I'll toss in my vote on the side that says you're not adding STR to produce flame. The spell is evocation (you're manipulating heat), not conjuration (actually creating the heat).
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We've got a geokineticist and medium (relic hunter) in our group; there was a spiritualist at the start of Book 1, but she was killed in the attack on Trunau. There hasn't been any trouble integrating them into the AP - the relic hunter is especially good for working in a lot of the background fluff on the magic items (lots of fun in book 3)
Specifically modules, scenarios and/or volumes from other AP's that can be inserted to expand the campaign without too much difficulty? We're in the middle of Book 3 at the moment, but we've added several other modules/scenarios throughout the campaign (the players like getting more time in at low/mid levels). Daughters of Fury between book 1 and 2 - after saving Trunau, the heroes went in search of reinforcements from Lastwall (moved the location of the town in the module closer to border with Trunau) After book 2, inserted Down the Blighted Path - the (all-Dwarf party) heroes wanted to sell off some of their treasure and re-supply, so they stopped at the Davarn Trading Post (moved the location into Mindspin Mountains) after Blighted Path, inserted Clash of the Kingslayers - the party sought out the Dwarven craftsmen of Glimmerhold (used to bring in new PCs to the party) These required a bit of adjusting for party strength, but all worked well in the overall flow of Giantslayer so far.
I like what you've been putting together here so far, TerminalArtiste. I know you're still on the beginning of the alphabet, but any thoughts on Drangvitt, the dwarven god of revenge? What might make a good obedience/boons for her?
I've got an all-Dwarf party running through Giantslayer (shocking, right?), and they're looking for places to start trading/selling some of their loot. Since they'll be in the vicinity of Glimmerhold around Book 3, I'm thinking about running 'Clash' as a side quest. Has anyone who's run both (or played both) got an opinion on the viability of this? It looks like I'll have to update some of the diety choices in 'Clash' to better reflect the updated Dwarven pantheon - any thoughts from better minds than mine?
On the Skald: wouldn't raging song in a party of this many casters hurt their spell casting effectiveness? Wouldn't hurt them - each target gets to choose if they are affected by raging song. Something to keep in mind - for this AP, I'd suggest against a build that's relying on medium or heavy armor. Full Plate doesn't do well in the jungle!
In addition to the lack of balance/challenge due to the Mythic Rules, Paladins (and any anti-demon focused class) have a lot of other things going for them in this AP (there are some fun RP challenges, though!). You've got multiple magic items that specifically strengthen the traditional sword-and-board paladin. As an earlier post said, a non-mythic paladin could probably do fairly well by himself in the AP; it's hard to not be (over)powerful when you're getting demigod powers on top of that.
no thoughts one way or the other on these? I'm liking these suggestions - our group has agreed that Mystic Bolt should be the signature talent at 1st level, with spell casting coming online without additional talents. Also like making bolt non-elemental, at least at first (lots of classes get elemental rays, few get a pure magic blast...). I like the new talents, I'm just thinking that Eldritch Channel should have a bit of a drawback when used (requiring a full round, staggering the caster after, taking nonlethal damage, etc) Also agree on the armor casting.
(sorry if this is something that's been suggested already - it's tough to keep track of all the comments!) It seems like there are a couple big hurdles with the current version of Dual Identity, such as: -5 minutes being a really long time to access a primary class ability -Losing (nearly) all of your abilities/feats when in Social mode, which also makes a rules nightmare... What if the Social Identity wasn't actually separate from the Vigilante Identity? After all, when he's playboying it up at a Wayne Foundation fundraiser, Bruce Wayne doesn't stop being Batman - the social persona is a DISGUISE, not an alternate identity (as opposed to the Chymist PRC, which actually ends up being two people). If Social Identity can be 'equipped' with similar mechanics to putting on armor (including partial benefits for 'donning quickly'), instead of completely losing abilities, the Vigilante loses renown/takes penalties to the social roll for non-subtle use of their abilities (this would make some of the Talents like stealth casting even more helpful). This would also help the class have a little more functionality at first level.
It's not about holding/touching anything, but rather the fact that casting a second spell discharges the first held spell. Since a Spell-Like Ability functions (in most ways) like a spell, would activating the bolt count as a 'second spell' that discharges the initial chill touch?
It doesn't provoke in melee because it says in the description that it doesn't provoke in melee. As written, it seems like it's the ATTACK with the bolt that doesn't provoke, not the 'creation' of the bolt itself. This read like boilerplate language about making a touch attack to me, at least.
That's an impressive combination, but I'm not 100% how well all of those would work together (I'm a little wary of a frost fist amulet, which is turning your hands into clubs, working with somatic spell casting) Are we sure that it wouldn't discharge an existing held touch attack spell (like Chill Touch)? Is there a ruling that a SLA doesn't count as a spell for discharging a held touch?
At higher levels, would Mythic Bolt still be a viable tactic? Even with a full attack, you're getting three 1d6+20 attacks. 25 points of damage is fairly negligible at that point, especially since most targets will have energy resistance. Plus, a Warlock can't qualify for Point Blank Master, so the Bolt will always provoke if fired as a ranged attack. I like the Mystic Bolt, but I don't think it's a game-breaker, even if things like PBS and Rapid Shot (and arguably Arcane Strike) are allowed to apply
For the purposes of the playtest, you can't use Arcane Strike with a mystic bolt. It counts as a weapon only for the purposes of Weapon Focus (mystic bolt) and works like a weapon in the basic ways it needs to to work with attack routines (you can use it with a full attack and can two-weapon fight with it and another weapon). Most other feats and abilities that work with weapons or give bonuses to weapon attacks (including Rapid Shot) can't affect mystic bolts. Basically, only if something would apply to a ray does it apply to a mystic bolt (including Improved Critical, etc.). I'm not sure I understand - why wouldn't Rapid Shot work? The language of the feat doesn't necessitate a weapon, just a full attack (which the bolt is capable of. I'm really digging some of the concepts in Warlock, especially the mystic bolt - just hoping for some clarification.
I'm not sure if the conditional +1d6 damage is really worth it, plus Ninja requires CHA, which I do not have...
Thanks for the thoughts! The mutagen bonus is 'alchemical,' so I believe it stacks with enhancement. I'm actually intentionally NOT going with the dead shot build; the character concept is based on finding the weak spot in an opponent through careful aiming and a single shot. I'd like to stay Gunslinger for at least another 6 levels (really want signature deed!). The mechanist just bases grit off INT instead of WIS
*bump* Any thoughts? Are there things I haven't considered?
I'm playing a gunslinger (mechanist) [a 3rd-party archetype that uses INT for grit and focuses on know(engineer)] in Iron Gods, currently at 5th level. The build is focused on maximizing the damage on a single shot each round (so not going for crazy multi-gun/multi-shot approach). As we look toward 6th level, I'm considering a brief 1-level dip. I've narrowed it down to 3 potential choices. I'm looking for outside opinions (I'm not necessarily looking to go with the most power-optimal choice, but want to consider all possibilities) - gaining perspectives from others is always helpful. I'm going to choose from the following: 1) stick with straight Gunslinger, which lets me get to level 11 and Signature Deed as quickly as possible, and progress other class abilities 2) take a level of Alchemist, which would not only let me use Mutagen for the DEX boost, but would give me a handful of 'spell' options. Drawback is the loss of BAB and slightly lower hit die. 3) take a level of Mutagen Fighter (cheese ahoy!), for the mutagen and free feat Any thoughts? Are there things I haven't considered?
After playing a magus WtW through books 3-5 of Serpent's Skull (long story...), I can attest to the melee capabilities, especially with a finesse build. If there's a way to get Evasion (either a dip in another class, or just getting a ring), it's neigh invincible.
Kinda asking myself why they would want to camp in the citadel in the first place? They have a fortified army camp outside where they can rest safely. Not really sure, but I think it's partly because of how tough the fight to get past the gatehouse was for this group. Vrocks are tough, even for a mythic party, but even tougher when they are able to summon in a second vrock... Good point about the monster's perception check, magnuskn - however, I'm assuming that even thick stone walls aren't going to do much against TWO stunning screeches...
Mild spoilers for Sword of Drezen - go away, Dickerson! ... The party charged in through the gatehouse and cleared out the chamber in F4. They immediately headed to the Chapel of Torag, and decided to fortify that room and rest/regain. So I'm trying to guess how the remainder of the 'residents' on that floor might respond. In the module, only Staunton's reactions (or impatience) is mentioned - the rest of the baddies are more primed to handle that first wave of attacking heroes. Plus, the book seems to assume that PCs will retreat back out of the citadel to rest, rather than try to create a beachhead. Any suggested reactions? I'm not sure I want the entire castle coming down on the party while they recuperate, but there's gotta be consequences for taking a nap while your breaking & entry is in progress...
I've got a player that would like to use the Mortification rituals (from Chronicle of the Righteous), and I'm trying to make sure I'm understanding them correctly. The book states that "a creature can instigate a ritual of mortification by refraining from eating, drinkinf, and sleeping for a certain number of days..." and that "this initial investment deals 1d6 nonlethal damage...at the beginning of each day so invested." -So would this replace the normal penalties for going without food or water (Starvation and Thirst) or the penalties for going without Rest? If so, that's a bunch of Fort saves and lots of nonlethal damage to engage in the longer rituals. -Would taking a potion count as 'drinking' for the requirements?
Thanks for all the input, folks! quick explanation - I'm the GM for this game; I'm working with one of the players to put mechanics behind their concept. The concept: the PC is a Life Oracle with a hidden (to themself) connection to Sarenrae focused on healing and redemption - they believe that anyone can be saved, and they're the one capable of saving everyone. The character is an Aasimar that appears otherwise human (took Scion of Humanity and Corruption Resistance variants); as a result, we're trying to minimize the obvious visual indicators of a supernatural curse - the PC's built on 'fitting in.' The player was having difficulty choosing a curse. They considered the mechanics of Legalistic, but the fluff didn't match up. While Blackened might have fit conceptually, it had two big drawbacks - the player is concerned about the 'uselessness' of fire spells against demons, and our previous Reign of Winter game had another PC with a Flame Oracle who really played up the crispy arms angle. After getting feedback, here's the potential version 2.0: Golden-Blooded: positive energy runs through your veins. While this makes your healing abilities more potent, it attracts many who would exploit your gift. Any adjacent enemy who damages you with a slashing or piercing weapon or natural attack heals 1d4 points of damage (this is multiplied appropriately on a critical hit). When you are suffering from the Bleed condition, your cure spells and channels heal an additional 1d4 points of damage. At 5th level, both the amount you heal enemies and the additional healing when bleeding increases to 2d4. You also gain a +2 bonus on saves vs. negative energy. [still figuring out long-term progression; also thinking about allowing the Oracle to take a later Mystery that replicates the Stigmata ability from Holy Vindicator so the Oracle can intentionally bleed] Thoughts?
Looking for feedback on a homebrew for an Oracle of Life in our WoR campaign. Any feedback is appreciated: Golden-Blooded: your blood is inflused with positive energy, making it glow dimly with a unnatural light.
At 5th level, the bonus to healing magic increases to +1d6 [still trying to figure out how to progress at 10th and 15th - just boost the healing bonus?] Thanks for the help, everyone!
Thanks for the feedbacl, folks! Toaster: caster level progression is there, it just got omitted in the cut-and-paste format snafu. Golem: I'm hoping to spread out the swarm abilities across the five levels. Since the PC is already transformed into a walking swarm of worms, the 'vulnerabilities' (to wind and area attacks, losing nat armor) are there from the start. The real strength of the swarm body (as I'm seeing it at least) is the 'hive mind,' which is the capstone ability.
Any thoughts/concerns/feedback?
Recently, my Magus died and was brought back as a Worm That Walks! The template, while awesome, is way to powerful to just apply to a PC (especially since we're at lower levels - it happened just as we were going from 5th to 6th). After talking with the GM, he's letting me convert the abilities into a sort of custom Prestige Class gained slowly over a few levels. I applied the BAB and saves from Adept, and tried to seperate the different aspects of the template over five levels. First level: Vermin (ex): gain the Vermin (augmented) type; unlike most Vermin, WtW is not mindless Swarm Body (su): No discernable anatomy; loses Nat Armor bonuses; Susceptible to high winds - treat as Fine creature; 50% extra damage from area effects Discorporate (su) Diehard (ex) Slam: natural attack, damage according to HD WtW Immunities (su) <gained at subsequent levels>
Damage Reduction (ex) equal to 3x class level Second Level AC bonus (ex): Insight bonus to AC equal ½ WtW class level Tenacious(ex): +4 to Grapple CMB, +4 to CMD Third Level Squirming Embrace (ex) Blindsense (ex) 30 feet Fourth Level <AC Bonus, Paralysis Immunity> Fifth Level Hive Mind (su): Immune to any physical spell or effect that targets a specific creature(s) Fast Healing (su) equal to HD How does this look? Is anything overly wonky?
Thanks for the insight everyone! S: 10
I started the AP with a chain shirt, and it's been working so far. My current AC is a 20 (or 24 with a shield spell). It's one of the higher ACs in the party, plus I've been able to buff with Mirror Image for the last few combats. At the moment, I'm satisfied with this (and I'm presuming some generic rings and amulets will increase this down the line). My saves are all +5. Hasn't been a big problem (so far) with those, and I'm assuming some cloaks will be found in the future. I've been utilizing the cast/5-foot step/attack technique for the most part (or prepping spells while Vanished); I took the +2 concentration trait and got a NPC boon for an additional boost. Right now, I've got to roll fairly poorly to fail the defensive cast. As I mentioned up top, I'm the only arcanist in the party (archer ranger, spear ranger, knife rogue, monk, buff cleric), so I've somewhat been thrust into the 'blast platform' role in the last few big combats, with Magic Missile being quite helpful from a distance. I've only used one spellstrike 'nova blast' so far (and that was with Vampiric Touch!) Hence, I'm trying to boost spellcasting ability with the Pearls. I've currently got a (mundane) bow; while I can't use any Str bonus from a composite bow, being able to enhance it with an Arcane Pool point has been helpful so far.
Background: We've just started the second book of Serpent's Skull, and we're able to use our 'downtime' to spend our accumulated gold before we hit the jungle. My character is a Chelaxian Magus (Bladebound) who uses a rapier. At the moment, I don't have a single magic item equipped (other than a few charges left on some wands from book 1). I'm the primary arcanist for the party, but I'm also a 2nd-tier melee combatant. Because of the Black Blade, I don't really need magic weapons, and (I'm metagaming a little here, given what I know about patterns of treasure in the APs) I'm assuming that I'll be able to find most generic items (+1 prot rings, amulet of nat armor, etc) throughout the course of the Path. I've got quite a bit of gold (~10,000 gp) saved up, and I'm trying to think of some specific items to shop for/have made. This is my first time playing a Magus, so I'm very much open to ideas. All I've got written in my notes so far is "get some Pearls of Power..." Any suggestions?
Whether or not the target saves, it takes 1 point of cold damage per caster level each round it is helpless or entangled in the ice.if it is not encased or entangled it would take no damage. Makes sense to me - if it can't stick to you, it can't deal damage. Thanks for the help, folks!
Would a successful save also ignore the cold damage, or just the 'entangled' condition?
Freedom of Movement "enables you or a creature you touch to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement..." Would this prevent a targeted character from being affected by Icy Prison's lasting effects?
-Would they still take the (caster level) cold damage each round, but not have movement impaired at all? My PCs know they'll be facing a baddie with this ability, and I'm guessing they might think to prep this; I figured it would be helpful to understand the mechanics of the interaction beforehand. Thanks for the help!
Background: we're about to wrap up the first book of Serpent's Skull and move on with the Adventure Path. While we began the campaign as semi-strangers, we've developed into a working team; two of the PCs (myself and another player) are strident worshippers of Asmodeus, god of contracts - so we're looking to actually write up a party constitution to formally guide our group in the future. The players and GM are all experienced, and we've been playing together for some time (and play together in other campaigns). So, the question is, how can we put together an 'Adventuring Compact' from the character's perspective? What would need to be formally included? And most importantly, any ideas for 'legal loopholes' that the Chelaxians (a mage and his man-at-arms) might use later to their own advantage? Any and all suggestions are appreciated!
We've had very inconsistent attendance over the course of running the campaign (dang real life!), so we'll have some sessions with as many as 8-9 players, others with only 2-3. At least you've hopefully got the same players showing up each session! After Hook Mountain, a lot of the encounters would work with a large group broken up into 'squads' - for example, the Sandpoint Fight at the start of Book 4 could have one squad at the north/upper end of town, while another is at the south side, with a seperate GM running each. Just roughly double the waves of attackers (maybe throw in a homemade singular threat to parallel the dragon), and it would probably be pretty similar. Given a large table/map, or even two seperate tables running at the same location, this could make for a pretty epic defense. Similarly, the assault on Jorgenfist, Runeforge, and even Xin-Shalast seem like they would work this way - the group decides that the heavy hitters of Alpha Squad makes a frontal assault (run by GM 1), while Beta Squad, with all the sneaky guys, uses the distraction to go for the unguarded rear entrance...
I had a two-handed soulknife in a higher-level campaign that was completely devestating (I don't have the exact feat list in front of me, so this is going from memory) Blade Skills: -increased crit range by 1 to get to x3
Feats: Power Attack
Collision is a good early enhancement, as is psychokinetic Bodyfeeder enhancement as soon as you can get it, and you'll be generating a ton of temporary hit points I used the Gifted Blade archetype, and augmented Enlarge meant my half-giant was huge (got reach) and was swinging a 6d6 weapon with lots of STR...
Um no mention of the Gunslinger? We've got a Tengu Gunslinger (pistolero) playing through Rise of the Runelords ('classic' 3.5 version) who just reached level 12. The player built the idea around the character Tuco from tG,tB,&tU - borderline crazy, paranoid, and narcissistic... The tengu abilities lend themselves well to a mobile/skirmisher ranged fighter, but the PC is admittedly fragile (CON of +1), so relies on acrobatics and using terrain.
One of the rules I was not really aware of was the ability of weapons with a greater than +3 enhancement to overcome DR as if the weapon was made of special material/quality. So how do I determine a weapon's enhancement bonus? Is it the total magical enhancement, or just the 'static numerical bonus'? So, would a +2 keen flaming ghost touch sword be considered to have a +5 enhancement (the total of all magical additions) or only a +2? Sorry if this is a foolish question, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. Thanks for the clarification!
I've never seen one of these used before, but it got randomly generated in our last session as part of a treasure cache. As far as I can tell, the 'see through objects' aspect is fairly straightforward, but I'm a little confused about how it might work with other effects/conditions. The Ring says you see like as if under normal illumination - so a wearer without darkvision could see in absolute darkness? What about magical darkness? How does the X-Ray vision work with other visual things like concealment? Illusions? Guidance is appreciated - thanks!
[possible spoilers below for #4 - Fortress of the Stone Giants] My group (4-5 players at 10th and 11th levels, 25-pt buy) made it most of the way through the library level of Jorgenfist. After rough fights against the headless lord and a wonderfully pain-in-the-neck Scanderig, they've unanimously voted to rest/heal/regain spells (they know Mokmurian is a big hat and is yet to come). Using Stone Shape and Secure Shelter, they've created a sanctuary in one of the cleared rooms. However, this means that Mokmurian (who know they're coming + group makeup/tactics) also has time to rest and prepare fully... Here's my question to folks who have run this encounter - the group, as a result of lucky decisions, avoided a bunch of the encounters on the previous level, including both lamia and Lokansir, the uber-hill giant. Both are described as special servants of Mokmurian, and Lokansir is said to be his closest ally. It seems to make sense that Mokmurian might summon Lokansir to help him in the fight. However, Lokansir seems like a lot to add to an already tough encounter, but it's mostly becuase he's soaking up damage (and actions). I'm looking to make Mokmurian a truly terrifying challenge (the group is quite powerful, and has powered through a lot of the baddies in the campaign so far), but I'd also definitely want to avoid a campaign-ending TPK. Any thoughts? (and thanks for reading to the end here!)
I'll second Cheapy's suggestion - it's pretty much exactly what you're describing, and it's easy enough to use (it's really just a minor alteration to Barbarian)
It depends on what your players choose to play, but one thing we've done with small groups of beginners is to give them a 'band-aid,' either a wand of cure light wounds (if someone can cast that spell and therefore use the wand without a problem) or just have them followed by a NPC Adept who carries the wand and heals them in between fights (or sometimes during particularly harrowing encounters). That way, even if there's a Cleric player, they can devote what little spells they get at first level to other (more fun?) stuff. I'd also throw my recommendation behind running either 'Master of the Fallen Fortress' or 'To Delve the Dungeon Deep' - both are 'free trials' of Pathfinder adventures (one a module, one part of the PFS play) that give a little bit of everything to a beginner player (and GM) interested in a dungeon-crawl style of game.
So a solution is to neutralize divination, with a possible explanation afterwards that "big bad guy was supernaturally supressing attempts to detect" or something like that? Thanks for the advice, EotD. I don't always think about the lateral thinking tactics that become available at mid to high levels.
I don't have a lot of experience pricing homebrew magic items, so I figured I'd toss this one out to the experts on the boards. Gunslinger is looking to get a magic item crafted that would magically generate his ammunition (replicating the Abundant Ammunition spell) spell is a 1st-level wiz/sor, and would only require a caster level 1; this means it's 1(spell level)x 1(caster level) x 2000gp so far. If it's not assigned to a specific body slot, it's doubled. 4,000 gp seems a little low. Am I missing something? PS- At 10th level, is it reasonable to give him this type of item so we no longer have to keep track of the 6gp per shot? We don't normally track ammo usage, but we've never had a gunslinger use costly ammo before either.
We were considering running this in between our usual sessions of our Rise of the Runelords campaign. Other than upping the CL of the opponents, what else do we need to be aware of? (Are there any parts of the adventure, story-wise, that challenge level 3, but are easily bypassed by higher level PCs?) Help/suggestions are appreciated!
I don't know why you couldn't - you wouldn't be able to flank (without a couple of the whip fighting feats, I think), but otherwise it'd be like using any ranged melee (thrown) weapon in terms of when SA would apply
Sorry, more questions - If a Bless spell is cast (a spell with multiple targets), would the spirit slam also gain a bonus to attacks? Would this be different if the barbarian were the sole target of such a spell? Would the spirit slam still function when the Barbarian is grappled or incapacitated? If the Barbarian has Raging Vitality, would it still be attacking while the Barbarian is unconscious (since Rage hasn't ended)
Does the slam attack from lesser Spirit Totem and Greater Spirit Totem get modified by anything other than BAB+CHA? I'm wondering about both benefits and penalties. When the Barbarian is fighting defensively, does the spirit slam attack take a -2 penalty? Would Power Attack penalize the attack roll and add to the damage? If the Barbarian is wearing a Ring of Blinking, would the spirit slam also have a 20% miss chance on its attack rolls? I'm sorry if these are foolish questions, but we're having our first Spirit Totem PC joining the game, and I wanted to have answers for potential questions. I'm not seeing anything on the messageboards, but my search-fu is weak. Thanks in advance for your replies.
That's what I was thinking - I just wasn't sure if I was overlooking something. Our group rarely gets past early/lower levels, so this is the first time a lot of these issues have ever needed to be addressed! Thanks for the speedy replies everyone!
We're toying around with a high(er) power level, and there are several questions that we've never had to deal with before. This one is still puzzling us: One character has equipped both magical Bracers of Armor (+7) and Magic Armor (+5 light). I understand that the armor bonus itself doesn't stack, so the maximum AC bonus is +7. But would the character be able to still benefit from the magical special abilities of the armor, even if they're not getting any AC boost? For example would Fortification armor still provide the 'miss chance' against critical hits? Thanks in advance for your help!
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