPSE WEAKNESSES AND PSYCHE
How do they interact?

When a psychic amp feat says that you replace the amped version, does it mean that what remains of the spell you cast is "blank" => "amp feat" ?

Or you also get the basic benefits?

For example,

Guidance gives +1 status bonus on the next skill
Guidance Amped can be used as reaction, after you see the roll.

What about Guidance amped with Inertial barrier?

Does it just give DR for 1 round ( forgetting the +1 from base guidance ) or it's in addition to non amped guidance?

Is it intended that it can only make long rituals faster?

For example, 4 days ritual will end up being equal to a 4 hours ritual, which won't get any upgrade from the dedication ( or a 1 day ritual becoming a 1 hour ritual, while 2-8 hours ritual won't get anything ).

Has anything been recently added?

Apart from ring of wizardry and endless grimoire.

How does it interact?

We are about to start that campaign and I was looking for some tips.

I didn't know anything about the campaign, and I'd like not to receive any spoiler to best enjoy it.

here's the character i was working on:

Party will be composed by:

Champion ( don't know any detail yet )
Half Orc Thaumaturge ( amulet )
Hobgoblin Gunslinger ( sniper )
Half-Elf Ranger ( Precision dex build huntedshot/twintakedown + pet )

and me, the life Oracle.

Some of them would probably get battlemedicine and a focus spell to heal.

My questions are mostly:

There will be possibility to do downtime?

For example, on the road from lvl 1 to lvl 20, there will be months/years to perform activities like retrain, earn income, shop ( there will be shops of a proper level? ), items hunt ( there will be the possibility to travel in order to find items which may not be available in the vaults? )

Would be useful to invest 3 skill feats in order to get a proper authomatic knowledge?

In this 2e, using a generic lore skill with assurance is the only way to make it work properly because of the -2 DC on the check.
I assume there will be undeads, but mostly because of the previous question, I am not sure whether would be wise to invest 3 feats or not.

Would the absence of damaging AOE spells, be an issue in terms of difficulty?

having 2 strong frontline + 1 pet and 2 excellent ranged DPS i think this could work, but I admit I had some bad experience without the proper AOE stuff.

Thank you all.

Does the monk benefit from it?

I see it works on pathbuilder but I am not sure it's right.

I mean, hitting legendary while wearing an armor.

Energy can't be created or destroyed, only transferred or changed. Whenever you use your magic to add or remove energy, you must then balance it with the opposing force.

The first time in an encounter that you cast a granted spell or a standard psi cantrip from your conscious mind, decide whether you're adding energy or removing it. Once you add energy, you must remove energy the next time you cast one of these spells. When you Refocus, you restore yourself to a neutral state, allowing you to once again freely choose whether you add or remove energy on your next spell.

Adding Energy: The ability gains the fire trait, any damage it deals is fire damage, and any resistance it grants is to cold damage. It loses any traits matching damage types it no longer deals.

Removing Energy: The ability gains the cold trait, any damage it deals is cold

damage, and any resistance it grants is to fire damage. It loses any traits matching damage types it no longer deals. Fiery body grants ray of frost instead of produce flame when cast this way.

Mindshift: When you use an action that has the mindshift trait, you can choose to add or remove energy to it instead of making it mental. Alter it as normal for adding or removing energy and change any save it requires to a Reflex save.

Just wanted to know if I got all of this right.

1) I Can use any spell, focus spell ( amped cantrip ) or cantrip from my conscious mind repertoire.

2) On my first spell, After I cast it( untill I refocus or rest ), I can decide whether to add or remove energy.

3) If I add energy, the spell gains the fire trait, deals deal fire damage and loses any trait damage related. If I add energy, the spell gains the cold trait, deals deal cold damage and loses any trait damage related.

4) If I cast another spell ( point 1 rules apply here too ) I have to shift from fire to cold, or from cold to fire.

So, to sum up:

- I am not tied to fire/cold spells. I can use anything from my conscious mind repertoire, like tenekinetic projectile and similar.

- All the damage will become fire or cold damage. This means that if I cast Ice Storm ( I know it's not available. I am just using it to make an example ) adding energy it will deal 2d8 fire + 2d8 fire.

- Everything else spell related remains the same. For example a ray of frost dealing fire damage will still grant temporary HP, while a produce flame dealing frost damage would still add persistant cold damage on a critical hit.

Bonus:
Strain Mind

You strain your body beyond its limits to use an amp even when your mental power is depleted. You add an amp that costs 1 Focus Point to the spell. Instead of paying the normal Focus Point cost, you lose Hit Points equal to four times the spell level of the amped psi cantrip as you bleed from your nose or suffer some other visible sign of strain.

How does this spell interact with temporary hp?

Thank you.

I was working on a Psychic build that also involves the medic dedication, which gives access to remove condition and holistic care.

What's the stupified DC ( from unleash psyche end ) I should attempt to deal with?
I know I can remove it ( because nothing says otherwise, like for the Battle Oracle ), but I am having a hard time finding it ( I am currently torn between using the Psychic DC and the rules for counteracting abilities using the "monster's level" ).

Any advice?

Hey,

I was looking for a feat that allows the character to draw 2 one handed weapons at once during combat.

The ideal was for a normal dex based ranger using either a bow from the distance and 2 weapons when close combat ( making a good use of either twin takedown and hunted shot).

Couldn't find anythinganything but using gloves of storing to put a short sword within them.

Using one action to draw a weapon and a free action to summon the one within the gloves.

But a feat would have been nicer.

Is the summoner eidolon a valid target for sniping duo? As far as I can see, the eidolon is a non minion ally/creature.

Did I miss anything?

While lurking the treat wounds thread, I started considering the approached in terms of combat and out of combat we ( me and my groups ) had during these years.

One of the things that got my attention the most, is that it's not rare for characters to have a focus pool ( even those classes who don't have access to focus spells by default usually consider getting one ).

It's not rare that the one having medicine also has a focus pool, resulting in short breaks to be not very short.

Apart from lvl 1-3, where a group can't have continual recovery and ward healing, a group is able to patch themselves up in 10 minutes ( a standard group, which sees the frontline being hit and the backline not getting hit. Or at least, not getting hit that much ).

But if you feel more at ease, let's say 1-6, until they hit 4 person per 10 minutes.

Anyway, on a dungeon, an enemy castle, an urban underground passage, within a village of monsters, and so on, it's quite improbable for the party not being spot.

Even 10 minutes may allow a patrol to come by and inadvertently spot them ( all of this leaving apart any battle noise, blood and corpses, random patroling, intelligence work, scouting, etc... ), but let's go for it.

10 minutes for the one who heals would also mean another 10 minutes to get them refocus. But same can be said about other non "sorcerer" character who has to refocus, being unable to perform other activities ( identify items, swap spells, cast 1min+ spells, scouting, etc... ), ending up to 20 minutes.

To make a long story short, I was thinking about, depends the map size ( and combat difficulty ) to:

- Allow players to rest for 10 minutes.
- Allow players to get a limited number of rests per map ( something like darkest dungeon, if you are familair with it ).
- Give them all the refocusing activity included in any other activity.
- Allow the healer to take continual recovery and healing ward x4 even by lvl 1 ( they'd just have to get the feats by as soon as they can ).
- Knowing that dices may be a real b$+%!, I am considering giving them always a success on healing, allowing them to just roll for the critical success odds.
- Rest time may then be adjusted for what concerns in game time ( it can be 5 mins rather than 10, as it wouldn't change a thing exept for flavor purposes ).

For example, giving 4/5 rests on a map with:

-3 party +0 encounters.
-2 party +1 encounter
-1 party +2/3 encounter

The party would then consider making a good use of consumables ( I don't want to bring it back to the CLW s~!& ), and I'd make sure they find consumables during their dungeoning, a well as bonus rewards, making them consider using it to deal with.

I am aware that, at some point, this might end up being exactly as resting until the HP are full, but I expect them to push most of the time when their HP are not full.

This will also bring up stuff any adventurer is supposed to face sometimes, like:

- Withdrawing from an encoutner.
- Have to leave a character behind.
- Have a party member die ( a tpk may also happen, but there's plenty of room to prevent this from happening ).

We just faced an encounter that almost got us TPK on EC book 1, but that's it for our whole 2e experience.

ps: I am aware the use of consumables may end up on defensive stuff, mostly ( healing potions and salves, healing scrolls, defensive scrolls, devensive elixirs ), but if well put I expect them to also properly use armor/weapon talismans ( for example, the finding a fulu that allows the weapon to be a ghost touch against specific enemy would be appreciated against undeads ).

Any suggestions?

Trying to figure out whether tandem strike might be somehow better or even versatile than striking twice with a STR eidolon with boost eidolon.

My major concern is that the investement in terms of feats and attributes seems not to justify the damage in any way.

In order to be always at reach ( either the eidolon and the summoner ), steed form seems to be a very good pick.

I'd probably go with steed form ( lvl 2 ) and tandem strike ( lvl 6 ), plus extend boos ( lvl 1, through natural ambition ).

I'd also require 16 str, meaning less const ( less hp for the duo ).

Finally, being on the same spot would mean to suffer any aoe effect like under the effects of misfortune.

Didn't make any comparison in terms of hit/damage but, to justify the investement, it should be way stronger than 2x strikes from the eidolon ( and at first glance, it's not ).

Any suggestion how tandem strike might be a good alternative?

Hi there,

this one is for those who played several AP:

Does a character need to increase thievery:

- ASAP
- Up to legendary

during any adventure from lvl 1 to lvl 20?

What about Perception?

Would a random character, assuming a worst case scenario which involves a champion which is trained by lvl 1 and expert by lvl 11 ( eventually, master by lvl 17 ), be able to properly find traps ( I mean the possibility, not the odds ) from lvl 1 to lvl 20?

Is it raw as the other items like staves, runes, bracers, etc...?

For example, let's say the character would like to have a wand of heal or summon undead always with a level equal to the maximizing currently available.

Would they be able to just pay an amount of golds equal to the cost of the new wand minus the wand they already have?

Quickened Cast

lvl 10 ( or 12 for the time mage )

Frequency once per day

If your next action is to cast a cantrip or a spell that is at least 2 levels lower than the highest level spell slot you have, reduce the number of actions to cast it by 1 (minimum 1 action).

Timeline-Splitting Spell

lvl 18

Frequency once per day

You invest in two futures, then choose the one to make a reality. You Cast two Spells that each take 1 or 2 actions to cast. These can't be the same spell heightened to two different levels. You expend the resources for both spells, such as spell slots, Focus Points, and material components. Determine the immediate results for both spells, including attack rolls, saving throws, damage, and any other dice rolls. Then, choose which of the two spells takes effect, using the previously made rolls. The other spell's resources are still expended, but the spell has no effect as the magic disappears the other timeline.

I am not sure whether I got the feat wrong or it's just a maximum trolling.

the former allows you to cast 2 spells ( the sencod has to be 2 levels lower ).

For example, Meteor Swarm + lvl 7 cone of cold.

The second allows you to cast 2 spells ( different spells, but they can be of the same level ).

For example, Meteor Swarm + lvl 9 cone of cold

The former hits all enemies twice, while the latter allows you to just keep one of them ( if multiple rolls involved, you might even find yourself into a situation 50/50 ).

As said before, I don't get it.

ps: controls meant to be used against a boss, and because so without incapacitate trait like slow, synesthesia, etc... are low level enough to be used twice with quickened cast. So no issue here.

I admit I haven't had the chance to properly look at the playtest pdf, but I can say for sure I appreciate the choice ( we got stuck with the monk and fighter, though the latter one gets juggernaut by lvl 9 and evasion by lvl 15, being the only ones for a long time, along with the elixir dispenser, which is not a martial one ).

Being able to hit juggernaut ( as well as getting con as primary stat ) by lvl 7 and evasion by lvl 11 is imo gold.

Tried to search on this subforum but couldn't find anything recent ( but I remember this was discussed over and over ).

Did paizo say something about getting focus spell from archetypes?
Maybe it's just pathbuilder which is wrong, but was wondering whether stuff like hymn of healing, domain initiate and similar is meant to be considered different from other focus spells like basic bloodline spell or basic order spell.

The formers seem not to give a focus point to increase your pool, while the latter do.

Hi there,

was trying to understand whether trading a 1d6 elemental rune for a keen rune would have been a good choice or not.

with a range of 19-20 rather than 20, the odds would double, but still I don't get whether it'd be worth it or not ( a 19 on the first attack is going to always hit, and because so crit, regardless the creature level ).

here's the table.

What's your experience about starting at higher levels?

To me, it seems that a brand new character has way much more resources ( either golds and items) than a character that proceeded during the adventure from lvl 1 to x ( where x is the level you want to start, making a comparison with the table).

Just trying to understand if we are playing properly or not.

being 5p and 1 DM, it can be either the DM not properly adjusting loots, not adding extra loot as required, or even players not dedicating enough time to downtime activities.

But leaving apart the issue, I consider mandatory that, leaving apart "how", the players would get the right amount of funds/resources ( whether they get 1k from downtime or from the quest extra reward, it would be the same).

What about your experience?
Any suggestion?

Plus, talking about retraining, what about ability scores? How much time would you require to do so since it's not written?

Requiring a lot of time would result into huge disparities between players, and though I don't think in a fantasy game it would impact to also tweak stats ( in addition to feats), the ceb says nothing about the length ( once again, up to the DM).

I wonder, does it work or not?

Clever Positioning

Feat level: 4
Traits: Magus, Move, Uncommon
Cast: Verbal ( Every conflux spell is verbal, because of the recharge requirements )

Description: You nimbly move on the battlefield, getting yourself into a more suitable position.
Effect: Stride up to half of your speed. This movement does not trigger reactions. At the end of the movement, recharge your spellstrike.

Heightened 7: You can use Clever Positioning while Burrowing, Climbing, Flying, or Swimming instead of Striding if you have the corresponding movement type.

How does it seem to you?

Why calling them in different ways rather than using the same names?

Resolve > greater resolve
Juggernaut > greater juggernaut
Evasion > improved evasion

For reference, it would have been easier to filter/search for them.

Now I see we have ( or maybe we already had stuff like this)

Walls of will > fortress of will

If they do exactly the same thing, it would be easier and more comfortable to call them in the same way.

Hey,

A friend of mine swapped from ranger eldritch archer into unarmed ruffian, and because so I am using this opportunity to retrain from laughing shadow to starlit span hybrid study.

This is the build I though about so far

The intent is to switch from 2x strikes + electric arc to true strike+spell strike, depends the situation, leaping on the battleground.

Some rounds would obviously be 1 flurry + recharge + "third action".

The lvl 5 ancestry ( or the lvl 3 one through ancesttal paragon, moving fleet to lvl 11) would probably be animal accomplice for an independent manual dexterity familiar, handing out true strike scrolls to me.

As for the suggestions, what would you take as lvl 13 multi talented feat and lvl 14/16/18 feats?

Also, by lvl 16, would you consider getting a rune of speed and retraining the monk dedication into something different? If so, what would you take?

How would these 2 abilities work together?

1) I use spellstrike
2) beginning of the cast
3) leap
4) strike

?

Also, what about the sixth pillar starting dedication?

Would a lvl 13 martial character lose its weapon proficiency?

Was looking at cascading ray, which seems pretty solid.

It uses the same spell strike map, which is 0, and the damage is quite generous for a 1 action cost attack.

Point is that it would be true strike + spell strike or spell strike + cascading ray.

I also thought I might consider using spellstrike with a hero point ( if it misses) and then cascading ray, but we use one hero point per session, so it would probably be a waste of a feat.

What do you think?
Is it correct to consider true strike + spellstrile an overall better choice or did I miss anything?

Couldn't find the discussion here on this forum ( though I have reminiscence it has already been discussed ) or any other forum, so I have to ask it again since I can't remember the outcome and the reasons behind it.

Is a starlit span magus forbidden to spellstrike from a scroll while using a 1+ weapon ( any bow ) or not?

Hey,

I am considering taking the legendary negotiation feat by lvl 15

Actions: 3

Description: You can negotiate incredibly quickly in adverse situations.

Effect: You attempt to Make an Impression and then Request your opponent cease their current activity and engage in negotiations. You take a –5 penalty to your Diplomacy check. The GM sets the DC of the Request based on the circumstances—it’s generally at least a very hard DC of the creature’s level. Some creatures might simply refuse, and even those who agree to parley might ultimately find your arguments lacking and return to violence.

Now, a random character who wants to rely on diplomacy ( so, not necessarily a charisma spellcaster with 20 charisma by lvl 15, or meant to get the charisma apex item by lvl 17 ) is probably going to get 18 charisma by lvl 15, resulting in:

1) Skill: 15 ( level ) + 8 ( legendary proficiency ) + 2 ( item bonus ) +4 ( charisma ) = +29 bonus on your diplomacy roll

2) you also get a -5 penalty on your diplomacy check

3) In addition, the DC is "at least" a very high DC for that level ( so, from +5 DC, which is very hard, to +10 DC, which would be Incredibly hard )

4) Finally, there's no guarantee that the feat is going to work on a success or even a critical success

Now, the DC would then be ( depends the encounter level ):

-1 > 32 ( DCs by Level ) + 5 ( representing the -5 penalty on the character's diplomacy check ) + 5/10 ( very difficult and incredibly hard difficulty respectively ) = 42/47

+0 > 34 ( DCs by Level ) + ( representing the -5 penalty on the character's diplomacy check ) + 5/10 ( very difficult and incredibly hard difficulty respectively ) = 44/49

+1 > 35 ( DCs by Level ) + ( representing the -5 penalty on the character's diplomacy check ) + 5/10 ( very difficult and incredibly hard difficulty respectively ) = 45/50

+2 > 36 ( DCs by Level ) + ( representing the -5 penalty on the character's diplomacy check ) + 5/10 ( very difficult and incredibly hard difficulty respectively ) = 46/51

+3 > 38 ( DCs by Level ) + ( representing the -5 penalty on the character's diplomacy check ) + 5/10 ( very difficult and incredibly hard difficulty respectively ) = 48/53

+4 > 39 ( DCs by Level ) + ( representing the -5 penalty on the character's diplomacy check ) + 5/10 ( very difficult and incredibly hard difficulty respectively ) = 49/54

So, for example, even assuming an incredibly hard difficulty against creatures of the same level of the character, the odds would be 1 in 20 ( with no guarantee, and the character expending all their 3 actions for the turn ).

But the same could be said with a very hard difficulty ( +5 ) on a +3 encounter ( resulting in 2 chances of success out of 20.

I'd probably hit legendary regardless this feat because of social interaction skills and bon mot, but I can't help but think that the feat is somehow a scam ( assuming a failure, the fight would still continue, and the character would lose their turn, like it was stunned 3 ).

Any consideration/suggestion you'd like to share?

ps: I am well aware that there are several possibilities to "enhance" my diplomacy skills during a combat ( status bonus from heroism, for example, or circumstance bonus like aid from an ally or even a familiar with the ambassador ability, or even glad hand + a specific skill, like devil's advocate, to properly deal with specific creature, regional access permitting ), as well as the fact it could interfere with the adventure ( that's why it would be up to the DM to allow it or not ), but it seems quite hard to make a good use of that feat ( mas pointed out before, on a tight situation, my main concern would be the extremely high chance of leaving my party without a character for one round ).

Was looking at the Ring of Minor arcana, which is pretty cool because it gives the character 3 extra cantrips ( I am playing a magus, so it would be 5 + Detect Magic, Mage hand and Ghost sound ).

This rose-gold ring is adorned in the center by a somewhat ominous-looking horned skull. This ring gives you the power to cast the following innate arcane cantrips any number of times each day: detect magic, mage hand, and prestidigitation. Each is cast as a 1st-level spell. If you are an arcane spellcaster, these can instead be heightened to the level of your cantrips.

What caught my attention is that the item expliticly mentions that if the character is an arcane spellcaster, the cantrips can be instead be heightened to the level of my cantrips.

At first I thought this was by default for all given cantrips, unless said otherwise ( for example, the Aeon Stone "Dusty Rose Prism" ):

Aeon Stone (Dusty Rose Prism)
Item 3
Source PFS Guide pg. 121
Price 50 gp
Usage worn
Access Member of the Pathfinder Society.
This aeon stone allows you to cast the 1st-level shield cantrip as an arcane innate spell, surrounding yourself in pink energy.

The resonant power increases the damage prevented by your aeon stone's shield spell from 5 to 10.

So, I wonder, what about items like Cloak of elvenkind ( he cloak allows you to cast the ghost sound cantrip as an arcane innate spell ), Messenger Ring ( lets you cast message as an arcane innate spell at will ), etc... ?

Making thing thread for a friend of mine who'd like to play a fury barbarian but is not convinced by it.

To sum up, we are moving from being

Hag Sorcerer ( with heal ) =
Wild Druid ( + AC ) =
Eldritch Archer Ranger =
Polearm Paladin > Laughing Skull Magus
Flurry Ranger > Fighter ( dueling stance + dual handed assault ) or Fury Barbarian.

AoA book 4 ( no spoilers please )

So, the barbarian is going to be the one taking the major numbers of hits.

He doesn't find the barbarian satisfying enough to be a frontliner, and he fears he's going to go down over and over because of the lower AC ( currently, until lvl 13, -6 AC ):

-2 ( still trained rather than expert )
-1 ( Rage )
-1 ( Heavy Armor )
-2 ( Shield )

He considered using a shield, so by lvl 13 it would just be -2 ( -4 until then ).

Any suggestion?

I suggested using the bastion dedication to get quick shield block and reactive shield, alongside with renewed vigor, to get more AC and to withstand an increased amount of damage.

He'd like to have a feat to sleep while armored, and use medium armor ( not heavy ), so it's kinda complicated given how sentinel work ( tax feat to make a proper use of heavy armors ).

I don't know.

Any suggestion?

Even just "how you'd build a human/half orc fury barbarian to tank more than intended".

Hi there,

My party is finally facing Thessekka, so this third book is about to end.

We'll be switching to our other campaign ( we swap between AoA and EC, alternating the DM to allow all players to play ), so I have enough time to read my 4th EC book.

The group is currently undergeared compared to the level they are ( they'll be lvl 12 characters with lvl 9/10 equipment ), so I hoped to give them a nice downtime to get at least some good stuff ) but after a quick peek, I think I am going to have a few issues:

- Willowside is a lvl 5 settlement ( I can't allow them to make downtime with a decent earn income ).
- the loot seems not to be appropriate for the level the characters are ( they are going to see a +2 Greater striking weapon by chapter 2, when they'll be lvl 13. I know that maybe getting "many" greater striking weapons might be too much, but not getting enough +2 weapons at lvl 13 seems a little odd, since it's a lvl 10 common item ).

Any suggestion?

Is there a nearby town I might let my players go ( maybe a sidequest before the beginning of the adventure ) in order to at least get a chance to earn golds and magic items?

I also considered the possibility to give them better loot, but given that part of the game is also about "equipping your character", I'd prefer them to buy the stuff they really want, rather than improvise what they might appreciate or not.

And what about fast travelling spells ( shadow walk, teleport, etc... )? Do you think they may be gamebreaking or a valid solution to allow them traveling to a large settlement when they plan to have some downtime?

Hi there,

I currently only play with my groups of friends, but still wanted to know how does the PFS usually ( always? ) deal with cultural adaptability.

What has been subject of discussion is about this part

You can select ancestry feats from the ancestry you chose, in addition to your character’s own ancestry, as long as the ancestry feats don’t require any physiological feature that you lack, as determined by the GM.

So, first question:

1) Is, within PFS, everything not "physiological" related being allowed for every character?

A couple of examples:

Is it possible for a gnome to teach a human how to shift? Or simply how to get a connection to the first world?
Is it possible for a human to learn the halfling luck ( learning how to be happy/light-hearted )?
Is it possible for a human to learn how to be sturdier ( I explicitly took this one because it might involve physiological stuff ) and because to "learn" the Mountain Stoutness or Stone Bones from a dwarf?

And as second an last question:

2) Where do PFS draw the line which separates feats a character would be able to take or not?

It's just about obvious physiological stuff ( for example, unarmed attacks ) or there's more to consider?

Well, I hope I made clear enough what my doubts are ( in case there's anything vague, please let me know ).

Thanks for your time!

Whether through instinct, study, or magic, you feel a deeper connection to your ancestry. You gain a 1st-level ancestry feat.

I don't know whether this might have already been discussed or not, but is the first part meant to be flavor or not?

Is a character part of ancestry X able to also select lvl 1 ancestry feat from the ancestry Y he/she took with adopted ancestry, or is a feat meant for only the character acentry feats?

Can this be used with a gunslinger using a combination weapon?

Taking the gunblade as example, given the Martial Exercise feat, by lvl 10 the gunslinger will be master with the sword group and by lvl 13 legendary with the sword group.

Am I reading this right?

Apart from the common ones

Academia Lore
Accounting Lore
Architecture Lore
Art Lore
Circus Lore
Engineering Lore
Farming Lore
Fishing Lore
Fortune-Telling Lore
Games Lore
Genealogy Lore
Gladiatorial Lore
Guild Lore
Heraldry Lore
Herbalism Lore
Hunting Lore
Labor Lore
Legal Lore
Library Lore
Lore about a specific deity (Abadar Lore, Iomedae Lore, etc.)
Lore about a specific creature or narrow category of creatures (Demon Lore, Owlbear Lore, Vampire Lore, etc.)
Lore of a specific plane other than the Material Plane, or the plane in which the game is set if not the Material Plane (Abyss Lore, Astral Plane Lore, Heaven Lore, etc.)
Lore about a specific settlement (Absalom Lore, Magnimar Lore, etc.)
Lore about a specific terrain (Mountain Lore, River Lore, etc.)
Lore of a type of food or drink (Alcohol Lore, Baking Lore, Butchering Lore, Cooking Lore, Tea Lore, etc.)
Mercantile Lore
Midwifery Lore
Milling Lore
Mining Lore
Sailing Lore
Scouting Lore
Scribing Lore
Stabling Lore
Tanning Lore
Theater Lore
Underworld Lore
Warfare Lore

Did you instead decided to get any interesting new ( not listed ) lore?

I am going to play with the Time Traveller bg as well as the gnome Obsession ( working on 1 of the 3 lores granted by the bg ), but since it's the first time I get to use more than the bg lore, I don't really know what to use.

I thought about
Underworld ( going to be legendary )
Games ( trained )
Heraldry ( trained )
Fiends ( Legendary )

but it's just some first hand stuff, so I am just looking for new interesting stuff.

There are tons of spells which include a line like "if you bring another creature with you, the spell fails".

Now, how does this interact with familiars?

To say one, the wizard uses dimensional door and the familiar stays behind ( or make the spell fail?)?

Also, what about an eidolon casting dimensional door or a similar spell with the summoner melded into it ( I know the summoner could cast and the eidolon would simply disappear, ready to be summoned back again)

Does it require for the character to expend 2 action and also use its reaction or by expending 2 actions to prepare the ready action you are allowed to use it for free ( free action which work as a reaction because of the trigger?).

To make it quick, let us consider an ancestry with a permament morph trait, like a tiefling, aasimar, kobold, sylph, etc...

Can they "try" to use ( Try, because of the counteract effect ) gouging claw or any other "temporary" morph?
If so, what's going to happen to their permanent morphed parts?

Hi there,

I was tweaking my next character, and looking close to the magus class I found out I can replicate my favorite old character in this 2e.

To sum up, the character is some sort of a scoundrel who's got touched with curse/gift of hyper speed / Teleportation. I am not focusing on lore stuff but rather "effects" here, available either during combat and trivial encounters.

What I've been on so far:

Ancestry: Human
Heritage: Versatile Human ( General Feat > Fleet )
Class: Magus
Hybrid Study: Laughing Skull

Ability Scores:

STR:10-10-10-10-12
DEX:18-19-20-21-22
CON:12-14-16-18-18
WIS:10-10-10-10-12
INT:16-18-19-20-20
CHA:12-14-16-18-18

Going to have 1 unexpended point by lvl 20

1- Arcane Tattoos ( Transmutation )
2- Rogue Dedication
3- Ancestral Paragon ( Natural Ambition > Familiar )
4- Sneak Attacker
5- Ornate Tattoo
6- Cascade Countermeasure
7- Toughness
8- Runic Impression
9- Virtue-Forged Tattoos
10- Dimensional Disappearance
11- Incredible Investiture
12- Conflux Focus
13- ________________
14- Evasiveness
15- Canny Acumen ( Perception )
16- dispelling spellstrike
17- ________________
18- Conflux Wellspring
19- ________________
20- Supreme Spellstrike

Few Considerations of mine:

-Bolded parts are what I am still wondering about ( though I think I'd like to go with the rogue dedication because of elusiveness, giving me a huge reflex boost and during endgame leaving room for canny acumen perception ).

- I plan on going all on dimensional assoult, meaning I'll be taking either conflux focus and conflux wellspring respectively by lvl 12 and 18. I'd also need a focu pool of 3 ( that's why the lvl 6 and 8 focus spells, though I'm not going to use them ).

- My intention was also to get some extra damage ( to make up for my low damage die and missing STR ) through the 1d6 sneak attack, the backstabber trait and the bonus from 1handed arcane cascade. I also would consider striking x2, so the agile trait makes the weapon excellent ( I also like it's aesthetic ).

- I'll be starting from lvl 12 ( so I am also incline to retrain options, if required ).

- My spells would be exclusively about replicating my character concept:

I consider this to be my setup, which will be finalized by lvl 13/14

Spells:

Studious Spells: Shift Blame x2

Ring of Wizardry: 3x Time Jump
Familiar Battery: 1x Time Jump ( might become another Unexpected Transposition by lvl 17 )
Endless Grimoire: 1x Time Jump

Tattoo Cantrip: Sigil
Lvl 1 Tattoo Spell: 1x Jump
Lvl 3 Tattoo Spell: 1x Time Jump

Magus Spells: Unexpected Transposition x4

Magus Cantrips:

1- ___________ ( I'll go playing physical damage, so I'm not thinking about taking electric arc or similar ).
2- Light
3- Mage Hand
4- Message
5- Telekinetic Projektile
Some lvl 2 wands of mirror Image ( planning on using them at the beginning of the encounter, dropping them on the floor after the cast ).

- Skills are going to be Diplomacy ( Bon Mot ), Acrobatics ( Kip up, Tumble Through ) and Thievery ( Disable traps and Pick locks ). I didn't think about the feats yet ( I'll be master in thievery and acrobatics, while expert in diplomacy by the lvl 12 ).

- I was considering getting Adopted Ancestry Gnome by lvl 11, to take Empathetic Plea by lvl 13

Guess that's it.

Waiting for your suggestions!

How does it work?

Let's take for example, the winter witch "clinging ice"

How is it going to resolve from the next turn after an initial success/failure?

-Is the target going to roll every single time ( with also the possibility to end the spell on a critical success )?

-Or is the target supposed to use the degree of success he/she got on the first round?

-Finally, I took the clinging ice because I was looking at it, but I also have to ask "are all ongoing effects treated the same way?".

I mean, the rules I am have to use for clinging Ice are the same for any other sustained spell ( unless maybe the spell itself says differently )?

Thanks

I was tweaking with the innovator class, and though I seem to prefer the armor innovation, I decided to look after the other 2 innovations.

The construct one is cool, I admit, but given the fact we are a group on 5 ( one of wich is a shapeshifter druid with a companion ) I'd rather prefer not to add another unit ( eventually large size ) which could occupy space ( what bothers me is that sometimes rooms are pretty smalls, and we found ourself with space issue in different occasions ).

Anyway, back to the Weapon Innovation.

I love the idea of a double weapon, which is the reason why I love the rune of shifting.

The rune of shifting is limited to weapons which require the same number of hands, and can only be melee weapons, while I'd prefer being able to switch from stuff like a Maul and a rifle.

To make a long story short, I am trying to figure out whether Dual Weapon innovation could be any good compared to a gunblade.

Gunblade ( or a combination weapon )
Pros
- 1 action to swap
- Able to melee + ranged strike
- Runes are shared between the two weapons
- Critical Fusion
- Eventually, keeping the Armor innovation ( considering the combination weapon enough ).

Cons
- Though there are alternatives, it seems the most balanced one is the gunblade, which offers 1d8/1d8, making it a very solid choice.

Dual Weapon Form
Pros
- A really wide choice between ranged and melee weapons.
- Golds provided, a different runes setup for each weapon.
- Different modifications depends the weapon used.

Cons
- 2 actions to swap ( pretty clunky to swap during a fight )
- Unable to retaliate ( Reactions ) or attack if you expend just an action.
- Runes do not share ( you ned to pay twice the amount of runes )
- No combination ( unless using a combination weapon as one of your weapons )
- No critical fusion ( unless using a combination weapon as one of your weapons )
- Difficult to swap from a 2h to a 1h + shield ( if the second weapon is smaller, you have to keep the remain pieces of your innovation in hand, so no shield unless using a weapon with the two handed trait or having something like the nimble hand shield feature, or the lvl 7 modification )

I guess it's all ( feel free to add if I missed anything ).

What bothers me most is the 2 actions to swap from one weapon to another.
I also though about getting some gadget in order to be quickened, to give me another action to strike ( for example, swap, strike, strike, rather than swap + strike ), but I am still non convinced.

Maybe the best one could be getting a combination weapon and a ranged weapon.

Suggestions?

Maybe this one has already been discussed, but couldn't find it... so:

I was tweaking an alchemist on the 2e builder, and looked that the scales of the dragon ( dragon disciple lvl 4 feat ) gives a cap of 2 dex and +2 status AC.

The drakeheart mutagen gives an item bonus to your ac which applies if you are unarmored.

Assuming a lvl 13 alchemist ( but this could be available since lvl 4 ) we are going to have

AC= 10(Flat)+ 13(level)+ 4(Proficiency)+ 2(Status from Scales of the Dragon)+ 2(DEX)+ 6(Item bonus from lvl 11 drakeheart elixir )+ 2(Raise shield action ) = 39 AC.

It's basically the same AC a shield champion is going to get.

I know that being unarmored would result into no Fortification rune ( that the more the game proceeds, the better for a frontline character ), as well as the possibility of an ambush ( being without the drakeheart elixir for the first round might be tragic ) but is all of this intended? Or did I read the misread a feat?

How is it supposed to work with ongoing effects?

For example fast healing, regeneration, field of life or vital beacon.

I was reading the thread CHOOSING BETWEEN INVESTIGATOR AND ALCHEMIST? and my attention got caught by this part

So unless you're regularly behind on your rune grind it shouldn't make a huge difference.

I admit me and my group are probably part of those who tend to be way behind their current level. We finished AoA book 3 with just a +2 weapon ( the one we found in book 2 ), which is a lvl 10 item.

But thinking about it, we were far behind in terms of consumables, armor runes, magic items, and so on ( checking the chart meant to help with the equipment for a new character of higher level I saw we were far behind compared to it too.

As for us, we didn't dedicate any time to downtime activities.
That was our fault. No excuses.

Anyway, what about you?

Is you party behind in terms of progression or do you find yourself with enough gold to purchase what's needed when you level up?

If you find yourself behind, do you slow down to make the golds needed to empower your equipment?

Does your DM give additional loot to make your characters more rewarded ( rather than let them get the stuff they need by expending time crafting or working )?

Did you try out ABP? How's the feeling compared to the normal rules ( I was wondering trying ABP if there's not much work to do with the loot table within the AP book )?

Guess it's all!
If you like, share your own experience!

Hi there,

Got some doubts about weapon dices and related feats.

Stuff like "power attack" or "Megaton Strike" would give extra dices which count as weapon dices for all purposes, like:

- Fatal trait ( the extra dice given by the 2 feats are going to increase to match the fatal size ).

- Feats involving weapon dices ( like the Dwarven "telluric power ) would also consider the extra dices added by either the fatal trait and the "power attack" or "megaton Strike" feat, right?

Is this right or did I misunderstood, or also missed, any rule?

Your innovation is an impossible-looking weapon augmented by numerous unusual mechanisms. It begins with the same statistics as a level 0 common simple or martial weapon of your choice, or another level 0 simple or martial weapon to which you have access. You can instead use the statistics of a 1st-level common simple or martial weapon of your choice, or another 1st-level simple or martial weapon to which you have access, but you must pay the monetary Price for the weapon. An innovation weapon can have fundamental and property runes added to it in the same way as an ordinary weapon. Because of the unique features of your innovation, everyone except you is untrained in it, even if they would normally be trained (or better) in simple or martial weapons. If you use the Overdrive action, you can choose to change the additional damage from Overdrive to fire damage.

So,

1) By default you go with a lvl 0 common simple or martial weapon ( given to you for free. No golds involved ).

2) You can use a common 1st level simple or martial weapon, but you have to pay for it.

3) If you have access to it ( this one involves uncommon and rare stuff ), you can use a simple or martial weapon, but you have to pay for it.

Then

1) Dagger, Morning Star, Longsword, Greatsword, etc...

2) Nothing. There's no lvl 1 simple or martial weapon which also has the common tag. Maybe there will be something in the future.

3) Anything from lvl - to lvl 1, simple or martial ( no advanced weapons ), from common to rare ( provided the access, which could be region, feats, DM, ancestry, etc... ).

Is my understanding right, isn't it?