MacGurcules's page

First, maintaining a grapple for creatures with Grab is no different from any other creature (a standard action, barring any other abilities).

Second, Flurry of Maneuvers isn't Flurry of Blows. It has no limitations on method or means of attack. There's nothing saying you can't take your bonus maneuvers alongside your full compliment of attacks regardless of weapon or range. There's no need for Crusader's Flurry or a monk weapon.

Yeah, that all looks legit. The double musket text suggests that it's a separate roll for each of the two shots it takes.

Personally, I tend to recommend against allowing double-barreled guns. They're just a little too crazy. Gunslingers don't have any problems providing solid damage with single-shot guns.

I think I saw a Guardian power that was similarly out of place. In the playtest document, the powers were arranged in alphabetical order and notated like Speedy Summons to indicate what the required tier is.

My guess is, somewhere along the way the editors decided to cut the requirement out of the description and arrange them into tier categories instead. But when doing that, a couple of them happened to get missed.

Demonspike Pauldrons come to mind.

If brawling could be added to bracers of armor, you could wear brawling bracers of armor and +1 brawling armor to get a +4 bonus on attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

Doesn't work like that. Check the text for Bracers of Armor. If you wear them with actual armor, the one with the lower armor bonus just stops working altogether.

Just for reference, the Mythic playtest had an ability called Aerial Assault that let you make a boosted jump check to attack or grapple an enemy in midair. Perhaps look into that when the full book releases this week.

That's pretty much exactly how it works. Multiple sources of DR don't stack in magnitude, you just take the highest DR. But if you've got different types, they each get an attempt to reduce damage, just so long as you use only one of them.

So if you've got DR 3/Cold Iron and DR 5/Bludgeoning, you use your DR 5 for anything that it applies to and your DR 3 for anything else. If you end up getting hit by a cold iron rod, you take the whole thing.

To wit:

Somatic (S): A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.

I think it's worth pointing out that the rule says, "If you get multiple attacks because your base attack bonus is high enough, you must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest."

That indicates to me that bonus attacks you get from sources other than BAB aren't necessarily subject to the highest-to-lowest requirement.

I've got a maneuver monk/unarmed fighter that's been kind of silly the last few sessions. On any mundane grounded mook, he'll blast across a 100-foot charge and:
1)Trip
2)Reposition from Ki Throw
3)AoO from Greater Trip
4)AoO from Vicious Stomp
5)Free grapple from Grab (via Anaconda's Coil and Final Embrace)
6)Constrict damage
7)Swift action grapple through Binding Throw to pin
8)Constrict again

So with a single charge, you've got your chump pinned, prone, and four attacks deep. Not too shabby.

I disagree. For the maneuvers delivered with a weapon that take the place of an attack (sunder, trip, and disarm), there's no reason you can't replace the bonus attacks granted by a style feat.

Of course, this carries the caveat that if you're restricted to an unarmed strike for these bonus attacks, you must use an unarmed strike to perform the maneuver.

That's right. In fact, since the conditions you need in order to craft are sufficient to take 10 on the skill check, the DC could be as high as 26 before he'd have to worry about rolling.

Well, in the case of arms/armor and wondrous items, you don't actually need to know the spells in order to craft the items. Not having the appropriate spell just adds a modest penalty to the craft DC.

You're better off using your spell slots for spells you'll actually cast.

Review the combat section for the rules on grappling. You'll notice that the first step after succeeding a grapple check to start a grapple is moving your opponent adjacent to you. So you'll have no problems with reach.

Technically, all Attacks of Opportunity trigger retroactively. So Greater Trip and Vicious Stomp should both occur before the opponent is actually prone.

That said, I've never actually played with anyone who handled them that way.

It's not that you have to be able to make attacks outside of your turn, it's that you threaten even when it is not your turn.

But just to play Devil's Advocate, let's presume Darksol is right.

If you take an Attack of Opportunity under normal circumstances, would you then stop threatening for the rest of the round. Without Combat Reflexes, you can't take more than one AoO. Once the first one is used up, you can't make anymore attacks outside of your turn, so you stop threatening, right?

Alternately, why don't readied attacks qualify? The grappled condition doesn't say you're unable to ready an attack. If you can use a readied action to make an attack outside of your turn, shouldn't that count?

No; the grappled condition states you cannot make attacks of opportunity when so grappled, which means you do not threaten any squares, a requisite to provide flanking.

Being able to make attacks of opportunity is a function of threatening, not the other way around. You can make attacks while grappled, so you can threaten while grappled.

Take a look at the Moment of Clarity rage power. It'll let you temporarily suspend rage so you can cast a spell, if that's the kind of thing you're looking for.

Consider this: Presuming your GM allows it, a +2 bonus from Aid Another on a strength check is actually a bigger bonus than it usually ought to be.

Look at the Carrying Capacity tables. The amount of weight you can carry/lift/drag doubles for every five points of strength. So if you've got two guys of equal strength pushing on something with all of their might, they presumably generate double the force of one person alone and can account for about an extra 2.5 points of DC. As the difference in strength increases, the extra person should matter less and less.

So with a 12 strength rogue helping out an 18 strength bruiser, a +2 is actually a bargain.

This was discussed a bit in the SLA casting thread, but I think it deserves its own separate mention.

From the FAQ today:

Item Creation Feats: Does having a caster level from a spell-like ability meet the caster level prerequisite for selecting an item creation feat?

Yes.

This seems kind of huge to me. Basically any race or class that gives a SLA grants access to crafting feats. This opens up the trade to a lot more characters.

MacGurcules wrote:

Ximen Bao wrote:

So what happens if your int score goes down? Can a curse hit a Barbarians's 10 int and make him lose common? That would be hilarious.

Stat penalties work differently from gains. Unless it's ability drain, a loss of Intelligence just means a penalty to skill checks and spell DCs.

Drain works as if you really do have a lower score. So if it is Intelligence drain, you would presumably lose bonus languages. Fortunately for our barbarian, base languages are not a function of Intelligence, only bonus languages, so you can't forget how to speak altogether by taking Intelligence drain.

Except when you're drained to 2 or less INT, as it might remove your knowledge of Common (and other regional/racial languages).

Well, sure. Once you get to sub-sentient levels of INT, all bets are off.

So what happens if your int score goes down? Can a curse hit a Barbarians's 10 int and make him lose common? That would be hilarious.

Stat penalties work differently from gains. Unless it's ability drain, a loss of Intelligence just means a penalty to skill checks and spell DCs.

Drain works as if you really do have a lower score. So if it is Intelligence drain, you would presumably lose bonus languages. Fortunately for our barbarian, base languages are not a function of Intelligence, only bonus languages, so you can't forget how to speak altogether by taking Intelligence drain.

Yes he did make the check but the party was only level 8

Cat had just become large because I have a level of monk

I can't remember the cats cmb such (character sheets not with me) but if I am remembering correctly the check was 30

Ah, well, not so unreasonable, then.

I'm interested to know, did the glabrezu manage to make its concentration check to get that off? A 13th level big cat AC should have a grapple CMB of at least 20, so that's a minimum DC37 concentration check as I figure it. The glabrezu would have to roll 18 or better to make it.

Not impossible, certainly, but I get the impression that it was never actually rolled.

Bard with the Archeologist archetype is one of the better "do anything" class choices. Druid it also rather versatile and you can get an animal companion that helps share the burden.

Summoner with the Master Summoner archetype is probably the best option for a solo adventurer. You can basically just summon a solution to every problem and you cast from charisma, so you've got that going for you. You probably won't melee much directly, but most of the monsters you summon will.

Where are you getting your numbers? It's ten gold for a dose of black powder. So you're looking at 11g per shot. Still high, yes. But as a gunslinger you get Gunsmithing for free, which allows you to make your own ammo at 10% cost. So each of those shots would be 1.1g, instead.

Do note that alchemical cartridges (including paper cartridges) are only half price with Gunsmithing. So once you start using those to get full attacks, you'll be looking at 6g per shot, but it's more manageable by then.

I'd argue that pounce is at its most appropriate when used as a standard action. Surprise rounds are where you see the most standard action charges and ambush predator creatures (big cats and the like) are the ones you most often see with pounce. So I'd say a pounce from a standard action charge is legit.

How do you get eight rakes? You can only take each evo once and rake only gives you two.

You'd need a +6 enhancement bonus on the weapon. So, for the most part, you're not going to do it with a standard magic weapon. A +4 bane weapon of the appropriate type would be the most likely candidate for the job. Smite evil also should work. For most other characters it's effectively DR/plot device.

1. They're described as attacks, so you have to roll to hit for each of them.

2. This isn't super clear. I suspect the intention is that you're supposed to get them as part of maintaining a grapple. In that case, they should apply each time you maintain. The way it's written, however, it seems like you can just take two free rake attacks any time during the round, so long as you take them against a grappled opponent. In this fashion, you could even start the round grappling, rake, then release if you wanted to.

3. Rake is described as a claw attack. The monster stat blocks will have the damage already figured, but anything that modifies an attack should also modify rake as appropriate.

Sounds like a monk to me. You get loads of bonus movement and flurry. You can take some SLAs with the Qinggong archetype and eventually Quicken Spell Like Ability as a feat. Once you start getting into the higher levels, the Dimensional Agility chain can have you blipping all over the place through Abundant Step.

Alternately, a synthesist summoner could get a load of natural attacks and a bunch of movement bonuses through evolutions and they get a similar Dimension Door ability. Quicken metamagic via feat or rod will get you the swift spells.

Being able to make an attack of opportunity is a consequence of threatening, not the other way around.

There's Gang Up, but the interpretation is somewhat contentious last time I heard.

Soul Forger Magus with Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) to get a Valet archetype familiar. Faster crafting than any other combo I'm aware of.

EDIT: Oh wait, Arcane Bond from the bloodline doesn't let you get a familiar if you already have a bonded item. Hmm. Nevermind, I guess.

Fair enough, but I read that with the rest of the rules in mind, which limits the caster to his own CL or lower, and then within that limitation, he can set the caster level to whatever he wants (assuming he can meet the crafting DC).

I don't see that bolded bit of the FAQ as overriding the existing rule because this FAQ isn't answering rules about general crafting and caster levels, it's answering a specific question about the "required" caster level of Pearls of Power - a different and very specific question entirely so the answer here doesn't rewrite what the entire CRB says about spellcasting and caster levels and item creation in general.

I can see where you're coming from. I read it as the standard rules as only explicitly defining a lower bound and the FAQ as clarifying that there is no upper bound. But I can see how you'd read it as defining the permissions rather than the restrictions.

The rules around crafting are kind of foggy enough that pretty much everyone is going to need to find their own balance in it. I hear tell Ultimate Campaign is supposed to clear things up a bit on the crafting front. Maybe this will be one of those things.

For example, a 3rd-level wizard with Craft Wondrous Item can create a 1st-level pearl, with a minimum caster level of 1. He can set the caster level to whatever he wants (assuming he can meet the crafting DC), though the pearl's caster level has no effect on its powers (other than its ability to resist dispel magic). If he wants to make a 2nd-level pearl, the caster level has to be at least 3, as wizards can't cast 2nd-level spells until they reach character level 3. He can even try to make a 3rd-level pearl, though the minimum caster level is 5, and he adds +5 to the DC because he doesn't meet the "able to cast 3rd-level spells" requirement.

Perhaps it's not the intent, but the bolded text seems to suggest that the only limitation is the craft DC.

Check the FAQ. You're right that you're limited on the bottom end by the minimum level needed to cast the required spells. However, there is no such limitation on the upper end.

You can craft above your level as you can meet the craft DC and afford the increase in price it might incur.

The only legit way I can think of is the one Grell mentioned earlier: A big witch coven.

It'd take one level fifteen-to-eighteen witch to cast the resurrection spell or life giver hex along with seventy or eighty additional witches, depending on how high the first witch could juice her own caster level. The crowd of helper witches can be any level as long as they all have the coven hex.

Kind of a big deal, but also kind of appropriate for a deed this epic. Convene a gigantic gathering of witches and they all pool their power in a huge ritual to return a soul from ancient history.

Could be a good story hook.

You can make melee attacks when grappling, even if you can't make attacks of opportunity. So, while you might not be able to take advantage of one of the most common uses for threatening, you still threaten.

Based on the context, I read the provisions against allowing Strangling Hair to move an enemy as a restriction on taking the move option when maintaining a grapple. I wouldn't see it as unreasonable to to interpret it as a restriction on the initial movement as well, but that's not how I read it.

If your hair successfully grapples an opponent, you will likely threaten that opponent. But that's because the first step after successfully initiating grapple against a distant opponent is that you move that opponent to an adjacent square. So if you threaten adjacent squares, you will threaten the grappled opponent for the purpose of flanking.

Combat reflexes limits you to a single AoO for movement during a round.

No, it limits movement to a single opportunity per round. It's a subtle difference, but a significant one.

Now, you could argue that the entire movement is part of the same opportunity and you're merely deciding when to act on it. I'm not aware of any other drawn out opportunities like this, but movement is already a special case, so it may be possible.

I could see having a lot of fun with a character who can see all of these tropes and this foreshadowing for what they really are and declares it loudly for everyone anyone hear.

Only nobody actually believes him. People put up with him because he's a pretty good bard or whatever, but they all think he's a little touched and more or less just ignore his ranting.

You'd need the other players to back you up on it, but it could be pretty fun.

This one, perhaps?

Snake Style allows UAS to do piercing. No problem, there.

I have a question, though. How is your crit range already 19-20? Are you already factoring Keen into your attack with the stats you list?

This is why the serial comma is for winners.

Also, have a look at the Quick Runner's Shirt. Won't keep your opponents close, but it will give you a bit of extra mobility you can use to lay down a flurry when you might not otherwise be able.

It's not RAW, but I've always been kind of a fan of allowing players to take whatever feats they want, but they just don't work unless they qualify for them. I think the advantage of being able to take early feats is offset by having dead feat slots for one or more levels.

Either that, or the Sean Reynolds way where you can take a feat if you're able to meet its prerequisites in any way (like with potions, or wild shape, or raging) but they're only "on" while you actually qualify for them. Again, not RAW, but I like it.

Ah, I stand corrected. Though with enemies that you need a crit to hit at all, the larger crit range would still provide more utility. Most DR can be overcome with the correct materials or magical enhancements. I still think the game leans towards swords being a better choice for front-line fighters.

A critical threat does not mean an automatic hit. If you miss on a 19 with a battleaxe, you miss on a 19 with a longsword. Automatic hits only score on a 20.

EDIT: Ninja'd like crazy. That's what I get for letting this thread sit in an open tab for 20 minutes without refreshing.

hypothetical usage driven definition of BAB:

Each creature has a base attack bonus and it represents its skill in combat. As a character gains levels or Hit Dice, his base attack bonus improves. When a creature's highest base attack bonus reaches +6, +11, or +16, he receives an additional attack with a separate base attack bonus in combat when he takes a full-attack action (which is one type of full-round action—see Combat).

There are indications in PF (and some of the 3.5 books) that the hypothetical definition is used and the additional attacks have a different BAB instead of an 'attack bonus' calculated by applying a -5 penalty to the BAB for each attack after the first, but there are also indications for the BAB is only the first attack number. Unless I missed a FAQ (not at all impossible), there has never been an explicit redefinition of BAB like the hypothetical one. I have no problem with the usage driven definition, have played with it often and consider it a reasonable rule - if it were clarified that iterative attacks have their own BAB instead of an 'attack bonus" based on BAB with penalty I would not at all be upset, but absent such a clarification I have to consider RAW to be that the BAB is the highest number and the iterative attacks are in addition to the BAB attack with "attack bonuses" but not BABs.

It's not at all unreasonable to come to the conclusion that each iterative attack has its own separate BAB, especially in the light of many rules entries which refer to "your highest base attack bonus."

However, even if that is not the case, general bonuses and penalties to attacks also apply to combat maneuver attempts. So the penalties for iterative attacks would apply to combat maneuvers taken in their place.

I don't see how that drops the Tarrasque in one round? Then again I'm not keen on the Double-Barreled Gun's interaction with Haste and Rapid Shot.

I'm assuming that you would feat/ Class Feature to reload both barrels as a free action, and they fire both barrels at once? So 6 touch attacks (with both barrels?) would be 50 * 12 shots or 600 damage? dropping the Tarrasque to -75, putting it down for 2-3 rounds, (that is making an assumption you have overcome the DR 15/Epic)

This is why I had asked for a build post, kinda like taking a math test. (They like it when you show your work.)

Great ideas, please keep them coming guys.

I don't know much about gunslingers, I think guns were invented while I was sleeping. Is that accurate? 12 attacks? Are you sure double-barrel lets you fire both barrels every time you fire rather than only once? I dunno, guns are weird.

Did you take into account my massively armored hide, subtracting 15 damage from each attack? That's only 35 damage per attack. I'll survive that.

I'm assuming we're just working on bringing the monster down to 0 HP. Of course it'll eventually regenerate. The Tarrasque is a plot device. You're not supposed to be able to actually kill it.

As for showing work, Rapid Reload with alchemical cartridges allow reloading a one-handed firearm as a free action. Clustered Shots lets you group all attacks in a round against DR.

I agree, I'm not super crazy about double-barreled guns, but it seems like that's the way they're supposed to work. If you use single-barreled pistols and two-weapon fighting instead, you could do the same if you can squeeze out another ten damage per shot. I'm sure the optimization gurus around here could make that happen.