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It went down in our Kingmaker campaign! Our lead city now rivals Absalom in size and culture and outpaces it in economic productivity in bringing online our mines on the moon (darn pupal Cthulhu tried to stop us). Seeing this, the GM literally dropped a Tarrasque out of the open sky onto our capital in the middle of a fight with a party-killer boss built and run by a second GM who had played with us before and was back in town for the day. We had to end the session before the final fight was resolved in airship to ship combat with the session boss on a linnorm and the BBEG on an ancient black dragon mount. The party rogue/beguiler did take down the black dragon mount with a stockpile of named bullets that our followers kept prepared every hour of every day for four in game years, slowing down the BBEG. But she will likely escape since our spy network leaked the secret that the city's air defenses are trained to kill her on sight, having lvl 12 Qinggong Sensei monks battlemind linking every crew member to every other crew member, making 1 nat 20 on one attack result in a nat 20 on every attack in that volley. We had to run the numbers on the Tarrasque after the session using the Tarrasque Army statistics, but there is an 83% chance that our 4 main armies (run by each of our 4 PCs) will take it down within 1d4 rounds, exceeding its regen if it remains within the city. But thankfully, for our citizens' sake, it grew wings and seems to be pursuing the party out of our capital and (I'm guessing) back into the plane it came from, which -- I'm all but certain -- is our final destination, seeing that the cracks in the sky are closing in around us each round of combat. 5 out of 5, would play again indefinitely.
To the point tho, easiest homebrew reskin I can think of would either be an infusion based Alchemist where the GM allows either off list extracts based on the monster foodstuff used or the bard archetype that serves tea, but maybe with different stipulations or effects on scale with masterpiece performances, also based off of the current plattes d’jour.
Mmmm. I’m right now imagining a bowl of reefclaw bouillabaisse or maybe cockatrice with a Chelaxian tarragon sauce — true demon’s blood in it, not that daemon substitute people are raving about. You know, I’m so rich from these monstrosities of gastronomy, my neighbors from Geb might even want to have me over for dinner sometime.
I’m sure other posters can answer the build questions better, but it seems like the rotating players may have combat on lock, so adding to their AoO’s would be good synergy, since even if you build to their level of damage output, it will only ever be one additional player who can take care of combat on their own, so be different if you like it. There is a feat just for bards that allows you to bluff and hide your spellcasting in social situations (not sure of the name), that could be a great option to prebuff before some types of encounters. Consider also abilities and spells that alter terrain or positioning since you can UMD them and they often have effects that can’t be saved against or bypassed. As you go into higher levels, countering spell with dispel magic is fun since the bonuses are caster level based and don’t require more than a feat or two and some items to maximize. Most players don’t choose it because you have to ready an action to cast, but RAW, when you ready that action, you can say ‘I ready to cast when enemy X acts’ and if that action is a spell, you can counter spell, and if not, you can cast any other spell you like.
If you like the character, keep it. It’s up to the GM to engage the whole table in combat if they have green lit gestalt builds that can take a powerful AoO that instakills an enemy. Off the top of my head I would ask for enemy tanks to engage every once in a while so they can survive getting into melee with the party. And then, yeah, buff the party and harass the enemy in encounters without these tanks.
Aha! One level in Mouser Swashbuckler may have been the solution all along -- when combined with Butterfly's Sting, it moves the limited value of this character's crit damage to another party member who can make the most of it! There are also a several places to drop in teamwork feats, but at the expense of being able to grant the feats to the party. 1 Mouser - Underfoot Assault, Swash. Finesse, Cautious Fighter
AC for Adjacent Allies = +3, attack penalty -2 5 uRogue - 2d6 sneak, Finesse Training (Waveblade), Desperate Swing (or Team)
AC for Adjacent Allies = +7, attack penalty -2, +4 confirm crits, auto crit damage goes to next ally to hit enemy 9 SFSS - DR 2, Resist 5 cold/electric, Cmbt. Refl., Bodyguard
AC for Adjacent Allies = +11, attack penalty -2, +8 confirm crits, auto crit damage goes to next ally to hit enemy 13 Lore W. - Crane Riposte (or Team), Iron Will (or Team)
Parry + Riposte, AC for Adjacent Allies = +11, attack penalty -2, +8 confirm crits, auto crit damage goes to next ally to hit enemy 17+ SFSS - Ki Pool, Channel Ki all of the above + unlimited Ki/Smites with enough Tea of Transference + Channel Ki (although the arsenic from the realgar in it is probably bad for your health)
Yojimbo Sanjuro uRogue Charlatan x / Cavalier 2 / Monk Farstrike 1 / Magus Spire Defender 1 / Fighter Dragoon 2 Reach Whirlwind Trip with Axebeak mount, I think there was room in there for Hunter to get Outflank/Pack Flanking, but items ended up giving those feats faster to both PC and mount so more rogue meant more sneak attack. Long Arm spell from Magus level was real nice. I think they are up to lvl 14 right now after I GM’d Feast of Dust.
I haven't worked out all the stats, but for a Halfling with a waveblade, it seems to go from focusing on aid another for attacks at low levels, then crit fishing with Butterfly's Sting starting at 8. (GM hasn't OK'd everything, but it is fun to dream...) --- 1 Scaled Fist/ Soul Shepherd - Combat Reflexes, Bodyguard
AC for Adjacent Allies = +4 5 V. Bravo - Aura of Courage, Divine Health, Nimble, Crane Wing
AC for Adjacent Allies = +4 aid, +4 luck (Blundering Defense) 9 G. Blade - Daring Teamwork (Blades Above and Below), Desperate Swing
AC for Adjacent Allies = +4 aid, +4 luck (Blundering Defense)
13 G. Blade - Swash. Weapon Training, Osyluth Guile AC for Adjacent Allies = +4 aid, +6* luck (Blundering Defense + OG*)
--- The extra levels of Virtuous Bravo feel, well, extra, but there is a trick (nay, cheese) to turn Channels into Ki into Smites, so if I go that route, it is built in. The later levels of Guided Blade also feel slow, but it would give the option of flanking from any adjacent ally against most creatures (ie. that aren't Large), which goes well with a menacing spiked gauntlet or such. Ideas?
Just remember that there are ways to bypass AC, so you might want to bufff things other than AC. Really good chart and great advice! I just found the feat Butterfly's Sting that fits nicely with the concept, so that could be a huge boost to our offense without requiring as much investment in damage.
Looking to do a Helpful Halfling bodyguard (+4 AC as AoO) character that goes into Blundering Defense with Osyluth Guile (additional +4 or +5 later), but I'm not sure when I want to increase their damage output in between. It's good advice is to strike first and strike hard, but the mental sketch is that of a professional dancer thrown into the adventuring world, so I won't start the build with top tier attack and damage. (And also my friends might be tired already of my shenanigans in our games that end combats quickly.) So with all this mind, what benchmarks would you set for yourself for such a character in terms of To Hit and Damage by levels 4, 8, and 12? Thank you all!
Our kingmaker quest continues as the now established kingdom of Grand Orvalian prepares for more frequent and dangerous planar incursions. The tools to stop the source of these planar rifts remains incomplete and far from the final goal of reversing the process and bringing the fight to those behind the incursions. First and foremost, an entity from the realm of dreams must be stopped before the kingdom’s capital residents are forced between forgoing sleep or suffering unspeakable torture each night. Moreover, the number of enemies seems to multiply, as new intelligence hints that multiple faction leaders are collectively behind these attacks. Perhaps a game of intrigue is required to undermine the larger plans against us before the final attack falls upon us.
It’s all meta gaming when the tactics go beyond what the character would do based on their knowledge and skills, so yeah, the GM should stay one step ahead of the PCs and still manage to lose. Then the party adapts, and the GM throws in something new for the party to overcome that is a little bit stronger and a little bit smarter than before. If the GM doesn’t, then combat is repetitive, which is the real enemy of story telling. But don’t forget, the party is moving the plot forward each time they win. And sometimes they win a fight but suffer a setback still. That’s what makes the next win something to look forward to (and still satisfying even though the cards were stacked against the GM). The GMG has really great ideas on making losing fun for the GM, which seems to be the issue that drives rocket tag the most IMO, try combats that are red herrings or force the party to choose a side in the middle of the action, or even a simple moral dilemma. Some links I love:
TL;DR: as long as combats feature cool and new enemies, the GM should give the party their moment to feel powerful, knowing the next plot point should put them back on their heels enough to make the next win for the party even more important. Or don’t and just rotate GMs so everyone gets to sit in the loser’s chair.
I usually take it further when I run games for new players where combats are designed to teach different aspects. So when they go up against the thieves guild, they encounter just two or three rogues who get the jump on them and start flanking, then I keep up that tactic as enemies get tougher so they come up with a way to counter it. Same for enchanters, creatures with DR, SR, multiple attacks, etc. The goal is never to mire the party, but keep them on their toes. For experienced parties, sometimes I throw a curveball like a group of magi when they expect just mooks or more powerful combinations like undead + channel negative clerics. Putting traps in the same room as a fight also keeps the party on their toes since finding and remove traps is usually the habit when the party finds an empty room. TL;DR: a GM’s job is to create memorable fights so the players feel like they improve their system mastery at the same time they level up. Even after a group masters the game, more memorable fights make for better stories being retold years down the road.
Not sure about continual flame since it specifies ‘as torchlight’. If torch light allows normal plants to grow, then yes, if not, then I’d ask the world’s GM. Also, this! Magic Dirt
I’m a big fan of the Sensei Monk for higher level abilities from Qingong Monk. Granting the whole party CL 12 barkskin or deadly juggernaut is fun, but putting battlemind link between every party member breaks the combat system.Those are terrific abilities, and Barkskin obviates the need for Amulets of Natural Armor too, freeing the slot up for other things. I didn't even know about Battlemind Link which is very cool. I think it'd be even better on a Sacred Huntmaster Inquisitor, who can be come nigh-unstoppable when sharing it with their animal companion. My general issue is I don't think the regular chained Monk is a particularly good class, same with the chained Rogue. I feel the unchained versions are straight upgrades. That's just my opinion. You just built my lvl 20 PFS character! I should add that Abundant Step/ dimension door is also a Qingong option, which means you can move the entire party on your turn to whereever they want to be placed without the drawback of them not being able to act, since the action occurs before their next turn.
I've ordered the planar traits for each category based on what I think is the most advantageous to control. Would you change the order of any of these? Magic Traits
Gravity Traits
Morphic / Size
Time Traits
Alignment
I’m considering the different planar traits as a roadmap for what changes could be made to areas of the first world, if only temporarily. What range of DC’s would you consider for all of the different planar traits covered in the create demiplane spells? (From changing mild alignment, to altering the shape of a combat area so leaving one edge puts you on the opposite side, to altering the flow of time and enhancing/deadening magic.)
Coinciding with the siege of Pitax, its king was caught unaware by four newly hired guards who, reportedly, appeared out of nowhere with news of a potential new mistress. Whether his lechery was his downfall or the actual greater curse bestowed upon him then remains unclear, however calm has been restored and the nearby kingdom of Grand Orvalian celebrates the potential for renewed, hospitable relations.
I like the idea of putting my current AP into a novella. I wonder if Paizo has ORC rules pertaining to individuals writing and sharing these fan fics. We have also danced with GMs like yours Arkat and when they decide it’s their story alone, we wish them well and pick up the story another time with another GM. Maybe your novella just needs another chapter added to make the ending right.
Yeah, we are all going into this now with more a FAFO vibe, and the GM really likes the story line, so it looks like we might all around fudge the starving for resources theme with a modified Wounds and Vigor system and enough clw stashes to keep the story going, and then sink resources into scrolls and wand key rings once we can for condition removal.
ty both. One system I want to try out before we start is the Vigor and Wounds system to make HP healing day to day less of an issue (since a cleric can make this a non-issue at the end of a day anyway with left over spells/channels). Do you think it would be reasonable to wrap permanent debuffs into a similar system that can be treated partially with mundane means? (It seems to me it takes only a fraction of spells/day from a full caster to negate/repair these.)
So not one out of the four of us has a caster as their first pick to play in our next adventure path, but the GM could be game for adapting Tyrant's Grasp to run smoothly without them (there might be a paladin or bloodrager, but likely not even a 6th level caster). What advice would you have for the GM to keep things interesting in and out of combat with the usual setbacks possible, but no 'you've failed before you started' moments? What advice would you have for players as we plan out our builds? Thanks!
The last post reminds me that exceptional PC's should have exceptional rivals. Perhaps it is a lone anti-paladin who fell from the Paladin Order that first trained the both of them, making redeeming the enemy a viable alternative to fighting. Or maybe there is a whole team of anti-paladins that have been working behind the scenes to exact their revenge. Either way, if you make it known beforehand that there is a foe who could challenge even the party's mightiest hero, you have created a much different table dynamic. The party knows to prepare for the powerful PC being stripped of a lot of his strengths and that the other players will be the key to the party's success. In the opposite direction, throwing a random foil against this PC to take a few hit points off or maybe even score a KO/kill, just tells the rest of the party that they will never-ever be powerful enough because even the team's best fighter can't win.
In our Kingmaker, the efforts to mine the moon for alchemical materials has been met with a minor setback in the form of a larval Cthulhu. But that has been dealt with and definitely can't foreshadow anything else like that ever happening again. The manufacturing town that the materials go to has also grown to the size of Absalom, securing the kingdom's prominence on the world's stage. Now we wait for real First World problems to arise.
I wouldn’t worry about defeating him if the player is having fun and the situation isn’t ruining the fun for anyone else. He has found his job and he does it well. Now, if you want to make things more interesting, give him choices of where he should position himself: attacks from two sides, high vs. low terrain, place ranged attacks at a distance all around the party. Anything that would make the player wish his PC could be in more than one place at a time, that will make things more fun.
So my Kingmaker campaign is going to the First World soon (played the video game up to that point, then stopped immediately when I heard we had a GM for it, so no end of AP spoilers). My Gnome Medium has played the role of Grand Diplomat but also has charisma checks with a 30+ modifier with the right spirit and buffs, which I understand can shape the First World (from the Realm of the Fey player book, avoiding the AP rules right now). What kind of mischief/nonsense would you be up to in this situation? What would you do with the power to sway the fabric of a plane and the resources of an entire nation behind you? Thanks!
It seems like a legit build with a skilled GM who knows how/when to keep your character advancing. Without runes, a level up isn't useful and with too many runes, leveling up becomes less meaningful. I would compare the class to maybe the Medium class or Vigilante where it can be versatile to the point that it can recreate or recombine other classes. You should decide if you want the GM to decide which direction the class can go or if you want to be able to pick the runes as you advance. And there is room in between where the plot gives you options to choose from. But importantly for this kind of game, you should be able to talk with the GM outside the game in advance of him planning sessions so that your idea of the character you want matches the type of game he is planning. It's no fun having the vision of a Cha negative barbarian and be thrown into endless social encounters or be a rogue in a mega-dungeon with zero traps to find.
Old: patronage system where favors are exchanged for favors between extended families. Think the modern mafia, but given status as legitimate rulers. Those outside of the old families are prevented from gaining political influence even when they gain wealth, with their only way advancing socially is by marrying into a family (which at once makes their wealth the family's wealth, so the individual who was outside the family really hasn't advanced, but traded one for the other). The economy is directed by these families to maximize their individual wealth and stability, which has a net positive for the kingdom, but nowhere close to what a free market society can accomplish. New: patronage system has given way to the rule of the PC's uncle, which has stripped them of all power outside of social influence, so they can be patrons of their cities or patrons of world-famous artists, but the families as a whole no longer pull the strings. Individuals can advance in both social standing and economic position based in their merits in either, or both, with the result of a more efficient bureaucracy within cities and greater trade between. Outside influence on the economy has increased with the families' control loosened, so the state has greater tax revenue from trade tariffs, which reduces the tax burden on individuals, making the uncle very popular up and down the social ladder (with the exceptions of the old families who miss the old system). But for the PC's role and introspection, there's bigger decisions that could direct their actions, mostly depending on their alignment/personalities. I would look at the How or Why the uncle took over. If they are revenge seeking types, that would make them allies among the old order but enemies of everyone else in society who benefited from the changes. If they are pragmatists, they could ally with him (perhaps begrudgingly) or simply seek to replace him while keeping everything else intact. But How or Why he took over adds the intrigue and nuance. Maybe he had good intentions but accepted the help of a demon who ultimately seeks to destroy the kingdom from the inside out. Whether the party wants revenge or not, they have to weigh the justice of his actions along with the potential dangers they have led to. Maybe he is a nefarious egomaniac who just so happened to lead the kingdom in the right direction, but those in the know realize that the kingdom's stability is a facade. Although material wealth has increased, essential freedoms of dissent and public disagreement have been curtailed to the potential point of becoming a brutal autocracy. The more details surrounding his past decisions give the party more ways to discover their role as individual leaders and more approaches to either deposing him or having him atone for his actions.
That is a good build for a front line melee. Consider a keen enhancement on the greatsword or look to take Improved Critical as your next feat to take advantage of the roll twice feature of your order. 17-20 crit range on a greatsword can do wonders, but it is really deadly with two chances to roll in that range. Consider a scarlet and blue sphere ioun stone that gives +2 int and doesn't take up a slot to pick up another skill at max ranks eventually. As you get higher level, ability modifiers matter (slightly) less with skills since most of the bonus will come from ranks in the skill. Do this soon if the party has a particular skill that no one is decent with. Also for magic items, boots of haste will get you another attack when you really need it, but also +30' of movement which will help you get to vulnerable enemies that tend to hide in the back of their party. Planning several levels out, the feats Following Step and Step Up and Strike are some of my favorites since they allow you to position yourself for a flank without costing you any actions. Add an armor spike to your armor with the Menacing magic ability and both of your flanks bonuses go up to +4. Lastly, the search function on the Archives of Nethys can be really fun if you are looking for ways to increase your class abilities and have some extra time. Typing in "challenge" will get you some cool magic items. (particularly Champion's Banner!) Archives of Nethys.
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