Lord Tsarkon's page

Follow the links.

Well, getting into them around 2nd, or 3rd level, make them much more viable.

Rage Prophet is not really effected by these FAQs.

I followed the links... perhaps they are broken?

One link opens up a Faq about
Spell-Like Abilities: How do I know whether a spell-like ability is arcane or divine?
Most spell-like abilities should be considered arcane, unless the spell in question only appears on the standard cleric or druid spell list (such as holy smite) or something about the creature strongly indicates its spell-like abilities should be considered divine (such as a solar's spell-like abilities, as a solar usually directly serves a deity).

("Standard spell list" meaning "not altered in some way by an archetype, prestige class, racial ability, and so on.")

—Pathfinder Design Team, today

and the other is
Heighten Spell: How does this spell combine with other metamagic feats and using higher-level slots for lower-level spells?
Heighten Spell is worded poorly and can be confusing. It lets you use a higher-level spell slot for a spell, treating the spell as if it were naturally a higher level spell than the standard version. Unlike Still Spell, which always adds +1 to the level of the spell slot used for a spell, Heighten Spell lets you decide increase a spell's level anywhere from +1 to +9, using a spell slot that is that many spell levels higher than the normal spell.

The language implies that the heightened spell uses whatever spell level is used to prepare or cast it, but the rules text was inherited from 3.5 and doesn't take into account (1) the normal rule allowing you to prepare a spell with a higher-level spell slot, and (2) combining it with other metamagic feats.

For (1), having Heighten Spell doesn't mean any spell you cast with a higher-level slot is automatically heightened; you still have to make the decision to prepare or cast the spell an normal or heightened.
If you are a non-spontaneous caster (such as a cleric or wizard) who wants to prepare a lower-level spell in a higher-level slot, there is no reason not to use Heighten Spell on that spell (it doesn't cost you any extra time or any other game "currency").
If you are a spontaneous caster, heightening a spell when using a higher-level spell slot still increases the casting time, just like any other use of metamagic, so you have to weigh the benefits of either
• casting it normally using the higher-level slot
vs.
• increasing the casting time to cast it as a heightened spell and treat the spell as the level of the spell slot you're using.
Example A 10th-level sorcerer could cast fireball using a 3rd-, 4th-, or 5th-level spell slot, it would only be a standard action casting time, would count as a 3rd-level spell, and have a DC of 13 + Charisma bonus. If she had Heighten Spell and wanted to heighten it using a 4th- or 5th-level spell slot, it would have a full-round action casting time, but would count as a 4th- or 5th-level spell and have a DC of 14 + Cha bonus (for a 4th-level spell) or 15 + Cha bonus (for a 5th-level slot).

For (2), you can't apply Heighten Spell to a spell at no cost: any increase to the effective spell level of the spell must be tracked and paid for by using a higher-level spell slot, above and beyond any other spell level increases from the other metamagic feats.
Example: A 15th-level wizard has Quicken Spell. If he prepares a quickened fireball, that requires a 7th-level spell slot (fireball 3rd level + quicken 4 levels). The spell's DC is still 13 + his Int bonus because it's still just a 3rd-level spell, even though it's in a 7th-level spell slot. If he also has Heighten Spell, the spell is not automatically heightened; it still counts as a 3rd-level spell and has the DC of a 3rd-level spell. If he wants to increase the quickened fireball's effective level with Heighten Spell, he needs to use an even higher level spell slot than the adjusted spell level from the Quicken Spell feat. Increasing the fireball's effective spell level by +1 (from 3rd to 4th) requires using a spell slot +1 level higher (in this case, an 8th-level spell slot instead of a 7th-level slot); increasing the fireball's effective spell level by +2 (from 3rd to 5th) requires using a spell slot +2 levels higher (in this case, a 9th-level spell slot instead of a 7th-level slot).

Another way to look at (2) it is to add Heighten Spell first, then other metamagic feats. Continuing the above example, you'd first heighten the fireball to a 4th-level spell, then quicken it, which requires an 8th-level spell slot (fireball 4th level + quicken 4 levels). Or first heighten the fireball to a 5th-level spell, then quicken it, which requires a 9th-level spell slot (fireball 5th level + quicken 4 levels).

(Heighten Spell is a weak metamagic feat and has limited utility when combined with other metamagic feats.)

—Pathfinder Design Team, 06/10/13

Has nothing to do with Prestige classes... unless I'm missing something>?

Can you elaborate instead of posting links? (I'm not trying to Troll or be a D-bag... I'm confused as to what you are referring to in the Faqs

So, now that we have this FAQ, and this FAQ, a whole slew of Prestige Classes have opened up, and other various builds.

So, other than 3rd level Eldritch Knights, what other things have opened up?

Any advice on creating new builds around the combination of these two FAQs?

Kinda confused as to what specific faqs you meant... sorry... can you elaborate>?

Also Most of the prestige classes in Pathfinder seem... nerfed...

Can we fix some of them... such as the Rage Prophet Prestige class

Think Homer Simpson.

What About Peter Griffin?

Although he probably has an extremely Low Wisdom Score but High Charisma....

more fun to play...

My Barbarian has a 16 Charisma and I"m playing the Skulls and Shackles game... he shirks his duties all the time (I get beaten constantly) but I play him like a D-bag (not to the PCs... much)

Serious DM FAIL here....

... Talk to the other members of your group... come up with a consensus and explain to the GM that this is inexcusable...

Do not make threats... but if you are not having FUN (the most important thing about this GAME is to HAVE FUN) then tell the GM you will be retiring from the game..

Best thing is to probably show him this thread...

Infact show everyone this thread...

Playing Skulls and Grapples... er I mean Skulls and Shackles and my Barbarian got hit by 2 different Ghouls in the same round and I failed 3 of the 4 Fort Saves ( 1 Save for some disease and another for the paralyzation)..

I actually rolled 3 ones in a row and made one save... didn't matter because I failed one of the paralyze saves so I was out for the rest of the combat... I somehow survived the combat (thanks to party) and now I have a dilemma since I"m only level 3 (Barbarian 2/ Oracle of Battle 1)

Spoke with the DM and he's not exactly sure if I should get double the Ghoul Disease or just one,ect... but since I rolled two 1s (3 technically) he might just add them together and every day I will have to make 2 saving throws (2 consecutively to combat the disease I believe for each infliction)..

Anyways we were wondering what the rules were exactly about this. Even if not RAW I think I'm gonna be screwed until I get lucky again with the DICE or somehow find a Pirate Paladin or 5th level Cleric that actually likes me(Cure Disease).

Every Combat I almost die... Is this how Barbarians live?

Humans being 9 pretty much confirms that you cannot properly put a number to each ability/power to each specific race in the game. (i.e. the RP system is borked)

I'm not complaining however because back in 2nd edition everyone played Elves to death...

In 3rd Edition/3.5/ or Pathfinder especially it seems Humans shine once again

There are some spells in the Pathfinder 1001 spells book that can lower(decrease) an enemy's initiative...

I remember one of them was a Zero Level Spell (Bard) called Pause... it delayed an enemy's initiative by 4... (Will save I believe)...

Cool thing is that its an immediate action to cast..

There are also some other higher level spells that affect initiative.

Are there any meta magic + cantrip combos worthwhile?

Note: the spell will probably take up a higher level and thus not be "infinite." Unless of course you use the trait that reduces the level and its only a +1 metamagic fear for a net +0. Also, you can't reduce 1st level spells to 0-level and cast them at will. Lets please not argue those points. Those particular horses are long dead.

Pathfinder 1001 spells allowed? Some really nifty Zero level spells in there.. ( I like Pause and Animate Tools personally)

Even without detecting Poison its still easy to purify food and drink(via zero level spell) and eat and drink safely.

Think about it... even a 9th level Wish spell worded specifically to poison a victim's Food with the worst poison ever conceived would be NEGATED by a Zero level Spell...

Purify Food and Drink is quite possibly, the most powerful spell in the game. (in terms of spell level vs spell power)

One more option. When you add up all the costs of printing these maps out in collie etc on large sheets it comes out to quite a tidy sum after a while.

For under $400 you can buy a fullhd LCD tv between 32" and 40" lay it flat on the table put a sheet of protective plastic over the top and connect your computer to it. You have all the maps in the world now. At the touch of a mouse pointer. Works out cheaper in the long run and looks mega cool.

If done wrong this can cause a distortion effect that can ruin any chance of using regular miniatures....( Looking above is ok but at an angle while seated and looking causes a distortion effect.

Youtube example of Distoration

Edit... Just realized this is an Old thread... oh well

Trait bonuses never stack.

Racial bonuses always stack.

Thank you... for some reason I was getting them confused.

It's the type of bonus that matters. The bonus from integrated is untyped, so it would stack with anything. I can't find the orc trait you're talking about but if it's a racial bonus, it wouldn't stack with wary because they give the same type of bonus (as far as I can remember, the only bonus type that stacks with itself is dodge). So integrated + wary would give you +2, integrated + dirty fighter would give +4, wary + dirty fighter +3 (the highest bonus counts) and all 3 +4.

EDIT: Ninja'd, and apparently I need to read more.

Dirty Fighting is from Orcs of Galorion...

Yes this is cheese but I'm trying to figure out how many bonuses you can get from traits (especially with Extra Trait Feats).

I was going to do the adopted+ Orcish trait Dirty Fighting but then noticed the 1/2 Elf Racial traits from the Advanced RACE Guide... and then was confused why 2 separate Traits would give the same bonus..

and then wondered what would happen if you did BOTH (you were raised on the human side but your parents took adopted also and were actually raised by 1/2 Orcs or something.

One messed up Family that made an advanturer that will probbaly not be allowed by my GM LOL

If anyone is wondering, I was looking at a Lore Warden(Fighter)/ Scout(Rogue) with Improved Feint (obviously) so I need a huge bonus to my Bluff checks

Do racial bonuses stack from the advanced Race Guide's Alternative Racial Subtypes? Page 42

For Example, the Half Elf Racial subtype Human Raised provides integrated and wary racial traits, which both give bonuses to Bluff (+1 )...

Intergrated says this racial trait gives +1 Bonus to Bluff

wary +1 racial trait bonus to Bluff

Sooo can racial traits or traits in general be added together?

PS.. Can you take the adopted trait and take the Orc Trait dirty fighter which also gives you a +3 racial Bonus to Bluff?

Why does the Oracle have horrible saves when compared to other divine casters? Makes no sense....

I onced played a Dwarven Oracle of Battle and it just did not shine as well as if I had played a Dwarven Cleric of Battle.... Better Saves... more features.. can channel, ect

I wanted to play something different than the ole Dwarven Cleric but in the end everyone in the group noticed how crappy I was when compared to them. Failed too many Fort Saves and got 3 negative levels.... they pretty much forced me to play another character..

Hey!! I"m getting ready to play a skulls and shackles game also!

Anyways I"m making a Barbarian/Oracle of Battle.... I was going to do the Oracle of Waves with the Obscuring mist and Water Sight ability (so you can see through your own obscuring mist) until I found out this:

From the Skulls and Shackles Players Guide on magic spells (and how they affect ships,ect)

Blade Barrier, Cloudkill, Fog Cloud, Mind Fog, Obscuring Mist, Pyrotechnics, Stinking Cloud, Storm of Vengeance: The effects created by these spells do not move with a ship.

Also a 11+MPH wind can make the obscuring mist last only 4 rounds and a 22 MPH+ wind can kill it in 1 round... The seas tend to be windy.

This ability is pretty much useless on a ship... but the character concept can still be fun,ect

My GM's Wife helped him GM for a while ( GMs need a break.. its like a 2nd job sometimes) and while she doesn't know all the rules (who does?) she roleplayed a White Dragon encounter very well a couple of months ago.

Even though White Dragons are the most dim-witted of all dragons, they still have an 10 intelligence for a young-adult which is average human intelligence, and she (GM) ended up killing her Husband's character before we could kill the dragon. (First encounter was a draw and the Dragon flew away).

She used very sound tactics and the environment plus spell abilities. (We are playing an AP and were crossing the frozen tundra and had to destroy the dragon in its home field advantage).

I"m sort of Jealous because even though I might know the rules more and/or Dmed more often, sometimes people (male or female) are just NATURAL at Gming, as she was.

So I'm making a Barbarian/Oracle for an upcoming Skulls and Shackles game (Level 1.. using Apprentice rules) and one of the campaign Traits is

Anyhow I believe the Barbarian's Fast movement is countered by the Oracle's Lame Curse(you get +10 movement and then -10 movement) but correct me if I"m wrong. (My first question).

My 2nd question is more about how to roleplay and not about rules per se.

Question is normally I would roleplay the Peg Leg you have a limp in your walking but I was going to say that the lame leg was the one that was replaced by the peg leg. (in essence, the Curse transferred to the Peg Leg).

However, would the Oracle's Curse transfer to the other leg? Would this character have a lame leg and a peg leg? How would that work thematically?

Oracle Curses cannot be suppressed except by deities or GM,ect.

Edit: The character is not fully optimized character and infact I"m taking extra Trait Feat to get more traits to enhance the character.

Also I just realized that if the peg leg is removed from my character's body, then the curse would probably just transfer over to the other leg. (Without a Peg Leg your movement is halved). I guess I sort of answered my question a bit then...

My Original character idea was to have 2 Peg Legs, 2 prosthetic arms, and an eye patch ala Seamus from Family Guy but my Gm pretty much said no.

This thread made me lolz...

About a month ago in our Jade Regent Campaign (no spoilers) we were ambushed (attacked) by some Stone Giants while traveling on a side of a Cliff Road (75 feet to the ocean below)...

My first Round action as a Gnome Druid was to Wildshape into a TINY Bat and go prone (because Boulders were going to be tossed our way)..

The GM was like WTF you are a 6 inch tall Bat on the ground and going Prone to 2 inches gives you a +4 AC against Range attacks??? I"m like YUp!

Party is laughing until the ground gives away from Transmute Rock to Mud(Stone Giant Elder ability)and the entire area becomes a landslide and falls into the ocean... luckily I was a Bat and I did a Fly check and did not fall all the way into the ocean...

Dm had the biggest smirk on his face.... I was just lucky I didn't take all that damage LOL

In the Pathfinder 1001 Spells Book there is a 5th level Mobile Pit trap spell that is moveable each round.. plus the pit can be 100 feet deep (10d6 damage)... My Druid has used this spell a couple of times already and its very useful (especially if more than one person falls into the hole and then next round you move the hole to another victim and they fall ontop of the first person climbing...

I believe it can be a 5x5x100 foot deep pit or a 10x10x50 foot deep pit.... I like to do the 100 foot one.

Handle animal should only be used for animals...(Animal Companion).. especially when dealing with tricks.

Familiars, Eidolons, and summon creatures are not treated with the handle animal skill... they are magical beasts, or class abilities, or spells.

Familiars are basically like slaves.. with the masters in total control. You never have to make a handle animal check when dealing with your own Familiar.

The Eidolon is treated the same way.

Summon monsters (or summon animals) are treated by using the spell description... which states that they attack the nearest opponent. If you can communicate or engage in some way you might be able to control the summon creature more expertly (such as a high level archon using an ability,ect).

Handle Animal skill only applies to an Animal companion and animals (also some magical beasts might be tame by the skill)...

If however a Druid puts a +1 into an animal's intelligence, it no longer requires any handle animal skill checks to do basic tasks... it can understand basic verbal commands and speech (although it cannot talk back unless you have magic).

Not to derail the thread but in keeping up with the difference in magic items between the editions I remember having a 5th level fighter that started out with a Flame Tongue..... and another player that was a Ranger desert Trollslayer had a decanter of endless water (Desert Trolls are damaged by Water, not Fire)..

We would roll in town, go to those horse drinking troughs... clean them out and with his decanter of endless water and my flame tongue sword we could charge the town with hot baths....

DM was not amused...

Still I remember getting a Ring of Invisibility back in 2nd edition also....

Now a similar ring in 3rd edition is so over priced its insane...

I sort of miss the older editions when magic was mysterious, you did not really understand how they were made exactly, and pricing was reasonable.

Now everything is structured and rigid, from character level wealth to the exact spells and how to make everything..

A piece of DnD died when 3rd edition came out.... Pathfinder sort of brought some of that back

Link to my previous post, with SKR quote.

There are two ways to go about doing it, and neither one has been officially confirmed in the FAQ/Errata:

Option A: as SKR stated. The "purchasing" is in reference to the cost to acquire the spellbook (usually 15 gp).

Option B: as Grick stated. The "purchasing" is in reference to the cost to acquire the spell by copying it from another wizard's spellbook (half of the inscription cost).

As I stated in my linked post, Option A is likely the correct one, but the actual wording in the CRB that Grick pointed out is cumbersome at best. The bigger issue is that this question has been asked so frequently, it's finally time for the Developers put up an FAQ about it.

THIS

You can't even make a computer program to calculate the exact amount because of all the variables and confusing rules about this.

Since you are the DM and you can bend the rules and this is a level 1 party, and the Domain Ability is 3+ Wisdom modifier (so atleast 4 times or more per day),

why not make a DM Fiat rule that if the Cleric spends a Full Round Action and expends 2 uses (or more on one person only) she can Burst Negative healing after the Full Round Action so the party member can be healed?

Was it during combat or out of combat>? Is this something you think the PC will abuse?

Being Level 1 has its disadvantages, and knowing is half the battle, so the player now understands the limitations of her character... especially at low level. Thid is also why your first level feat selection is so important. (Certain Feats can help with this situation, such as the ones already stated by others).

If she is the only healer in the party, allowing some kind of trade or balance to keep the party alive isn't going to bring the whole game to a halt.

Bend the Rules just a little bit, but be firm to the players that you are only doing this because of low levels or only until level 2,ect.

My example would be:

Round 1:Cleric moves to Corpse and begs her God to allow her crappy first level power last long enough for her to burst negative healing next round.

Round 2:DM/God listens... and suggests she contemplate her character (sheet) for a full round by expending multiple uses on one single player. (Trade off)

Round 3:Cleric uses Negative channel and heals that one person...

Cataphor wrote:

If it was just four wheels on a board you couldn't steer and there's be no shock absorption to speak of, so you're talking some fairly complex blacksmithing for things like the trucks. I'd also say trapsmithing is probably your best bet.

I don't think it's possible without fabricate. Uniform ball bearings are just not happening with medieval or renaissance crafting technology. Without the bearings it's not going to roll easy enough on wheels that would fit under it to be useful. You might be able to do without bearings if you use something like Salve of Slipperiness as a lubricant, but that's a wondrous item.

Well, if it's a technology argument, then I remind you that there are shotguns in Pathfinder.

Blunderbluss was invented in the 18th Century and shotguns in the 19th Century... and while they are engineering feats and require some alchemical components they are not as sophisticated as an ordinary skateboard that has ballbearing wheels plus urethane composites and other 20th Century technology that is advanced (unless you are living in the Numeria part of Golarion perhaps?).

Not without some Fabricate and high magic can you make a decent Skateboard in Pathfinder... and even then you would need an area that is smooth enough to use it (Everyone keeps talking about a +10 movement rate for using a skateboard but its useless unless you have super nice terain.... even a dirt road will slow you down).

Keep in mind the technology back then(Pathfinder) would make for some horrible non-magic version of the skateboard that is common place with todays current technology...

The old skateboard wheels of the 1960s were vastly inferior until 1972 when urethane wheels where invented.

Magic can supersede this of course, but then why need wheels when you can just make Tenser's Floating Disc permanent? (oh wait... I guess its not called Tenser's anymore).

Either way I would say a usable med-evil skateboard would have to be masterwork just because of the wheels involved.

Ask your Dm is he would allow a Polymorphed Dragon that failed a couple of saving throws and is now a horse (maybe you do not even know it)..

Otherwise most horses just DIE all the time by the time the PCs are level 6+.... and you will be forced to get an animal companion... which is still inferior but better than a normal version of the animal.

If the DM says no... then beg him for this

Dragon Horse <--Not Polymorphed

Are you allowing broken and the most DMed Block class available?( you can't even play this in organized play)

Summoner Synthesis
Summoner Synthesis
Summoner with Skill monkey Eidolon
Summoner Master Summoner..

Race= Irrelevant

At 10th level pretty much destroy anything in the game...although combat might take 15 hours for 5 rounds of actual combat..

^^ Hehehe Azaelas

Back in 2nd Edition our DM always made us roll for any attack...

If you cast Hold Person you had to make an attack roll... a d20 roll... a 1 always misses no matter what...

We had a player that was not having fun with his current character(Rogue) and you could tell he was not into the game.

During a rough combat our Rogue (this is back in 2nd edition) decided to withdraw from combat and go over and check out the treasures in the room instead of helping the party fight the monsters. We were mad as a party but the DM was very pissed off and the Rogue was trying to break into some treasure enclosed in glass and the DM was saying it was not breakable.

The Rogue takes 10 rounds to break the glass, meanwhile we BARELY survive the encounter.

One of our party members confronts the Rogue and pulls out his sword in a threatening manor and DEMANDS why the Rogue did not help.

Not giving a care in the world, the player playing the Rogue just says

"Screw this...I pull out my short sword and kill myself"

I immediately in character nonchalantly say " Roll your 1, B!&^% "

The Rogue player rolls a Natural 1.

The Dm says "You FAILED to kill yourself."

We all laugh for days, the other party member that originally confronted the Rogue says thats the sorriest thing he has ever seen and just ignores the Rogue.

Now to this day... whenever someone makes a critical d20 roll in a tough situation, someone will yell that out.

Infact... 15 years later last week, that SAME player who played that Rogue years ago had to make a WILL SAVE against CHARM PERSON (7th level Barbarian, 3 Level Bard in a Jade REgent campaign) and the DM said the same thing " Roll your 1, B!&^% " and the Barbarian/Bard rolled a natural 1 and was charmed and almost killed our entire group.

As a klepto years ago, you are not one. Definitely hoarder, with a high material/fictional material attachment.

Let it all go.

As for stealing dice, do not do it. I would beat you with a stick.

I do not intentionally steal... or take anything... it just happens..

as for the Dice... its very rare.... I usually dump all my Dice out and ask people if any are someone's elses... my friends are nice about it and usually they understand NOT to put anything near me...

...like I said... perhaps I'm Part Kender? Infact just the other day I gave a d20 that was not mine back to a friend... but he doesn't think it was his either... so

I understand the DO not Touch other people's Dice Rule.... but sometimes my dice get mixed up with other people's dice..

(I'm playing a Gnome Druid with Fire Domain and so I summon nature's ally pLus Fireball so I have Dice going everywhere... and this includes a Dice Corral that I bought years ago at a Dundracon... but I like to roll my Summon creatures and Fireballs,ect Dice on the battle mat infront of everyone

Ring of Riding... I agree with the above posters... no problem with it..

However.. I would not allow PCs to just go grab any skill and put it on a Ring... otherwise EVERY character that has ever lived is going to get a Ring of Perception+10... or UMD..ect

There are other skills that are used more than any other in the game.. and Ring of Skills+ can be abused just like any other magic item.

With that said..

Is there a Druid in the party? You are going to need Raise Animal (Companion) spell.

Also if I were that fighter I would invest in another ring.

Ring of Feather Falling (you could put it on the Giant Owl.. along with other magic items)

What about a Druid so you can wildshape into other forms? Keep the PCs guessing what the heck you really are?

Sad thing is my group would probably kill a Flumph on sight because of how scary and beholderish it looks (although we are mature now these days I do not think we would start a fight with one at first).

We once killed a Unicorn years ago because it was Black.. and we thought it might have been a nightmare.... ohhh we had to pay for that bigtime (it was a Forgotten Realms campaign)

So I've come to the conclusion that I have Kleptomania (also I bite my nails constantly and sometimes have obsessive compulsive disorders like minor hoarding although nothing too extreme like in the TV shows).

My friends and family have told me for years but I've always disregarded the statements.

Before Pathfinder and DnD I used to play old school RPGs computer games like Ultima, Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest), Final Fantasy,ect.

In those games I would accumulate a lot of items and special magic items and I would try to save them. In Final Fantasy III I believe you can save 100s of items in some Fat Chocobo in the back of an airship.

In Borderlands 1 game, I have 30 mules(extra characters made just for storing items) full of weapons and items for that game.

I almost never sell any item in video games or in real life. I still own the first TV I ever bought by myself in 1992. I have a house with 3 rooms and one room has about 70 boxes full of stuff plus 5 old TVs and old console games (Atari 2600 all the way to current Gen games)

When I first played Dungeons and Dragons (2nd edition) back in 1995 I would die because I would not use Cure Potions (saving it for a rainy day?).

Its almost like I can't help myself... I'm part Dragon and I need to collect as much crap as possible... in real life, in video games, and in Dungeons and Dragons.. and until recently.. Pathfinder.

My current character is a Gnome Druid with a 10 Strength, so at the low levels I would secretly put most of my gear inside the backpack of our Fighter Dwarf (who did not mind much)... Almost all my previous characters I have ever played always had a high Strength, just to carry rations, 100 feet of rope, pitons, sleeping bag, ect

But my DM forced me to watch my encumbrance... so much that I had to stop carrying rope, cut back on the rations, no bedrool,ect. It was REALLY hard and I did not realize that basically I was metagaming all those years with different characters and races, yet they all had the same equipment each time in their backpacks,ect.

Now I'm 10 level Druid, and I have Handy Haversack, and I took scribe scroll, and the DM is noticing I'm hoarding scrolls, gems, ect. He is cool enough to let it slide, since I did hint that my character loves gems (Gnomes usually do), but he is contantly checking my character sheet for encumbrance, which I do not mind.

But it made me wonder if other people have had similar experiences?

FYI My old buddies used to call me a Kender before I knew what the term was.. .they handed me some Dragon Lance books and I read them. Sometimes I do unknowingly take people's Dice and Pens and one time a character sheet. Luckily they are mature enough not to beat me with a stick like they would a real life Kender.

To OP:

Simpliest solution is to use a Helm of Opposite Alignment on the IMP.

we play alignment similarly. We you get to 5th level you are told what alignment you have earned by the DM, until then you just play the feel of your character. Of course certain restrictions apply based on class and worship etc.

Very interesting way to deal with Alignment. However I believe it depends on other factors other than just your PC's level. How your PC was raised, age, race, and other factors can affect alignment WAY more than just level.

For Example...

I'm playing a Female Gnome Druid in the Jade Regent AP and just hit 10th level (been playing over a year now in real life)...

My starting age for my Gnome was 85 ( I rolled really bad... plus Druids take alot of time I guess to get to level 1)...infact it took my character 45 years to from apprentice to Level 1 Druid.

45 Years to get to level 1. Character started her training when she was 40 years old and now currently 85 years old. Think about that. Most Human lifespans do not even come close to that. And in one year game time I hit level 1 to level 10.

I had to imagine and make my character's life and how she grew up. Infact my character's childhood was Choatic until she was toned down by the NPC Shalelu from Jade Regent and turned into Neutral Good (she has the pyromaniac racial ability for Gnomes).

While I applaud your group's way of attaining alignment I do not think it would work for all groups or certain classes. I do believe alignment should be a tool and not a straight jacket (unless you are a Paladin of course). Backstory and your character's background are just as important as your adventuring career when determining your alignment.

Is this character a PC or NPC? Cause a summoner has better things to do than spend feats on item creation, plus, his spell selection for prereqs is horrible.

The spellcraft DC is only +5 for each spell you do not know, something an intelligent and crafty gnome could easily manage with the correct traits, feats, and racial modifiers.

All you need is the Feat and money, and you can basically craft just about anything in the game if your skillcheck and d20 roll are good enough.

What about Orko? How would that be stated up? (Also what the heck is a Trollan anyways?). Most Trollans have a device that keeps their magic from going crazy and Orko lost his... thats why he has wild magic all the time.

ciretose wrote:

But at a certain point, they would be taking 10 to craft a +5 Holy Avenger.

And if your chance to fail crafting a holy avenger is just 15%, why shouldn't you use the "not rushed, not threatened" rule to carefully craft it with no chance of failure?

It's exciting to attempt a just-within-your-reach task and succeed because you're pushing your luck. It's lame to attempt a well-within-your-reach task and fail because the d20 is swingy.

BTW holy avenger is CL 18th, which is a DC 23 Spellcraft check. To take 10 and succeed you'd need a +13 modifier. Let's say Int 20 gives you +5, so the other +8 is from your ranks, which means you're level 8. Holy avenger costs 120,630 gp. A level 8 character's expected wealth is 33,000 gp... a little over 1/4th the cost of the weapon. So sure, he could take 10 on it, but he can't afford to make it (and even if he could, it would take 120 days to do so).

If you assume 1/3 wealth on offense, 1/3 on defense, and 1/3 on misc, that means spending 120k on offense means your overall wealth should be at least 360k for having such an item to be appropriate, which means your 16th or 17th level. If you max out Spellcraft, a level 16 wizard has at a +16 from ranks and a +5 or more from Int, for a total of +21, which means he's only failing on the check to make it with a 1 anyway. And a level 17 wizard would have a +22, which means he can't fail a DC 23 check. So why make either of them roll? They're not doing anything out of the ordinary by crafting such an item, so why should the swing of the dice mean they're out 120,000gp and 120 days of work? Let them take 10.

I totally understand the reasoning behind the Take 10 rules and this is a clear cut example of why they are awesome, but sometimes they can make the game less fun because of the always pass/win mechanic and no dice involved.

If I'm Dming I would always make either the player or myself make a roll for any magic item creation process because of curse items...

...with that said... you need to fail the Spellcraft DC by 5 or more... but some DMs view a natural 1 on a d20 as curse no matter what...(I would give the item 2 chances above.. so if you rolled two natural one's in a roll then the item is cursed somehow.

Personally it would be horrible to have a PC spend that much time and effort on a magic item for it to be cursed, no matter the level. As a DM I would make the curse into a quest the PC must partake in order to correct or fix the item (perhaps it only works at night,ect.. must slay an Evil Vampire for the Holy Avenger to work,ect).

My Last wizard/fighter (it was a Divine/Fighter 1/2 Elf) was taking 10 at level 3 and learning spells,ect... just sort of killed the whole game process and fun of actually trying to learn new spells.

I remember back in 2nd edition I had a Wizard that had a 55 percent chance to learn new spells... and my list of failed spells known was LONGER than known spells, and it was one of the most memorable characters I've ever played.

Dice should always be involved... even if its a meager roll

Small creatures like Gnomes and Halflings have a speed of 20ft... while Golblins and Kobolds have 30 feet speed (because of racial abilities... plus as a species they are used to running away from predators [adventurers! lol]).

If you enlarge or shrink normally any of the above creatures, their speed does not change.

However certain spells or effects can change their speed (such as Longstrider spell or wildshape,ect)

FYI... a Dwarf with medium or Heavy Encumbrance gains no benefit from the Longstrider spell because of the Dwarf racial ability to carry huge loads without reducing speed.

Since Paizo is too busy (most of the time) to deal with certain issues, how about as a community we come together here in the forums and to a consensus on a list of issues with the game? (From Broken Monks, feats, spells, interactions,ect).

Maybe we can ask for our own special Forum (unless there is one already that I do now know of), and get a list compiled of all the issues and unresolved problems that have never been fully answered?

The black raven wrote:

In our RotRL party, both my Ranger and a friend's Druid have Animal Companions to which they are really and strongly attached for roleplaying reasons. They see these ACs as individuals and close allies, on par with the other PCs and maybe even closer.

Being able to raise these specific ACs (which are still as squishy as any AC and which the GM will kill rather than killing a PC) is a great boon.

If we could not do it, I guess we would just cycle through ACs without much care. Roleplaying would suffer, not gain from it

You've never lost a beloved pet? Knowing that an Animal Companion has been lost for good makes it's loss that much more meaningful rather than "Wait until I refresh my spells tomorrow at Dawn!"

Druids understand that everything has it's time... even beloved Longshanks. While they would mourn the loss of a companion or friend, they would not develop rites to break it's natural cycle.

'Tis True.....

...All a Druid has to do is just waste 24 hours of her time and she can summon another Animal Companion "MEAT SHIELD II"

Why waste precious gold and material components on a spell when your class ability does it for free in 24 hours?

Clarify If you use grease on the ground not under someones feet it does not break invisibility. if it under someones feet there are in the area of the spell and take a reflex save it's an attack.

This is correct... If you cast any spell that requires an immediate saving throw, does damage,ect then it breaks your invisibility.

Summon Creatures to attack do not break your invisibility, but smart enemies will figure out where you are by spellcasting,ect.. and invisibility does not prevent sound,ect..

FYI... What class is the OP playing? Entangle Spell is a Druid and Ranger spell only, unless I"m guessing it can be a Cleric Domain Spell?

If your group prefers to play that way then I see no problem... Pathfinder does not force you to use a Grid or battlemap each time a combat happens.

Some people do like scenery or to enhance the flavor and experience in combat. For example, a DM that says "You see a hundred Zombies in the distance closing in on your campsite" isn't as frightning when a DM puts down a battlemap, draws out your campsite, and dumps a 100 Zombie Figures (or Dice or place holders) and says the same thing.

Also when I DMed I like to add a little flavor text to combat... just simple things instead of " you hit and do X damage"

For example, back in 3rd edition a PC picked up a Greensteel Vorpal Longword and never had it identified (Stupid Paladin)... whenever he rolled a CRIT I told him to roll damage and then explained how he severed the neck of this creature or chopped the skull in half plus then decapitated,ect...

The Look on the party's face when it was finally realized what the Longsword really was was priceless. Everytime the Paladin had rolled a Crit he killed whatever he was attacking, but never figured it out.

Why not just work together (player and DM) when creating a Cohort? Its the character's Feat.. not the DMs. While interesting combinations can be handled when putting a Cohort together and I agree a Cohort should never shine above the PCs, it also should not be someone or something the player does not want.

Also while at first roleplaying and maybe combat should be handled by the DM, ultimately that should be given to the player. It really depends on your group and how seasoned your players and DM are.

I'll go for a few that I think would not end up on most people's list:

I would guess that just in terms of pure quantity of casting, "guidance" is the most commonly used spell for any spellcaster I have who can use it. It's a free +1 on just about anything you need to do. In combat it's not that great, but outside of combat it is a rare skill check that doesn't get "guidance" added to it.

For dungeon crawls I probably use "ghost sound" and "dancing lights" more than any other spells.

My druid always has "goodberries" on her. She has a special box that holds fifty of them and given any time to relax, she fills it up.

Protection from evil is a highly underestimated and underused spell.

Obscuring mist hides you from even relatively high level spells.

Expeditious retreat. Maneuverability wins encounters.

Ill Omen. No save man.

+1 to Goodberry spell and Obscuring mist... Also Entangle is awesome also... Druids get awesome low level spells..

Do spells from the Pathfinder 1001 spells count? There is a 0-level Bard Spell that is immediate (you can cast when not your turn as long as you are not flat footed) called Pause that adds to an enemy's initiative (+4 I believe)... never used it but I think its one of the coolest Zero level spells because its immediate and its bardy

Bolded by me

PFSRD wrote:

Pyromaniac: Gnomes with this racial trait are treated as one level higher when casting spells with the fire descriptor, using granted powers of the Fire domain, using the bloodline powers of the fire elemental bloodline or the revelations of the oracle's flame mystery, and determining the damage of alchemist bombs that deal fire damage( ...) The caster level for these effects is equal to the gnome's level; the DCs are Charisma-based. This racial trait replaces gnome magic and illusion resistance.

This racial trait should also affect the bloodline powers of the Primal (fire) wildblooded bloodline, shouldn't it?

I know it seems evident, but I have not seen this stated anywhere and the good folks at Lone Wolf (with the fantastic HeroLab software) like to have written confirmation of errata; I could not find any for this one.

Thanks!

Are you referring to the Wildblooded archtype?

Wildblooded (Archetype)
A wildblooded sorcerer has a mutated version of a more common bloodline, with one arcana and at least one bloodline power that are different from those of an unmutated bloodline. When creating a wildblooded sorcerer, select an existing bloodline, then select one of the following mutated bloodlines associated with that bloodline. Use the normal bloodline's class skill, bonus spells, and bonus feats, and the mutated bloodline's bloodline arcana. Use the normal bloodline's bloodline powers, except when the mutated bloodline replaces one of those powers.

So if one of the bloodlines you choose is the Fire Elemental Bloodline then as RAI I believe the racial trait should work.

Yar...

Lord Tsarkon wrote:

I decided to double post which is a taboo.. so I apologize...

:O

*feels ignored*

:(

~P

Its all good Pirate... I did not see your post until after I posted... in effect.. you prevented me from double Posting! Plus I did not see the 2nd Thread, which I read already... I decided not to post there even though there are some good rules about falling objects and stuff...

I also read the anti-pirate build thread.. and LOL when you pipped in about not liking the thread... LOL

I decided to double post which is a taboo.. so I apologize...

Dragons get crush damage starting at Huge sizes...

Crush (Ex): A flying or jumping Huge or larger dragon
can land on foes as a standard action, using its whole body
to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against
opponents three or more size categories smaller than the
dragon. A crush attack affects as many creatures as fit in the
dragon’s space. Creatures in the affected area must succeed
on a Ref lex save (DC equal to that of the dragon’s breath
weapon) or be pinned, automatically taking bludgeoning
damage during the next round unless the dragon moves
off them. If the dragon chooses to maintain the pin, it must
succeed at a combat maneuver check as normal. Pinned
foes take damage from the crush each round if they don’t
escape. A crush attack deals the indicated damage plus
1-1/2 times the dragon’s Strength bonus.

Someone made this into a Feat that any monster can do, but you need either 5 ranks of flying or 5 ranks of Acrobatics,ect.. it was a 3rd party feat.

Understandably a Dragon does not weigh as much as an Earth Elemental, but as for an Earth Elemental "jumping" onto someone I would like to see if you even have the STRENGTH to even pull that off... (Jump is a STR skill) Earth Elementals are SLLOOOOWWWWWWWWW.... and they tend to hate to fly...

Now if you are ontop of a cave and just "fell" onto someone then a DM might use the REflex Rules for falling objects or debris...

Side Note: On my Jade Regent campaign my Druid summoned some Earth Elementals to fight a Remorhaz and I accidentally positioned one over a magical lift that disappeared ontop of a 300 foot spire tower, and the Earth Elemental fell to his demise (winked away)... I bet you he had a cool story to tell to his Earth Buddies back in the Elemental Plane.

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

Can a druid wildshape into an "Elder" elemental? I know they can turn into "huge" but I'm not sure "elder" or even "greater" is RAW.

Well, Elder Earth Elemental is Huge-sized, so my understanding of it is yes.

Mountain Druids get Giant Form I and Giant Form 2 which can make them one of the best Melee Hit Druids because their gear RESIZES...

But its only for Giant subtypes... not Elementals...

In order to wildshape into Elementals.. you use Elemental Body... which is capped at Elemental Body III (Large size only)..

However... some Domain Spells (if your Mountain Druid took one instead of an animal companion) get Elemental Body 4.. which is a 7th level spell (13th level Druid can cast)..

For example... my Domain spell for my Gnome Fire Druid at 7th level is Elemental Body 4.. but FIRE only...

EDIT: A Druid that takes the Earth Domain would indeed get the Elemental Body 4 spell... which means that not as wildshaped but casting a spell to become a HUGE (not Elder) Earth Elemental that is 32 feet tall, weighs 48,000 lbs and you get what the spell description says:

+8 size bonus to your Strength,
–2 penalty on your Dexterity,
+4 size bonus to your Constitution,
+6 natural armor bonus

You are also immune to critical
hits and sneak attacks while in elemental form and gain DR 5/—.
You also gain darkvision 60 feet, the push
ability, and the ability to earth glide.

DOUBLE EDIT: 9th level Druid Spell Shapechange might allow an Elder Huge Earth Elemental perhaps? Guess its up to the DM

I think the 3.5 half-fiend and advanced templates gave them 3 int, but not anymore in PFRPG.

Hahaha... Someone should put up a 1/2 Fiend Advanced Barbarian Gelatinous Cube Stat Block

No Elemental Body spells?

At some point I'll cover it. But Elemental Body and Form of the Dragon tell you exactly what you get from them; you don't have the same need to search for creatures to take the form of.

I understand but I thought your Guide was more than what creatures to become and more how to use the creatures in combat,ect.

For example, if you need hitpoints quick and/or Fort Save increase, become a Large Water Elemental (+6 to CON).

Want a Tank? Large Fire Elemental with Druid Spells like Thorn Body, 4th level and attackers take both Fire and Piercing Damage if they hit you.

And of course, Air Elemental if you want to fly and rain down spells from above,ect.

Otherwise a decent Guide but my Dm has restrictions on certain creatures I can turn into (no Dinosaurs, but I can summon them).

Okay. If the list is overly dominated with creatures you're not allowed, to the extent there aren't good options you are allowed, at any level, tell me and I'll try and add some more thst you can.

I"m pretty sure my Dm would allow monsters/animals from Bestiary 1 and 2, but from other adventure Paths? Probably not.. I would segregate or color code from main books (Bestiary 1 and 2 and maybe 3) and then lesser known from other locations. No dinosaurs for me is a house rule so it would be nice to have other alternatives. Also Knowledge Nature checks DCs if figured out would be nice for DMs to know what check to use for unfamiliar animals the character might know..

Like I said.. its a decent guide that can be easily made into one of the best. Thanks for putting it up

A big point to consider with the guide is the effect on spellcasting and weapon, armor, magic item usage. The key being how many of your normal abilities are usable when shapeshifted and whether or not your equipment melds with the form.

For Druids natural spell clearly solves the spellcasting issue, but you are still unable to utilize magic items (metamagic rods, scrolls, etc.) which can potentially be a big handicap.

Bold empasis is mine:

There is a Magic item in the Ultimate Equipment Guide that helps with this problem(but again because of all the errata,ect out DM does not want that book in our campaign yet) but I figured out a simple way around this.

For Example, I'm playing a Gnome Druid, and when I hit 6th level I can wildshape into a small Air Elemental (4 feet tall) About the same size as my Gnome ( 3 feet tall, or 4 feet if you include her hair)

I would drop my backpack, Wildshape into Air Elemental, pick up backpack and now I can fly with my handy haversack with scrolls,wands,potions,ect

I could not do the Whirlwind special attack because my Dm would rule the backpack destroyed (if failed save) or messed up,ect. Its not too powergamed because it limits your size ( I can't be an LARGE Elemental with a tiny backpack.... or can I? <peruses Magic Item wearing rules>

My DM is stern but Fair and I get more Nos than Yeses... but thats the way it goes sometimes.

No Elemental Body spells?

Otherwise a decent Guide but my Dm has restrictions on certain creatures I can turn into (no Dinosaurs, but I can summon them).

My party was not happy when I mentioned my Hedgehog tank form for tanking (since we lost our Dwarven Fighter and the party has no tank now).