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The Magic Circle spells have powdered silver as a material component. Since there is no cost listed, the cost is small enough to ignore it. Does anyone else get a headache thinking about this?

When polymorphed into a giant, your armor resizes to fit you. Thus, if a horse were to be polymorphed into a giant, its barding would transform into something that fits a giant. It's kind of ridiculous but it would technically work by RAW.

Can anyone else think of a situation where RAW would create a situation like this?

When I think of a familiar, I don't think of something that is going into combat. However, I have hear that an imp with the familiar bonuses is effective. I really don't see how. It does 1d4 damage per turn. Sure, there's the poison but DC 13 isn't going to remain effective for long. Am I missing something? Can someone tell me how an imp (or any other familiar) can become a combat threat?

When a character gets a rank in Linguistics, he learns a new language. Since a familiar gets its master's skill ranks, would the familiar learn a new language and, thus, learn how to speak? I figure that a DM would only allow languages the master knows and it would not come into effect until after it has Speak with Master. Still, I don't think it would be a big enough mechanical advantage that it would cause problems but some people would think it would be neat for their familiar to be able to speak to other people.

On the other hand, knowing a language would let it spy on conversations. That would be a pretty big advantage.

Witches with the Endurance Patron get Miracle as their 9th level patron spell. The very idea of casting this spell fills me with child-like terror.

When a wizard casts Wish, it is interpreted by a dispassionate force without an agenda (assuming a GM that is not fixated on twisting wishes). When a cleric casts Miracle, it is interpreted and allowed by the cleric's deity, who generally has the same agenda as the cleric. In both of these cases, you can usually trust that the spell will work out how you wanted. In fact, with the cleric, you can expect the deity to interpret the spell in the best possible way for your character.

However, witches are no where near that lucky. When a witch casts Miracle, it is interpreted and allowed by the source of the witch's power, its patron. Unlike with clerics, witches do not necessarily have the same goals as their patrons. In many cases, they do not even know who their patron is. Thus, they are putting the power of a reality warping spell into the hands of a creature that they may very well know nothing about. This creature may decide to twist its interpretation of the request or simply make the spell fail on a whim.

Any one else terrified by this idea?

Okay, looking back, the Miracle spell does not explicitly mention the spell being twisted but I would interpret that as being due to the fact that your deity is not likely going to want to mess with you like that.

The spell ends if the subject attacks any creature. For purposes of this spell, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe. Exactly who is a foe depends on the invisible character's perceptions. Actions directed at unattended objects do not break the spell. Causing harm indirectly is not an attack.

I am interpreting this to mean that if you sneak up on a random person and cast suggestion to convince him that attacking someone is a good idea, you stay invisible. However, if you do the exact same thing to someone you consider an enemy, you will become visible.

Is this correct? If so, how would you decide who is a "foe"? Would it be someone you're actively fighting? Someone you've fought before? Someone whose goals oppose your own?

I'm asking because turning invisible and casting suggestion seems like something an imp would do all the time. However, corrupting the righteous through repeated suggestions would be quite difficult if they become visible each time they try it.

I was looking over the Prestige Classes available to characters that worship demons, daemons, or devils. There seems to be a pretty big difference in power.

Devil worshipers get a super imp and a bunch of class features dealing with conjuring up devils and making deals with them. Basically, they get improvements in the things that devil worshipers should be the best at.

Daemon worshipers get an Improved Familiar, 2 summoning SLAs usable once per day, and a bunch of SLAs that are powered by a touch attack ability. I guess this wouldn't be bad for a cleric but arcane casters are squishy. Why would they want a touch attack? Plus, they don't get full casting.

Demon worshipers get one extra spell per day, a buff that causes confusion afterwards, the demonic boons at an earlier level, a bit of summoning, and one more buff. Again, not full casting. Plus, to be able to use the abilities of this class, including the spell casting advancement, the character has to perform a daily ritual based on their demon lord. For some demon lords, this can be hand waved as being done as part of the morning routine. For others... Lamashtu requires her followers to try to either get pregnant, get someone else pregnant, or sacrifice a baby. A pregnant follower of Lamashtu would be stuck sacrificing babies. Thus, at level 10, she must sacrifice 30 babies a month or lose 9 levels of casting. How is she supposed to find 30 babies a month? Obviously, this wasn't meant to be a PC class but still, it's kind of ridiculous.

Right, done ranting. Anyone else got any comments on this?

The Sun Orchid Elixir temporarily stops the aging process and, thus, extends the taker's life. However, I can't find any reference to how long it extends someone's life by. It seems to suggest that it's only one year but that seems kind of short to me. Does anyone have any idea?

One of the functions of the Atonement spell is to change the alignment of a willing creature. In a society that is big on redemption, it would make sense for criminals to be allowed to go free if they willingly submit to an Atonement spell by a good cleric. Obviously, this is more difficult than it sounds since it doesn't work on people that are displeased with the fact that they're being forced to switch alignments. Plus, the cleric would have to cast Detect Good to make sure it worked. However, I think it would make enough of a difference to justify it. Actually, if there is a long jail sentence, they could end up saving money... assuming your fantasy world punishes through jail instead of public flogging.

Generally speaking, do your games have any signs of magic other than the verbal and somatic components? Obviously, something like Lightning Bolt or Shocking Grasp would be rather noticeable. However, I think something like Bestow Curse could be cast without anyone noticing. Of course, the verbal and somatic components would be an obvious sign so you would have to do them before you even see your target and then hold the charge. Am I wrong? Would anyone say that the caster's hand glows, or something along those line, when the spell is delivered?

Level 1 of the Souldrinker PrC grants a Cacodaemon familiar. However, it makes no mention of what your effective level for the familiar is. My guess would be either you only get a level 1 familiar or it's based on the Souldrinker class level (plus any previous familiar-granting class). I suppose if a GM was feeling especially generous, having the familiar be based on caster level would be possible too (please don't ask your GM for this). Any opinions on what it's supposed to be?

I've heard people talking about using the spell Fabricate on sand in order to create glass. By RAW, do you think this is possible?

To take this to it's ridiculous conclusion, would a lich that spent 100 years developing the science of molecular chemistry be able to turn coal into diamonds?

Some of the more powerful fiends have regeneration that can only be bypassed by good. Thus, the higher ranking demons and devils would be completely incapable of killing each other. Thus, the logical course of action would be to have their magic users summon lantern archons to get rid of their enemies' regeneration.

This whole idea sounds ridiculous. Please tell me there is a better way for them to do this.

Quite a few of the options of things that you can reincarnate are things that tend to be killed on sight by questing heroes. Recasting it until you're something socially acceptable could get expensive. Is there any way to alter the likelihood of certain options?

If not, I'll probably homebrew a magic item. It'll be expensive and have an increased chance of going horribly wrong.

When I think of organized governments, I usually think of Lawful alignments. How do predominantly Chaotic nations function and how is it different from Lawful nations?

Glabrezu are supposed to be tempters. As tempters, they should be able to blend in with humanoid society so they can find targets and talk them into making selfish wishes. Their physical qualities make me question how effective they are. Sure, they can use veil to appear prettier. However, they're 18 feet tall. How do they fit through the door?

Efreet can only grant wishes to non-genies. What's stopping them from enslaving some poor sap and then beating him until he wishes for the things they want him to wish for?

A Clay Golem is healed by acid damage. However, an Acid Arrow does not allow SR so it should be able to damage the golem. Is the golem healed or damaged?

I have just come up with what may very well be the STUPIDEST way a PC could try to break the game.

1. Cast Planar Binding to call up a Glabrezu.
2. Apply debuffs to Glabrezu's Charisma and checks.
3. Force Glabrezu to give you a wish for free (opposed Charisma checks with Glabrezu getting +6 bonus).
4. Repeat as needed.
5. Realize you have angered several demon lords by enslaving their minions.
6. Die horribly.

Of course, that's assuming that you don't word the first wish in a way that allows the Glabrezu to twist it into something that kills you.

I had an interesting concept that I thought I would share.

The party (including a Paladin of Sarenrae) are sent to defeat an evil wizard. They end up beating him in some way that makes him decide to repent and try to be good. The wizard willingly lets you turn him in to the authorities. Despite his desire to change, the court sentences him to death. The party thinks he should be allowed to make up for the evil he has done so they break him out of prison. The local lord sends an enemy party (including a paladin) after them. Thus, you would have the enemy paladin fighting to uphold the laws of the land versus the party's paladin fighting to uphold the laws of his god.

I figure it would lead to interesting RP opportunities, if nothing else.

Of course, good luck trying to get your party to go along with this plan without heavy prompting.

How do Shadow Conjuration/Evocation and Metamagic interact?

Shadow Conjuration allows you to mimic a 3rd level spell. Could you mimic a 2nd level spell that becomes 3rd level through metamagic? If you can, would you be able to further modify it by applying a different metamagic feat to the Shadow Conjuration spell?

Witches don't get Planar Ally, Planar Binding, or Gate. Aren't evil witches supposed to conjure demons to send after meddling heroes? Anyone else think this is an odd choice? For that matter, can anyone explain why they think this is logical?

Oh, and yes, I did notice you can get them from one archetype and a few patrons have one of them. It just seems to me that they should be easier to get.

It is stated that the Shadow Plane can be used to cover great distances quickly. Are there any rules on how much faster you can move there compared to the Material Plane?

Shadow Walk gives a flat rate of 50 miles per hour. Would that mean that any creature, no matter how fast it moves, would progress at a rate of 50 miles per hour or should we assume that 50 miles per hour corresponds to creatures with a speed of 30 (aka normal human speed)?

In addition, you can cause damage to objects and construct creatures by striking them with a melee touch attack. Objects and constructs take 1d6 points of damage +1 for every two cleric levels you possess. This attack bypasses an amount of damage reduction and hardness equal to your cleric level.

If a level 5 Cleric used this power, would it bypass 5 DR and 5 hardness or would you add together the DR and hardness before subtracting 5 from the combined total? I'm guessing the the former but it could go either way.

Can familiars get any feats beyond what they start with? It doesn't mention them getting any. It sounds like they are only treated like they had higher HD for the purpose of spells and such so they wouldn't get any from increase in HD like animal companions do.

Is there any good way for an arcane caster to gain control over undead without centering their character concept around it? To make this simpler, let's assume a generalist wizard or a sorcerer of the arcane bloodline.

The DM's younger brother nagged her into letting him join our game. He's 11 or somewhere around there and he's not very mature. I get the feeling that he just wants to play so he can kill things. Killing things is all well and good but it sounds like the DM is going to have us doing a lot of thinking. We've already seen signs of a major investigation quest coming in the future and we're currently on a quest to capture a creature alive for our employer's magical menagerie. Add in the fact that she's not experienced as a DM and I can see problems coming in the future. Is there anything I can do as a player to try to keep things from getting too difficult for the DM?

Some DMs tend to give out bonus XP to players for things certain things. One side effect of this system is that some PCs will end up higher level than others. If you want to keep the party all at the same level but still want to be able to reward the paladin for soloing the shadow demon while the rest of the party ran away, you need a different reward system. My concept is that these rewards are divine favor that can be traded in for boons. Obviously, you don't have to use my fluff.

Basically, instead of bonus XP, the players would earn points that can be used to buy advantages for their characters. These advantages might include:
Low-Light Vision
Bonus Skill Points
Bonus Feats
Enhancements for equipment
Casting a spell without the material component

In cases in which a character managed to miss out on XP that the rest of the party gained, these points could be used to catch up until the character is at the same level as the rest of the party.

I've considered more impressive rewards but they would cost so many points that either no one would choose them or everyone would just save up their points for one big reward.

So, any opinions on whether such a system would work well?

I got an idea that I'll probably forget before I use it so I'm presenting it for any DM that might be interested.

The PCs are part of an effort to colonize a newly discovered continent. They solve a few problems and make friends with a few NPCs. Then, they're talking to an NPC and he suddenly attacks them. They have to deal with trying to keep the colony alive while fighting off the colonists who suddenly turn violent. Investigation would eventually lead them to discover that a Shadow Demon has been possessing people and then retreating when its host dies.

I figure it would be good for a horror setting. The players would turn paranoid, always considering every NPC they meet to be a threat.

I got this idea from the Tattooed Sorcerer's tattoo familiar and the Animal Messenger spell.

Basically, you would use the Inscribe Magical Tattoo feat to create a tattoo of a tiny or smaller animal. This tattoo would be able to separate from the character it is inscribed on to carry written messages. For RP purposes, it could also double as a pet.

Pricing it as a at-will use item puts it at 6,000 gp. Considering the fact that a character could conceivably go through an entire adventure path without finding a situation in which its useful, would you price it lower?

When a character wears a suit of armor and has a force armor effect (such as Mage Armor or Bracers of Armor), they do not stack. The character only benefits from the higher armor bonus. The lower effect ceases to function according to the entry for the Bracers of Armor.

What would happen if the character was hit by an incorporeal touch attack? The suit of armor has a higher armor bonus so the force armor should not function. However, the touch attack ignores the suit of armor but would be affected by the force armor if it had been active. Logically, the force effect should apply but RAW seems to suggest that it does not.

Let's ignore the fact that making the armor ghost touch would be far simpler and more cost effective.

Construct Armor is exactly what it sounds like: a construct that has be modified to be worn as armor. Unfortunately, the rules governing them are rather problematic.

First, the armor can only be worn by the creator. Thus, it can only be worn by casters with the 3 feats needed to craft constructs.

Second, It has arcane spell failure of 25 percent. Thus, even arcane casters with the Arcane Armor Mastery feat have a 5 percent chance of spell failure.

Third, it can only be worn by someone of the same size and there are not many small and medium sized constructs. Plus, small characters would automatically have weaker armor due to construct hp being linked to size.

Fourth, many constructs require spells that are only divine or only arcane. Plus, making the construct requires animate object, which wizards and sorcerers do not get.

Is there any way to make Construct Armor viable without resorting to houserules?

I was just looking at the Construct modification rules and there is a way to change a Construct into a suit of armor. A Necromancer could make the Flesh Golem negative energy variant and change it into Construct armor. The party fights this big hulking Necromancer. Then, when they think they have him beaten, the Flesh Golem disassembles itself and reassembles next to the unharmed medium sized Necromancer. Of course, once the party gets over the fact that the Necromancer was wearing a bunch of dead bodies stitched together, they will probably hate you for making you fight the same enemy twice in a row. Though, the Necromancer might need to be a Cleric because I can't tell if Construct armor always has arcane spell failure or if it gains it if the armor dies while you're wearing it.

OH,BRILLIANT IDEA. The Necromancer wears the Flesh Golem whenever it confronts the PCs. Thus, they think the enemy is a hideous monstrosity. Then, the Necromancer takes off the Flesh Golem and the party meets him as a local noble or something like that. They would never equate the hideous large sized Necromancer with the attractive medium sized noble/friendly wizard/whatever else you want to work with.

EDIT: Wait, same size required... Well, you're the GM so you're always right. Just don't let the party look at the requirements for construct armor.

I once heard that the Prepared Casting Classes are better than the Spontaneous Casting Classes. I personally see advantages and disadvantages to both.

Give me your analysis of which one you prefer and why.

Is there any hope that I'll get one logical post for each side before this devolves into angry ranting?

Plane shift dumps you between 5 and 500 miles away from the point that you intend to travel to. This makes sense when you are traveling from the Material Plane to the Abyss, for example. However, when you are traveling to one of the Transitive Planes (Ethereal, Astral, Shadow), you are just stepping over a barrier (assuming you're trying to travel to the same point on the Transitive Plane that corresponds to the point where you currently are).

Would it be reasonable for the margin of error from your current destination to be shorter and how short would you make it?

When I first got into D&D, I assumed that since clerics are not subject to arcane spell failure, they do not require somatic components.

Now, I'm leaning towards the somatic components being so simple that armor does not restrict manual dexterity enough to interfere with the casting process. For example, the somatic component for a cure spell is the action of reaching out to touch the target.

I know this usually will not matter but is there any official ruling on how the somatic components for arcane and divine spells differ?