Mr Zhun's page

Hey guys!

So I'm a brand new GM, (though I've played the game quite a bit.) introducing quite a few new players to the game. My previous GM had a lot of fun with Skulls and Shackles, but I'm not sure if it's the best place to start.

What are your opinions?

So I have decided to take your advice XMorsX and to focus more on melee with the alternate forms. I'm wondering which forms I should look at - adding magical beasts on top of everything else just makes it more confusing.

Feats

1: Skill focus (Knowledge Planes)
3: Eldritch Heritage (Arcane)
5: Tenebrous Spell
7: Spell Penetration
9: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Shadow Conjuration etc etc)
11: Umbral Spell
13: Shadow Grasping

What do you think?

You could take the Tenebrous Spell, Umbral Spell and Shadow Grasp Spell.

Oh these look very nice...but Oracles don't get access to many Shadow spells do they...I guess I could use the Arcane Heritage feat line to get one or two...w

@Deadmanwalking
Thank you,for the advice about pierce the veil, and the extra spells. What feats and spells could I take to compliment that kind of build, other than deeper darkness of course?

@XMorsX
The deaf curse is interesting because it's main benefit comes at first level. I can see the benefit for sure. Do you recommend dual cursed oracle then?

The best revelation that Dark Tapestry has to offer is Many Forms. Couple it with the Elf or Aasimar favored class bonus and you can have very early access to high lvl transmutation spells.

So I guess my question is, what am I getting here that I'm not doing better as a Druid?

Heavens Oracle is interesting, and a lot more focused for sure. We'll see.

Hey guys!

I stumbled upon the Dark Tapestry Oracle and have some great back story and role playing ideas in my head. The problem is I don't really know how to build an effective divine spontaneous caster, especially with this mystery. I know the Oracle is supposed to be a specialist, but I don't see the Dark Tapestry leading in a real defined direction.

I want to be a caster focused character, and am leaning towards the Haunted Curse (ie I don't want to use many forms and buffs to become a melee machine). I like the Dark Tentacles spell, and am wondering how effective Divine battlefield control is.

Really I'm looking for a party role to fill, and spells and feats that will help me fill it well! Thank you so much.

Yours,
Mr Zhun

Oh my...intelligent spells...this is going to be a lot of fun! Thank you guy's, that's perfect.

Does an intelligent spell die at the end of it's duration? Does anyone know where the rules for them are?

As for the play like a Wizard thing, I should clarify: I don't need him to fight like a Wizard, I need him to be able to use utility spells like Permanence and Genesis, Prying Eyes, Clairvoyance, and Abjurations of all kinds - and the spell list is seriously limited for something like that. Are there any rules for getting wands for spell levels higher than third? Custom Staffs?

There was something on these boards about being able to make magic items without knowing the spell first...what is this limited to? I imagine scrolls are out.

OK so going along with the Sorcerer debate in the other thread I have a practical problem.

Our group just finished a campaign. I played a Human Celestial Sorcerer 7/Malconvoker 2 who focused on summons, and creative use of the Benign/Baleful Transposition spells. Stats were rolled Str 10 Con 12 Dex 12 Wis 16 Int 14 Cha 20

Enter the problem. I'm going to be bringing this character back as an 19th level...problem...he needs to be able to create demi-planes, and seal them from outside influence. He'll be building himself a dungeon, and a plane to trap his summons on. Really, he's become a lot more conniving, long ranged, and Wizard-like than any Sorcerer build should be.

The biggest challenge is my spell list - what do I take, and how do I mitigate the giant holes that are going to pop up by trying to do a job fit for Batman?

ps. Please don't let this degenerate into another Wizard vs. Sorcerer thread. I understand that I'm starting from a flawed premise, no need to rub it in.

Rule the wall is an eighth of an inch thick with rounded edges.

Don't demand his whole soul. Ask for his soul for say three years: but don't specify when he pays the rent. Then at the least opportune moment, have the devil show up and posses him, with the contract as a back up so he can't resist.

Wreak havoc.

Thank you for putting up with so much Jason. We appreciate all that you do.

I love the idea of Int to damage personally.

yes.

Is there any reason the Magus does not have access to the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list?

Um no...renaming it to knowledge (culture) sure fine, but removing the skill completely? Or making it an automatic or region specific skill?
No absolutely not, the question is not has my character spent time here? It's has my character spent time in/heard of/read about/studied/met someone from wherever he happens to be making the check about.

It certainly crosses over with History and Geography, in the same way that History crosses Religion, and Nature crosses Geography, and Engineering crosses Arcana. All do some of the same things, or can be construed in certain situations to give insights to the same thing.

For instance in our last gaming session it took my Wizard 6 knowledge tests to relize it was a swimming fang dragon who trashed the ship in the bay.
In succession they were Engineering, Nature, Arcana, History, Local, Engineering. All of them were looking for different things, all of them useful, in fact by the end I had enough information I could make a Perception and then an Engineering check to determine that it did in fact attack from underneath.

Knowledge Local provided me with the information that the locals did indeed have legends of a sea creature which matched a fang dragon in all particulars but the obvious one. Without it I never would have checked.

How about
damage equals d6/5ft of movement remaining + 1/2Str (or just Str)

That way it's not so much who's pushing you into the wall but how hard.

Now I'm not sure but wasn't this adressed in 3.5, and if so have those rules not continued over?

That said, it strikes me as a far easier mechanic (and more Backwards Compatible too) to simply limit the number of forms a Druid has access to shape into, scaled to level, and alterable at level-up, similar to Sorcerers and spells. If the forms to shape into are limited and have to be selected during the level-up process, it's easy to track the changes to stats from each shape, and easy to limit the 'broken-ness' of forms a Druid has available. I'm usually in favor of simplifications to...

I agree completely. It makes total sence that a druid has a handful of shapes they like and can use all the time. I mean that's what I'd do as a Druid character anyways!

Why not combine the dice roll? I mean think about it, if you grab the little guy it's an extention of the same movement to pull him in. (or knock him down whatever)
What I mean is this, why not have it so that you roll against CMB or Touch AC whitchever is higher, with you're CMB modifier (which is the same as your attack bonus, only a bitter higher with larger creatures)

This is why, more and more, I like going to an existing mechanic. If CMB were an "attack," it would be clear which bonuses applied. If it were opposed by a Maneuver AC, it would be clear which bonuses applied. No new mechanics, no opposed rolls that people seem to hate, all the detail some crave.

Yes please. Just 10 + Str/Dex + any and all bonuses that apply to AC.

Meepo has my vote as well! Absolutly brilliant!

Sneaksy's right. It was never the damage that was the problem, just the inability to hit. Not that giving them wis to damage would be bad or game breaking by any means, in fact I like the idea.
I second the motion that it should come in at second or third level to discourage ridiculous class dipping by the Cleric.
All of this has been said before. What I'd like to make sure we don't do is make for cookie-cutter class generation. The very last thing we want to do is make one of the only things that can be modified about the Monk (bonus feats) such an obvious choice that no one does anything but.

See if to be competent every Monk with average stats needs weapon finese and wisdom is strength then EVERY monk will have those two feats. When that becomes the case they should be class features. Perhaps on an excalating scale, for instance
a Monk gains a bonus to hit equal to his dex bonus -3 min 0 at say second level, then increase it to -2 then -1 and +0 as the Monk gained levels. That would alow the monk to hit more often and almost solve the BAB problem.
(As Jason obviously doesn't intend the Monk to be an exeptional melee combatant this probably provides the happy medium needed.)
A similar (if higher level) system could be used for wis damage.