Luagsharpshank's page

There is a way in Pathfinder for an alchemist to turn lead into gold, but it requires the character to be a 20th level alchemist and choose the philosopher's stone grand discovery. Turning lead into gold was supposed to be the ultimate achievement of an alchemist. Making it a capstone of the class is entirely appropriate. This is not something a low or even mid-level character should be able to do.

As I pointed out in my first post you can use craft alchemy or any other craft or profession to make money, but it will not going to instantly make you wealthy. Doing so is not going to be turning lead into gold; it will be creating alchemical items, or maybe making potions.

The 20th level grand discovery does not just permit the transmutation of lead into gold. It permits the creation of the philosopher's stone minor artifact:

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/artifacts/minor-artifacts/philosopher- s-stone

Which can create 50,000 gp in transmuted gold (minus the cost of 1,000 pounds of lead) or just a level 9 cleric true resurrection without the 25k material component.

They get one of these every month at no cost. Of course at level 20 gold is trivial, so this GRAND DISCOVERY CAPSTONE is actually not that big of a deal.

Now that all that is out of the way, there is no reason an alchemist might not be struggling to transmute minute amounts of gold all through their careers, and it is very in keeping with the fantasy that alchemists be given royal patronage to transmute base metals to gold.

Coming around to RAW: The Craft skill lists "Practice a Trade" as a use of the skill where you earn half your skill check in gold a week. There's no reason a GM could interpret that to be actually "making" half your check in gold a week. Pump your skill and make a little gold in a cool alchemic way. I certainly think there are more efficient ways to earn money, but that's neither here nor there.

Sounds like everything is an effect. Useless term.
Will have to be adjudicated at every table.

willuwontu wrote:

Luagsharpshank wrote:

Is there anywhere that's defined? I can't say I like vagaries that would allow someone to say something is an effect or isn't based on nothing. Your DM is the final arbiter, but guidelines really help.

Essentially, if it's a spell, class feature, feat, or ability, it's an effect.

Maybe it is more correct to say that an effect is a consequence of using a spell, class feature, feat, or ability or of doing something.

Sadly Paizo has never defined it, AFAIK, so you need to go the other way, look where Paizo uses it and where they don't use it.

Gaining skill points is an effect of increasing your HD, but differently from an animal companion the familiar never increase its HDs beyond the starting value.
The familiar has as many HDs as the master has levels when checking an effect against its HDs, but gaining HDs requires doing the opposite, gaining HDs and then, as a consequence, gaining skill points.

Probably Paizo has never directly defined it as writing a definition in a few rows of text is hard, while after seeing how it is used in the rules it is easy to grasp what it means.

Is there anywhere that's defined? I can't say I like vagaries that would allow someone to say something is an effect or isn't based on nothing. Your DM is the final arbiter, but guidelines really help.

Azothath wrote:

===> so the other post is a duplicate?

Improved Familiar Automaton [PFS] Construct Handbook pg 21 & 24.

Familiar Details goes into the list of what familiars gain as their master advances.
The familiar's (monster type {usually Magical Beast}) base HD determines skill points which scales with the caster (HD paragraph) once the master's class level exceeds the familiar's normal HD.

The Familiars HDs stay those of the base creature.

CRB wrote:

Familiars

A familiar is an animal chosen by a spellcaster to aid him in his study of magic. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but is now a magical beast for the purpose of effects that depend on its type.

There is a specific exception:

CRB wrote:

Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

but skill points aren't an effect.

An effect is what is killed/dismissed by Holy word, Circle of death and other spells and abilities.

Other than not having to roll, what is the different between using one night hunter over stealth?

How do you craft the templates?

I love everything about this.

Build a custom saddle for the goat with a pintle mount for the weapon you can slot it into.

Firing such a weapon this way requires your ally to support the barrel or bow of the weapon

This really doesn't seem like something that is beyond the ability of a preternaturally intelligent goat.

I also think that that even if you ride the square you share will count as being in a line you can cross to the target, there is never any suggestion that you have to be adjacent.

You might consider the valet archetype to grant teamwork feats if you can give up the school one. That eliminates the need for the eldritch gaurdian dip.

The racial unseen servant will help until you can get the ushutabi, but it will only cover you for a few hours, that worries me for the reloading.

You could also consider the promethean alchemist to use it's homunculous as your team using its feat to take the teamwork feat(they would need the cracked ioun stone too sadly) throw in a goat tumor familiar while your at it and be extra weird.

Or a hunter, or a solo tactics inquisitor(or better yet, a sacred huntsmaster)

If your DM is as hyped by this as I am, you should go far.

If I were your DM, I'd have you quest for a ring(or other item) that gave you a stacking +2(or more) on saves vs this specific thing, rather than "your own enemy" nonsense.

#AskYourDM

You got me

Thank you, it was driving me crazy trying to figure them out as anagrams.

It is in reference to the AM barbarian and AMY alchemist builds I've seen posted.

I apologize for the lack of context.

What do these abbreviations stand for please?