So, how does a new player/character catch up with the events/faction goals? How long does that take?
I.e., Shadow Lodge wants to infiltrate Aspis Consortium, and one has the option of obtaining a PP by helping achieve that. While I've no RP intention of having my char involved in that in his first foray, it'd be good to know how best to incorporate the PC in the 'big things' going on.
For reference/spell selection, is there any rough estimate of how long PFS fights last? I'm building my first Combat class (and first PFS agent) with access to L3 arcane buffs, and in choosing these buffs, I'm wondering whether great ones like Haste or Displacemend (duration: 1 rd/level) are worth it when you have only moderate caster levels (7 CL). These, as opposed to Heroism (10 min/level) and Monstrous Physique (1 min/level).
(With Monstrous Physique --> Popobala, you get +2 Str, +2 AC, Darkvision 60, Fly 30 Average, Climb 30)
So, in the PFS forum, I first asked whether a character build was legal. After several replies/tweaks/iterations, questions about viability came up, but the thread lost steam. At this point, it seems the char is legal--now I'd like to make sure it can survive and contribute L1-12 (meaning everybody is happy: I'm having fun, party is having fun, glad to have PC around, etc.).
The build in bullets:
Unarmed Fighter and MoMS are used to bypass pre-reqs for Snake Style/Fang and Dragon Ferocity (grabbed early on).
With Sense Motive at 24 (pre-gear), Snake Style gives at least 25 AC or Touch, once per round.
Blur + Mage Armor + Wand of Shield + point above help increase enemies' miss chance, triggering several Snake Fangs (up to 3/turn, once I have Combat Reflexes).
Paragon Surge can be used to grab Displacement (via Expanded Arcana), to further increase miss chance.
Dragon Style/Ferocity/Hammer the Gap + TWF/Haste provide fair amount of static damage. If I did the math right, 4d6 + 48 (adding 1 Snake Fang), at +13/+8/+13. This is without +4 Str gear, Magic Weapon, or Haste.
Magic Weapon, to enhance unarmed attacks (not too familiar with monk options in this respect. Might be better choice?)
Usual benefits of Enlarge Person (Reach), Fly (mobility/attack flying creatures), Create Pit (some battlefield control, no save). However, looking for good replacement for Create Pit, one with more synergy, in case I missed anything (ideally, not Mirror Image, since that wouldn't trigger Snake Fang. That was covered in another thread, hope it won't derail this one into discussing that issue).
Khashir El'eth
Male Half-Elf Fighter 1 (Unarmed)/Monk 2 (Master of Many Styles)/Sorcerer 2 (Copper Draconic)/Dragon Disciple 7
Init +6 Senses Low-Light Vision
STATISTICS
STR 22 DEX 15 CON 16 INT 12 WIS 10 CHA 13
Base Atk 8
TRAITS
Watchdog (The Shadow Lodge): +1 Sense Motive, also class skill
Deft Dodger: +1 Reflex
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13
HP 113
Fort 12, Ref 10, Will 10
OFFENSE
Special Attacks Stunning Fist, Dragon Bite, Dragon Form
The L6 spell Getaway allows you to designate a safe location to which you and your allies can teleport as a swift action. The exact nature of the trigger (mental/verbal/somatic/?) is not described, however:
"At any time before the spell's duration expires, you may trigger the spell as a swift action."
I'm curious as to how triggering it would work vs. grapples/silence/falling in acid/lava, etc.
I've been bombarding the boards, so, I'll keep this one short and sweet:
Things like Bedrolls, Backpacks, Ropes, Maps, Grappling Hooks, etc., are they worth spending money on? In many (non-PFS) games, I spend sizable amounts of precious GP on these, but they end up not being necessary (i.e., they weren't "needed explicitly" at any point in the session).
I'd like to know if the following is doable in PFS (I'll first describe the mechanics, and then the flavour). I'm thinking about a character that dips two levels into monk--I'd like the char to start out Neutral Good, shift to Lawful Good, then end up Chaotic Good.
The story is basically the following: the character is a Half-Elf Unarmed Fighter, with (Copper) Draconic heritage (though he speaks Draconic, he is not fully aware of why; and his heritage is hinted at by his reddish-brown hair, darker skin, etc.).
After arriving at the Foreign Quarter in Absalom, he is awestruck by the Irorium. He pokes around, trying to find out more about it, and discovers Irori, and the followers' quest for physical and mental perfection. Drawn to it, he submits to their code (becomes Lawful Good), and trains for a while. Eventually, he starts to get tired of the strictness of their code, rituals and diets, which he finds are unnecessary. Further, their tenet that "all knowledge is sacred" implies (or, he takes to imply) that even evil knowledge (necromantic rituals, for example) must be safeguarded (I'm not 100% sure on this part; I've construed it this way so far). Ultimately, he argues with his superiors and storms out of the temple, partly wondering whether his rebelliousness was 'all him' (becoming Chaotic Good. Bear in mind Copper Dragons tend to be Chaotic Good).
His draconic heritage continues growing, and he discovers that he is capable of channeling arcane energies without training (grabs Sorcerer level). He researches his new-found power, to finally discover his heritage. With this knowledge, he decides that, for him, mental and physical perfection involve tapping further into his draconic blood, and coming as close as possible to a Copper Dragon (Dragon Disciple).
So, two questions:
1. Do the general rules/setting allow this?
2. Can I pull this off in PFS w/o raising eyebrows?
(Sorry for the first, super-noob question, but I'm playing my first combat class next week, and I'm not sure how to interpret the rules on the matter.)
When you have multiple attacks, do you make one attack roll, combine with the attack bonuses, and check which ones hit; or do you make one roll per attack?
When deflecting an attack via Crane Style, does it deflect only the first attack, even if the other would have hit?
When using Snake Style Sense Motive ability, does the AC apply only to the first attack, or all in the sequence?
Not sure if this is the right place to post it, but the program I use to check for legality is saying 'no,' while the research I've done (PRD, forums, etc.) says 'yes.' I'm very new to the Monk class, so, please bear with me in pointing out my mistakes.
Also, if it's legal, any advice to make it more playable is welcome. I'm considering swapping out 2 levels of sorc for 2 more levels of Monk (to improve AC and unarmed strike, though this would mean giving up Calcific Touch, Haste, and one spell at every other level; not sure which yet).
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 14
HP 109 (if I did correctly: 3*12 [Con] + 6 + 4*2 + 5*2 + 7*7)
Fort 11, Ref 11, Will 10
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Special Attacks Stunning Fist, Dragon Bite, Dragon Form
Space 5 Reach 5
STATISTICS
STR 22 DEX 14 CON 16 INT 12 WIS 10 CHA 14
Base Atk 7
Feats Power Attack, Dodge, Cleave, Dragon Style, Dragon Ferocity, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Crane Style, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes,
So, I read this online, but haven't been able to find official documentation supporting it (tried searching the guides, message boards, nothing came up).
I was hoping to get some feedback re: how to improve this build. There's a bit of flavour behind it, though the idea is not fully developed. The character has a thing for planes/planar travel (hence, Sage's K skill); as well as using necromancy to overcome opponents (hence, thanatopic and the +2 for necro DC). The concept is a planar explorer, searching for lore, knowledge, random curiosities (think a PF Agent-inspired char), with a bent towards versatility/self-sufficiency (due to his lone traveling, needs to cover bases as much as possible).
Khashir El'eth
Male Human Sorcerer 20 (Sage)
CG medium humanoid
Init +6 Senses Normal Vision Perception +21
Traits
Magical Lineage - Enervation
World Traveler (+1 Diplomacy and is a class skill)
Deity: Desna
DEFENSE
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10
HP 142
Fort 8, Ref 8, Will 15
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft
Ranged Ray +12 / +7 (See Spell/x2)
Space 5 Reach 5
STATISTICS
STR 8 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 22 WIS 12 CHA 12
Base Atk 10
Does the feat apply whether the enemy saves or not (300 dmg if not)? In the first case, no dice are rolled, but in the second, there are (in which case, this ruling would apply.)
I guess the gist of my question is whether it's reasonable for the application of a feat to change depending on whether the enemy saves or not.
Or, maybe more importantly, whether the higher slots are used either way (so, you choose to empower, you cast it empowered, but you only get the empowered benefit if the creature saves).
So, after searching the forums, reading back and forth between the relevant section in UM and the spell descriptions, I'm still not sure how Summon Monster works (more so, at higher levels, when outsiders come into play).
UM has this section, where the bolded text (above all) confuses the hell out of me:
CALLING OUTSIDERS
"The first step in calling extraplanar assistance is
to determine the method of bringing the outsider
to the Material Plane. If the caster is a cleric, the
spell of choice is planar ally; wizard, sorcerers,
and summoners rely primarily on planar binding
(or summon monster, which controls without
requiring binding). However, none of these
necessarily bind the outsider to the caster’s
needs, and a wise spellcaster augments the
summoning with additional encouragement,
usually in the form of gifts or bargains."
So, if we use SM to summon an outsider, we still have to bargain/etc.? I'm not sure if the "none of these" part is including summon monster.
Specifically, if I summon a trumpet archon, can I command it to heal me and my party? More realistically (since I'd never treat a Trumpet Archon so foolishly), as a Chaotic Good character, could I summon it and say something like "My apologies for calling you here, but we have just finished fighting off this great evil, and need your aid to continue further."
(For now, ignore the fact that I'm summoning after fighting is done.)
Is it legal in PFS? Since the spellblight component is not the only thing it does, I wonder whether a modified version (i.e., same spell, minus spellblight part) is allowed.
This is an off-shoot of another thread, but I felt some discussion on the matter would be useful:
The subject says it all. Before you say 'all drow are evil, so, half-drow are impossible' or 'half-drow would be rejected by both parents' races, so, would never survive,' I don't see how any of those comments fail to apply to half-orcs.
If you have any doubts, read the orc entry:
"Along with their brute strength and comparatively low intellect, the primary difference between orcs and the civilized humanoids is their attitude. As a culture, orcs are violent and aggressive, with the strongest ruling the rest through fear and brutality. They take what they want by force, and think nothing of slaughtering or enslaving entire villages when they can get away with it. They have little time for niceties or details, and their camps and villages tend to be filthy, ramshackle affairs filled with drunken brawls, pit fights, and other sadistic entertainment. Lacking the patience for farming and only able to shepherd the most robust and self-sufficient animals, orcs almost always find it easier to take what someone else has built than to create things themselves. They are arrogant and quick to anger when challenged, but only worry about honor so far as it directly benefits them to do so."
If anything, given superior drow intelligence, it would seem that a half-drow would be better suited to act as a moral agent (i.e., able to consider the moral implications of its actions). Therefore, a half-drow seems to have a better chance of rising above the evil in its nature than a half-orc.
Consider how any moral question requires one to go beyond instinct or socially-conditioned responses. Hence, the ability to question the status quo (i.e., intelligence and/or wisdom) seems to be necessary to reject it.
Anyway, ML let's you metamagic a spell and reduce its level by one (so, you can empower a level 8, maximize a level 7, quicken a level 6, etc).
At the moment, I've gone down the utility route and am considering Spell Turning. Max spell turning means you always know how many levels you're protected against, sparing you the anxiety: do I have enough ST levels to take a FoD?
I had another choice, but just realized it's not legal, so, it's gone.
This is a question I've been thinking about since 3.5e, but never really asked (maybe it's something dead obvious, and I'm missing it).
How are Arcane casters balanced (in terms of power) with Divine ones? Here's a general overview of how I'm seeing the situation (which is where I'm hoping I'm wrong)
Divine adv. over Arcane:
- Have access to cure/healing (which, given that this is not 4e, is REALLY valuable).
- Can wear armor and use shields (and come with the proficiencies, so, 'free feats')
- Offensive spells equally powerful (roughly speaking, they have access to comparable-damaging and save/die spells)
- Better buffs (Magic Vestment, the +saving throw spells, Death Ward, etc.)
- I think 1-2 have +Cha mod to all saving throws (which, needless to say, is HUGE)
- Can actually survive if caught in melee (given armor, shield, a decent weapon, etc.)
- Restoration spells
- Miracle (0 gp component, no opposing school restrictions, etc.)
So... where I am I wrong (as an Arcane spellcaster for over... 12 years?)
If you crit with a spell of the same element as your draconic bloodline's, does it double the extra damage as well? Ex. A L. 20 Silver/White Dragon Sorc crits with Polar Ray. +40 (instead of +20) dmg ftw?
I looked at the CB, all it says about critical exceptions is:
Exception: Precision damage (such as from a rogue’s
sneak attack class feature) and additional damage dice
from special weapon qualities (such as flaming) are not
multiplied when you score a critical hit.
I don't think it would count as either precision damage (which wasn't really defined anywhere) or 'special weapon quality.'
Acid Arrow says that it "lasts up to 6 rounds, unless neutralized" (rough paraphrase). What does 'neutralize' mean?
I'm wondering whether one can cast an Extended Acid Arrow to deal 2d4 + 12*2d4 damage for a level 3, or whether 'neutralized' means 'pouring some non-magical alkali on the spot.'
So, like many here, I'm still waiting for an official clarification re: grapple and metacasting. At the moment, if my search-fu is up to par, the most we have is a one-line response that seems to imply that grapple is as deadly to casting (even without somatic, verbal, and material components) as we fear: the concentration check is nearly impossible to succeed, especially at higher levels.
One thing I haven't run into, however, is addressing a quickened silent still eschewed cast. For example, Dimension Door has only verbal components: could a silent, quickened DD bypass the check? RAW, it would seem to be at least plausible, given the definition of a Swift action (i.e., requires barely any effort on your part). Such spells already avoid attacks of opportunity, so, the question would be whether it also bypasses the grapple check. It doesn't seem game-breaking for a level 9 spell to allow this; but if the devs intended grapple to be so severe, then a level 9 spell should be a 'fair price' to pay...
On the other hand, I have two questions about Contingency (being our best, current solution):
1-) Can you set the trigger condition to something you can control? Say, when you say a specific, made-up word? Or snap your fingers in a specific pattern? This would give much more control and flexibility over when a contingent dimension door triggers.
2-) Failing that, can the trigger condition be "whenever I fail a grapple check"? That way, you avoid the risk of DD triggering from a low-level grapple that, in theory, should be easy-ish to overcome.
