Outlaw Corwin's page

I've run several homebrew PF games, and never started at level 1 for several reasons. But I'm about to run an AP, so!

Since I'd like to start DMing with level three to five characters & know that's where chapter two typically begins, I'd like to know which APs, if any, might be more favorable for that. As in, are there APs where the story at the beginning isn't too important? If chapter one is all about setting up for the rest of the campaign I think it's fair to say I'd avoid running those games. But if chapter one of a few APs are more or less just ramping the party up? I'd love to know. Any thoughts welcome!

And if advice reveals pretty much every AP has important information in chapter 1 & level 1? Might just start from there too, much as I dislike those lowest levels.

The trait states, in part, "you halve any reductions in visibility from the environment (such as from certain storms) and their corresponding penalties. For example, if you were in a sandstorm that normally reduces visibility to 25 feet and imparts a –4 penalty on Perception checks, you reduce visibility to 50 feet and take only a –2 penalty on Perception checks."

The key word seems to be environment. Is a magic spell such as Fog Cloud considered the environment? It definitely makes an environmental effect, but by RAW I don't know for sure. One could easily say the environment is a clear plain, and tossing a temporary magical mist in doesn't count.

Assuming the trait does work in a Fog Cloud, it would then allow a medium creature wielding a reach weapon to see and attack a creature 10 feet away, with a 10% miss chance from a halved concealment? Related to that, would it deny the attacked creature it's dexterity bonus since it can't see the attacker? Would it deny the attacked creature's dex even if the attacker couldn't see either?

If the answer is no, that it wouldn't affect Fog Cloud, does that extend to all magical environment effects? Cloudkill? Control Weather? How about a Cauchemar Nightmare's smoke ability, a supernatural effect?

For a bonus! Darkness is an environmental effect, and makes many creatures blind as a result. Would those be halved? Penalties for blindness include... "A blinded creature loses its Dexterity modifier to AC (if positive) and takes a –2 penalty to AC.

A blinded creature takes a –4 penalty on Perception checks and most Strength– and Dexterity-based skill checks, including any with an armor check penalty. A creature blinded by darkness automatically fails any skill check relying on vision."

I can't find if there is an official ruling on, what happens to a creature types immunities if a creature gains a template?

For example, if a Giant Black Widow Spider gains the Boreal template, then it's creature type changes from Vermin to Magical Beast. The template states, "do not recalculate its Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points."

When it was the vermin type, the spider had the Mindless trait. Which gave it no intelligence score and immunity to mind-affecting effects. Does that mean the spider loses this trait, suddenly gains 10 intelligence, three feats since it has five Hit Dice, etc?

Similarly, if an undead gained say, the Half-Fiend template, it would become a native outsider instead of an undead. Would it lose it's immunities, gain a constitution score (presumably a 10), base it's hit points off that new constitution score, be healed by positive energy, etc?

The antipaladin archetype Insinuator gets this particular form of Smite. Each day he can invoke an outsider, which must be one step away from his own alignment. His alignment must be any evil. That explained! Smite impudence, among other details, states:

"An insinuator cannot use smite against a target that shares an alignment with the outsider he has invoked for the day."

If an insinuator has a LN invocation for the day, can she not smite LG NG LN N CN LE? Since those all have either lawful or neutral within them? Or can she not smite LG LN N CN LE since those are alignments on the same axis? Or does the phrase "shares an alignment" mean that single alignment, so she can't smite LN creatures?

In defense of the last line, if I was told my NG character shares an alignment with a NE enemy I'd heartily disagree. It may or may not be a turn of phrase, sharing an alignment. If asked if my NG cleric of Iomedae shares an alignment with the deity I'd say no, that it's one step away. But by RAW I would share the good alignment.

On a different but related note, the class can form a bond much like a regular antipaladin, but with an outsider of the invoked alignment. Summon Monster has no lawful neutral outsiders at all. As well as a single chaotic neutral outsider. Then a handful of NG or NE outsiders. What's my point? Well, since the smite & summon class features depend on the invoked alignment, then that would mean a LE insinuator could never smite a CE creature due to having to summon LE outsiders. But a NE insinuator could invoke one of a plethora of neutral outsiders and smite the CE creature. And hey, I can admit that such a thing just feels wrong.

Any thoughts on if a LE invocation can smite a CE creature? Does the smite just ban smiting of the same alignment? Or does RAW rule this one?

Hello all. I wish enlightenment on which squares a Wall of Fire (or Wall of Force & similar wall spells) affects. First off, under the Area section of the magic rules, there is the statement

The point of origin of a spell is always a grid intersection. When determining whether a given creature is within the area of a spell, count out the distance from the point of origin in squares just as you do when moving a character or when determining the range for a ranged attack. The only difference is that instead of counting from the center of one square to the center of the next, you count from intersection to intersection.

You can count diagonally across a square, but remember that every second diagonal counts as 2 squares of distance...

So a Wall of Fire can be conjured up from one intersection to another, straight as well as diagonal, yes? If so, then in a 5 foot wide hall 50 feet long, the Wall could be summoned from the top left of one side to the bottom right of the other? Which would make every square within the hall take the full effect of 2D6 plus caster level fire damage? Or is the wall somehow obligated to be placed only on intersections and thus only affect half the hallway? If that makes sense.

To be more specific (though I hope the above helps others as well), what I really wish to ask is if there's a medium or smaller creature in a square, can a Wall of Fire be placed upon it by creating a diagonal Wall of Fire with intersections to the top left/right to the bottom left/right.

Is there a list of spells that take advantage of Light Blindness & it's little sister Light Sensitivity? Plenty of spells specifically state that bright light is created, such as with Daylight, Light Lance, or Wall of Light. Then there are a multitude of light descriptor spells which lack the specific terminology but have blatant descriptions that heavily imply Bright Light is created.

- Burst of Radiance states it has a, "brilliant flash of shimmering light," and further blinds creatures with the light level.
- Flare has a, "burst of light," which similarly specifically targets vision with light.
- Sunburst, an 8th level spell, does not specifically call out it's light powers as Bright Light. It does state creatures sensitive to bright light take double damage, and undead sensitive to bright light can be instantly destroyed.
- Wandering Star Motes states, "sparkling motes of bright light" - though I personally don't think many would rule in favor of this effect blinding. But for fans of RAW I guess it's crystal clear.

I imagine house ruling will be a popular suggestion. And perhaps several, "If the spell doesn't say it's bright light then don't try and make it so," claims. The former no one can much argue and will likely be what I'll walk away with. Doesn't hurt to ask though. The latter however, is why I included Sunburst's description above. To have so many incredibly close details but not specifically state Bright Light seems a poor reason to deny it the ability to take advantage of Light Blindness.

On a similar note, does anyone know what happens if a creature with Light Blindness is already in bright light and gets exposed to a new source of bright light? For example, if a creature with Light Blindness is in a fight under the sun, and a few rounds in an enemy casts Daylight, or Flare.

You make the affected subjects ready for battle despite their fear. If a target is suffering from a fear effect of any kind, he gains a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution, a +1 morale bonus on Will saves, and a -2 penalty to AC.

If the subject is frightened, he remains in place and gains the confused condition for the remainder of the fear effect, except he treats all results of "attack self " as "do nothing" and treats "attack nearest creature" as "act normally." If the subject is panicked, he remains in place and gains the confused condition for the duration of the fear effect.

Is this a spell that can pre-buff? As in you go into a dragon's cave, you can cast this on the party. Then if a creature under this effect fails a will save & becomes Frightened, does the spell change this into Confusion? The main arguments for this seem to be the 10 minute duration, as well as the second paragraph which uses what could be future tense.

OR. Can this spell only be cast on creatures already suffering a fear effect? As evidenced by the second line which uses the present tense, as well as, I daresay, common sense. First level spell and all.

Way of the Samurai (Ex)

At 8th level, the order of the warrior samurai’s sense of honor and loyalty drives him to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. The samurai can, as a standard action, focus his mind and will. Once during the next minute, he can choose to roll an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw three times and take the best result. He must decide to use this ability before the roll is made. Using this ability expends one daily use of his resolve.

If you use this ability to roll three attack rolls, and you get a critical threat that hits the enemy, how do you resolve the confirmation? I know there is a rule that you would use the same modifier to confirm a critical, but multiple rolls isn't a modifier. Or maybe it is! I'd appreciate the ruling, since I'm soon to use WotS.

Does anyone know? Whether you confirm with three more attacks. Or use one of the other two rolls to confirm, similar to perfect strike. Or if you only roll once to confirm.

Scaled Disciple (Kobold)

Your draconic heritage manifests as divine power.

Prerequisite(s): Ability to spontaneously cast divine spells, kobold.

Benefit(s): You gain a +1 bonus to your caster level when casting spells included in the dragon domain* or subdomains. Your spontaneous divine spellcasting qualifies in place of arcane casting for the dragon disciple prestige class, and you may increase spellcasting in your spontaneous divine class as you progress in dragon disciple levels. Add the bonus spells gained from the blood of dragons ability to those you can cast as divine spells.

Druids can spontaneously cast Summon Nature's Ally, and clerics can spontaneously cast Cure or Inflict spells. So of course, I wonder if in this way those two classes can qualify to continue gaining spells while taking levels in DD.

The biggest problem here is the wording, "... you may increase spellcasting in your spontaneous divine class as you progress in [DD] levels." Can this be understood as, you continue gaining spells in the class that grants spontaneous casting? The second problem is this may be a serious case of RAW vs RAI. That people may state it's clearly meant only for the oracle & inquisitor. If so, it makes me a bit sad it only helps those two classes.

I assume the answer is no, but I can't help but get my hopes up. Though perhaps the feat would qualify for a bizarre & useless middle ground. That it qualifies a cleric or druid for DD, but due to wording it would not help with spell advancement. Any thoughts?

On the two reference documents I know of, drow & drow nobles in the bestiary are listed as being immune to sleep. However, in the character creation rules, they have normal elven immunities. The +2 versus enchants & MAGIC sleep effect immune. So, as the title implies, are all non pc drow immune to every sleep effect? And sleeping period, actually.

I doubt and hope this isn't the case, but as written they neither sleep nor can be forced to fall asleep. Looking for either an errata or confirmation please!

In one game I'm in, a CN cleric has a CE god. In another, a N inquisitor has a NE god. Offhand, I can't remember either ever acting evil themselves, but I can't help but think maybe they should once in a while.

If a N barbarian worshiped Charon b/c he venerates death or something, that's fine by me. He doesn't need to serve or pray to the god. But for true divine worshipers granted spells & whatnot, it seems dishonest to your religion to not act evil once in a while despite having a neutral alignment. If you're a cleric of Charon I do think the god would demand you rob a grave once in a while or something. The advice I'd like is, does anyone agree that clerics/inquisitors of an evil god need to act evil sometimes?

btw I definitely don't want them to do evil things. Mainly cause I feel it'd screw the party over, or simply tick all us off. But as I stated, in my head I can't justify them having their deity's blessings if they never do evil. The DMs haven't considered it so far, it seems. Oh, also. Please take it easy on the - just cause they're such & such doesn't mean they're stupid. Or maybe they're biding their time. - kinda things. Those are either obvious or lazy... but that's just me.

Recently my party was preparing to ambush an evil-doer, an evil female cleric. We talked with her in the corner of a large room, but then she sense motived like a boss & ran down some stairs immediately. Naturally there was a huge locked & barred from the other side door in the way to waste our time.

Before she ran, I had stated I had readied an action to attack her if she did run. But another player stated that no one can ready an action outside of combat. Is this true? So far as I can tell, this is true, since readying an action is under special initiative actions. However... In that case I would like advice as well.

Does that mean that no matter what, an enemy will get a surprise round to do whatever? At least when RPing. Even if the entire party surrounds an enemy, and expects the enemy to run, we can't stop the creature? This feels wrong, tho if it's correct I will accept it. Still be bitter of course. But as I understand it there's no reason to try and bluff people, when simply walking up & attacking all together at once will grant the entire party a surprise round. Why bother trying to RP something like leading the enemy into a private room, if just attacking from the start would have been much more effective?

A group I'm in has a generous DM who basically gave us an equal level NPC psion that will be a craft bot. We just turned 8th level and a couple of us want celestial armor. From what I understand, she can do this even without having the fly spell, or being of good alignment, by raising the spellcraft DC by 5 for each. Add a CL 9 DC for making +3 armor.

So atm the DC is 5 (base) +9 (CL) +10 (Ignoring pre-reqs)?

But she isn't CL 9, obviously. So can she even craft the item, or can she simply add another +5 to the spellcraft DC? Making it a grand total of 29 DC? Or is the CL 9 requirement non-negotiable?

And yes she can make those DCs by taking 10. She has a like +7 Int mod & maxed out ranks.

Bonus question! Can she use a scroll of Fly to ignore one of the item creation requirements, and thus lower the DC by 5?

Is there a way to make deals with demons with low level spells? I want to trade souls for favors but will have to wait a while as is.

Details in case you're interested: I'm in a homebrew mix of Pathfinder & something else. My character is a caster who gets an extremely limited number of spells but from any list. The highest level of which can be half my character level. The character is level 5, so atm I can cast 2nd level spells.

I imagine I'll have to wait until I can get Lesser Planar Ally at level 8. But was hoping I missed something. Maybe common Summon Monster spells could work? Can those bring items back when dismissed? I'm pretty sure not, since they're basically tokens being summoned. I forget where I heard that, so I may be wrong. Is it possible to make deals with an outsider and have it message its superiors when it gets back? So a high-ranking daemon could teleport to the party or something? And yes, I know how insanely risky that can be for a level 5 party.

Anyway sorry for any rambling. Help plox!