So, I recently saw vigilante round 2, and had some thouhts on it. Only going over warlock, as that is the most interesting one to me.
Social Talents: Well, its an interesting set, but I don't like that you pretty much have to take renown. I'd like to see talents that open up skill unlocks for thematic skills (bluff, diplomacy, disguise, stealth, etc). I like that changing costumes is quicker sooner, and that it isn't mandatory. Also I like that no abilities are put on lockdown, because of how little sense that made thematically.
Appearance powers: Hey look, invisibility is an even more powerful spell now. I hope that startling appearance becomes a rogue and a slayer talent.
Arcane Training: It didn't change. As is I doubt I'll ever go past 3 or 4, because I don't play high levels a lot and most of the spells I really like are 2nd or 3rd. I think there should be options to have other types of casting (like an alchemical route in the specialization giving alchemist extracts, expanded discovery talents, and better bombs; or a spontaneous casting path with some sorcerer abilities and better mystic bolts). I also still don't see why they can't build in armored casting. I still don't like that there is a talent tax to do what the class is supposedly good at thematically, but it seems like we might have to live with this. As a side note, I do like modular casting, but I think spells/day need to scale, and that there need to be package bundles of 2&3 4&5 and 6 or something.
Caster's Defense: This seems a bit needless to me. Warlock should already be able to cast in light armor IMO, but as it stands, I'll take an extended mage armor+wand of shield over this any day. Or heck, even an armored coat.
Mystic Bolt: Wow thats a lot of text. I think its definitely a cool ability, but I don't think its as good as a lot of posters seem to. I mean, its only 1 talent, it does low damage, and it seems to want you to take all sorts of feats to make it work. I'll still probably take it at 6th level on my warlock, and would like to see it as a base ability option that comes with additional effects or damage types though.
Bombs: This, to me, seems like the talent to take when you don't want to focus on spells and you don't want to focus on bolts. Take discoveries to give utility (cloud ones, dispelling, a few debuff ones like concussive bombs) and enjoy being a fake alchemist. It certainly won't be more powerful than the alchemist, but it might be interesting still.
Arcane Striker: Personally, I don't like this ability. It is on-par with a feat for 11 levels (most of the game for a lot of folks), and then is only barely better for another 4. I'd rather take arcane strike as a feat and take cooler talents with my small pool of them. I like the theme, but mechanically its nothing special.
Tattoo Chamber: This is hands-down my favorite part of the playtest. This one ability. Its a unique ability that is difficult to mimic with feats, spells, or other abilities (which is rare with some archetypes these days), and it gives an interesting yet balanced way to work around restrictions in a variety of games. Maybe I'm overestimating this, but for me having hammerspace that can keep spellbooks safe, hide lots of objects (more with shrink item) unfailingly, store magical blaster items like the quarterstaff of the entwined serpents or a wand of (insert spell), and much more is a very promising ability. I'd like to see more things like this in terms of design.
Shadow Jump: an interesting alternative to 4th level spells for me, as dimension door is the only spell I'd really really want for the builds I have in mind.
Familiar: I like that they explained how familiars work with dual identity, and I know that the extra actions are a big deal on the boards, but personally it might be easier for me to take EH(arcane) and have it be a familiar than spend a talent if there isn't an extra X feat option coming out. Of course, this wouldn't be for a feat-intensive build like the twf rapid shot arcane striker build thats been floating around.
Signature Spell: Eh, its still a powerful yet boring ability. Probably worth it for enchanters or blasters, not so much for conjurers or caster-lite builds.
Concealed Casting: Another cool, thematic, and useful ability, but I don't see why Zealots cannot get this too. Not sure if I'll ever pick it up but its definitely an interesting option to have out there.
I'm probably forgetting a few things, but these were the most memorable things I saw. Any thoughts on the above ideas/review?
I recently playtested the warlock at level 1 in anall vigilante party, and noticed a few things.
thoughts:
I realize the devs have said they are working on buffing the social side and fixing the change time, so I'm only going to say that we had to handle ID swapping with a certain degree of care, since we don't know about eachother's IDs. I noticed that at level one the only change was a narrative one (when we caught up to the BBEG we had changed IDs and was wondering who we were).
Beyond that I noticed that as a warlock I ran out of spells fairly quickly, and didn't really have much to do. Spellcasting looks like a lesser feature due to low spells/day (which isn't a problem for classes like bard because they have useful non-spell options) and beyond that I was just a skill monkey in a party full of them. I still had lots of fun, but this seems like its certainly a flaw.
and now some armchair speculation:
I haven't had a chance to play around with most of the toys in the class, but here are some of the things I noticed looking into the later levels.
Mystic bolt looks neat, but it needs a bit more oomph for something low-grade resistance can defeat. Maybe a save effect like on the aranist exploits. Or letting TWF work.
Although I like the idea behind the casting talents, I don't like having half of my talents drained by spellcasting. Even if I stop at level 3 spells, I've burned a fifth of my combat abilities to gain mediocre spellcasting. I'd like to see some fix where warlock/zealot get scaling casting and avenger/stalker get bonus talents. Rewarding you for playing martials instead of punishing you for playing casters.
I feel like the cool melee abilities (arcane striker, bond of blood, mystic bolt) should have more power. Bond of blood for example, is only 1/hour, and later is contingent on taking a certain type of damage. Arcane striker is only better than a feat at level 12, and is another ability that energy resistance can significantly weaken.
Elemental battle armor I think should be able to be turned off, because it might have RP problems when you are always walking around on fire, but overall is a really cool ability. I'd like to see it show some synergy with mystic bolt though.
Finally, dual-identity. I'm going to try not to rehash what everyone has been saying, but instead to give the positives. Immunity to divinations is definitely awesome, if situational. Awesome for NPC's or all-vigilante parties. And the narrative power of having another name to pin all of your crimes on has potential. With some buffs to the social I could easily see this being a very powerful ability in all campaigns.
All of that said, the class definitely needs a buff. I'd like to see a pool system implemented that both aspects could draw on some (but not too much). For instance, a pool of 1/2 level+cha or int mod that would let you double social graces bonuses, change IDs quicker, raise spell DC's or durations, augment attacks, etc. would be cool. Or alternatively each specialization could have a different pool (grit for avengers, arcane pool or resevoir for warlocks, Fervor or something new for zealots (like a zeal pool), and then a ninja-esque ki pool for stalkers) and then give them abilities at certain levels that changed between specs like bloodline powers.
I realize that there is some dislike for pool powers, but they are consistant ways to buff a class and still keel it 'on-par' with others.
I've been recently experimenting with the Fated Champion Skald, and was wondering what some good Rage Powers might be. I'm trying to stay away from Beast Totem, because I don't expect to play much past level 11, and I think there might be some more useful rage powers for levels 1-10(before Greater Beast Totem becomes an option).
Hi all, I have a bit of a question on how the following combine.
Community Minded wrote:
Any morale bonuses you confer upon your allies through your own abilities or spells last 2 additional rounds.
Inspired Rage wrote:
At 1st level, affected allies gain a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +1 morale bonus on Will saving throws, but also take a –1 penalty to AC. While under the effects of inspired rage, allies other than the skald cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. At 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the song's bonuses on Will saves increase by 1; the penalty to AC doesn't change. At 8th and 16th levels, the song's bonuses to Strength and Constitution increase by 2. (Unlike the barbarian's rage ability, those affected are not fatigued after the song ends.)
If an ally has her own rage class ability (such as barbarian's rage, bloodrager's bloodrage, or skald's inspired rage), she may use the Strength, Constitution, and Will saving throw bonuses, as well as AC penalties, based on her own ability and level instead of those from the skald (still suffering no fatigue afterward). However, inspired rage does not allow the ally to activate abilities dependent on other rage class abilities, such as rage powers, blood casting, or bloodrager bloodlines; the ally must activate her own rage class ability in order to use these features.
Would the AC penalty and skill restrictions apply 2 rounds after you finished your song as well as the +2Str/Con and +1Will, or would only the bonus continue? And on a related note, if an ally chose not to accept the song's benefits, would the Str/Con buffs still apply two rounds afterwards even if the song is still going?
As many of you know, the newly-released ACG includes this nifty little feat Pummeling Style. Now, its being debated whether or not you can use it with weapons[there are about 4 threads on this], which is not the question here[I'm assuming you can use it with Unarmed Strikes]. The question here is, can you combine this with the human feat Martial Versatility and Feral Combat Training to get your natural attack full attack[at full base attack bonus] in with Pummeling Style?
Pummeling Style, Feral Combat Training, and Martial Versatility:
Pummeling Style wrote:
Prerequisites: Improved Unarmed Strike; base attack bonus +6, brawler's flurry† class feature, or flurry of blows class feature.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you can pool all your attack potential in one devastating punch. Make a number of rolls equal to the number of attacks you can make with a full attack or a flurry of blows (your choice) with the normal attack bonus for each attack. For each roll that is a hit, you deal the normal amount of damage, adding it to any damage the attack has already dealt from previous rolls (if any). If any of the attack rolls are critical threats, make one confirmation roll for the entire attack at your highest base attack bonus. If it succeeds, the entire attack is a confirmed critical hit.
Feral Combat Training wrote:
Choose one of your natural weapons. While using the selected natural weapon, you can apply the effects of feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, as well as effects that augment an unarmed strike.
Martial Versatility wrote:
Choose one combat feat you know that applies to a specific weapon (e.g., Weapon Focus). You can use that feat with any weapon within the same weapon group.
Its starting at 3rd level with GM credit [all but 1, when I played without the archetype]. I have a few questions,
1:Is the archetype good/worth it? I want to like it, but it I'm not sure if its worth intentionally nerfing my armor, reducing my domains, and changing spontaneous casting, along with getting less channel energy to become more Charisma-dependent.
2:Any idea for later feats? I know that at 11th level, Divine Interference is pretty much a class feature, and that Sacred Summons is nice when the Bralani Azata's show up on the summoning list at 9, but what about 5 and 7?
3:Any other thoughts/advice?
Thanks in advance!
At 2nd level, when the Sczarni swindler uses Sleight of Hand, creatures take a penalty on their Perception checks equal to half the swindler’s class level to notice the attempt. The swindler also reduces the normal –20 penalty by an amount equal to her class level when attempting a Sleight of Hand check as a move action instead of as a standard action. Lastly, the swindler can draw hidden weapons or objects from her person as a move action instead of the usual standard action. This ability replaces evasion.
Quickdraw wrote:
You can draw a weapon as a free action instead of as a move action. You can draw a hidden weapon (see the Sleight of Hand skill) as a move action. A character who has selected this feat may throw weapons at his full normal rate of attacks (much like a character with a bow). Alchemical items, potions, scrolls, and wands cannot be drawn quickly using this feat.
Simple question, do these combine to let you draw a hidden weapon as a free action?
A bard of 9th level or higher can use his performance to inspire greatness in himself or a single willing ally within 30 feet, granting extra fighting capability. For every three levels the bard attains beyond 9th, he can target an additional ally while using this performance (up to a maximum of four targets at 18th level). To inspire greatness, all of the targets must be able to see and hear the bard. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target's Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependent. Inspire greatness is a mind-affecting ability and it relies on audible and visual components.
Magical Knack wrote:
You were raised, either wholly or in part, by a magical creature, either after it found you abandoned in the woods or because your parents often left you in the care of a magical minion. This constant exposure to magic has made its mysteries easy for you to understand, even when you turn your mind to other devotions and tasks. Pick a class when you gain this trait—your caster level in that class gains a +2 trait bonus as long as this bonus doesn't raise your caster level above your current Hit Dice.
Quick Question, does a caster with Inspire Greatness on him and the Magical Knack trait gain a +2CL? Looks like they do, since the +2CL would not raise it above current HD, and IG increases current HD temporarily, but what do others think?
At 1st level, a watersinger can use bardic performance to manipulate and control the shape of water within 30 feet. A successful Perform check allows the bard to animate and control a 5-foot-cube of water. The watersinger can command the water to take various forms, bend, rise, fall, or sustain a shape, and can make it support weight as if it were solid ice. For example, the watersinger could create a pillar of water (to provide cover), ladder, channel, bridge, stairs, slide, and so on. The manipulated water is as slippery as normal ice. This ability cannot create forms more fragile or complex than what could be carved in normal ice. While under the bard's control, the water has hardness 0 and 3 hit points per inch of thickness. At level 3, the manipulated water gains hardness 1, and this increases by +1 for every 3 bard levels beyond that. At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the volume affected increases by an additional 5-foot cube (these cubes must be adjacent to each other). The manipulated water retains its shape for 1 round after the bard stops spending bardic performance rounds to maintain it. This ability replaces fascinate, suggestion, and mass suggestion.
Wavestrike wrote:
Waterstrike (Su): At 3rd level, the watersinger can spend 1 round of bardic performance to command any water he is currently manipulating with his watersong performance to lash out and strike an opponent with a slam attack. The watersinger uses his base attack bonus and Charisma bonus to make this attack, and deals 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage plus his Charisma bonus. The attack can originate from any square of water the bard is manipulating, and the water can get a flanking bonus or help a combatant get one, but cannot make attacks of opportunity. The water can make multiple attacks per round if your base attack bonus allows you to do so. At 10th level, the water's slam damage increases to 1d8 points and the water gains a reach of 10 feet. At 15th level, the water's slam damage increases to 2d6 points. At 20th level, the water's slam damage increases to 2d8 points. This performance replaces inspire competence.
So, I have a few questions about these abilities.
1:Is the bolded part just flavor text, or is there some DC that I haven't found?
2:How does this interact with Lingering Performance? Does the extra round from the ability stack with the extra 2 from Lingering Performance, or do they Overlap?
3:Could I replace the attack from Wavestrike with a Disarm, Trip, or Sunder combat maneuver, considering that these can be made in place of attacks normally?
The thread Am I the only one who like healing? got me thinking about the line of cure spells. More specifically, I was wondering, how hard would it be to try and min-max the Cure line of spells. I was thinking a Cleric with the healing domain[free Empower Spell], and Magical Lineage and Wayang SpellHunter in your favorite Cure spell [I was thinking Serious, since it comes online about the same time the optimized fireball flingers do], and then looking into other feats that could be applied for free. Oracle of life might also be good, since they have the whole quickened for free revelation [though so few times per day :-{ ]. Any thoughts?
Was wondering how effective a character who combined some reliable form of Swift-Action Healing with the Deathless Initiate/Zealot/Master might be. I was thinking possibly a Fey Foundling Paladin, but am not sure how to arrange feats/stats, as I rarely play Paladins. Any thoughts?
I have a few questions regarding a current Oracle of the Heavens I have in PFS, and more specifically thesethreerevelations [all in the spoiler below, for the lazy or link challenged].
1:Can you use Moonlight Bridge on a Moonlight Bridge, effectively doubling[or at least, increasing] the length?
2:Can a creature [such as one in a pit], pass through the bottom of a Moonlight Bridge?
3:Can the 5th level ability of the Lure of the Heavens be turned off, or do you always have to be levitating 6" off the ground?
4:Is there a minimum to the Awesome Display Revelations? Or could you theoretically reduce a creature to negative HD for the purposes of spells like Hypnotic Pattern?
References:
Moonlight Bridge wrote:
Moonlight Bridge (Su): You summon a bridge of shimmering moonlight. The 10-foot-wide span touches the ground at a point adjacent to your position. From this point it can extend in any direction for 10 feet per oracle level. The path persists until you have crossed over the bridge or for 24 hours, whichever is shorter. You may summon a moonlight bridge a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus. Should the bridge be attacked, treat it as a wall of force.
Lure of the Heavens wrote:
Lure of the Heavens (Su): Your connection to the skies above is so strong that your feet barely touch the ground. At 1st level, you no longer leave tracks. At 5th level, you can hover up to 6 inches above the ground or even above liquid surfaces, as if levitating. At 10th level, you gain the ability to fly, as per the spell, for a number of minutes per day equal to your oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments.
Awesome Display wrote:
Awesome Display (Su): Your phantasmagoric displays accurately model the mysteries of the night sky, dumbfounding all who behold them. Each creature affected by your illusion (pattern) spells is treated as if its total number of Hit Dice were equal to its number of Hit Dice minus your Charisma modifier (if positive).
If you have cast all of your spells/Spell-like abilities for the day, can you still use arcane strike that day [without regaining spells/SLA's]? For instance, if you are an Aasimar Barbarian, and you use your racial Daylight SLA for whatever reason, do you still count as being "Able to Cast Arcane Spells"?
A fellow player as issued me a challenge, to make a Dwarf Oracle of Metal or Stone. I thought this might be a chance to use my favorite weapon, the Dwarven Longaxe. The campaign this will be for starts at level 1 with 20PB 150Starting Gold.
So, I was wondering how might be a good way to do this. My biggest issue here is stats. I'm thinking one of the following
Str15
Dex13
Con14
Int10
Wis10
Cha14
Str16
Dex10
Con14
Int10
Wis10
Cha14
Str14
Dex14
Con14
Int10
Wis10
Cha14
The last is the most well-rounded, but the 14Str I will be stuck with for a while[it takes a while to get a belt of giant strength in my local gaming groups]. The middle is better for damage, but I don't qualify for Combat Reflexes[which is a big deal for reach builds]. Then the first, which I am leaning towards for the higher Str while still qualifying me for Combat Reflexes[even if its only 1 extra AoO].
Also, beyond the Skill At Arms Revelation[which I plan on taking @level 1], I'm not sure what else I should take, and I am completely stuck for feats beyond Combat Reflexes and Steel Soul.
Hello all, before you start posting, this thread isn't what it seems.
I had a character concept of a Gnome Summoner who was a Paladin in the Worldwound, but never finished training as he fell from grace in a field exercise and did something that alienated his code so much that he was kicked out of his order. So he lived alone for a while, praying for redemption, and one day his god answered him by sending his Eidolon as a fallen herald to guide him, and sent with the herald instructions that the Summoner was to join the Pathfinder Society as sentence to be fulfilled in exchange for redemption.
Mechanically I don't actually want a level of Paladin as it would be a wasted level, and the idea is this happened early in his life. I'm thinking of focusing on buffing and field controlling with the Summoner while the Eidolon is up front in melee keeping enemies away from the summoner.
But I have no idea on what I should do. Any advice as to feats/traits/skills/stats/etc. would be welcome.
I realized that among my list of back-up PFS character concepts [for if I die at level 2 or 3, which happens a little too often], that I had a lack of ranged concepts. One of the few I had was a juggler that fought with two guns that he juggled around to reload. I always skipped it because all of the ways to reload as a free action with 2 pistols seemed like they didn't agree with flavor [for instance, a weapon cord would flavor-wise, be potentially hitting you with your own gun if you were reloading a gun 7 times in 3 seconds].
Then I found the feat Gun Twirling. This feat seems incredibly flavorful{it is essentially juggling your gun[s]} and seemed like it was cool.
So, I was wondering how one might make a well-balanced TWF Gunslinger who both was plenty viable and wasn't OP. I am thinking of either going 1-level Mysterious Stranger dip and then taking the rest of my levels in a mix of a Charisma-based class and fighter[dipping for feats], or going with a Pistolero for 5 levels and then either taking Evangelist PrC or any other martial ranged class [and probably again dipping fighter for feats]. I'm not too partial to going full gunslinger because I don't find many of the options they have past level 5 very interesting and useful. Tons of interesting, but not much useful.
Question:What makes a weapon a "Bludgeoning" weapon for the purposes of the feats Bludgeoner, Sap Adept, and Sap Master?
Is it any weapon that does bludgeoning damage, and thus, changeable via the Weapon Versatility feat, or is it only applicable to a weapon that is listed as doing bludgeoning weapon?
Hello fellow role-players, rules-lawyers, storm-winders, and path-finders!
I come to the boards wondering what race/class combo would make the best Tetsubo-based melee character.
Only rules for this are:
20PB
150starting gold
Viable at all levels
Preferably PFS legal, but if not I can find a homegame for it
No 3rd Party
Options other than just "Attack" or "Full Attack" or "Charge" or the like.
Benefit: You do not suffer any penalties on attack rolls made with a shield while you are wielding another weapon. Add your shield's enhancement bonus to attacks and damage rolls made with the shield as if it was a weapon enhancement bonus.
I come to the House Rules forum to offer a new archetype, as suggested here. The
Gap-Striker:
Strike the Gap: At first level, a Gap Striker may spend 1 move action to gain one of the following benefits until the start of her next turn:
-A bonus to attack and damage rolls made when sneak attacking equal to 1/2 your level[minimum+1]
-An Increase in your Move Speed[any type of move speed, not just land], equal to 1/2 your levelx5[minimum+5]
-A bonus to Fortitude or Will Saves equal to 1/3 her level[minimum+1]
-Concealment v. a number of foes equal to 1d3+1/4 her level[minimum1d3+1] of her choice.
-Treat any 1 weapon that the Weapon Finesse feat does not apply to as a light weapon for the purposes of the Weapon Finesse feat.
At 6th level, and every 4 levels afterward, she may gain an additional 1 benefit from this ability with a single move action.
When this ability is used to increase move speed, the rogue may also move her new move speed without provoking AoO's as a free action immediately after Move Speed is increased. When this is used to grant Concealment, she may make a stealth check to hide as part of the action to use Strike the Gap. This ability replaces Trapfinding and Trapsense.
Sneak Attack:This ability functions as the rogue ability except as follows:
Whenever the Gap Striker makes only a single attack on her turn against a target who is eligible for Sneak Attack, she may choose to forfeit 1d6 points of damage from her Sneak Attack to increase the number of rounds the target can be sneak attacked by 1. At 6th level, and every 2 levels after that, she may forgo an extra 1 die to increase the time the target is eligible for sneak attack by +1. The target is treated as Flat-footed v. the rogue each round that this ability is used.
Versatile Rogue Talents:Whenever a Gapstriker makes a single attack against an opponent, she may combine a number of different Rogue Talents that modify sneak attack that she possesses equal to the attacks she has through her base attack bonus. This ability replaces her 6th level Rogue Talent.
Rogue Talents:A GapStriker has access to the following rogue talents:
Enhanced Precision: A Rogue with this talent may apply 1/2 the damage from her sneak attack ability to a creature who is immune to Precision Damage. In addition, she may apply 1/2 damage from sneak attack to a creature she is flanking who is immune to flanking. This benefit only applies when the rogue makes a single attack and does not stack with itself.
Vital Sneak: A Rogue with this talent gains the Vital Strike feat. In addition, she may treat 1/2 the dice from her sneak attack ability as part of her weapon's base damage, and multiply it with Vital Strike. She also gains the Improved Vital Strike and Greater Vital Strike feats as soon as she meets the prerequisites. A rogue must be at least 6th level and have the Enhanced Precision rogue talent. She need not meet the prerequisites for Vital Strike.
Since the release of the ACG [and more specifically, their Brawler class], I have been thinking about how a martial class could use being designed towards something other than standing still and doing as much HP damage as physically possible. Especially the monk, who despite being the 1 class in the game who is arguably the worst when he moves is flavored to be a mobile combatant. So, after a bit of thinking, I came up with the
Focused Striker Monk Archetype:
Base Attack Bonus Progression:A Focused Striker's Base Attack Bonus is equal to his level, but he still only gets additional attacks as if he had a Base Attack Bonus equal to 3/4 his level. This replaces the normal monk Base Attack Bonus progression.
Focused Strike:A Focused Striker has trained to spot his gaps in his opponent's defenses gains a +1 on attack and damage rolls, and to the DC of his Stunning Fist feat whenever he makes a single attack, as opposed to a full attack. At 6th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, he gains another +1 on attack and damage. In addition, at 4th level he gains the Exploit Weakness ability like a Martial Artist, but may not increase his AC with this ability. This ability replace Flurry of Blows
Maneuvering Strike:A Focused Striker gains any Improved Combat Maneuver feat at first and 2nd level without needing to meet the prerequisite. He also is treated as having the Combat Expertise feat and an Intelligence Score of 13 for the purpose of qualifying for any combat feats. In addition, from 4th on, he may make any 1 combat maneuver he possess the Improved Combat Maneuver feat any time he does damage to a target with his Focused Strike class feature. This ability replaces the Monk Bonus feats gained at levels 1 and 2.
Ki Pool:A Focused Striker may spend 1 Ki point as a swift action to gain an additional +2 attack and damage rolls. This ability replaces the ability to gain an additional attack in Flurry of Blows.
Versatile Strike:A Focused Striker has trained himself to do as much as possible with each blow. He gains the feats Vital Strike, Improved Vital Strike, and Greater Vital Strike at levels 6, 11, and 16 respectively. In addition, he may combine Vital Strike with any ability he has that makes a single attack roll and uses a standard action or full round action [such as using the Scorpion Style feat or making a Charge]. At 11th level, a Focused Striker may combine 2 effects that require a standard action and a full round action into the same one [such as Combining the Scorpion Style feat and a Charge] with each other. When doing so, he uses the longest action time spent [a full round action in the case of using Scorpion Style and Charging]. The number of abilities effected increases by 1 for every 5 levels after 11 the Focused Striker possesses, and may always be combined with Vital Strike. This ability replaces the bonus feats gained at 6th level and every 4 levels after that.
What does everyone think? I think I might need to remove a few more class features, but am unsure as to what I should remove.
With all the confusion on alchemists, I wanted to make sure this was legal before I filed it in my "ideas" file for PFS. Would an Alchemist/Fighter who uses a Large Earthbreaker in 2 hands for offense, a Klar in 1 hand for defense, and a bomb in the third for extract buffing be legal? I'm thinking yes because Large Earthbreaker needs large or larger normally, but with T&F, Earthbreaker becomes a 1h weapon, so it should be wieldable in 2h while large. Then you stack on a Vestigial Arm for a Klar[because why not?] and a Vestigial Arm to chuck bombs. But, there are weird rules as to how Vestigial Arm works [like it won't let you multiweapon fight or TWF with 1 or 2 large weapons, or let you wield large 2h weapons as 3h weapons, or anything like that], so I wanted to check if it would be legal.
Also, would I get the 1.5xStr and 3:1 PA ratio on damage with the Earthbreaker[I can't see why not, but am wondering if as GM's this would be allowed in your game, as it would be a nice representation of PFS table variation before I calculate the damage for this.]
Since I will be GMing a lot in PFS recently, and I want to play my low level characters instead of credit them up, I will be having a 3rd-4th level PC made entirely from GM-babying up in levels pretty soon. So I wanted to try an Early Entry Mystic Theurge.
The concept I came up with was this:He is a slightly insane Cleric/Wizard of Nethys, who will be trying to heal and aid his friends 1/2 the time, and crush all who is in his path and kill things with fire the other half, for through his studies of magic and religion he has found the Maddening Paradox that exist between the two.
Mechanically I want to be an Blast/Support character, using clerical resources to support and wizardly resources to blast. I want to make use of the Theurgy feat, and find a way to enter at level 4 [one of them I figure will be me being an Aasimar of some variation, and the other I'm not sure on]. I do realize that Sorcerer/Oracle would be more optimal, but Cleric/Wizard is more thematic so I would prefer to stick to that. I might change my mind, but for now I'd prefer to stick with it.
So, for advice I was wondering:
How useful is the feat Theurgy?
Would Separatist be worth it for the Trickery domain so I have an early-entry SLA?
What race with an SLA would be the best for this? I'm thinking going Idylkin Aasimar for SNA, but the stat bonuses don't exactly agree with Wizard/Cleric.
What are some good feats to take other than Theurgy? I figure probably Spell Focus[Evocation] will be the free SF from Wizard.
What are some good spells for a Blast/Support character?
Is Blast/Support a viable path for a Mystic Theurge?
Any other good Advice/Suggestions for this character?
Illusory Self [Wizard/Sorcerer?, Bard?, Witch?, Other?]
School:Illusion
Casting Time:1 Standard Action
Duration:1 round/level
Range:Personal
Target:You
Saving Throw:{Will Save}, SR:{No}
Effect:When this spell is cast, you create an illusory double of yourself over yourself. This double mimics your movements exactly, but seems as if it were not real. Any creature who comes into contact with you must make a will save. If they succeed, they do not believe the illusion around yourself is real and believe you are fake, so will not treat you as if you were real. If they fail the saving throw, they believe you are real, but treat you as if you had total concealment. If you do any direct attack against them, and they recognize you as the attacker, then they automatically believe you are real, and you gain no benefits from this spell against them.
What level would be best for this spell, and what might be the best casters to have this spell? The idea behind it is a spell that makes an illusion of yourself to make people think you are fake. Its an idea for a campaign I am making.
The messageboards will tell you that the three mechanically weakest classes are Monks, Rogues, and Fighters. Fighters, however, get slightly different responses because at least they are truly the best at their role of all the full-BAB classes [save Gunslinger, who kinda cheats the AC rules]. So that leaves Monks and Rogues. There are plenty of threads on Monks and plenty of threads on Rogues, and often the Monk threads will say rogues are better and the Rogue threads will say Monks are better. So I come here with a question, which class is mechanically stronger from an objective standpoint, Monk or Rogue?
Clarity on the term Monk:
By Monk, I mean a PC who is primarily a member of the monk class[no Monk1/Summoner19 or such], and fights using traditional Monk Weapons [like Unarmed Strikes, Quarterstaves, etc.], and fight with little or no armor on. Not a Zen Archer who is unleashing flurries of cheese from long range or a Nodachi Sohei in a Mithral Breastplate. Nothing is wrong with these, but they don't really fit the mental image of a Monk.
Clarity on the term Rogue:
By Rogue, I mean a character who is primarily a member of the "Rogue" class,[so no "Rogue1/Summonerx" or such].
A Note on my Personal Opinion:
I do not believe that Fighters, Monks, or Rogues are bad classes, or that they cannot carry their own weight or most of the other negative things said about them. What I do agree with is that they are all a little behind in the Core Rulebook, and with each new addition to the books they don't get enough flavor-fitting Power Creep to keep up with the much larger amounts of Power Creep that has been released for other classes, and so when you look at the big picture, they are mechanically weak. Monk, Rogue, and Fighter are actually 3 of my favorite classes, and they are so because of the mechanics and the flavor. That said, this is personal opinion and not a fact or argument for any of the three classes in any form or fashion.
If an Undine Qinggong monk take the amphibious alternate racial trait in place of the spell-like ability, and then selects Hydraulic Push as a ki power SLA, does he qualify for the Hydraulic Maneuvers feat?
So, for an Undine Boon in PFS, I was thinking of making a Brother of the Seal, because Undine is a good race for a monk [a Dex/Wis monk, not so much a Str monk], and I liked the play on words. I was wondering how might this best be done. Any thoughts?
So, a Paladin tries to cast Cure Light Wounds on a Superstitious Raging Barbarian, and he rolls a 1 and fails to touch. The next round, he is down to about 5HP so decides to use Lay On Hands as a swift action, healing Xd6, and then tries to touch the Barbarian. The question is, what happens? Does the spell discharge on him/her, healing as normal and not getting to the Barbarian, or is the charge held and transfered to the Barbarian.
Next, related question:If the Paladin tries to use a buff on the same barbarian, fails, and then has to heal via LoH, does he get the buff or can he buff the barbarian?
I was looking for some alchemist advice. I have a campaign coming up in a few weeks, starting at level 2, and starts using full PFS use until the GM changes his mind, as the campaign is written as us basically being members of the Pathfinder Society, but we aren't actually registered characters since he wrote the campaign himself. It should go until level 16-18. The concept is a slightly crazy healer-type alchemist who uses alcohol as a common component in his extracts, bombs, and mutagens. I'm thinking of a switch-hitting build kinda like this:
Human Chirurgeon1
Str14
Dex15
Con14
Int17
Wis10
Cha7
This is sort of an idea to see how well a defense-focused monk can survive if he happens to be really low on Con. More of a concept/theory than a real build, but depending on how soon it can come online I might make it a character at some point after GM crediting.
I'm thinking going with
Human Sensei Martial Artist
Stats:
Str14
Dex16
Con7
Int13
Wis18
Cha7
Conducting a thought experiment that is centered around making a Tengu who uses Crane Style* with the Stalwart feat chain who winds up with very high AC, HP, and nice DR, while using "broken" natural attacks to get 3 attacks at highest attack bonus. This might become a future PFS character, so I'd like to keep it PFS legal.
I'm thinking mixing Unbreakable Fighter and Ranger together for 5-8 levels, and then going either Stalwart Defender PrC or Living Monolith PrC for some in-class DR and other goodies, because those are some of the few PrC's that can be pretty good.
*:
Yes Crane Style. My thought is that Stalwart+Improved Stalwart will net me DR from this along with getting 1/round +4AC and potential AoO when all is said and done. Even with the nerf, it has some potential.
With the recent growth in "rogue's suck" threads, I thought it might be a good time to post some of my personal homebrewed rogue "fixes", to keep them mathematically on-par with their flavor in and out-of combat.
Combat Fix to rogue via class features:
Improved Sneak Attack: At 5th level, a rogue's uncanny knack for striking an enemy's vital organs improves. Whenever she makes an attack roll against an enemy who is Flat-Footed, Denied their Dexterity Bonus to AC, flanked, or otherwise susceptible to Sneak Attack, she gains a bonus on attack rolls equal to 1/2 the sneak attack dice she would roll if that attack hit. At 10th level, this bonus increases to the number of sneak attack dice she would roll if the attack hit. A rogue also may sneak attack an opponent with Concealment when they gain Improved Sneak Attack/ This fixes the largest problem with sneak-a-stab rogues, accuracy. It also makes it so that a dark alleyway isn't the worst possible place for a rogue to stage an ambush
Skill Fix for rogues via class feature:
Versatile Skills: At 2nd level, a rogue's inherent skillful nature improves her abilities. She may select any 3 skills based off of the same ability score. She then chooses one of these skills and may use that skill in place of the other two skills*. She may select another list of skills at 6th level, and every 4 levels after. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.
*For example, a rogue could select Disable Device, Acrobatics, and Stealth, and then decide to use her Disable Device roll any time she must make an Acrobatics or Stealth roll. This is meant to mimic a more versatile version of Versatile Performance from the bard, because rogues are supposed to be the Skill Master.
Master of Skills: At level 10, a rogue may take 10 on any skill even if the skill would normally disallow you to take 10 [such as Use Magic Device], or if the she is distracted or endangered. In addition, at 15th level, she may select a number of skills equal to 3+her dexterity modifier and take 20 on them a number of times per day equal 1/3 of her class level. This lets rogue's be consistent with skills, and keep up with the Bard who has been doing this from level 5.
New Rogue Talents:
Hide in Shadows: A rogue with this talent may use stealth any time she is within 10 feet of an area of dim light or darkness. She may use this ability even while being observed, but she must spend a move action to do so.
Finesse Trick: A rogue with this talent gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, she may apply 1/2 her dexterity bonus to damage with melee attacks in place of strength. At level 5, this improves to adding her full dexterity bonus to damage. This bonus damage is still halved on off-hand attacks.
Strongman: A rogue with this talent may use her Strength in place of her Dexterity modifier when determining the number of skills she may take 20 on using the Master of Skills class feature. Alternatively, a rogue may decide to use her Dexterity score in place of her Strength score for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites to any feats that have a requirement of a Strength score of at least 13.
Shady Weapon: A rogue with this talent may make a slight of hand check each round to hide her weapon in a nearby shadow. If she succeeds, her opponent is considered flat-footed for her next attack. The DC for this check is equal to the DC to feint her opponent. Making this check is a free action that may be performed once per round, and the benefits apply only against one opponent. A rogue must have the Hide in Shadows rogue talent to select this rogue talent.
I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this, but I thought it may as well be General Discussion. The basic purpose of this thread is to post your favorite Pathfinder or DnD jokes, be they in or out-of character.
My favorites are
"If a rogue stands tries to fight in a party, and no Bard is around to laugh, is he still underpowered?"
GM:I honestly have no idea what is supposed to be here. This AP is very rail-roady and doesn't give any description. You find nothing.
PC:I start heading to town to warn them about the black hole that formed here.
Me:I stop your PC and say "Guys its OK, I've heard of these. They're called "plot holes", and mean that we should ignore this place.
So, what are your favorite jokes about or in PF/DnD?
Recently heard a rumour about a "Blood of Elements" book coming out, so I decided I will wait on making the bard I was making until I see the new potential undine options [or too much time goes by and I get tired of waiting to make it] so I came up with some new character concepts, since I'm tired of seeing "Murderhobo's" in PFS. I was wondering if there were any particularly good ways to go about making either of them. The other will wind up in a homegame.
The Palada-Bukler:
Basic Concept is that the character is one who worships Sarenrae, but was never a Paladin because he never managed to live up to the expectations, always taking the easy way out of things and occasionally having to go against himself to do what he thought was right. He is Dextrous, non-violent, and while being willing to wade into combat, abhors the idea of Murder or Killing any sentient being. Prefers to try and disable enemies by tripping, disarming, or doing nonlethal damage.
Mechanically, I want this to be a Swashbuckler [ACG class] with Blade of Mercy and Dervish Dance, but I'm not sure how best to go about investing in trip/disarm and at the same time melee combat.
The Butterfly Healer:
Basic Concept is a character who is a doctor when not adventuring. He knows a lot about anatomy and while he is open to fighting an enemy, tries to refrain from killing the enemy himself if only to keep away from "Legal Ramifications". He has healing magic making him an excellent doctor, and uses it on PCs after combats if only to use fellow PCs as potential scapegoats. Despite his apathetic front, he is good at heart and doesn't want to get anyone killed, but he isn't good enough at heart to take the fall for any serious crimes.
Mechanically, I'm not sure. I want to use Butterfly's Sting to imitate him trying to get allies to kill his enemies instead of doing it himself. I'm thinking maybe a Chirurgeon with "Clever Wordplay" so that he is good at lying and is a doctor-type character, or maybe an Oracle or Bard for more healing potential.
So, how might be best for building these concepts? Thanks in advance!
At a recent Con, I got an Undine Boon for Pathfinder Society. So, because of the surplus of Melee Beatsticks and Meat Shields, and buffers/healers/skill-monkeys are few and far between, and because most of the people in my game store thinks Bards suck, I thought I'd make a Watersinger(It helps that Watersinger is a really cool archetype). So, I came up with a neat character concept. The whole thing I am still developing, but the mechanical ties are here.
Character Concept:
This bard is focused on being a "Rave Bard", who when he makes perform checks uses a chain that he casts light on in conjunction with fluctuating "Flesh Chameleon" to create a Strobe effect. In combat, he'd either buff the party, or if it would be more productive, would control water to create "Rave Sticks" to beat enemies to death.
So, after getting the concept down, I went on to the build...and got completely stuck. Any advice as to a good stat array, or some nice bard feats/tricks to go with? I don't play them much, so I don't know a ton about how they go over in actual play.
For a character in Carrion Crown that I recently learned will be the only way to deal with traps and the only source of AoE damage, I thought CryptBreaker might be nice. Only issue is that unless you are certainly going to fight undead and/or constructs, you probably are going to spend a bunch of resources or suck [no mutagen, lower bomb damage, no brew potion, no persistent mutagen].
So, I was wondering, could a CryptBreaker alchemist be viable in Carrion Crown? Probably would be a switch-hitter alchemist, using ranged bombs and Feral Mutagen tripping for main combat styles, so it wouldn't need to be a bomb-focused character.
I was wondering, could there be a viable way to make a build focused on hiding weapons, sneaking them into places they ought not be, and using them primarily in combat.
Only real specifications is it must be able to party face and trap find/disable[for an upcoming campaign, or for PFS, either way I want the ability for this], along with the hidden weapon gimmick. For build options, lets use PFS rules.
So, any particularly good feats/traits/classes/class archetypes/etc. that might work?
After browsing through a bunch of the guides, and the posts from the outstanding Guide to the Class Guides thread, it occurred to me that there are many PrCs/playstyles/radically class-changing archetypes that have been largely ignored in most of the guides, and that there are probably several people who would appreciate a guide to said archetypes/playstyles/PrC's, so I thought I'd make this thread to request someone make a guide, and to look at if you are thinking of making a guide to see what would be useful.
I'll start it off with the following three requests that fall into the three categories listed:
1:A Master Chymist PrC guide
2:A Strength-based Magus Guide
3:A Guide to Sword-and-Shield Fighting
So, post any requests you have, and thank you for your time!
Decided after a recent attempt at a tripping character that went rather poorly due to no decent tank [3 near-TPKs in the second fight, and one character who now requires a disguise to re-enter Irrisen and not be a semi-infamous terrorist] I would rebuild the previous build into a tank.
I was thinking of a Phalanx Soldier using either a Glaive-Guisarme or a Naginata with a Shield Bash in the other hand for close-range protection. Not sold on the archetype, since it gives up Weapon Training, but I do want to be able to use reach weapons in one hand.
Beyond that and the obvious [Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Focus/Spec line, etc.] I don't have much. Is the Bodyguard/In Harms Way combo worth it? I would prefer to stay away from dumping beyond 8 on this particular build, just because I have too many 7s in some PFS builds. Any really good feats? Should I go for Improved Trip, since I do plan on doing some tripping? Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance!
Figured for my next PFS characters I'd try a maneuver build, as I haven't tried that before. Looking to be a reach-weapon tripping character to get as many AoO's as possible. Any advice as to weapons/traits/feats[other than the obvious feats like improved/greater trip and felling smash]? Could Vital Strike chain be worth it [used with felling smash]? Thanks in advance.
How cheesy would you say it would be if someone were to pop up at the table with a Bloodrager/Dragon Disciple who had a bloodline such as Arcane, Aberrant, or Abyssal? Asking for both a character I am making that might make sense for the backstory, and for a guy who is planning on getting it for the STR bonuses.
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Hello all!
Question:What feats may a Sohei take as a bonus feat, and does he need to meet the prerequisites for said feats?
I saw this question asked a few times, but I haven't been able to find an answer, official or otherwise. It doesn't seem to specify that you can still take the traditional monk bonus feats, or that you don't need to meet the prerequisites for the mounted combat feats, or what mounted combat feats are. I would assume any feat that Mounted Combat is a prerequisite for could cover the last bit, but that doesn't answer the first 2. Any thoughts? FAQ candidate maybe?
I believe I have discovered a way to charge any time you need to move. All it requires is a dip in wizard and a 2-feat investment. The trick is to dip into
Shift (Su): At 1st level, you can teleport to a nearby space as a swift action as if using dimension door. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You must be able to see the space that you are moving into. You cannot take other creatures with you when you use this ability (except for familiars). You can move 5 feet for every two wizard levels you possess (minimum 5 feet). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
and the feats Dimensional Agility [mostly a tax feat, also allows you to take actions after the shift power is used], and
Benefit: As a full-round action, you use abundant step or cast dimension door as a special charge. Doing so allows you to teleport up to double your current speed (up to the maximum distance allowed by the spell or ability) and to make the attack normally allowed on a charge.
So, for my question:
If I have the Shift power, or a similar equivalency, that allows me to use dimension door to travel less than 10 feet and Dimensional Assault, can I use said power to charge from 5 feet away?
I presume RAI is no, and realize that it is suboptimal to sacrifice a level of x martial and to give up full attack to get an ability that lets me get a +2 attack for -2AC a few times a day, but I can't help but think that RAW is yes.
Trying to make an aasimar oracle for my next low-level PFS character (I always try to have one, and my last one is involved in shenanigans that lets it start at level 7) focused on blasting. Figuring Emberkin heritage with blackened curse and flame mystery (for flavor), who is a pyromancer-type character. Any advice as to good feats/archetypes/traits(I'd like to get the race trait pyromancer, but thats easily negotiable)/revelations?
I was wondering, how should one calculate the DC for an Azata-Blooded Aasimar's, or Musetouched's, racial Glitterdust Spell-Like Ability? It doesn't list a stat to tie it to.
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Hello All.
I have a question regarding the duration of Steady Aim, the Musket Master archetype's replacement for Gunslinger's Dodge.
Steady Aim wrote:
Steady Aim (Ex): At 1st level, as long as a musket master has at least 1 grit point, she can take a move-equivalent action to increase the accuracy of a two-handed firearm. When she does, she increases the range increment of the firearm she is firing by 10 feet. This stacks with other abilities that increase her range increment. This deed replaces the gunslinger's dodge deed.
It seems to not list one. Am I missing something? How do people think it should be ruled?
Class Features
Grit Pool (2pts)
Steady Aim
Quick Clear
Deadeye
Not sure how feats for this guy should progress though. I don't play archers often, and this is about the first gunslinger, so I'm not sure what I'd need. I know I want Clustered Shots, Deadly Aim, and Rapid Shot, but are there any other really good feats to take for a Musket Master? Any other advice? Thanks in advance.
