One thing I have always hated is the 5 minute adventure day. A big reason this exists is linked to the way HP work and are percieved. Everyone seems to think HP damage is only represented by cuts, gashes or even broken bones.
Forgotten is the effect of being winded after a fight or bruised or sore.
My answer to this would be fast healing 1+con mod (min 1) to everyone. This fast healing would only work if the PC took only a move action or less each round (no attacks, casting or strinuous activity) and was not under the effect of any negative status effect (ie. Bleeding, diseased, poisoned.. Etc.).
So the effect is characters catching their breath or stretching out sore muscles after a battle.
Also this healing would only bring you to a set max. I would have PC's track their full potential HP and they could only be brought to full by magical healing. Healing from this form of fast healing could only bring you to a number equal to what similar to what society play caps at. Thus a D10 hit die PC could get to that full 10 through magic healing but only to 6 via fast heal.
Current PF favors offense so much higher than defense if using your average defensive option slows your offense no one will use it unless there are significant defensive gains.
If it takes an action to get a benefit at all that makes them almost obsolete right off the bat. Now, if there is a static bonus and also an added greater bonus for spending an action I can see it.
Now to the shield actually taking damage. Realistically I see it of course. But this will make the mend spell very valuable or characters will carry around wagon of shields. This also makes magic shields even more expensive and reduces the chance of anyone using one.
So, next year I will be diving into DMing Mummys Mask and I want to devise a scale for how ruthless to be.
Something like
1. Candy land, all punches pulled, no fear of death.
.
.
10. Brutal assault, open dice rolls, no pulled punches, play to the enemies alignment, coup de grace always.
I need help filling out the scale and deciding how the players should choose their ruthlessness. Party average? Individually? Scale doesnt have to be 1-10.
So, I am reading King of Chaos for the second time and its great!
A quick search did not provide much cor advice on other Pathfinder novel's, so I'm here asking for info.
Id like to know:
1. Name of the book and what you thought of it.
2. Where the book mainly takes place.
3. If it is associated with any AP.
4. Bonus points if it has a paladin as one ofthe main characters!
I have waited until Tier 3, the tier people have complained that the mythic system really jumps off the rails to report on our experience to date. We are only two sessions into book 3 and thus 2 sessions in to our experience with tier 3.
A little info about our group and characters.
We have a 5 man party that consists of
Aasamir Paladin
Aasamir Ranger
Aasamir Shaman
Dwarf Warpriest
Human Fighter
Before the game ever began, approximately a year ago now we spoke in depth about what we had read and our fears of the mythic rules. We made a gentleman's agreement to avoid feats and abilities that would ruin the game (mythic vital strike, etc.) Upon my first reading of the rules I immediately noticed how high the damage output could get. This is even true without mythic rules so I could tell that would just be exacerbated with these new abilities. My suggestion to everyone was avoid any ability of feat that directly affects damage. I feel like the mythic rules when focused more on the qualitative abilities over the quantitative ones take the game to a new level without breaking it.
I have asked all of our players and our DM to tell me what their abilities are and report their current feelings about how they are affecting the game and their experience. Some of them have done this and ill continue to bug the other guys in hopes to get a more complete review. Ill begin with my character as obviously I know it best.
Paladin 9/Tier 3 Guardian/Champion.
I took the Fleet Charge ability and so far it has been situationally useful. Most of the time the best effect from it is that you gain ground and get closer to your target, possibly full attacking the following round. That will probably become more powerful later on but I may have Fleet Warrior before then so it may be moot.
Absorb Blow has been a life saver. As a paladin and the main focus of many of the attacks including the BBEGs I take a ton of damage. Only in the last few sessions have I felt like my defense is leveling to a point that I can weather the storm. Some of that though is from our Warpriest who has made his character the "shield" of the party taking feats that give us all cover bonuses when adjacent to him and he goes total defense. Also, Mythic Paragon but I will cover that when I get to it.
Obviously my first mythic feat was Dual Path. I dont feel like there is a "power" to this feat but it is incredibly useful to allow your character to take on its own personality.
Then still at level 1 I took Extra Mythic Feat to gain Mythic Combat Expertise. Again I know this is not a power choice but an extra 2 AC and the ability to spend a point of mythic power to forgo my CE penalties for a minute is pretty huge. At this level my AC is 35 when using CE and 39 while smiting. Most things struggle to hit me unless they are the BBEG.
For tier two I chose Mythic Paragon. This ability has been the most powerful one I have taken so far I believe. My Absorb Blow now absorbs 25 damage and then I gain DR2 epic and Resist 10 to everything for one minute afterward. It truly makes you feel like your mythic power is more potent without letting you gain access to things that your other PC's cant yet. When I chose this feat I was hesitant but now I am very happy with the choice.
Lastly at tier 3 I chose Legendary Item and I used Extra Path Ability to take it a second time. I of course used this with Armor of the Pious. I wanted to select it twice here so the armor would be a lesser artifact and thus be difficult to destroy. It currently has 5 abilities (gaining two extra of course from Mythic Paragon) and as I have only had these abilities for two sessions I can't report all that much. The biggest bonus at this points are most likely Upgradeable which will help me greatly over the course of the campaign I believe. I have already added Restful to the armor and I am happy with that choice. Then the Legendary Fortification ability is going to be a god send when taking those huge hits from other mythic creatures and even non mythic as we use the crit/fumble decks. The other abilities it currently has are Powerful (4 legendary power a day), Rejuvenating (heal 50 HP as a standard action and a legendary power, or remove a condition for 2 power), and Eternal Bond largely fluff but I like the feel of this.
So that has been the mythic abilities that I have personally experienced thus far. Honestly the extra action economy is the real power from what I can tell. I am not even talking about the ability to take an extra standard. Yes we have used that a handful of times and it is strong but not game breaking... yet. From my experience playing Pathfinder for over 6 years now the action economy of a character the vast majority of the time is a move and a standard which is sometimes combined with a '5 step. With all of these new abilities most of our turns are a move, a standard, a '5 step, then also a swift or an immediate. That one extra action or two really ads up and exponentially increases the power of the PCs.
Next: Mythic Ranger 9/ Tier 3 Champion
This PC hasent told me all of his abilities yet so some of this will be from memory.
Champion Strike, Our ranger uses this ability very frequently to devastating effect.
Endless Hatred: What can I say about this one. As our main damage dealer this ability really goes above and beyond. Nearly every combat starts off with this and he is bypassing the DR of the majority of things we are facing. The added to hit and damage are just icing. Most things that are targeted by our ranger are dead in one turn. This I fear, is not an issue with Mythic but an issue with the extreme power of archers in Pathfinder.
Deadly Aim: I know I said no abilities that directly added to damage but that was my feelings and not a group decision. So far it hasn't broken the game but as his damage continues to climb I dont know what will happen.
I believe he chose ability boosts to Dex and possibly Limitless Range at tier 2 and 3. I will have to wait for him to get back to me on that. This character is a glass cannon for sure and absolutely blows up anything on the wrong end of his bow.
Next: Shaman 9/Tier 3 Trickster/Heirophant
Our Shaman took Fleet Charge here. I dont believe I have ever seen him actually use the ability. He is not a melee character at all, focusing on battlefield control and utility over all.
He also took Inspired Spell and this ability is bonkers. I knew it would be from the start. I honestly feel like there should have been a bit more of a charge for these spells but its not necessarily breaking the game.
His ability at tier 1 was Path Dabbling and he chose Crafting Mastery with that ability. I am not sure what all he has created with that ability but I get the impression it is quite a bit. Opening up all the crafting feats is pretty huge and actually having some downtime recently has open the door for a lot of items to be made. He is willing to make items for other PC's but at this point most of us haven't had the resources yet to do much of that.
At tier 2 he took Sustained by Faith. Far from a broken ability but incredibly useful. I think he is very happy with that choice and honestly it is one of my favorite mythic abilities over all.
Tier 3 was Mirror Dodge and well, wow. He is not usually the target of attacks or spells but last session he was and this ability just made the BBEG waste 3 or 4 turns. Incredibly powerful but also costs a mythic power so it seems in line with many of the other abilities. I wouldn't say it is over powered but it is strong and will probably save the character numerous times.
Lastly at tier 3 he took Subtle Magic. By the players own admission this ability is largely story driven for him. It is an interesting ability I agree but as for raw power it doesn't do much. Again, this is one of the mythic abilities I really like because it adds a lot to the character without breaking the game by adding tremendous numbers.
Next: War Priest 9/tier 3 Guardian
The guardian ability he took was Sudden Block. Since our War Priest has taken up the mantle of 'make all my friends harder to kill' this ability has definitely had it's moments. He has used it a handful of times and each time it has saved a crit or deadly hit. The return attack is a nice bonus.
Armored Might was his first tier ability I believe. Not much to say here, just giving him a nice little AC boost can never hurt.
He also took Mythic Shield Focus and it hasn't come into play much and honestly I think the player overlooked the bonus to touch AC one time when it would have been helpful.
Fast Healing (honestly I dont remember if thats actually what this ability is called or not, but the Guardian one that grants fast healing) I think this one has been useful a few times but not over much.
At tier 3 he gained Impervious Body and I think this is another great ability. I don't know how much longer it kept him standing but he said it saved him much pain.
The last ability was Mythic tower shield proficiency originally a 3pp feat but our DM modified it. I believe it reduces the armor check penalty of the tower shield by 1 per tier and negates the attack penalty. All in all very fitting for the character that gets into the thick of things and goes total defense to defend all his friends.
Lastly, our Fighter 9/tier 3 Champion.
Another Fleet Charge and another time i just dont think it is used all that much. He wields a great sword and gets into the thick of combat but this ability just hasen't played much.
Ive asked him to send me a text with all his abilities but he hasn't so ill go by memory. Flash of Rage is a fitting ability for this somber character. I only believe it has come into play a few times but its very interesting when it does. When this character connects he does some pretty awesome damage. This ability is mostly crunch but the limitations and fluff are awesome which makes it very balanced in my eyes.
Mythic endurance I am not positive but I think this was another one of his feats. He loves being able to sleep in his full plate armor so this ability really fit his character.
Then there is Mythic Iron Will. I was very happy to see him take this ability but of course the only time he has been able to use it since taking it he rolled awful on both dice. This player has spent at least 4 or 5 sessions sitting there with nothing to do because of a failed will save. He has taken precautions but the poor will save is really killing him. I honestly believe this ability will save him a lot of that in the future.
So, in conclusion and without a statement from our DM yet I am going to say that, at least at our table Mythic has been a success for our game. I still feel challenged and like our efforts are meaningful yet difficult. This is to say nothing of the campaign its self which is a story that I truly love. Playing a paladin in a setting where I get to combat an endless wave of demons is truly epic!
Please post any comments, questions or concerns. I would love to answer any and all questions I can and learn from other's experiences as well. Advice is always welcome as well. Thank you for taking the time to read through this far! I will do my best to update this each time we gain a tier and post with our reactions to each ability and feat.
I am playing an Aasimar Paladin in Wrath of the Righteous. We recently discovered that a character can only select Extra Mythic Path ability once. I had planned to take this a number of times as the majority of my feats are tied to the Angelic line (blood, flesh, wings, metallic wings), and there are no mythic versions of those. I also have Painful Anchor to go along with Anchoring aura which I love the effect of. I have spoken with my DM and if we can come to an agreement on some mythic feats that fit the flavor of those feats along with being balanced with other similar feats he will allow me to take them.
I am looking for suggestions for these feats listed below.
Angelic Blood (Aasimar):
Your blood is infused with holy power.
Prerequisites: Con 13, aasimar.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against effects with the evil descriptor and on Constitution checks to stabilize when you are reduced to negative hit points (but not dead). Furthermore, each time you take bleed or blood drain damage, each undead creature or creature with the evil subtype that is currently adjacent to you also takes 1 point of damage.
Suggestion: Honestly nothing coming to mind at the moment.
Angelic Flesh (Aasimar):
Your skin shines like burnished metal.
Prerequisites: Angelic Blood, aasimar.
Benefit: You take a –2 penalty on Disguise and Stealth checks but gain one of the following benefits, depending on the metallic affinity of your flesh (choose one).
Steel: You gain a +1 natural armor bonus to AC, and your unarmed strikes or natural weapons count as cold iron for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Suggestion: Maybe extra natural armor or DR? I dont know, that is sort of boring.
Angel Wings (Aasimar):
Feathered wings sprout from your back.
Prerequisites: Angelic Blood, aasimar, character level 10th.
Benefit: You gain a pair of gleaming feathered wings that grant a fly speed of 30 feet (average maneuverability) if wearing light armor or unencumbered, or 20 feet (poor maneuverability) with a medium or heavy load or medium or heavy armor. Fly is a class skill for you.
Suggestion: Increased fly speed and maneuverability and possibly spend 1 mythic point as an immediate action to take minimum possible damage on a fall.
Painful Anchor:
Evil outsiders take damage when they attempt to connect to other planes.
Prerequisites: Anchoring aura class feature.
Benefit: When an evil outsider uses a calling, summoning, or teleportation effect, or any ability that physically transports a creature to or from another plane (such as blink or etherealness) within your anchoring aura, it takes damage equal to 4d8 + your Charisma modifier. This damage comes from holy power and is not subject to damage reduction, energy immunities, or energy resistances.
Suggestion: Increased radius or effect or some additional add on.
Halo:
Some aasimars possess the ability to manifest halos. An aasimar with this racial trait can create light centered on her head at will as a spell-like ability. When using her halo, she gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks against evil creatures and on saving throws against becoming blinded or dazzled. This racial trait replaces the darkvision standard racial trait.
Suggestion: Anything that helps me defeat darkness spells. Those have been a true thorn in my side!
I am working on some possible ideas but I don't have anything concrete yet. When I do finally propose something to my DM I would like to have something that is fair and balanced. I don't want to take mythic power attack or extra mythic power because those are boring. I would appreciate any suggestion and as soon as I have something to add that can be critiqued I will add it. Thank you.
My Wrath of the Righteous group will be kicking the campaign off in 2 weeks! Incredibly excited for some epic adventure! I plan to keep a campaign journal here.
The Characters:
Lincoln Cross: Aasimar Paladin of The Three: Sarenrae, Iomedae and Ragathiel. Ardent Aegis (home brew archetype) and Warrior of the Holy Light.
Ardent Aegis:
Planar Adept: The Ardent Aegis gains Knowledge: Planes as a class skill in place of Knowledge: Nobility.
Channel Wrath (Su): When an Ardent Aegis reaches 4th level, she can spend two uses of her lay on hands ability to gain an extra use of smite evil that day. This ability has no effect for an Ardent Aegis who does not have the smite evil ability.
Planar Awareness (Su): At 6th level, the Ardent Aegis gains a +1 insight bonus to AC and Reflex saves. This bonus increases every three levels to a maximum of +5 at level 18. This replaces the mercy normally gained at level 6.
Anchoring Aura (Su): At 8th level, an Ardent Aegis's aura hampers extradimensional travel by evil outsiders. The aura extends 20 feet from the Ardent Aegis. Evil outsiders attempting to use abilities such as dimension door, plane shift, or teleport to leave or enter the aura must succeed at a will save (DC 10+1/2 the Ardent Aegis's level + the Ardent Aegis's Charisma modifier); failure means the ability does not function, as if the outsider were affected by dimensional anchor. The aura functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. This ability replaces Aura of Resolve.
Vigilant Radiance (Su): At 11th level any evil outsider within 20 feet of an Ardent Aegis takes damage equal to the Ardent Aegis's charisma modifier each round. This damage comes from holy power and can not be prevented by damage reduction, energy immunities, or even energy resistances. The Ardent Aegis may expend one use of smite evil as a standard action to emit a 20 foot burst of holy power centered on her. Each evil outsider in the area must succeed at a will saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the Ardent Aegis's level + the Ardent Aegis's Charisma modifer), or be staggered for a number of rounds equal to the paladin's charisma modifier. This ability replaces Aura of Justice.
Aenarion Dragayn: Aasimar (fluff as dragon instead of angel) Ranger of Apsu.
The Versifier-Speculate, Keiiek Visitant-Roulade: Aasimar Shaman of Heavens.
Kennith the Immortal: (I believe that is the character name) Dwarven Warpriest of Torag.
My Wrath game is finally kicking off at the end of the month and I am putting the finishing touches on my character. His faith is of The Three, Sarenrae, Iomedae and Ragathiel. He treats the three as one for his beliefs. As per the DM all game mechanics must only be granted by one deity though and I have chosen Sarenrae for that.
One of the final things I need to complete is Lincoln's prayer to The Three. I was hoping someone with a bit more honeyed tongue could clean this up a little for me or give me some suggestions. It must be 3 verses of 3 lines and must contain Courage, Honor, and Wisdom in the first with Conviction, Temperance and Truth in the second. I have taken parts of the Boondock Saits prayers, gotta give credit where credit is due. So here goes.
Ragathiel give me the Courage to stand against the impossible.
Iomedae empower my Honor to resist the taint of all corruption.
Sarenrae grant me the Wisdom to pierce the veil of darkness.
In my faith I gain the Conviction to stand each time I shall fall;
The Temperance to give aid or strike with absolution;
And the ability to see the truth in all things.
I will defend those worthy of it.
I will swell the ranks of the faithful.
I will destroy all that which is evil so that which is good may flourish.
In my upcoming Wrath of the Righteous game I plan to take the legendary item abilities. I want to make some amazing armor and have a couple questions.
1. I would like to add wings of flying to my armor. Is there any precedent for this anywhere?
2. I want to take the returning ability and call the armor to me, actually donning it. Is this possibly by RAW any way? if not is it absurd to ask for?
Hello all, I will be playing an Aasimar Paladin in an upcoming game and was thinking of a new bond ability. My DM has already said no and that is fine I don't wish to argue the point. Though he did say it was unbalanced with the core ability and I just wanted to get some advice here. How off base am I? Am I at all? I personally feel like this would be a very balanced option. So here goes.
Divine Bond: Divine Heritage (5th level, added as a Divine bond choice)
In some Aasimar's their Angelic heritage takes hold in a more powerful way. The divine heritage of these Aasimars manifests in many ways and their Angelic powers are improved.
Halo:
If the Aasimar has the Halo alternate race trait he may increase the power of the light. As a full round action the Aasimar may increase the power of the light produced by his halo to Daylight. This takes full concentration and only lasts as long as the Aasimar concentrates. If the Aasimar moves more than a '5 step or takes any other action beyond free actions the power of the light reverts back to normal.
Angelic Blood:
If the Aasimar has the Angelic Blood feat the damage that is caused to undead and creatures with the evil subtype is increased to 1D4. If the Aasimar has wings, she is also subject to constant slow fall. The slow fall only functions if she is conscious and there is no damage to her wings.
Angelic Flesh:
If the Aasimar has the Angelic Flesh feat the penalties to disguise and stealth are double (now -4) and any damage reduction the Aasimar may have adds "and Adamantium" to what is needed to overcome it. Example: DR5 Evil and Adamantium.
Angel Wings:
If the Aasimar has the Angel Wings Feat the flight distance is increased to '60 good maneuverability, or '50 average maneuverability if in heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load.
My group is nearing the kick off of Wrath of the Righteous. We are near the end of an incredible Rise of the Runelords game and will be jumping right into Wrath after that.
We have briefly discussed the potential issues that have arisen in games that others have posted here and made a gentleman's agreement. We have at least 4 players, possibly 5 and we have agreed to not do anything to intentionally try to game or break the system. That said, we will still be making strong choices for our characters (melee's taking power attack and such) which make obvious sense.
I have read much of what I can on these boards while avoiding anything labeled as a spoiler. I have read what I can of threads by magnuskn, Seannoss, Tangent101, NobodysHome, Aldarionn, and many others who have given meaningful time to these boards. In reading all of these things I have come to one conclusion. Things aren't perfect but people are passionate about this topic.
I think the passion is because when we play these games we aspire to make our characters like Hercules, Thor, Robin Hood, Gandolf, The Knights of the Round Table and so many other classic heroes. Mythic adventures was supposed to be the answer to those desires. Or at least we hoped it was.
Now, I have not played WotR yet but I am chomping at the bit for it. It is the setting I have been waiting for. Waiting for probably about 20 years of gaming. I am going to get to play my half angelic (Aasimar) Paladin who is going to make even demons know fear. I want to do all of this while my whole group has fun. The DM included, and without breaking the system or making the game unplayable.
I have compiled a list of things I have read or ideas I have had that may fix the proclaimed problems in this AP and Mythic Adventures over all.
I want to give credit where credit is due and some of these ideas have been taken directly from suggestions listed by the people I listed above. If I missed your name I am sorry. I am not trying to take any credit here I just want to have my chance to play this AP the way I have been hoping to. So here goes.
Critical Hits: At my table we use the critical hit and fumble decks. My suggestion here is to only multiply the dice rolled by the critical multiplier, not the entirety of the damage. I believe it was Tangent101 I took this suggestion from.
Mythic Power: Mythic power is regained at a rate of 1 per day, 1 per level (character level or mythic tier gained), and 1 at any point in which a character does something "epic". This could be increased to 1D4 per each event.
Mythic Vital Strike: Take out the multiplier completely. Instead you gain a damage bonus to each dice rolled equal to the number of feats in the Vital Strike chain you have taken. Example: You have Vital Strike, improved vital strike and mythic vital strike (3 feats). Each dice you roll for damage will gain a bonus of 3 damage.
Wild Arcana and Inspired Spell and Channel Power: To gain the benefit of this ability you must expend a number of Mythic power points equal to the spell level you wish to cast. Thus a 5th level spell would take 5 Mythic Power points to cast. Alternately this could be 1 point for level 1-3 spells, 2 for level 4-6 spells and 3 points for level 7-9 spells.
Recuperation: You no longer need to rest for an hour to use this ability but activating it takes half of your remaining Mythic Power to do so. Rounded up. This is the only way a character will ever be that hero that fought all day and all night through constant battle to defend a wall or overcome a trial of endurance!
Power Attack and Deadly Aim: Power attack should be more damaging than deadly aim. I am sorry but archers already have enough advantages. Thus these feats should be left alone or... Take away the multiplication on critical hits for power attack and the ability to avoid the penalties but increase the bonus to 4. Or, take away the multipliers and penalties for power attack, leave the damage at 3 and do away with deadly aim all together.
Display of ... The bonus gained by using this ability is equal to your mythic tier. Not a flat 20. Or 2 times your mythic tier may be better.
I know I have not hit every factor that should be hit but I honestly feel like these changes are a good start. I would love it if the people who have spent much more time than me on this topic would take the time to chime in and post their opinions. I want to keep it civil and constructive. Please address the suggestions I have made and add your own.
I wanted to take the time to do this because I do not believe that the soul burden of making a game playable rests on the DM. It is the job of everyone at a table to make it fun for all who are taking their time to make that game happen.
Again, please no spoilers for Wrath of the Righteous. I have avoided reading nearly anything about the story and want to experience it for the first time at my table.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Oh, and if this thread has been started somewhere else and I just missed it please direct me to the right place so I can read what has been suggested there.
I am planning my character for an upcoming Wrath of the Righteous game. This game is probably still approximately 6 months away. Let me start by saying I am trying to build a character that I have been building a concept for, for over 20 years. I am finally at a place where I can play this, I am only restrained by the rules of Pathfinder, which admittedly have been the best rules for this yet. I am trying to find thematic and mechanical ways to make this character. Some of the choices may seem like pure crunch and maybe they are but that is not what I wish to debate here.
I have told my DM about my plans to play an Angel Blooded Aasimar paladin. I plan to take Warrior of the Holy Light, Oath of Vengeance and Oath against Fiends. I also intend to take a 1 level dip into Oracle of Lore for Sidestep Secret and knowledge planes.
My DM has Ok'd the Oaths with Warrior of the Holy Light even though they technically modify the same ability, spells.
Where we have a problem, and I have had a long discussion here on the boards about is Oath against Fiends. He has told me along with many others here on the board that this selection is impossible. This is a core choice for my character for both thematic and mechanical reasons. Through some discussion my DM agreed to work with me to figure out a way to make a new archetype that was not an Oath so that this would work. He said he only wanted the archetype to address the Oath issue and I feel like I have done that. I do appreciate the willingness to compromise very much. This is our game and the rules are guidelines. They are not hard and fast laws that can not be manipulated.
After telling my DM my vision of the character. A paladin of divine light that it is actually painful for evil outsiders to be near and whom defends the mortal realm from those who would pierce the veil to enter it for malevolent means.
The best way I have found to do this is..
Oath of Vengeance: for obvious mechanical and thematic reasons.
Oath against Fiends: mainly for the Anchoring Aura which leads to the Painful anchor feat. This is not to say I do not like Holy vessel as well but we will get to that. This is the core of it being painful for the evil outsiders to enter our world.
A 1 level oracle dip to get knowledge planes and sidestep secret. We all know the paladin is a MAD class. So I fully admit this selection has more mechanical reasons for the choice than thematic but the theme is there. A warrior of light that can see between the veil of reality to those who seek to pierce it. The fluff is there to reason out sidestep secret as a valid choice.
Then Warrior of the Holy Light. This choice, is very thematic for me as it plays to his devotion to Sarenrae and ability to call upon holy power to aid his allies. He will worship Sarenrae, Iomedae and Ragathiel. Though all mechanical benefits and powers gain come from Sarenrae.
Ok, finally, here is what I initially proposed to my DM.
Ardent Aegis
The Ardent Aegis is a direct agent of the divine. This paladin may gain his powers through ardent faith of one deity, many deities or through the shear power of good and law. He is attuned to the ebb and flow of the planes and defends the mortal realm from insidious powers that would manipulate those boundaries to their own advantage.
Knowledge: Ardent Aegis gains Knowledge: Planes as a class skill and looses Knowledge: Nobility. He is concerned with the powers of the realms, not just the mortal one.
Channel Wrath (Su): When an Ardent Aegis reach 4th level, she can spend two uses of her lay on hands ability to gain an extra use of smite evil that day. This ability has no effect for a paladin who does not have the smite evil ability. This ability replaces channel positive energy.
Anchoring Aura (Su): At 8th level, a paladin’s aura hampers extradimensional travel by evil outsiders. The aura extends 20 feet from the paladin. Evil outsiders attempting to use abilities such as dimension door, plane shift, or teleport to leave or enter the aura must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the paladin’s level + the paladin’s Charisma modifier); failure means the ability does not function, as if the outsider were affected by dimensional anchor. The aura functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. Alternatively, as an immediate action, the paladin can expend one use of her smite evil ability to target an evil outsider within 30 feet with dimensional anchor. A targeted dimensional anchor persists even if the paladin is unconscious or dead. This ability replaces aura of resolve.
Sidestep Secret (Su): By level 9 the Ardent Aegis's understanding of the thin barrier between the realm grows. Your innate understanding of the universe has granted you preternatural reflexes and the uncanny ability to step out of danger at the very last second. Add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) to your Armor Class and all Ref lex saving throws. Your armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus applies to your Charisma instead of your Dexterity. This ability replaces the mercy a paladin would gain at level 9.
This power comes with a flaw as his knowledge grows his own touch with the mortal realm slips in a small way. He must select an oracle curse along with this ability.
Aegis Shift (Su): Upon reaching 11th level an Ardent Aegis not only understand the fabric of the realms but can begin to manipulate it. By spending one use of his smite evil ability as a swift action an Ardent Aegis can attempt to push or pull all evil outsiders to or away from him whom are within 30'. When the ardent aegis does this he makes a CMB roll to bullrush every evil outsider in range. This bullrush does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The Ardent Aegis can only push all or pull all evil outsiders in the radius, he can not mix and match who he pushes and pulls. Any evil outsider effected by this ability is through through the fabric of the realms and appears in their new location. If they are under the effect of an ability that would inhibit planar travel this ability has no effect on them. This ability replaces Aura of Justice. This would move them through the painful anchor and they would also take that damage.
So, all of the abilities that are gained from Ardent Aegis my character already possesses except Aegis Shift. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel here I am just trying to come to a compromise as this particular AP has pigeonholed me into not being able to play exactly what I want.
My thought process was that I would be willing to give up many things.
Those being: 1. The spells I would have gained from Oracle. (which gets rid of the ablitity to use spell trigger items as well.)
2. Delayed gaining Sidestep secret until 9th (and made it fit the fluff more in my opinion)
3. Holy Vessel (the ability to augment my armor or shield with my sacred bond pool)
4.Powerful Justice (the Oath of vengeance ability that replaced Aura of Justice to begin with)
By doing so I would gain: 1. Full paladin progression (this also keeps me out of the oracle dip which one of our other players did not like and felt like stepped on his character's toes.)
2. Aegis Shift
I felt like this was a fair and balanced way to give us what we both wanted. My DM's initial response was that putting it all together was to much, which I didnt understand because I get it all anyway by making the choices I had already selected. He also felt like Aegis Shift was to powerful.
I took another look at Aegis shift and agreed with him. I said we could change the requirements to use 2 smites, or make it take a move or standard action, or make it limited to only effecting as many evil outsiders as the paladins charisma modifier. Or any combination of those things.
He did point out that anchoring aura would hamper this ability so I would need to add that it would not.
I came up with Aegis shift because the only area effect ability the Paladin has is Aura of Justice. The ability to give your allies your smite damage (only damage because of powerful justice). The ability is limited by using a resource, by the fact that it only effects evil outsiders and by the fact that you must succeed at a CMB bullrush. I agree that this ability would be strong, but I dont think it is over powered.
I am posting this here to get a positive thread started in regards to how we can make this work. I would appreciate all constructive criticisms and suggestions please. I am asking for all oppinions and suggestions related to this topic which can be constructive and help my DM and I get to a mutual compromise.
I am planning my character for an upcoming Wrath of the Righteous game. This game is probably still approximately 6 months away. Let me start by saying I am trying to build a character that I have been building a concept for, for over 20 years. I am finally at a place where I can play this, I am only restrained by the rules of Pathfinder, which admittedly have been the best rules for this yet. I am trying to find thematic and mechanical ways to make this character. Some of the choices may seem like pure crunch and maybe they are but that is not what I wish to debate here.
I have told my DM about my plans to play an Angel Blooded Aasimar paladin. I plan to take Warrior of the Holy Light, Oath of Vengeance and Oath against Fiends. I also intend to take a 1 level dip into Oracle of Lore for Sidestep Secret and knowledge planes.
My DM has Ok'd the Oaths with Warrior of the Holy Light even though they technically modify the same ability, spells.
Where we have a problem, and I have had a long discussion here on the boards about is Oath against Fiends. He has told me along with many others here on the board that this selection is impossible. This is a core choice for my character for both thematic and mechanical reasons. Through some discussion my DM agreed to work with me to figure out a way to make a new archetype that was not an Oath so that this would work. He said he only wanted the archetype to address the Oath issue and I feel like I have done that. I do appreciate the willingness to compromise very much. This is our game and the rules are guidelines. They are not hard and fast laws that can not be manipulated.
After telling my DM my vision of the character. A paladin of divine light that it is actually painful for evil outsiders to be near and whom defends the mortal realm from those who would pierce the veil to enter it for malevolent means.
The best way I have found to do this is..
Oath of Vengeance: for obvious mechanical and thematic reasons.
Oath against Fiends: mainly for the Anchoring Aura which leads to the Painful anchor feat. This is not to say I do not like Holy vessel as well but we will get to that. This is the core of it being painful for the evil outsiders to enter our world.
A 1 level oracle dip to get knowledge planes and sidestep secret. We all know the paladin is a MAD class. So I fully admit this selection has more mechanical reasons for the choice than thematic but the theme is there. A warrior of light that can see between the veil of reality to those who seek to pierce it. The fluff is there to reason out sidestep secret as a valid choice.
Then Warrior of the Holy Light. This choice, is very thematic for me as it plays to his devotion to Sarenrae and ability to call upon holy power to aid his allies. He will worship Sarenrae, Iomedae and Ragathiel. Though all mechanical benefits and powers gain come from Sarenrae.
Ok, finally, here is what I initially proposed to my DM.
Ardent Aegis
The Ardent Aegis is a direct agent of the divine. This paladin may gain his powers through ardent faith of one deity, many deities or through the shear power of good and law. He is attuned to the ebb and flow of the planes and defends the mortal realm from insidious powers that would manipulate those boundaries to their own advantage.
Knowledge: Ardent Aegis gains Knowledge: Planes as a class skill and looses Knowledge: Nobility. He is concerned with the powers of the realms, not just the mortal one.
Channel Wrath (Su): When an Ardent Aegis reach 4th level, she can spend two uses of her lay on hands ability to gain an extra use of smite evil that day. This ability has no effect for a paladin who does not have the smite evil ability. This ability replaces channel positive energy.
Anchoring Aura (Su): At 8th level, a paladin’s aura hampers extradimensional travel by evil outsiders. The aura extends 20 feet from the paladin. Evil outsiders attempting to use abilities such as dimension door, plane shift, or teleport to leave or enter the aura must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the paladin’s level + the paladin’s Charisma modifier); failure means the ability does not function, as if the outsider were affected by dimensional anchor. The aura functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. Alternatively, as an immediate action, the paladin can expend one use of her smite evil ability to target an evil outsider within 30 feet with dimensional anchor. A targeted dimensional anchor persists even if the paladin is unconscious or dead. This ability replaces aura of resolve.
Sidestep Secret (Su): By level 9 the Ardent Aegis's understanding of the thin barrier between the realm grows. Your innate understanding of the universe has granted you preternatural reflexes and the uncanny ability to step out of danger at the very last second. Add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) to your Armor Class and all Ref lex saving throws. Your armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus applies to your Charisma instead of your Dexterity. This ability replaces the mercy a paladin would gain at level 9.
This power comes with a flaw as his knowledge grows his own touch with the mortal realm slips in a small way. He must select an oracle curse along with this ability.
Aegis Shift (Su): Upon reaching 11th level an Ardent Aegis not only understand the fabric of the realms but can begin to manipulate it. By spending one use of his smite evil ability as a swift action an Ardent Aegis can attempt to push or pull all evil outsiders to or away from him whom are within 30'. When the ardent aegis does this he makes a CMB roll to bullrush every evil outsider in range. This bullrush does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The Ardent Aegis can only push all or pull all evil outsiders in the radius, he can not mix and match who he pushes and pulls. Any evil outsider effected by this ability is through through the fabric of the realms and appears in their new location. If they are under the effect of an ability that would inhibit planar travel this ability has no effect on them. This ability replaces Aura of Justice. This would move them through the painful anchor and they would also take that damage.
So, all of the abilities that are gained from Ardent Aegis my character already possesses except Aegis Shift. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel here I am just trying to come to a compromise as this particular AP has pigeonholed me into not being able to play exactly what I want.
My thought process was that I would be willing to give up many things.
Those being: 1. The spells I would have gained from Oracle. (which gets rid of the ablitity to use spell trigger items as well.)
2. Delayed gaining Sidestep secret until 9th (and made it fit the fluff more in my opinion)
3. Holy Vessel (the ability to augment my armor or shield with my sacred bond pool)
4.Powerful Justice (the Oath of vengeance ability that replaced Aura of Justice to begin with)
By doing so I would gain: 1. Full paladin progression (this also keeps me out of the oracle dip which one of our other players did not like and felt like stepped on his character's toes.)
2. Aegis Shift
I felt like this was a fair and balanced way to give us what we both wanted. My DM's initial response was that putting it all together was to much, which I didnt understand because I get it all anyway by making the choices I had already selected. He also felt like Aegis Shift was to powerful.
I took another look at Aegis shift and agreed with him. I said we could change the requirements to use 2 smites, or make it take a move or standard action, or make it limited to only effecting as many evil outsiders as the paladins charisma modifier. Or any combination of those things.
He did point out that anchoring aura would hamper this ability so I would need to add that it would not.
I came up with Aegis shift because the only area effect ability the Paladin has is Aura of Justice. The ability to give your allies your smite damage (only damage because of powerful justice). The ability is limited by using a resource, by the fact that it only effects evil outsiders and by the fact that you must succeed at a CMB bullrush. I agree that this ability would be strong, but I dont think it is over powered.
I am posting this here to get a positive thread started in regards to how we can make this work. I would appreciate all constructive criticisms and suggestions please. I am asking for all oppinions and suggestions related to this topic which can be constructive and help my DM and I get to a mutual compromise.
Looking over this ability it seems like the intended rule is that you can add more qualitative abilities and the RAW limits you to quantitative ones.
I draw this conclusion for a few reasons.
1. You apparently can not do anytbing to improve your item other than the upgradeable ability once it is legendary.
2. Upgradable itself woulf become a dead ability very quickly if the RAW is correct.
3. If you look at the dagger and the armor pictures in this section they definitely appear to gain abilities other than simple +# bonuses. The dagger looks to be dripping acid and the armor appears to have wings (I am interested in how these wings are added as well).
4. This is a more abstract theory but here goes. This game obviously rewards offense much more than defense. Though if you could add more qualitative abilities, then with the current options that do not count as a bonus, armor would be much more appraling.
So, question is, how are people treating this ability and do we know if there will be an official errata?
Any comment from the staff would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I started this thread some time ago in the rules forum and it got little attention. I am curious if anyone here would be more interested in it.
Ok, so I have been working on this character since the moment I heard Wrath was coming out. Once we confirmed one of our group was going to run it I started getting it all on paper. We are at least a year away from playing but I am getting all of my ducks in a row now as I like to really know my character. I already have 20 some pages of background which includes the background of my friends character. We are writing it together back and forth.
Ok, on to my character and questions.
What I know for sure is I will be playing an Aasimar paladin. He follows Sarenrae, Ragathiel and Apsu (Sarenrae is his main deity when it comes to all mechanical benefits). He will have Oath of Vengeance and Oath against Fiends.
My big question is Warrior of the Holy Light. I really love the thematic feel of this archetype. I have read up and it seems that it is only legal with the Oaths if the DM allows it which is fine. So...
Assuming he does allow it, my question is, in this setting is it worth it? My group will most likely consist of Paladin, Ranger, Oracle. By giving up my spells am I taking to much away from the character or group?
That thought leads me to what Path to choose. As it stands I like Champion/Guardian. Though if I was going to keep spells Hierophant/Champion would become incredibly appealing. Which also means Unsanctioned Knowledge would become very appealing.
I am not looking for complete build advise, only suggestions about the character's effectiveness to help the party if I make a less than optimal choice.
Looking over this ability it seems like the intended rule is that you can add more qualitative abilities and the RAW limits you to quantitative ones.
I draw this conclusion for a few reasons.
1. You apparently can not do anytbing to improve your item other than the upgradeable ability once it is legendary.
2. Upgradable itself woulf become a dead ability very quickly if the RAW is correct.
3. If you look at the dagger and the armor pictures in this section they definitely appear to gain abilities other than simple +# bonuses. The dagger looks to be dripping acid and the armor appears to have wings (I am interested in how these wings are added as well).
4. This is a more abstract theory but here goes. This game obviously rewards offense much more than defense. Though if you could add more qualitative abilities, then with the current options that do not count as a bonus, armor would be much more appraling.
So, question is, how are people treating this ability and do we know if there will be an official errata?
Any comment from the staff would be greatly appreciated.
I am working on my character concept for Wrath of the Righteous and Ive come up with an idea I would like to bounce around here on the boards.
I full intend to take all of the wing feats leading up to metalic wings. I love the idea of my aasimar paladin lashing out with his wings and as I will be Guardian/Champion he will be able to grant an AC bonus to his allies. I see this happening as one of his wings flashing out to deflect an arrow or attack at the last moment.
It takes 4 feats to get the ability to make attacks with your wings. I was wondering what people would think about adding one more feat to add a shield bonus from your wings. I see it as working like a tower shield where you can thrust your wings forward into the ground and gain cover or fold your wings completely around you and gain cover. Of course this would not stack with any other shield bonus but you would gain the +3 without the need to hold a shield.
Question is, is a +3 shield bonus and the ability to "dig in" and gain cover just like a tower shield fair as the 5th feat in a chain?
Years ago there was a character in a few comics named Warcry.
This character wore what looked like full black plate mail, carried a large shield and wore 4 Katanas. His power was he could wield one of his blades and control the other 3 with his mind. This is incredibly fun sounding and I want to find a legal or fair way to make it work. I would be forgetting the shield all together and just focusing on the swords.
My first thought is a Magus and using the arcane pool to put dancing weapon on the blades. I know I could only do one at a time with a standard Magus. I was curious if there was an archetype, feat or spell that could make this legal.
Alternatively I was wondering what a fair home brew archetype would be for this?
I was thinking something like an ability that replaced something and allowed you to effect multiple weapons every so many levels. Like, at 5th level X Magus can affect an addition weapon when using his arcane pool. This expends another point from his pool. Every 5 levels after 5th X Magus can affect an additional weapon to a max 5 weapons at 20th level.
I did a search for this and found nothing definitive. So I will pose the question here and see if we can have some of the people who really understand the system chime in.
I want to craft a Sun Blade. I want to make it out of Cold Iron and I want to change the wording to say Long sword instead of short sword.
First, is this possible? And if so how much does it cost?
The next question, (and there was a small thread about this that really did not answer the question) is what about adding properties to such a weapon? Say I get enough gold to add Holy to it, any idea what my baseline is?
My Gut feeling is that you build it up from a +2 bonus. So, 25,335 - 4,000 (the cost of crafting a +2 weapon) = 21,335 is the cost of adding "sun blade" to an item.
Can anyone clear this up? It is something that if I am lucky will be happening for my paladin in the near future and I want to know exactly what I am doing.
As an aside: Has anyone thought about crafting a Holy Avenger Sun Blade for epic level play? Seems to me like the ultimate paladin sword... maybe even ranked as an artifact?
I am curious if there are any PF novels focusing on Paladins? Paladins of Last Wall would be awesome to read about! Especially fighting at the World Wound!
Subject says it all I guess. I have looked every where and I have not come across anything. If there is such a thing could anyone point me in the right direction?
I would like to find any feats that expands the divine weapon bond for my paladin.
Subject says it all I guess. I have looked every where and I have not come across anything. If there is such a thing could anyone point me in the right direction?
I would like to find any feats that expands the divine weapon bond for my paladin.
I hope I didnt dream this! I would have sworn I read an archtype for a feat somewhere, APG, UM or UC... that allowed you to use your divine bond on your weapon and your shield at the same time, splitting up the bonus however you like.
If Im crazy please tell me, or just give me a book and page number to reference if I am right.
Basically I am thinking about making an Undead Scourge and having that character take the Oath of Vengence. Is this legal by RAW? Could I play that at a PFS game?
The way I read this is that you gain a +20 to spot your target. The other gamers in my group see it as you only gain the +20 if they are invisible. I think the wording is poor but the intent is plain, you gain a +20 on nearly anything to do with perception against your target.
Reading the Inquisitor in the APG has given me a couple thoughts. First is I really like this class! Second is, would it be possible to make a Paladin archtype (paladin is my favorite class) with a couple parts of the Inquisitor without making it Overpowered?
I would only suggest 2 changes. Substitute out Paladin spells and maybe even move smite to a slower progression, such as Gain additional Smites at every 4th instead of every 3rd level.
For this the paladin would gain the Judgment ability with the same progression as the Inquisitor.
Next, I would get rid of Aura of Justice (which I have never liked, for flavor and feel it is OP) and replace it with the Inquisitor ability Stalwart.
Ok, so simple question is... If one was going to upgrade the Sunblade what would the baseline cost start at. Would it be like upgrading a +2 weapon? A +4?
So with a new character I am looking to do some crafting. Gonna pick up Craft wonderous item and arms and armor.
Looking to make a +2 Mithril Mace...
My calculations:
2,000 for the cost of the mithril mace (500 per lbs = 4,000/2)
4,000 for the +2 (8,000/2)
Then I also plan to purchase a ring of Protection +1 with the ring sustenance power built in.
2,000 for the +1
2,500 for sustenance + 50% to add it to the ring of protection.
Totalling: 5,750?
Also, If I was to craft boots of striding and sprinting and add in the boots of the winter lands property I would pay...
2,750 for striding and sprinting
1,250 for winterlands property + 50% to add to striding and sprinting boots.
Totalling: 4,625?
Thank you all in advance. This will be an Inquisitor of Asmodeus, and my first shot with a character doing any real crafting.
Did a quick search, nothing definative could be found :(
So a quick question, does DR protect against Viscious weapon? I see no reason why it wouldnt and ive been thinking about picking up a viscious Greataxe for my barbarian but if DR does not mitgate it, then the damage he will be taking will be to much.
I recently suggested this possible change to my gaming group and the idea was voted down 3 to 2. I am not going to try and sway that decision by anything said here, I am just curious what others might think.
So here goes...
My suggestion was that combat maneuvers can be a fun mechanic that adds interesting angles to combat. The problem is, with feats coming at such a premium and with how situational these maneuvers can be they are rarely ever taken (with the obvious exception of trip and grapple, especially for monks). And if you do not take the feat, actually pulling off one of these maneuvers is a near impossibility with the DC you will have after adding the damage you take from the AO to the dificulty.
My suggestion was to make all of the maneuvers only provoke if the CMB roll is failed. Then if you also take the feat you still get your +2 to CMB and CMD and also do not provoke if you fail.
I was just thinking this would open up a lot of options to combat. I dont think you would see a drastic increase in people using combat maneuvers as action economy would still better be served with damage, but it might raise the fun level.
There are to many threads going on that slam the paladin because someone feels the fighter is inadequate. The one I am currently involved in posting in is why I am posting this thread. I just dont understand, if we need to look at the classes this way then why are we not slamming the Cleric because the paladin cant do what he can? Or slamming the Wizard because the bard can't do what he can do?
Here is the most recent post of the other thread.
Vult Wrathblades wrote:
Stéphane Le Roux wrote:
If the paladin is better in every aspect for fighting evil, then there's no point in playing a fighter in 90% of campaigns.
I am not saying, nor have I ever said that this is not the way it should be. I love that the fighter finally has a place to shine and things he is good at! My issue is that people keep throwing the fighter out there like he is some sort of bastard son of a three legged mule and we should weaken the paladin because we feel bad for the fighter "screw that". The fighter is awesome at what he does, if you dont feel that way dont play a fighter but dont try to use what you feel are weaknesses of the fighter as ammunition to reduce the paladin.
Have we not proven on countless threads that the fighter is good at what he is supposed to do? Of course there are some classes that are weaker than others and some that are stronger! But damnit, the fighter is far from the weakest and the paladin is farfrom the strongest.
I was reacently talking with a friend who might be interested in playing in my current campaign.
The character concept he is interested in is a tatoo monk. A character that obviously uses tatoos to draw on magic abilities.
I initially said that dual classing with Sorcerer might be a good idea but as that makes the monk even more MAD I thought maybe Cleric. As I am very new to the multiclass stuff (prefering pure classing myself) I would like some advise on how to advise him. I want to be able to help him make a char that keeps up with the rest of the group who are all pure classed.
The way we are starting character creation he would start at lvl 6 with a +2 weapon (or some equivilant) and 15,000 gold to spend on items of his choosing. We also use a 25 pt buy system.
I would really appreciate any help here. I mentioned blood lines to him and have no idea if he has come up with any sort of concept or background story at the moment. I think he favores the idea of being able to do some offensive spells so I think he would like sorcerer over cleric but cleric does seem like the better option as both Monk and cleric benefit from wisdom.
Ok so we are going to start a little side game and I am thinking of making a fighter who dual wields shields. I know I wont get the extra AC from 2 shields (which I dont agree with but thats another story) but I like the concept of a fighter rushing in with 2 light shields and then eventually switching to his bread and butter Sword+board. My question what would you guys suggest for builds? Ive worked it up a few times with only a few variations so I wouldnt mind some suggestions.
So the concept is that he starts combat with 2 light shields and then switchs to longsword + heavy shield when the fight gets tough.
I think his weapon focus things will be in longsword for the instances where he needs to Power attack and such.
Just a quick question I could use some of the RAW guys for.
My char has 18 St. and will sometimes use his longsword with 2 hands while power attacking. His sword is +1.
I have my damage figured as +13 when I do this, am I right?
My DM is saying that it should only be 11 because the 50% from simply using a weapon in 2 hands does not stack with Power attack. I think he is wrong and could use some advice on how to explain it to him... that is of course if I am right :)
Just looking at a possible shield fighter build and had a few questions.
1. If you take improved two weapon fighting for the extra off hand attack (or the greater version for 3 off hand) does that work with the bash? Thus just getting another bash? Or is it just an attack and not a bash? Or do those feats not work with bashing at all?
2. Would the standard penalty for this sort of build be -4/-4 to main hand and shield until you get shield master? Then the penalty drops to just -4 to your main hand?
3. Shield master says that you add your shield bonus to hit and damage, would this also be the bonus gained from enchanting it? So a standard heavy shield would be +2/+2 but a +1 Heavy shield would add +3/+3 to hit/damage?
The wording is getting a little confusing as I read through it but the build is interesting to me.
I dont understand why they did not make feats for someone who wanted to be a shield DEFENDER, but thats another thread.
We recently ran into a character death situation. It was actually my paladin that died and was raised.
The issue I have found here is that since my character was close to leveling (from 7th to 8th) he was penalized more than the 2 other previous deaths we had where the characters had recently leveled.
Question is, what do you guys do for character death? Has anyone addressed this?
Ive looked throught he new book and dont see any notations on what is done with XP when you die or have levels restored. We previously used it where you were set back to the minimum XP for the level you are restored too. This just seems incredibly unbalanced to me.
Anyone have any suggestions, comments? or just how do you handle this? If there is a page number that makes it more clear can you reference it for me plz?
Through the discussion of the new paladin there was a little debate about how long "Until Vanquished" meant. It seems that the summary was until killed, captured or they flee. That all makes perfect sense to me, except what if...
What if it stayed with that subject even if they flee? I mean they are not technically vanquished, thus the paladin should give chase right? (if at all possible of course).
So if this were true then the paladin who did not "vanquish" his foe would be running with one less smite until said foe was truly defeated.
I dont think this is how it was meant to work but I could not help but mill it over. It would be a hendrance to the paladin because every DM would of course fill their encounters with invisible flying BBEG's (which seems to be the case anyway) and just get them to flee as soon as the paladin declares a smite against him. Thus they get to take away the key paladin ability for as long as they want.
On the other hand if someone was inclined to run it this way it would be appropriate to give the paladin certain abilities that allowed him to pursue his cowardly foe.
Such as he gains his paladin level to his perception checks against a smited fleeing foe.
Or at higher levels he gains blind sight/sense against a smited foe.
Or +10 Ft of movment (per x lvl) when pursuing a smited foe.
The list could go on....
Just a thought I had and wanted to discuss. Seems like it could be interpreted this way but if it were then it would be a huge negative for the paladin if he did not have something to counter act the flight.
I am sorry if this was written somewhere else, I did not see it.
Sometime ago in another discussion it was mentioned that a full attack action should be a standard action for characters with full BAB. I really like this as it provides mobility and a level of threat to the melee classes.
This also makes the enemy casters know that they are not safe(er) from the melee's so long as they can move more than 5' away from them each round. They know it is better to give up one AoO and make them move to you to get one attack the next round than to stand there and let them have all their iterative attacks. So as a caster it is smarter to back up 10 + feet, take the AoO, and blast away. That way the melee is constantly chasing the caster....in effect being "kited" (to use a WoW term).
This has bothered me for some time now. Ever sense the paladin discussion where it was basically settled upon that the paladin should be the king of saves (boring).
But then it also got me thinking, with the current system even if you had a +100,000 to your save you still have a 5% chance of failure every time. I would propose this.
On any save that you could succeed on without rolling the dice, then you only fail on a roll of double 1. For instance, a character has a +15 fort save and his DC is 15. He is passing that Fort save without even rolling but of course he is forced to roll. With such a good save he should have a much smaller chance to fail than 5%. Thus if he rolls a 1, he should have to roll again with a score of another 1, to fail.
This of course could also be applied to any check the person has to roll (cant take a 10) and would ONLY fail on a 1.
