Normally a bard can not use Inspire Competence on himself as stated in the ability's text. But, is it possible to use the 5th level spell Shadowbard in order to get around this stipulation? Basically, does the shadowbard consider it's caster as any other ally? I ask because I likely will soon have to try and bluff a dragon and need as much Perform: Acting as I can get.
During my campaign, I'd like to arrange a scenario where the party gets captured and when all seems hopeless someone randomly plane shifts into their prison cell. In a chance encounter of mutual benefit, they will work their way out and find some item of importance in the dungeon.
This chance encounter will be with none other than the Pathfinder versions of Rick and Morty that we are building here. Initially, I'm thinking of going a level 13 Wizard for Rick so that he has access to Plane Shift. Outside of that, I'm open to any ideas that make the Pathfinder version similar to what is in the show.
As far as Morty, I'm a bit lost for where to place him in the Pathfinder universe. He seems like a bit of a Bard with him being far more sociable than Rick. Likely he should be many levels lower than Rick, but really this could go anywhere with justification.
Care to chip in a thought or two for how you would build these characters?
Discordant Voice
By singing out a precise tone, you cause discordant vibrations to run through allies' weapons.
Prerequisites: Bardic performance class feature, Perform (oratory or sing) 10 ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you are using bardic performance to create a spell-like or supernatural effect, allies within 30 feet of you deal an extra 1d6 points of sonic damage with successful weapon attacks. This damage stacks with other energy damage a weapon might deal. Projectile weapons bestow this extra damage on their ammunition, but the extra damage is dealt only if the projectile hits a target within 30 feet of you.
Virtuoso Performance:
VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCE
School transmutation; Level bard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 round/level
While this spell is active, you may start a second bardic performance while maintaining another. Starting the second performance costs 2 rounds of bardic performance instead of 1. Maintaining both performances costs a total of 3 rounds of bardic performance for each round they are maintained. When this spell ends, one of the performances ends immediately (your choice).
Virtuoso performance does not stack with any other method of maintaining simultaneous bardic performances.
Does Discordant Voice work in a binary fashion where you either do or do not have a performance enabled to gain its effect, or does it create separate instances that stack allowing a Bard to grant +2d6 sonic damage while maintaining 2 performances with Virtuoso Performance? If it is the latter, would a Shadowbard, being a shadowy duplicate of yourself, enable you to bump it up to +3d6?
I've been interested in making a ranged Stalwart Defender character for quite some time. One of the biggest hurdles is the inherent lack of threatened squares with a ranged weapon (important for holding down your territory in Defensive Stance) and the number of feats required to make Archery respectable in damage (which clashes with the 3 feats required for Stalwart Defender). If I have gone over things correctly, I believe this character setup should take care of those concerns and allow for a heavily armored, long-ranged, but slow moving PC equivalent of artillery.
The build at level 11 consists of 3 levels of Zen Archer (to reach into Point-Blank Master and using WIS instead of DEX for attack rolls), 6 levels of Ranger (for the abundance of Archery feats and Favored bonuses never hurt), and 2 levels of Stalwart Defender (to move our way to the Bulwark/Halting Blow defensive powers to stop people with AOOs).
Let me know if this feat tree works as I expect it:
Snap Shot and Improved Snap shot should increase my threatened area to 15 feet around me allowing me to block off a considerable amount of the battlefield especially when in my Defensive Stance. Combat Reflexes gives me the opportunity to Rapid Shot and Manyshot make up for not being able to use the Zen Archer's Flurry of Bows while in heavy armor. Point-Blank Master and Precise Shot should allow me to let the front line enemies come up to me in melee without it being an issue.
Where do I go from here to continue the concept? My first choices for my next feats will likely be from Clustered Shots and Greater Snap Shot, but I'm not sure where else to go for a low-mobility high-armor archer. Ideally the bow will be an Adaptive Composite Longbow to take advantage of the Strength boosting while in Defensive Stance.
If you have played 8 and 16 bit RPGs, you may be familiar with this type of boss. A "Load-Bearing" Boss is usually at the top of some structure (typically a tower) and when defeated that structure begins to crumble and collapse. Is there a Pathfinder way to recreate this scenario where upon defeat of the BBEG the surrounding structure/pocket dimension/area begins a slow but inevitable collapse that the PCs must escape or be crushed/trapped?
I am building a campaign from scratch centered around the party of PCs being transported through unknown means to another world/plane/dimension/time where they are seen as the fulfilling of a mythic prophecy. I want to create a real sense of isolation at the beginning of the campaign to contrast the familiar, comfortable world they come from with one where they are truly foreign entities.
To accomplish this, I want to have the NPCs in the new world speak a language that is unrelated to anything from their homeworld. I'd like to have the PCs gradually learn parts of the language as they progress in order to better communicate with the locals and have a plot device to send them around places that might help them learn. My question is this: how would you roleplay the interactions before they understand the language and how would you allow a PC to begin to translate and understand words prior to the aid of magic spells?
It doesn't seem like this mythic hero ability has been discussed on this site from the searches I've done, so I will just have to bring this question to bear.
Here are the relevant parts of the scenario: A mythic Purple Worm with the Dimensional Grappler ability (details in spoiler below) has a Hamatula currently grappled in its mouth. When the Hamatula's turn comes up, it attempts to use its Greater Teleport ability to escape. With a caster level of 12, spell level of 7, and INT modifier of +1, would the DC of the worm's Will save be 18 (10 + spell level + modifier)? If the worm succeeds at this save to identify the spell/intended location and chooses to prevent it, how long does the Dimensional Anchor effect last? If it is a persistent effect, would it last for 16 minutes (# of worm hit dice * 1 min/level) and does it only prevent the currently grappled enemy from teleporting away or any enemy grappled in its mouth for the duration?
Dimensional Grappler:
Dimensional Grappler (Su): When you have an opponent grappled or pinned and it attempts to use a teleportation effect, you can attempt a Will save against the effect, even if it would not normally allow a save. If you succeed, you learn the type of teleportation effect (such as dimension door) and the creature's intended destination, and then may prevent the effect (as if using a quickened dimensional anchor, using your character level as your caster level) or accompany the opponent as if you were part of its gear with negligible weight.
Here's the scenario: I have a monster with the Block Attacks defensive ability from Mythic Adventures, and it is being targeted by a wizard's Scorching Ray attack. Since the Scorching Ray spell requires a ranged touch attack, is this eligible to be blocked by the monster's once per round Block Attacks ability?
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I'm looking to build a particularly nasty Mythic Purple Worm. Reading over the mythic path abilities I can pull from, I noticed an interesting interaction that I wanted to make sure was correct between Meat Shield and Uncanny Grapple.
Meat Shield: "You can use a creature you're grappling to protect you from harm. If you're grappling a creature and are attacked with a melee or ranged attack, as an immediate action you can attempt a grapple combat maneuver check against your grappled opponent. If you succeed, the incoming attack targets your grappled opponent instead of you. If you fail, the grappled opponent breaks free from the grapple and the incoming attack targets you as normal."
Uncanny Grapple: "Upon making a successful grapple combat maneuver check against a creature you are grappling, you can perform one of the following actions: throw, crush, or swing. For a throw, you can throw the target of your grapple up to 10 feet per tier; if the creature strikes a solid object before reaching this distance, it takes 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of the remaining throwing distance and lands prone. For a crush, you deal 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per tier. For a swing, you can use the target as a weapon against another creature, treating the grappled creature as a two-handed weapon. If you succeed at a melee attack against an opponent adjacent to the target, both that opponent and the grappled creature take 1d8 points of bludgeoning damage from this attack + 1-1/2 × your Strength modifier."
When my purple worm has already bitten someone, successfully grappled them, and is now the target of a melee/ranged attack, it can make a grapple check to shield itself with its victim if successful. Can it then also use it as a weapon through the Uncanny Grapple ability to whack whatever is in the worm's range due to this confirmed grapple check while already grappled?
Since two of our regular players will be leaving for the holidays, instead of continuing our current campaign we have postponed it in favor of a one-shot scenario that I am designing. We have yet to play with the Mythic rules, so this seemed a fun way to try out the new features.
My issue is this: we will only have 3 PC characters (Level 13 with 6 Mythic tiers) and I wanted to add a Mythic Hill Giant companion for story purposes and to make fights a bit more exciting. The Mythic Hill Giant is a CR9/MR3 monster, and I'm having trouble figuring out how to factor it into the group's APL so that I can properly ballpark their encounters.
My current calculations for the group would have them at an APL of 15 ([39 for levels + 9 for mythic tiers]/3 - 1 for only 3 players). When adding this Mythic Hill Giant companion, how much should I adjust the APL to compensate?
If I have a Goblin Sorcerer (Draconic bloodline let's say) who has the spell Fire Trail (Goblin specific spell from the Advanced Race Guide) and Fly active at the same time, does he essentially turn into a napalm generator dropping fire on top of my enemies?
Fire Trail reads: "When you cast this spell, flammable liquid oozes from your pores, dripping onto the ground and spontaneously combusting. The flame does not harm you. During this spell's duration, each time you leave your space, you create a trail of fire that burns within the spaces you move through for 1 round before it burns out."
My interpretation of this is that the flammable liquid ooze drips off of you and falls to the ground where it ignites. If I am above an enemy, it should cause them to start their round inside of the fire and thus take the increased damage as compared to starting next to it if I ran by them on the ground. Does this seem to be the correct way to read this interaction?
My Bard will soon be hitting level 7 (6 in Bard with 1 in Oracle). Since I took the Lore Mystery for my Oracle splash, I have access to the revelation Lore Keeper (use CHA modifier in place of INT modifier for Knowledge skill checks). This revelation combined with my Bardic Knowledge bonus, Circlet of Persuasion bonus, and Headband of Alluring Charisma +2 give me a base of +15 to a Knowledge check in which I have only a single rank invested (+5 CHA, +1 rank, +3 class skill bonus, +3 Circlet of Persuasion bonus, +3 Bardic Knowledge bonus).
When coupled with the Bard class ability Lore Master, I can Take 10 resulting in at least 25 for any Knowledge skill in which I have a rank invested. My question is this: under what circumstances would I need to make a check of greater than 25 DC requiring a roll?
Is there any combination of feats or items that allows the drawing of a wand as a free action? Quickdraw explicitly excludes them from the benefits of the feat. Say I have a Wand of Enlarge Person (which takes a full round to cast), is there any way that I can have this wand accessible but not drawn to begin a turn yet be able to use it for that turn?
My level 5 Bard is going to be investing in a Scroll of Fireball as our party lacks any good AoE, and I have some gold to spend. I realize that there are two different types of scrolls for this spell (the Wizard version and the Sorcerer version), and what I want to know is what rolls I would have to succeed at to cast them and the difference in damage output if any.
Here are my Bard's relevant stats and equipment:
Int 12
Cha 18
Chain Shirt (20% ASFC)
Heavy Steel Shield (15% ASFC)
UMD 12 (4 Cha + 5 ranks + 3 class skill bonus)
Now if I am reading the UMD skill correctly, since Bards do not have Fireball on their spell lists I will have to use UMD in order to cast from the scroll. I will list two scenarios (one for the Wizard version, the other for Sorcerer) and would appreciate pointing out anything I miss.
Wizard:
Cost 375g (3rd level spell x 5th level caster x 25gp)
Ability Requirement Int >= 13 (3rd level spell)
UMD DC = 23 (20 + 3rd level spell)
Spell save DC = 14 (10 + Int 13 bonus of 1 + 3rd level spell)
Seeing as I do not have the Int to cast the spell, I need to use UMD to emulate that ability score. Since my effective ability score is UMD-15 I believe that would require a DC of 28 to accomplish. Should I manage that, I would then have to successfully use the scroll with a UMD DC of 23. Should THAT succeed, I then have to factor in my armor (35% ASFC) and roll a d20 getting higher than a 7. If the one of the first two rolls fails, I keep the scroll but lose my action. If the last one fails, the scroll is consumed and the spell fails. If I succeed at all 3 rolls, I cast a Fireball of caster level 5 at my target and they get to make a Reflex save with a DC of 14 to avoid half the damage.
Sorcerer:
Cost 450g (3rd level spell x 7th level caster x 25gp)
Ability Requirement Cha >= 13 (3rd level spell)
UMD DC = 23 (20 + 3rd level spell)
Spell save DC = 14 (10 + Cha 13 bonus of 1 + 3rd level spell)
In this case, I do meet the ability requirement to cast the spell and do not have to make a roll to emulate it. This should allow me to only have to make the last two rolls (UMD check to cast, ASFC check to not fail). Again these would have DCs of 23 and 7 respectively like the Wizard version. If it successfully casts, the Fireball would be at a caster level of 7 with the same Reflex DC of 14.
If all of this is correct, is there any reason for me not to buy the Sorcerer version for 175g more since it would be a) easier to cast and b) do more damage?
Assuming I have a 5th level character that has taken 4 Bard levels and 1 Oracle level, how many spells can I cast in a day with a Charisma score of 18?
The base amounts are 3 level 1 and 1 level 2 Bard spells plus 3 level 1 Oracle spells. Does my Charisma modifier bonus apply to both making it 5/2 Bard and 5/0 Oracle or do I need to split my bonus spells per day among them?
This weekend I will be starting a new campaign as a Neutral Evil Bard. I'd like some quotes or passages that help convey a sense of dread, despair, unease, lack of hope, etc. that I can use as I announce my bardic performances.
Feel free to make it up if you so feel, I just want a little extra fluff to set the mood for my party of evil-doers as we begin our conquest. A sentence or two would be just fine or a short stanza. I doubt my DM will be terribly happy if I go on a 5 minute soliloquy when performing Inspire Courage however.
If your words match another of the Bard's performances, please mention which one/s. She will be a straight up Bard, so none of the archetypal performances will be used.
Thanks in advance for anything you'd like to contribute!
I will be starting a new campaign next week with what is currently a 4 person group (Cleric, Rogue, Bard [me], Antipaladin). We will be starting at level 1 and we are evil should it matter. What I'd like to know are ways that I can deny an opponent their Dex to AC bonus in order to enable my Rogue to get their sneak attack damage.
I know I or our Antipaladin could simply flank with the Rogue to allow it, but I'd rather not be the one to sit in the fray of combat any longer than is necessary. What other options do I have at level 1 to deny their Dex bonus? What feat trees/spells would allow me to do the same at higher levels?
I've been playing around with several different characters for my backup to my frontline Shield Fighter. My current party has gotten remarkably close to a TPK on a couple of occassions so it seems warranted to build a backup. It will be a 25 point buy with level 5 gold (10,500 no item more than 4,000).
Here's what I came up with:
Race - Human
Class - 4 Master of Many Styles Monk/1 Protean Sorcerer
Base Stats
Str 14 (5)
Dex 13 (3)
Con 14 (5)
Int 10 (0)
Wis 16 (10)
Cha 12 (2)
Human +2 bonus goes into STR and lvl 4 +1 bonus into DEX for the additional AC boost and AoOs from Combat Reflexes.
As you can see, the idea is to provoke Attacks of Opportunity with movement which triggers the Panther retaliations. Snake Style turns their misses into Attacks of Opportunity for myself as well as a potential AC boost once per turn or extra attack off an AoO. The Sorcerer splash gives me access to the Protoplasm ability (when I can't get in range or the enemy needs to be immobilized), Mage Armor (helps trigger Snake Fang and can buff teammates), and Enlarge Person (increases Unarmed Strike damage, threat range). Granted, I can only cast them 4 times per day, but their durations should make that manageable. The Protean bloodline also makes it a bit tougher to dispel Mage Armor and Enlarge Person.
Items
Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2 4,000gp
Cloak of Resistance +2 4,000gp
Wand of Shield 750gp
+1 Kama 1,002gp
The headband improves my AC/CMD through the Monk's AC Bonus, bumps up the Sense Motive check for Snake Style, and gives an additional retaliation for Panther Claw. The cloak makes my already good saves quite solid. The wand allows me to have substantial AC when combined with Mage Armor. They don't stack with Snake Style's ability, but are very good on their own for enabling Snake Fang. The +1 Kama is there to get through damage reduction when I don't have Ki Strikes available.
Final Stats
Str 16 +3
Dex 14 +2
Con 14 +2
Int 10 0
Wis 18 +4
Cha 12 +1
AC: 17 (up to 25 with Mage Armor and Shield, -2 when enlarged)
Touch: 17
Flat: 15
Fort/Refl/Will: 8/8/12
BAB: +3
CMB: +7 (9 when enlarged)
CMD: 22 (23 when enlarged)
+1 Kama (med/large)
Attack Bonus: 7/8
Damage: 1d6+4/1d8+5
Skills - TBD (At least 1 in Acrobatics and 3 in Sense Motive for Snake Style)
Let me know if there is anything that I am not reading correctly. I haven't had much experience with Pathfinder, but I'm steadily gaining more knowledge as I go. If there are any recommendations you can think of, please share them. I'm looking to make this guy more of a frontline tank than an all-out DPR machine.
I am aware that Heavy Armor negates a Barbarian's Fast Movement ability while Mithral Full Plate would not since it is considered Medium armor. My question is does a Heavy Shield count as Heavy Armor as well? If so, would a Mithral Heavy Shield qualify as Medium Armor for the Barbarian's Fast Movement ability?
I'm looking to prestige my Shielded Fighter after level 9 (since the archetype is rather underwhelming to me now) in order to get the second Shielded Fighter rank and Shield Buffet ability. Stalwart Defender seems to fit my style the best, but I have some questions about its Defensive Stance ability.
Since movement while in Defensive Stance cancels it, you simply choose not to move during a round correct? Instead of that move action, can I substitute Shield Buffet against a legal target while remaining in Defensive Stance? Are there other useful move action replacements that I should look to pick up?
Next questions have to do with Throwing Shields. First, does Shield Master apply to them as well as my shield bashes with my other equipped shield? Second, since I have Two Weapon Fighting in order to get to Shield Master, can I attack a ranged target with my Throwing Shield and a melee target with my other shield? Third, if my Throwing Shield is enchanted with the Returning property, does that allow me to use my iterative attacks from a full attack action or does it not return during my attack? Finally, assuming the answer to Shield Master affecting Throwing Shields is true, is there any reason not to constantly fight defensively while dual wielding shields? It seems I would have a +4 AC bonus (boosted by Active Defense from Shielded Fighter) without taking penalties all while boosting the AC of those around me by 1 (as a swift action).
So I currently have a level 5 Shielded Fighter in what is my first real, sustained D&D campaign. He is currently partied with a Magus (primary damage dealer), Alchemist/Rogue (drinks/throws potions and sneak attacks), Witch (buff/debuffs), and a Cleric (buffs/heals). At level 6 and 11 I will be taking Shield Slam and Shield Master, respectively, and am curious what different routes I can take with the 4 feats in between (5 if I respec a previous feat at level 8).
Here are his current stats:
Str 16
Dex 15
Con 16
Int 11
Wis 12
Cha 8
Armor: Full Plate
Main Hand: Heavy Mace +1
Shield: Spiked Steel Heavy Shield
I've currently come up with 3 different paths I can take depending on what role would suit my team best. I'd like to know if you can think of any others or ways to improve the ones I currently have come up with.
Attacks of Opportunity, Shield Slam abuse:
Combat Reflexes
Power Attack
Improved Bull Rush
Greater Bull Rush
Walking AC Boost:
Combat Reflexes
Saving Shield
Bodyguard
Standstill
Right now I'm leaning towards the first option in order to be a bully on the battlefield and help control positioning for my casters. The second option is a distinct possibility if I want to just blow things up. My GM has agreed with my interpretation that a Spiked Heavy Shield of Bashing does 2d6 as its base which makes Vital Strike fairly strong. The third option I am least likely to go for as my group doesn't have many other characters that prefer to get in the face of the enemy like I do.
Would love to hear your thoughts or potential alternate builds to look into.
Greetings Paizo community! Over the past couple days I have been browsing your forums and have become quite satisfied with the breadth of knowledge and openness to discussion of your members. With that in mind, I have decided to reach out and ask for some advice with a new character.
So I went over to a friend of a friend's place this past Sunday night and found out they would be playing some Pathfinder. They invited me to join their game and I accepted. I had to make a character up on the spot and the other players informed me that they were missing a tank/bruiser type character which fits in well with my "get hit and hit stuff back" mentality when I play roleplaying games of all types.
We were starting the campaign from level 1 so I decided on rolling a Half Orc Fighter that would go for a Warhammer/Spiked Heavy Shield combo aiming to focus on the defensive/shield feats. I sort of jumped into things blind without a real plan for how I would flesh my character out so it might be a bit wonky the first couple of levels. Here are the stats from what I can recall (don't have the character sheet with me):
Str 16
Dex 14
Con 18
Int 11
Wis 13
Cha 8
As I mentioned, from looking through these forums it seemed that a Shield Slam build is what I'm looking for in order to play defensive, attack with my shield, and have some battlefield control. Unfortunately as you can see, my Dex isn't high enough to qualify for Two Handed Fighting until level 4 when I can bump it up. It is my understanding that as a Fighter I get a feat every level due to my bonus feats on evens and normal feats on odds. With that in mind, here is the overall arc for my feats that I have come up with from browsing Paizo:
1: Imp. Shield Bash, Dodge
2: Shield Focus, Bravery +1
3: Weapon Focus (Warhammer), Armor Training 1
4: Increase Dex, Two Weapon Fighting, change Dodge to Dazzling Display
5: Combat Reflexes, Weapon Training 1 (Hammers)
6: Shield Slam, Bravery +2
Will this accomplish what I am aiming for? Primarily, I want to focus on 1) not dying 2) being enough of a threat to keep enemy attention and 3) some battlefield control to help protect the squishies. Do I have penalties on my Warhammer swings pre-TWF if I have the heavy shield equipped but don't use it for combat? If yes, would it be possible to change my shield type to avoid such penalties until I hit 4? Is Combat Reflexes worth it for the increased AoO's and branching to Stand Still later or would I get more mileage out of another feat like Weapon Specialization?
Sorry for the list of questions, but I just want to have a good idea of an effective strategy without going full min/max mode. The 1st level feats are locked in of course, but we just hit level 2 at the end of our first session so there is still a lot of flexibility.
