NeoDaitou's page

NeoDaitou wrote:

ItemName Vial of Vanishing Smoke

*Ninja smoke! Ha! Kinda quirky. It's one of those items you'd kind of expect to be a staple in the game or something. A scroll of dimension door would run you 700 gp alone. So, a 1,200 gp vial that enables that kind of movement with the added flare and obscuring mist is probably fine from a pricing standpoint.

*...The designer also did a great job following the template...except for the ItemName and that darn, nagging, annoying "Craft Wonderous Item" feat. SMASH! /rant

*...Core idea works though. It's a SIAC with flavor and flash (yeah, pun intended). Might be worth keeping around even if it gets sorted out before making Top 32. Weak Keep.

*...I like it too. It's rough around the edges (real rough) but like you say, so obvious I'm surprised it hasn't been done to death. Useful, cheap enough for low level PCs to use, no uber effects. Wonderous. Weak keep.

*...*shrug* I'm meh on it. I see your points, just not feeling strongly either way.

*...I'm gonna say that's worthy of going into the Keep pile then. Even if it gets weeded out, the author might take some hope and inspiration by claiming he at least made it that far in the evaluation.

*...I'll echo the initial "meh." We've all seen this many times, and I don't think that adding the dazzling effect and possible failure to land enough to make it more than just wondrous item ninja smoke. The author's obvious struggle with the template gives me further pause, as does the failure to capitalize any of the Saves. Weak reject but mostly because I'm too meh on the whole thing to commit to keeping it around.

*...I'll come off the fence and say...weak keep. It's a SIAC, but it has style. (Also... razzin frazzin move action-activated items!!!)

Note: This item hung around in the Keep pile until the very end, but you had too many missteps to make the Top 32. Practice your presentation and proper use of the template.

Thanks Neil, I was kind of curious as to what I had done wrong. I've been reading the other tips/reviews and I think I have a good handle on it for next time. I'll be working on my presentation between now and then, so hopefully, that will not hold me back next year! Thanks again! ^_^

I welcome any and all feedback on my item as this is the second time I have participated in the contest and I would love to improve so that I could possibly make it further next time.

ItemName Vial of Vanishing Smoke
Aura faint evocation, moderate conjuration; CL 7th
Slot -; Price 1,200 gp; Weight -

Description
This small glass vial is filled with a pearly white smoke. When the vial is broken, thick white smoke instantly fills a 5 foot cube and acts as obscuring mist except that it disperses after 1 round. Breaking the vial requires the use of a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The user, and only the user, may then teleport as dimension door up to 50 feet. If the user is attempting to move to a spot that she has never seen before, the user must succeed at a DC 15 reflex save or become prone in the intended spot. In addition, any creature within 5 feet of the user is dazzled for 1 round as flare (DC 15 fortitude save negates).

Construction
Requirements Craft Wonderous Item, dimension door, flare, obscuring mist, empty glass vial; Cost 600 gp

NeoDaitou wrote:

What is the point of the natural armor bonus to AC? The mutagen ability itself already adds a natural armor bonus, so do they stack? Normally, same typed bonuses do not, but if they don't stack, then if one has the Grand Mutagen ability, one is already receiving +6 natural armor and this Advanced Mutagen provides no natural armor bonus.

It is a natural armor BONUS to AC. Meaning it adds on top of any existing natural armor AC, meaning it stacks.

According to the CR (page 208):

Bonus Types: Usually, a bonus has a type that indicates

how the spell grants the bonus. The important aspect of
bonus types is that two bonuses of the same type don’t
generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses,
most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the
better bonus of a given type works (see Combining Magical
Effects). The same principle applies to penalties—a
character taking two or more penalties of the same type
applies only the worst one, although most penalties have
no type and thus always stack. Bonuses without a type
always stack, unless they are from the same source.

and

Stacking Effects: Spells that provide bonuses or

penalties
on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws,
and other attributes usually do not stack with themselves.
More generally, two bonuses of the same type don’t stack
even if they come from different spells (or from effects
other than spells; see Bonus Types, above).

Different Bonus Types: The bonuses or penalties from two
different spells stack if the modifiers are of different types.
A bonus that doesn’t have a type stacks with any bonus.

So Bonuses do not stack if they are of the same type. The Mutagen ability itself states (the bolded part is the important one):

When an alchemist brews a mutagen, he selects one

physical ability score—either Strength, Dexterity, or
Constitution. It’s a standard action to drink a mutagen.
Upon being imbibed, the mutagen causes the alchemist
to grow bulkier and more bestial, granting him a +2
natural armor bonus and a +4 alchemical bonus to the
selected ability score for 10 minutes per alchemist level.
In addition, while the mutagen is in effect, the alchemist
takes a –2 penalty to one of his mental ability scores. If
the mutagen enhances his Strength, it applies a penalty to
his Intelligence. If it enhances his Dexterity, it applies a
penalty to his Wisdom. If it enhances his Constitution, it
applies a penalty to his Charisma.

As I posted above, the Nimble ability also grants a natural armor bonus. So does anyone have an official word on whether these particular abilities stack or not?

I have a question about the Master Chymist Nimble Advanced Mutagen. According to the APG,

Nimble (Ex): The master chymist’s lithe physical frame

gives her an alchemical bonus on all Dexterity checks,
Dexterity skill checks, and CMD, and a natural armor
bonus to her Armor Class. The bonus is equal to half the
master chymist’s class level.

What is the point of the natural armor bonus to AC? The mutagen ability itself already adds a natural armor bonus, so do they stack? Normally, same typed bonuses do not, but if they don't stack, then if one has the Grand Mutagen ability, one is already receiving +6 natural armor and this Advanced Mutagen provides no natural armor bonus.

Even with the Greater Mutagen, this bonus is not likely to be able to provide too much more natural armor. In fact, the only way to have more natural armor bonus from Nimble than from Greater Mutagen is to be a 10th level Master Chymist, at which point, why not take the Grand Mutagen ability since it will end up providing more to AC and all DEX checks anyways (including the bonus to CMD).

The only problem with Message is that it requires a whispered conversation. This doesn't really work with someone who can't speak at all.

Just to bring this up, anyone playing in the Forgotten Realms setting is going to see tongues being a big deal. Language there is so important that just traveling to the next country may mean that you can't communicate. Not being able to warn your party members of danger unless they have studied the language you speak when you are in danger could be the difference between life and death.

Just my 2cp

When I was reading the Point-Buy system for the attributes, I thought of another system that could also work really well. I personally like having characters that have penalties to help make their bonuses seem that much better. My proposed system works with the standard fantasy tier.

The character's attributes start at 10 and they buy their attributes at a rate of 1:1 just like the 3P system. The difference is that they can only get an attribute to a maximum of 15 without a penalty. If they wish to use more points to get an attribute higher than that (to a maximum of 18 before racial modifiers), they must have an equal number of attribute points below 10 to offset their character's greater power. This point penalty can not be fixed during character creation.

Example:
I've created a half-elf sorcerer with the ability scores of STR 10/DEX 15/CON 12/INT 13/WIS 10/CHA 15. If I wanted to raise my CHA score higher than 15, I must take an equal number of points below 10. This could result in either my STR becoming 7, my WIS becoming 7, or some blend between the two attributes that totals 3 points (ex. STR 8/WIS 9). I could not take it out of my other scores because they are already over 10 and the penalty would not be as noticeable if you could reduce it during character creation.

This is just an idea I have been working on since I first saw the Point-Buy system for 3.5E. I just wanted to post it as an alternative to the systems that 3P already offers because I felt that 3P's Point-Buy had the same problem: the only penalty to a character increasing their score to 18 was that there was less points to spend on other scores. That did not seem like it was strong enough to warrant the characters getting such a powerful score.

Thank you for what you've done Jason.

I really like the new Sorcerer class. While I was upset that they didn't have unlimited cantrips (a mistake already corrected), I really enjoyed the fluff and mechanics of the bloodlines. I have always like the idea of being a caster whose power was a result of his past/genetic makeup. The description of the Sorcerer in the 3.5 PHB even points out that that is most Sorcerers' claim to fame. While I would like to see the class get a little more power in order to be on more even terms with the Wizard, I am happy with just getting the basics of bloodlines into the game.

As someone earlier pointed out, Sorcerers can often be called "Howitzers on legs." This is true and the new bloodlines allows the Sorcerer to do some damage up close where the cleric can more easily reach them. As was brought up in another thread on Sorcerers/Wizards, with the right spells, a Sorcerer/Wizard can have quite a high AC (Mage Armor anyone?). Combine that with a good DEX score (allowing you to more easily go first in the order) and the Sorcerer can get in, do some damage, survive, and get out of the close range when he runs out of his highly-damaging spells.

As for the tone of the criticisms, insulting criticism is almost never taken as seriously as criticism that is backed up with proof and worded nicely. I know that I personally would just get annoyed with people who can't bother to be civil about their comments, so I can't imagine how Jason and the others do it all the time. When you think about it, they are letting us all help design their system. They're paying for it and we get to put in our thoughts and ideas and play it for free for over a year. That's quite a bit more than WoTC is doing, so why don't we just count ourselves lucky that Paizo is run/staffed by such understanding, hardworking people.

Thanks again Jason and all those at Paizo who are making such a great addition to the game we all know and love!

I agree with K on this one, making the Sorcerers masters of illusion, deceit, and summoning/conjuring is more the province of Bards than Sorcerers. I play mostly Sorcerers, so I'm very interested to see what comes out of the next release. I particularly like what has been discussed about the different heritages (and I don't just mean the bloodlines). The only thing I worry about with them is if they allow for mixed bloodline/heritage, it might give the Sorcerer too much power.

I particularly like what K has suggested for the heritages because they seem to be well thought out and fit with the current image of the Sorcerer. Though the arcane points idea has some interesting concepts, I think it varies too far from the 3.5e Sorcerer.

I agree that the Sorcerer should get some kind of mechanics upgrade, possibly using free Metamagic feats (I also have never really used them except when I played a Tainted Sorcerer), but should get a major fluff overhaul. The Sorcerer has too many weaknesses compared to the Wizard just because he/she can spontaneously cast. The Sorcerer needs something to really differentiate his/herself from the Wizard other than just being a spontaneous caster.

I agree that the class could probably lose the Knowledge(arcana) skill, but there is no way that it could lose the Spellcraft skill. That skill has too many uses (from being aware of what spells are going on around the caster and recognizing spell effects to being able to craft your own spells when you get to epic levels) to get pulled from the Sorcerer's skill list.

As someone who has played more wizards and sorcerers than any other class, I can say that I am very happy with the increase in hit die. I understand that being able to wield the powers of the cosmos would have an impact on my physical state and leave me more vulnerable to attack, but, as previously stated, a d4 is too low. We're talking about a one round difference in survivability here; it's not a huge difference. When it comes to it, the wizard/sorcerer is still going to have less hit points because their constitution is going to be lower than the front lines fighter.

For those that would argue that the wizard/sorcerer should just get a better constitution score, let me remind you that a wizard/sorcerer needs to put all his/her ability points into Dexterity (because wearing armor makes it hard to cast the spells that make a wizard/sorcerer worth playing) and the chief ability score of the class (in order to boost the power and number of times they can cast the spells).

In all the games I have ever played/run, the spellcaster ends up getting hit with a big attack at least once a session. If the cleric then has to spend the next few rounds healing the spellcaster so that he/she doesn't die with one more hit, then the cleric can't keep the rest of the party from dying from repeated strong attacks. If the wizard/sorcerer doesn't drop into the single digits immediately, then the cleric worries less and can focus on keeping the "tanks" alive long enough for the wizard/sorcerer to do their job and land a big attack on the monster/creature.