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Let's assume that we have a champion player character who wields a flaming sword. The champion has a riding drake animal companion which has the support feature that reads as follows:

>Your drake snorts fire in your foes' faces. Until the start of your next turn, each time you Strike while riding the drake and hit a creature in the drake's reach, the creature takes 1d4 fire damage from the drake.

The champion enters combat with a troll (or any other creature with fire vulnerability). On his turn, he commands his drake to move and support, and then he attacks with his flaming sword. His attack succeeds. Does the troll's vulnerability to fire trigger twice -- once when the flaming sword strikes and again when the drake provides its support fire damage? Or only once as part of a whole attack resolution?

I'm running 2E's Kingmaker for a party of evil characters using the full hexploration rules as well.

One player character, a witch with a raven familiar, wants to use the raven to reconnoiter a hex to obtain knowledge of the standard features that a party would uncover if they spent the time to reconnoiter themselves. This also leads to the possibility of him making the raven skilled and able to use that skill to uncover a hidden or secret landmark that would require use of that skill to detect it.

I'm inclined toward allowing *something* like this, though not necessarily via the familiar. Maybe some spells could manufacture an appropriate capability. In all, the concept is very much like Sarumon using crebain to seek out Frodo and scout an area for him while he tended to other affairs. Given the Kingdom element to this, maybe a PC should be able to simulate something like it as they do their kingly duties.

This leads to another question of, if not the familiar, what? Can some scrying spells be capable of hexploration and info-gathering? It feels like magical hexploration could be an appropriate downtime activity that presents an opportunity cost, but also provides for hexploration at greatly reduced risk. Quite wizardly or witchery, if you will.

There is the possibility that important features are overlooked and missed through this method, however, since it's just one individual scouting through the use of magic or surrogates like a familiar.

Have any of you handled things like this before? What suggestions or ideas might you have?

I'm trying to understand what's out there (or will be) with materials specifically lining up for PF2E before I'm able to start a longer campaign next year. I'm not familiar with the breadth of 3pp options these days but someone mentioned Kobold Press maybe doing Midgard stuff for PF2E. Maybe that's inevitable? I don't really know. What sort of settings should I be investigating or keeping an eye on?

It's mentioned several times that spells can be retrained, such as when swapping a signature spell to another or swapping a spell in your repertoire more generally.

What I can't find is mention of how long retraining a spell takes or what's required. Feats, Skills and Class Features have at least a little blurb explaining the process, but spells are entirely absent unless I'm missing something. For example, does a cantrip take as long as a 3rd or 10th level spell to retrain?

In PF1, it was the case that the party level might be considered higher or lower according to the party's total wealth. However, it seems that PF2 might prefer a different approach based on how it suggests adjusting encounters for disparate party member levels (pg 508).

For example, if a 1st level party begins with 300 gp total wealth (in addition to starting assets), should they be treated as 2nd level? As 3rd? Or should party size instead be considered as having some number of extra members and encounters continue to be designed for level 1 characters?

What's the right approach for this?

Should the dying condition for PCs or NPCs be secret until others make a Recall Knowledge check or use some form of magic that informs them? Or is it expected that a character's dying condition is obvious enough to others, even if not the exact numeric state? Should recovery rolls be made semi-secret (between the GM and PC in question)?

How about for the wounded condition? Can PCs look at another character and simply recognize that someone has the wounded condition, even if they don't know whether it's wounded 1 or 2 or whatever?

If taken literally, a standard wolf or dog can't grapple, a Nightmare can't use its hooves to shove, and an animated broom can't trip a target.

Intentional?

Spirit Link has a range of 30 feet, but there doesn't appear to be any limit to the link's range after established.

Am I missing something and the caster and target have to remain within 30 feet for the link to have an effect during any round? For example, can the caster or target travel to another plane or teleport some vast distance away and still maintain the link?

There seems to be scant info about this upcoming adventure. Too scant! Has there been any preview or teaser, maybe something coming out of one of the 'cons? Has a monster preview slipped out or a hint about cool feats or mechanics that players might encounter?

Other than it being the firstest and bestest stand-alone adventure for 2E, what's its draw for GMs and players alike?

Creatures with the Nightmare Template gain the Night Terrors ability.

Night Terrors requires the victim to first be affected by the templated creature's Dream or Nightmare spell, both of which have the mind-affecting and phantasm descriptors. (Nightmare also has "evil.")

However, Night Terrors provides no descriptors. Is this correct? Does it inherit the descriptors from the related spell used to activate it? Is it actually somehow not mind-affecting or phantasmal? What's the right way to rule on this?

Dreamlands visitors

How do these spells or abilities affect a target already in the Dreamlands? (i.e., is lucidly "dreaming" via an occult ritual or directly traveling to the dimension.) What does the target experience in these cases? Can a Dreamlands creature cast Nightmare on another creature in the Dreamlands? What happens?

Razmir has only dominated the land over a handful of decades, so I'm presuming the earlier culture and styles remain largely dominant.

What historical region might Razmiran be similar too in terms of culture, decorative elements, clothing and so on? I'm particularly interested in what style of music might be prevalent, but also what might now be emerging due to the Razmiran faith and cult. Any suggestions or concepts?

We've been told that PF2 will include a downtime system as part of the core rules, but we've heard next to nothing about how it would function, how crafting and character wealth has been re-balanced inside the new rules, or how the basic economies of settlements and adventuring will operate mechanically in 2E.

Is no one else curious about this sort of stuff? It seems like no one is pondering on any of it.

If a medium suffers a caster level penalty from taking too much influence with a champion spirit and has her caster level reduced to the minimum of 0, can she still cast knacks? Or at least knacks that don't have some sort of variable dependent on caster level such as duration? (e.g., daze, mage hand, sift)

What's the future of the digital ACG look like? It sorely needs a new AP and additional characters in general. The goblin stuff just isn't cutting it.

Immunity to fear grants immunity to a haunt's direct effects. For those who employed Horror Adventure fear rules in this AP, how did you
handle haunts when it came to the question of things like Paladin immunity to fear, Protection from Evil (where applicable) and Remove Fear spells? (I'm referring to games where there are no stark immunities as typical, for example.)

Did you grant bonuses or some other boon to those players vs. the haunts' effects? Did you ignore those wards entirely and just played the haunts straight? What worked well and what would you have done different in handling the Strange Aeons haunts?

PF2's goblins are the newest incarnation of Drizzt Do'Urdens at the table. You know what I'm talking about here.

It's not so much that goblins-as-core may give license to gray-area players, which is a minor but real consideration. It's that Paizo is ruining the lore and core appeal that made Pathfinder goblins attractive to players in the first place. And just like stupid drow, they did it to tap into some "mass marketing" appeal of them as a playable race.

Seems like a bad idea that Paizo, for some reason, positively adores.

It also sounds as if the later levels (17+ish) are meant to be "legendary" adventuring of a sort that mirrors mythic play in 1E. Is that the general idea? Have mythic concepts been integrated into the core progression to any degree?

I really hope APs run the full level range by default. They've really brought on that possibility with the new edition by having better balanced play into the later level range.

The spell states that the caster's hand "seethes with eerie dark fire," but the text doesn't state a damage type. I'm presuming the damage is untyped and not subject to reduction by elemental/fire resistance.

The Aquatic Adventures supplement states:

"If a PC fails her check by 5 or more while underwater (or doesn't spend any actions to swim, thus not even attempting the check), she sinks or rises based on buoyancy."

If I understand this right, any time a character forgoes making a swim check to full attack, he or she will sink at the end of the round. This DOES provoke attacks of opportunity.

Simultaneously, aquatic/water creatures can control buoyancy, and therefore can make full attacks without a swim check, avoiding the sink + AOO scenario.

Is this correct?

Start with a normal neutral-evil human character. He gains the half-fiend template and is now a NE outsider (native). Later, he is transformed into an undead with the augmented subtype such as a vampire or mummy, presumably leading to a type of undead (augmented outsider, native).

How does the Holy Smite spell affect this character? Does he take 10d6 from it as an evil outsider? Or 5d8 as an evil character irrespective of anything else?

How does a Bane (outsiders (native)) weapon affect him? Or a ranger with favored enemy of the same flavor?

When a marshal uses the Lend Power path ability to grant his surge to a mythic ally, can that ally use their own surge ability on the same check?

In the player's guide, is there a reason that the alignment, level and class information is listed about important NPCs? It's made clear that PCs get to know these individuals, but it still seems like information that shouldn't be explicit.

When a marshal uses the Lend Power path ability to grant his surge ability to a mythic ally, can that ally use their own surge ability on the same check?

Does the feat Disciple of the Sword qualify the character for the Mythic Weapon Specialization feat?

If not directly, does a character that later gets Greater Weapon Specialization qualify for the regular Mythic WS feat?

Seems like it should, but with RAW neither case is apparent.

The necromancer in my campaign came to the table with this recently, and it seems more than a little overcooked.

11 construction points, huge necrocraft.

Extra Attack (Ex, 1 CP): (x3 bite)
Bone Armor (Ex, 1 CP): (x3)
Extra Strength (Ex, 1 CP): (x3)
Faster (Ex, 1 CP): (base)
Additional Movement (Ex, 1 CP): (Burrow)

3 Bite attacks +18 atk, 2d6+13 damage
2 claws +18 atk, 1d8+13 damage

AC 21, 10 HD, 75 HP

STR 35, DEX 5, CON -, INT -, WIS 10, CHA 13

The necromancer is Wizard 5/Agent of the Grave 3, has a Varisian tattoo giving +1 CL and I undoubtedly has something else granting +1 CL to reach the requirement for creating a huge necrocraft.

If I'm not mistaken, however, the resulting creature should be limited to 4 construction points unless somehow given flaws to "buy" more.(I'm basing this off my admittedly limited knowledge of how construct/animated objects are manufactured.)

With 11 CP, it becomes a CR 11 creature. All this seem legit? What should this thing cost to create? Just the base 50/HD?

While intelligent undead have their problems with heroes looking to destroy them, what options do they have to protect against evil foes, such as clerics or necromancers, who mean to command and control them?

Spells used against them for this purpose are necromantic, and therefore aren't as easily defended against the way compulsion spells are for the living. (e.g., Protection from Good/Evil)

If I'm not mistaken, Death Ward doesn't help and is probably out of reach for many intelligent undead anyhow. Items that boost Will saves can increase their odds, but even that seems like a tepid ward. There must be some other options for them to fall back upon.

The animate dead spell has no mention of a soul being used for the purposes of the spell, however, when animating a zombie or skeleton within Golarion, a sliver or shard of the creature's soul is still utilized. I'm basing this on things mentioned by James Jacobs such as THIS and THIS.

As the merged body/soul of outsiders are unrecoverable when slain, is it still possible to animate their body? Is it also impossible to use the more powerful create undead spells on them? Are there official examples of villains animating outsiders in Golarion?

The animate dead spell has no mention of a soul being used for the purposes of the spell, however, when animating a zombie or skeleton within Golarion, a sliver or shard of the creature's soul is still utilized. I'm basing this on things mentioned by James Jacobs such as THIS and THIS.

As the merged body/soul of outsiders are unrecoverable when slain, is it still possible to animate their body? Is it also not possible therefore to use the more powerful create undead spells on them? Are there official examples of this being done by villains in Golarion?

Regarding creatures with bizarre anatomies -- aberrations mostly -- how are their corpses treated with respect to animate dead? For example, does an ettercap have a skeletal structure? Or is it more like a vermin with an exoskeleton? How about something like a mimic? Is there any guidance on how to reasonably judge the structure and anatomy of these stranger creatures for times when it is important?

The undead utopia for the Whispering Way concludes with the absence of living creatures, a reason that undead who prey upon the living sometimes oppose its adherents. Luvick Siervage, the age old vampire, is one such adversary known for his resistance against the infamous Whispering Tyrant, Tar-Baphon.

But is there any sort of organized form of this resistance found in Golarion? Any societies, networks or other methodical groups of undead fighting the Whispering Way? Is it otherwise pockets of rivals formed from among the feeders, independent in action from the others? And after all, why would vampires and ghouls support followers of the Way, knowing how it must end if they meet their goal?

Secondarily, beyond undead rebels, how is the organization viewed by evil power players like Queen Abrogail or Carmilla Caliphvaso? Do they tend to oppose it because of the group's ultimate goals? Or use them as pawns for short term gain that might be had -- the future world of undead be damned, if it ever comes to it?

The abyssal scourge power reads:

At 3rd level, a cold iron warden gains Alignment Channel as a bonus feat and must choose either chaotic or evil outsiders. ... At 6th level, the energy lingers in the affected area for 1 round as a shimmering, barely perceptible, mist that disrupts Abyssal magic. A creature in the mist that casts a conjuration (summoning) spell or spell-like ability with the selected alignment subtype must succeed at a concentration check or lose the spell.

Does this mean spell-like abilities of chaotic or evil outsiders are disrupted? Or that spell-like abilities with chaotic or evil subtypes are disrupted?

At 15th it seems to imply the former except that it works on any chaotic or any evil creature.

At 15th level, any chaotic or evil creature that casts a conjuration (teleportation) spell or spell-like ability while in the mist must succeed at a concentration check or lose the spell.

It's a staple of fantasy -- the villain kidnaps the virgin and intends to sacrifice her to some dark god in a profane ritual. The heroes burst in to save her just before the dagger strikes her heart.

Except, presumably, sometimes they don't burst in.

In Pathfinder, what is the metaphysical effect of such a sacrifice? Is it just a blood sacrifice? Is the soul quickly judged and given to the dark god instead of where the person's soul might have normally gone? (Which is why it's all the more urgent for heroes to save the fair lady.) Something else?

I believe this is how it worked in 3.5, and offering souls via ritual sacrifice might earn the favor of the deity in question.

(The Book of Vile Darkness explains, "In some abstract sense, the sacrifice adds a small mote to the god's overwhelming power, and the evil deity is sometimes willing to grant a boon or blessing in return.")

Asking for some evil friends.

1. A gnome oracle has the scribe scroll feat. Can he scribe his gnome magic spell, Speak with Animals, to a scroll? It seems that he has all the prerequisites and should be capable.

If so, is the resulting scroll a divine scroll that a druid/ranger or other gnome player can use?

2. The oracle cooperates with a sorcerer to scribe a scroll of Summon Monster I. The sorcerer knows the spell but the oracle does not. The spell is, of course, on the spell lists for both.

Is the resulting scroll an arcane or divine scroll? Can the oracle decide which during the act of scribing? Is this for some reason not possible at all?

Lamashtu's stated wish is "to corrupt mortals until the entire world is her altered brood, an enormous monstrous family devoted to her."

How does this view marry against Shub-Niggurath and her followers? Do their clerics or agents cooperate? Are they instead bitter because their interests compete for the same subjects and domains? Perhaps one, at times, and then the other?

In previous editions of D&D, mindless meant mindless -- no intelligence and usually no charisma checks of any kind. With Pathfinder, it seems mindless is not so mindless after all, making "INT --" mean that they have the equivalent of a +0 modifier and can now make INT-based checks.

So ... a zombie can now make an untrained geography check to realize it's in Kintargo and then a local check to "remember" that the Kintargo opera house isn't far away? It can use tools to craft spoons and iron pots with an untrained crafting check? It knows the difference between the Ulfen warrior it just slaughtered and the Varisian necromancer it considers a master?

By appearances, they now have access to the same bank of knowledge that any common human does, and are theoretically better at it than some portion of them! Play "Deity Symbol Flash Cards" between Hubert the commoner and his local friendly skeleton, and the skeleton will win at least as often as it loses. Right?

Is this really how mindless works in Pathfinder? Am I missing something important here?

Which APs are the earliest to include interactive maps that allow for turning off the grid and map tags? Is the community allowed to make gridless/untagged maps, as in, do they already exist in some form for earlier APs if not from an official offering?

The text for Gallant Inspiration seems clear, that it can apply whenever a creature fails an attack roll or skill check. In practice, however, there are times where it seems inappropriate.

For example, my players were researching an Infernal Contract (as per The Kintargo Contract), the rules for which describe that a research check represents an uninterrupted 8-hour period of research for which characters cannot take 10 or 20.

RAW, I was unaware of any reason to refuse Gallant Inspiration after a failed check, but it felt like an erroneous use of the spell given the conditions. Is there any rule that would or should have prevented my player from doing so, or is it a pertinent application of the spell?

A chaotic character visits Hell, which is strongly law-aligned, and therefore endures "a –2 circumstance penalty applies on all Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks."

What qualifies as a check?

* Skills are obvious enough, as are raw checks of the ability score.
* Does it affect Will saves? (Are will saves considered Wisdom-based or just modified by Wisdom?)
* Concentration checks? (I assume yes?)

I'm inclined to believe that any check modified by INT, WIS or CHA qualifies as a x-based check, but that may be too liberal of an interpretation. How is this handled or ruled?

Are there any CE bards roaming Golarion, noisily and madly, as notable villains?

It's not hard to imagine some sort of malicious and whimsical fey lord fitting the bill (as I've used just that sort of annoyance in my own campaigns), but I'm betting Paizo has conjured examples that stand out beyond that more cliché specimen. Anything official, in one of the APs or modules?

Does failing the concentration check expend the scroll?

As failure when casting a spell normally loses the spell, it seems this might be the case. However, because a scroll is a spell completion item I'm not sure the spell has activated during the check or not.

Riddleport has several fighting arenas, Zincher's main among them, and a constant influx of pirates and Ulfen who, understandably, have captives they've taken as slaves. So it would seem that slaves are a commodity at some level.

But what's the public policy by the Overlord on slavery within the city? I'm guessing that it's an accepted (though perhaps not condoned) fact of life there, and authorities either don't care to interfere or perhaps have laws actually that enforce ownership rights.

Beyond the city's limits, then, what are the views of slavery in areas of Varisia not so distant. Do Shoanti ever have slaves? I'm guessing not, but perhaps a couple of its tribes take captives from battles? Are there, though, for example, orc/half-orc slaves that they keep or bring to sell in Riddleport's markets?

Are anniversary editions in the works for any of the older APs? Or at least for the pre-Pathfinder/3.5 era APs such as Second Darkness?

Or was Rise of the Runelords a special case, for whatever reasons?