Michael Haneline's page

If I cast a spell on an invalid target (for example, Charm Person on someone who looks human but is actually undead or an outsider) do I know that the spell failed to target them because they're an invalid target, or do I just know that it failed in the same way that I automatically know if they made their saving throw?

For example, I cast Charm Person twice: once on a vampire who has successfully disguised herself as a human, and once on her human lackey, who succeeds on his saving throw. Is the "failure feedback" different between the two?

For the purpose of a Quickchange Cloak, is armor considered part of a mundane disguise? Like if one of the owner's disguises is a simple unarmored pigfarmer and another disguise is a knight in fullplate, can both those disguises be stored in the cloak, allowing the owner to effectively equip or remove full plate armor as a standard action?

I'm surprised no one has ever asked this before (and that I never thought of it before), but how does Disguise Self interact with Continual Flame?
My character is a warpriest of a fire god and currently has continual flame cast (multiple times) on her armor, cloak, weapon, and her holy symbol. I was looking over magic items today, and began to wonder about what would happen if she had a hat of disguise, or any other item that basically casts disguise self on her. Can disguise self hide the continual flame? If she tried to use the magic to disguise herself as a simple peasant woman instead of her "true" form as a scary fire knight, would she look like a peasant woman who was on fire? If the fire is hidden, is the light also hidden?

So, I'm running a Star Trek style campaign, and thus the starship the players will be playing on will require quite a few BP to capture that Enterprise feel. More than the level of 4 that the PCs are starting at are supposed to "have".

Any tips for adjustments to make to the game when the starship the players are playing on is a "higher level" than the PCs?

So, as GM, I think it is really silly that the Skill Focus feat does not stack with the class features that give a scaling bonus to a skill, since they are all insight bonuses. A star shaman mystic that takes skill focus Pilot is effectively punished by having a class feature that does nothing until level 11... at which they have feat which does nothing instead, and this same problem applies to many other classes.

So I'm thinking of either changing the scaling skill bonuses from class abilities to untyped or changing the bonus from the Skill Focus feat to untyped. Which do you think would be a more balanced change? I'm leaning toward the class features being untyped?

So, to get us in the mindset for Starfinder, my group watched the 1980 Flash Gordon movie.

Now one of my players wants to basically play Prince Vultan (who can blame him?)

I was curious, how would you guys stat out a hawkperson race for Starfinder?

In one of the scenarios I played, one of the treasures that you are granted access to is a non magical high tech item (though it functions like a magic item) that goes into the cybertech body slot. Are familiars allowed to use this item in PFS?

(I hope I am vague enough to not break the spoilers rules while being specific enough to get a useful answer.)

So, I made a chart of the approximate average price of each level of item in starfinder using both weapons and armor as reference. When I plotted them on a graph, they formed a very clear curve. However, I cannot figure out the equation behind it, and though I used to know how to find that using statistical analysis software in college, I have since forgotten.

What equation to the following prices seem to be following?
1: 250
2: 600
3: 1300
4: 2300
5: 3000
6: 4300
7: 6500
8: 9000
9: 13000
10: 17000
11: 25000
12: 35000
13: 45000
14: 75000
15: 110000
16: 165000
17: 245000
18: 390000
19: 550000
20: 810000

So, my players have expressed an interest in a Starfinder campaign that has a 1930's/40's "Raygun Gothic" feel to it.

I've been trying to think of ways to infuse that aesthetic into a starfinder game.
So far I've got
-using 1940's sci-fi art to depict different ships and stuff
-referring to lasers as "rayguns"
-giving all human male NPCs three syllable names with a scifi element to them (Zap Branson, Kent Proton, Blast Bulkhead, Zeus Warpdrive, etc.)
-putting a -9000 after every android's name.
-probably tweaking how space works a bit? Like if you just hold your breath in space, you're probably fine for a few rounds.

Any other ideas?

So, yesterday, I played a scenario, and at the end, the GM crossed out every magic item on the chronicle sheet. When one of the players asked why, he said because we didn't identify any of the items we found. I didn't inquire further into the matter because 1. I didn't even want any of those items and 2.I was in a hurry to get to another game in another city later that day.

However, today I'm thinking about it, and I'm looking for the rule on this, and I can't find it? I've GMed about 15 PFS games so far, and I've never crossed out items on the CS if they weren't identified. Am I supposed to?

So, I'm looking forward to more Starfinder books (particularly any that might have more magic or gear in them). Is there a particular place to watch where Paizo would announced future planned releases? (Like, "look for Starfinder's Magic Database in January 2018!" or something like that?)

Just confirming, when the next additional resources update goes live, ioun stones that USED to have a listed resonance in Seekers of Secrets but are NOT mentioned in Adventurer's Guide (such as the Onyx Rhomboid, Opalescent White Pyramid, etc) will no longer have a Wayfinder resonance power in PFS at all?

So, say a magus attacks a shaken enemy with spellstrike through a cruel weapon, and the spell being channeled into the strike requires a saving throw. Hitting a shaken enemy with a cruel weapon automatically makes it sickened, which applies a -2 penalty to saving throws. Would the enemy have that sickened penalty on the save he needs to make against the spell being delivered from that same attack?

(More specific example: I am playing a myrmidarch magus with an evolved mauler familiar. On my turn, my familiar successfully demoralizes an enemy, rendering it shaken. I then do a ranged spellstrike with my +1 cruel bow, channeling snowball. I hit, so the enemy is both shaken and sickened. The enemy also needs to make a fortitude save against snowball or be staggered. Does he only take the -2 penalty to the save from shaken, or does he have a -4 to the save from both shaken and sickened?)

So, I'm making a particularly large human character, and I notice that maximum for human height/weight as rolled is 6'6" and 220 lbs. Does that mean that is the very tallest and heaviest you can make a human in PFS? I've known a couple people from my fencing days that were taller than 6'6", and I think probably 20% of my male friends weigh more than 220. Heck, I used to weigh more than 220.

You normally have to buy nonmagical arrows in lots of 20 and magical arrows in lots of 50, presumably because that is how they are listed in the books.
Multiple adventures chronicles have a reward along the lines of "you are gifted a single item worth up to xxxx gp by Joe Smoe, Lord of the Smoes"

So, my question is, if it said you could gain a single item worth up to 8500 gp, could you use that to gain a bundle of 50 +1 shock arrows? Could you use it to claim a single +5 heart-piercing arrow?

I was trying to think of a masterwork tool that would be useful for my character trained in Profession (Soldier). Specifically for making money with the skill between adventures.

Anyone have any suggestions for that masterwork tool? Every tool I think of that a soldier would use seems to apply more specifically to something else.

Warpriests of a Restoration deity can learn Ameliorating Touch:

At 1st level, your touch is a balm to your suffering allies. You can touch an ally as a swift action to temporarily relieve that ally of the fatigued, shaken, or sickened condition. This blessing suppresses those conditions for 1 minute. At 2nd level, you can spend two uses of your blessing ability whenever you heal yourself or an ally with your fervor class ability to use this minor blessing as a free action instead of a swift action.

If the warpriest used this ability on a fatigued barbarian, would it allow them to rage? It says it suppresses the fatigued condition, but it doesn't remove it.

So, my PFS character recently finished an adventure where one of the rewards is being able to claim a single nonmagical item worth up to 400 gp for "free". My character already has magical weapons and armor, so masterwork weapons and armor aren't great investments. I was curious what other items give the most bang for that buck. Either items that are useful for almost any character, or more specifically for a warpriest.

I know that ( other than alchemy) you may not craft in PFS. However, if your character is trained in the craft skill, are you allowed to claim -for purely flavor reasons- that your character crafted their own weapon (that they paid full price for and followed all fame restrictions on). Or would that be a violation of the no reskinning rule or something?

I noticed that there are two completely different armor enhancements named "Balanced", one from Ultimate Equipment in 2012, and one from Armor Master's Handbook in 2016.

The one from Ultimate Equipment gives a bonus to CMD and acrobatics checks. The one from Armor Master's Handbook lets you move your armor's enhancement bonus to AC to a single saving throw as an immediate action.

Both sources are PFS legal. Does this mean you can have a +1 Balanced Balanced Breastplate? Or is only the one from AMH considered legal as it is the most recent book and is therefore considered an "update" of the one in UE?

I searched and found similar threads on this, but none explicitly answered what I was looking for.

So, say I'm an Eldritch Scion magus, but I started with 1 level in Bloodrager for the rage and the boosts to speed, hp, and fortitude. I've also taken Mad Magic so that I can cast spells while raging.

I know that Bloodrage and Mystic Focus don't stack, but am I allowed to have both up at the same time, or does Mystic Focus count as a "rage" for the purpose of not being allowed multiple rages at the same time?
If I DON'T enter Mystic Focus while raging, am I allowed to use my magus level in place of my bloodrager level to determine what bloodline benefits I get while bloodraging, since Eldritch Scion says "An eldritch scion’s effective bloodrager level for his bloodline abilities is equal to his eldritch scion level" and doesn't specify that that only applies to mystic focus?

It is normally supposed to be up to GM discretion how many free actions someone can take in a round, but I know that PFS likes to reduce table variance.
So I was curious if a ruling had been posted anywhere, and I'd just missed it in my searching.

One thing I've noticed is that PFS characters can rack up a lot of situational bonuses. You can already get a few from race and class and such, but then on top of that a lot of boons and chronicle rewards give you things like "+1 on saves against creatures with the evil or lawful subtype" or "+2 on attack rolls if the target ate a sandwich sometime this week."

When making a roll that can have situational modifiers, what is the fastest/best way to see if any apply? I have one character with like 7 different situational modifiers to fortitude saves and I wouldn't b surprised if he acquired more as he adventures, and it seems like it really slows things down when every time I'm asked to make a saving throw, I have to ask "is it a poison? Is it a disease? Is it a necromancy spell? Is it a spell or spell-like ability of any kind? How about a death effect? Did it originate from an evil creature? A lawful creature? A devil?"

My wife made her first Pathfinder Society character recently, and she's playing an archer (her favorite type of character in fantasy RPGs). I know she likes magic arrows, and so I'd like to GM some modules that give access to various magic arrows (+1 shock, etc) in small quantities, and/or to wands of flame arrow or keen edge with 25 charges or fewer.

Of the mods I've played so far, I know that Twisted Circle gives access to three seeking arrows and one cold iron fey bane arrow, and that Citadel of Flame gives access to four holy arrows, but that's it.

If you know of any others, please let me know :)

The Pool Ray Magus Arcana does the following:

"Benefit(s) The magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a standard action to infuse a ranged weapon with elemental power. As a free action while making an attack roll with the infused ranged weapon, after the attack roll has been made but before the results are revealed by the GM, the magus can release the charge and cause his attack to deal 1d6 points of energy damage (acid, cold, electricity, or fire, chosen when he spends the arcane pool point to activate this ability). If he misses with this attack, the charge is lost and the effect is wasted. If the magus has the ranged spellstrike class feature (such as through the myrmidarch archetype), he can use this ability with ranged spellstrike to treat it as its own ranged touch attack. At 6th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the amount of damage dealt by this attack increases by 1d6."

The part I'm confused about is:

"If the magus has the ranged spellstrike class feature (such as through the myrmidarch archetype), he can use this ability with ranged spellstrike to treat it as its own ranged touch attack."

What does that mean, exactly? Someone explain how that plays out mechanically to me like I'm a child, please.

I've been trying to build a mounted archer, and have been debating between a build where I ride a mauler familiar and a build where I ride an animal companion.

One of the things that sticks out to me is that even animal companions with int of 3+ are not considered sentient and must be taught tricks and require animal companion checks. But it doesn't really seem like that would effect an animal used as a mount too much? I mean, you make sure it has combat training purpose so it doesn't panic in battle and it seems like you're good?

Obviously, familiars don't learn tricks, you just tell them what you need them to do and they'll probably do it.

So, my question is, do you think there is a significant advantage to a sentient mount over an "animal" one?

So, I noticed in the Society Roleplaying Guild Guide that it uses the word "cost" instead of "value" regarding the fame limit of what magic items one can buy.

Does this mean that if we are able to pay less for an item, that we also need less fame?

For example, say I have 20 fame, so my fame limits me to 8000 gp items. There is an item I want that normally costs 8100 gp, but I'm able to purchase it for 7290 because I have Master of Trade. Am I legally allowed to purchase it?

I just stumbled across the spell "blood rage". I had some questions about the spell, and I'm not sure if they've been answered before because most searches about it return results regarding the bloodrager.

The spell says the following:
"The targets of this spell become angrier as they fight, the pain of their wounds fueling their strength. An affected creature gains a cumulative +2 morale bonus to Strength and a cumulative -1 penalty to AC for every 5 points of damage it takes (maximum +10 Strength, -5 AC) for the duration of the spell. These bonuses last until the spell expires or the target falls unconscious."

Does the damage damage have to be taken all at once, or separately. Would being healed reduce the bonus?

For example, say I am a level 7 warpriest. I cast this spell on myself, then take a single hit for 25 damage later in the round. On my next turn, I spend a point of fervor and heal 10 hp. Is Blood Rage granting me a +10 morale bonus to strength, or was it reduced to +6 because I healed?

If he uses a viscous weapon, and deals 4 damage to himself in round one from using it and 6 damage to himself in round from using it, does he get a +4 morale bonus to strength?

So, recently I played my warpriest that had just learned the Fang and Thunder style, and showed my character art to the table at the start of the game: Warpriest Art

This apparently caused some contention and lead to a conversation something like this:
GM: "I thought your character uses a klar"
Me: "A steel klar, yes."
GM: "That's not what a klar looks like. A klar is a big lizard skull with a blade stuck in it."
Me: "Well, it says that 'Recently the armorers of southern Varisia
have started crafting these bladed shields from steel' instead of from skulls, so like, do even the steel ones have to look like skulls, instead of just a small shield with blades on it?"
GM: "Yes"
Me: "Ok, well, it's just fluff man, I'm not changing the mechanical stats. That just how HER klar looks."
GM: "That's against the rules. PFS has a very strict no reskinning rule, and you're breaking it right now."
Me: "Ok, whatever."
GM: "I just want everyone to know that not what your character's shield really looks like."

Is this a typical PFS judge reaction to this? Are all those Varisian armor makers taking the time to make steel klars look like skulls instead of just crafting them close enough to function the same? Should I be expecting this response regularly to my "inaccurate" character art? Have any of the sources that the klar is printed in gone into more detail about what steel klars look like?

I had noticed in a couple other PFS threads that people mentioned some sort of nerf to the clear spindle ioun stone? I didn't want to derail those threads, but searching I can't find any mention of recent changes?

Is there something I'm missing? Is this a PFS-specific thing?

So, according to the recent blog post here: http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ljwv?A-Few-More-Answers

Animal Companions and Familiar can only wear magic armor (barding), if they use the Extra Item Slot (armor) feat. They can still wear nonmagical armor if they are they are one of the listed types that can wear armor without the feat. This is a PFS specific rule that differs from how it works in other Pathfinder games.

My question is if it is legal in PFS to cast Magic Vestment or similar spells on armor worn by an animal companion or familiar that does not have Extra Item Slot (armor).

Mauler familiars get the following ability:

Battle Form (Su)

At 3rd level, a mauler gains the ability to transform into a larger, more ferocious form and back at will. In battle form, the mauler’s size becomes Medium and the mauler gains a +2 bonus to Strength (this stacks with the normal Strength adjustments for increasing in size).

I was planning on having this for one of my characters and buying it Fitting armor for it. But now it sounds like Fitting might get banned in PFS because of the recent FAQ ruling.

I saw some threads arguing that Battle Form is a polymorph effect, and so any armor that familiar wears changes size when he does. Yet that description does not say anything about it being a polymorph effect. Was there some clarification somewhere that I missed? If not, is there some other reason armor it wears would change size when it does? Or would it need fitting armor? (And if it is not wearing fitting armor, and is just wearing tiny armor, would the armor be destroyed or something when it grew?)

Also, yes, I'm aware the familiar would need to use its one feat to "unlock" its armor slot.

So, I came across the Kinbonded Bow yesterday, and thought it might be a nice purchase for my low-level PFS archer until she is high enough level to qualify for improved precise shot. Then I realized the description says it is a +1 longbow. Not a +1 composite longbow. So no strength to damage, so basically worthless. THEN it occurred to me that the problem would apply even to named composite longbows, because their strength rating will almost always not be the same as mine. If you buy a named bow in Pathfinder Society, can you buy it at a different strength rating, or is it "locked"? Also, can a named longbow be purchased as a named composite longbow?
Knowing PFS, I'm assuming it is locked and "no" to the second question, but I figured I'd ask in case there was some ruling I missed somewhere.

So a fighter that choose Item Mastery as his Advanced Weapon Training gets the following:

Item Mastery: The fighter gains an item mastery feat as a bonus feat, which functions with any magic weapon he wields, even if the magic weapon does not meet the feat’s normal requirements. He must meet all of the feat’s prerequisites.

One of the Item Mastery feats is Weapon Evoker Mastery, which states:

Benefit(s): As a swift action while wielding a magic weapon with a weapon special ability that deals extra acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic damage on a hit, you deal an additional 1d4 points of damage of the same type with each hit you make with that weapon for 1 round.

Now, the Advanced Weapon Training allows you to ignore the type of magic item requires, so as long as you have a +1 weapon that is in your weapon training category, you are supposed to be able to use the Item Mastery feat you pick for it.

So if I have a vanilla +1 weapon and used Weapon Evoker Mastery with it, can I just choose to do acid, cold, fire, etc. damage each time I activate it?

I couldn't find anything definitive in the rules...
I was curious if there was a set way for handling familiar initiative and giving orders to your familiar in PFS, or if it is something to expect table variation on?

If a Fighter with the mutation warrior archetype multiclasses into Brawler with the mutagenic mauler archetype, are the levels in the two classes added together for determining effective alchemist level for the mutagen? Or are they separate abilities?

Mutation Warrior gets the following:
At 3rd level, a mutation warrior discovers how to create a mutagen that he can imbibe in order to heighten his physical prowess at the cost of his personality. This ability functions as the alchemist’s mutagen ability, using his fighter level as his alchemist level.

Mutagenic Mauler gets the following:
At 1st level, a mutagenic mauler discovers how to create a mutagen that she can imbibe in order to heighten her physical prowess, though at the cost of her personality. This functions as an alchemist’s mutagen and uses the brawler’s class level as her alchemist level for this ability (alchemist levels stack with brawler levels for determining the effect of this ability). A mutagenic mauler counts as an alchemist for the purpose of imbibing a mutagen prepared by someone else.

If I have both an animal companion and a bloodline familiar, and the animal companion is selected as my "active pet" role while the familiar is selected as my "familiar" and "mount" roles, are any of the following bloodline familiar's abilities legal for use?

Aberrant—Squeezer (Ex): The familiar gains the compression ability, allowing it to move through an area as small as one-quarter its space without squeezing or one-eighth its space when squeezing.

Arcane—Spell Catalyst (Su): Spells you cast that target your familiar are treated as having a caster level 2 levels higher than your actual caster level.

Celestial—Heavenly Touch (Su): A number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modif ier, your familiar can grant fast healing 1 to an allied creature it’s touching. This effect lasts a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modif ier (minimum 1) or until the familiar stops touching the creature, whichever comes first. At 10th level, the familiar grants fast healing 2 instead. At 20th level, the familiar grants fast healing 3 instead.

Draconic—Dragon’s Flight (Ex): The familiar can sprout draconic wings, granting it a fly speed of 30 feet with average maneuverability for a number of minutes per day equal to 1/2 your caster level (minimum 1). These minutes need not be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-minute increments. At 10th level, the familiar’s fly speed increases to 60 feet with good maneuverability. At 20th level, the familiar’s fly speed increases to 90 feet.

Infernal—Hellish Aura (Su): Animals don’t willingly approach the familiar unless the animal’s master succeeds at a DC 15 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check. This DC increases to 20 at 10th level, and to 25 at 20th level. Animal companions, familiars and mounts are immune to this effect.

Undead—Unliving Physiology (Su): The familiar is alive, but is treated as undead for all effects that affect undead differently from living creatures, such as cure spells and channeled energy.

The FAQ says the following:
At the beginning of each adventure, you may select one companion creature to be your active pet. This creature may be a class-granted creature, such as an animal companion, familiar, eidolon, or phantom, or it may be a creature that you purchase, such as a combat-trained bison. This creature may participate fully in combat, skill checks, and other challenges in the scenario. In addition to the active pet, you may bring up to two additional creatures. The first is a mount or beast of burden, such as a horse or mule, which may only take move actions. The second is a familiar or mundane pet that does not participate in combat or other challenges. Such familiars grant their basic special ability, such as a bat's +3 bonus on Fly checks, the Alertness feat, and access a witch's spells. They do not grant other bonuses, such as a wysp's resonance ability (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 5 282).

(Before anyone complains, yes I did search for and read the many other similar threads on this topic. None of them quite answered my questions or answered them 5+ years ago when the rules appeared to be different.)

I'm new-ish to PFS: I've only been playing a couple months. On two occasions I've had to play at a table that I did not have a high enough level character for. Both times, I said that I wanted to apply the credit to a new first level character.

The current rule states:
"Applying Credit: You may apply credit for an adventure once your Roleplaying Guild character reaches the level of the pregenerated character used to play through it. For example, if you played a 7th-level pregenerated character, you would apply the credit once your character reaches 7th level. To apply credit, follow the steps below.
• Apply the credit for any eligible adventures in the order
in which they were played.
• If you apply credit for multiple adventures at once, your
Roleplaying Guild character might advance multiple
levels. The character’s level cannot exceed the Tier
range of any Chronicle sheets applied to her.
• You can apply credit to a newly created, 1st-level
Roleplaying Guild character from a higher-level
sanctioned module or Adventure Path. When doing so,
reduce the gp reward to 500 gp if the adventure grants
1 XP or 1,398 gp if it grants 3 XP. You do not benefit
from any boons until your Roleplaying Guild character
reaches the minimum level listed on the Chronicle
sheet, unless otherwise noted."

My questions are:
1) Is there some official notation the GM is supposed to make on the chronicle sheet about how it is being applied, particularly in regards to applying a higher level chronicle to a new 1st level character?

2) What exactly does the "newly created" part of "a newly created, 1st-level character" mean? Can these chronicles sheets only be applied to a character that hasn't played any scenarios yet? (Ie, it must be Scenario Chronicle #1 for that character?) Or can it be applied to a level 1 character that has already played a scenario or two?

3) Is there a limit to how many pregen chronicles can be applied to a newly created character? Can it only be one chronicle (because it wouldn't be "new character" after that)? Can it only be 3 xp worth (because it wouldn't be a 1st level character after that?) Or can you apply as many as you want, possibly starting a new character at 3rd level or higher due to pregen credit?

4) Can you apply pregen credit from a Special to a new character? There was some confusion about that when I played a special with a pregen, because the rule says "from a higher-level sanctioned module or Adventure Path", and a special supposed is none of these?

5) Are you only allowed to play a pregen if you don't have a character of the appropriate level? I had one guy swearing up and down that you weren't allowed to play pregens unless you didn't have a high enough level character. I couldn't find this rule written anywhere? Anyone know what he may have been talking about?

6)If you play the first chronicle in a multi-part scenario with a pregen, and you wish to later play the other part(s) (for example Champion's Chalice Part 1 and Champion's Chalice Part 2), do the later parts have to be played with the same pregen? A different pregen? The character that the pregen's credit was applied to? Etc.

Thank you in advance for answering my fiddly niggling questions.

Are multiples of the same ioun stone usable at the same time by the same person if they are "keyed" to different things?
For example, can I simultaneously benefit from both an Opalescent White Pyramid keyed to Bastard Swords and another Opalescent White Pyramid keyed to Whips to gain proficiency in both of them at the same time?
Or two mossy disks, each granting a bonus to a different Knowledge skill?
etc.
At first I thought the "same source" rule might kaibosh this, but it appears to be different in Pathfinder than it was in 3.5. The only Pathfinder rule I can find on the matter says:
"Bonuses without a type always stack, unless they are from the same source." (Core pg 208)
These aren't stacking bonuses, the bonuses are applied to different things... right?
Is my understanding correct here?

"At 1st level, your touch is a balm to your suffering allies. You can touch an ally as a swift action to temporarily relieve that ally of the fatigued, shaken, or sickened condition. This blessing suppresses those conditions for 1 minute. At 2nd level, you can spend two uses of your blessing ability whenever you heal yourself or an ally with your fervor class ability to use this minor blessing as a free action instead of a swift action."

So, the 2nd level part of this ability mentions using it on yourself as part of the action of healing yourself with fervor, so it can at least be used on oneself that way.

But the 1st level part only mentions allies. Does that mean it can't be used on yourself unless you do it as part of your fervor?

I had an idea for a gnome arcane archer that rides her hare familiar thanks to the Mauler familiar archetype (which turns it into a medium-sized magical beast at 3rd level)

Doing some research, I'm not entirely sure on how the mounted combat rules apply to a familiar as a mount? Normally I don't need to make handle animal checks to tell a familiar what to do, so what checks do I need to make to ride a familiar, especially in combat? Handle animal seems to suggest that it can't even be used on magical beasts without the Unchained skill unlock.

Please answer with RAW only, as this is intended to be a PFS character and thus cannot benefits from GM's being "reasonable" or using "common sense."

A 7th level bloodrager with the Id Rager archetype with Jealousy as their focus gets the following ability as if they were both the spiritualist and the phantom:

"Resentful Aura (Su): When the spiritualist reaches 7th level, as a swift action, the phantom can emit a 20-foot-radius aura that forces enemies within the aura who make an attack or cast a spell that does not include the phantom in its effect to succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the phantom’s Hit Dice + the phantom’s Charisma modifier) or become staggered until the end of the enemy’s next turn. Ending the aura is a free action. The phantom can use this ability in either ectoplasmic or incorporeal form."

Does this ability work for the Id Rager by RAW? I ask because of that last line: "The phantom can use this ability in either ectoplasmic or incorporeal form." The Id Rager has neither of those forms, so does that mean he can't use the ability? I'm