Phergas's page

Hi there - I was recently told Wayfinders are not socketable in core-gameplay. The person who told me this could not provide any PFS related documentation to support this so I am doubting the accuracy of the claim.

Can anyone provide me with insight regarding this, or perhaps direct me to an official Paizo document that covers this.

Thanks!

Thanks for the answers thus far!!

So, does the player have to declare he or she wil take a 5-foot step as part of his readied action?

Again, I would say no because a readied action is a standard, move, swift, or free action; a 5-foot step is none of those. The rules instruct you to specify the action you will take under what conditions... And the 5-foot step is written as something that can happen along with your readied action.

Thanks again. :)

Hello all - maybe the subject line will be all you need to answer this question, if not please refer to the scenario below. This is a three part question...

Scenario:
The player has engaged a melee opponent and has won initiative. At the beginning of combat, the opponent is 15ft away from the player, but the player decides to ready to attack the opponent when the opponent attacks him in melee; this ends the players turn temporarily. The opponent moves adjacent to the player, and makes his melee attack. The opponent's attack trigger's the player's readied action, which is executed, and the player finishes by taking a 5-ft step away from the opponent.

Question 1: Do you need to declare the 5-ft step as part of the readied action?

I'm inclined to say "no" because the rules say "You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action" and a 5-ft step is none of those. The rules further say, "You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round."

Scenario Continued:
The opponent is now 10-ft away from the player. The player's readied action interrupted the opponent's declared standard action so, due to the fact the opponent has already moved, the opponent's turn is done; with exception of any swift or free actions the opponent might be able to make.

Question 2: Suppose the opponent has a movement speed of 30... Due to the fact the opponent only moved 15 feet, can he move again to be adjacent to the player, and then declare another standard action to attack again on the same turn?

Again, I'm inclined to say "no" because the rules say "The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action." In this scenario, the opponent is no longer capable of executing his standard action because the player is now out of his range and because you cannot move, attack, move, and attack again his turn would be over.

Question 3: Would this same principle apply to readying to attack an opponent that charges the player in melee?

Thanks for your input!! :)

Hey all,

An Intensified MetaMagic Rod functions like the feat "Intensified Spell" which says:

"Your spells can go beyond several normal limitations.

Level Increase: +1 (an intensified spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.)"

But a metamagic rod says:

Metamagic rods hold the essence of a metamagic feat, allowing the user to apply metamagic effects to spells (but not spell-like abilities ) as they are cast. This does not change the spell slot of the altered spell.

So the feat says they use a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level, but the metamagic description says it does not change the spell slot of the altered spell...

So... Suppose I want to cast an intensified "Searing Light"; which is a level 3 spell. What spell slots do I use? Level 3 or level 4 for this spell?

Thanks for your help!

Hi - I'm looking for some clarification on this subject because I've encountered different opinions related to what exactly contributes to determining the DC to craft an item.

An "official" response, or a link to an errata that addresses this issue, assuming the alternate opinion is correct, would be extremely helpful in putting this to bed in our group.

Example 1:

A Belt of Giant Strength has a CL of 8. The DC to create this item would be 8 (the value of the CL) plus an additional 5 (per the rulebook). For a total DC of 13.

The construction requirements are:

Craft Wondrous Item, bull's strength; Cost 2,000 gp (+2), 8,000 gp (+4), 18,000 gp (+6)

Therefore crafting a Belt of Giant Strength +2 has the same DC as a Belt of Giant Strength +6 because according the rulebook the DC is 5 + the caster level of the item which is still 8.

Alternative Opinion Using the Same Example:

A Belt of Giant Strength has a CL of 8, but CL is not used in determining the DC of the item because it is NOT listed as a requirement in the items creation. Instead the DC to create this item is 3 x the enhancement bonus of the item.

Therefore crafting a Belt of Giant Strength +2 would have a DC of 6 (3 times the bonus of the item) plus 5 to equal 11. While a Belt of Giant Strength +6 would have a DC of 18 (3 times the bonus of the item) plus 5 equal to 23.

This debate surfaced because of some information found in another thread on the Paizo rules forum. It came from Sean K Reynolds, who apparently is a contributor and former Paizo Developer.

Sean said:

"Caster level is only a prerequisite for creating the item IF the caster level is LISTED in the Requirements section of the item (for an example, see amulet of mighty fists).

The text on page 460 is a little unclear and probably is derived from the (wrong) SRD text taken from the (wrong) DMG 3.0 magic item introduction (where Monte wrote it correctly, then someone changed it to something wrong and that's how it got published, and fixed in the errata for...

Thanks everyone! We've concluded the debate within our group. I appreciate everyone's help!

You make a pearl that allow you to recall fist level spells:

Minimum level required to cast first level spells: 1
From that, minimum CL of the pearl: 1
DC to craft it 5 (base) + 1 (CL) = DC 6

You make a pearl that allow you to recall fifth level spells:

Minimum level required to cast 5th level spells: 9
From that, minimum CL of the pearl: 9
DC to craft it 5 (base) + 9 (CL) = DC 14

Belt of giant strength:
it require a 2nd level spell, so minimum CL is 3.
Minimum DC 5+3 = 8

You can make it at CL 18 if you can make the roll, that will be +518, so DC 23. It wouldn't even change the price as increasing the CL don't change how the belt work.

Thanks Diego

The example on the pfsrd seems to support what you are saying....

I looked over the magic item crafting rules and was unable to find an explicit statement on this question:

Does creating a magic item require the creator to be of the same or higher caster level of the item itself? This doesn't seem to square with the CLs listed for specific magic items; for instance, a Belt of Giant Strength +2 has CL 8th, but the only spell required in its creation, bull's strength, has a minimum caster level of 3.

Am I missing anything here?

Though the listed Caster Level for a pearl of power is 17th, that caster level is not part of the Requirements listing for that item. Therefore, the only caster level requirement for a pearl of power is the character has to be able to cast spells of the desired level. However, it makes sense that the minimum caster level of the pearl is the minimum caster level necessary to cast spells of that level--it would be strange for a 2nd-level pearl to be CL 1st. For example, a 3rd-level wizard with Craft Wondrous Item can create a 1st-level pearl, with a minimum caster level of 1. He can set the caster level to whatever he wants (assuming he can meet the crafting DC), though the pearl's caster level has no effect on its powers (other than its ability to resist dispel magic). If he wants to make a 2nd-level pearl, the caster level has to be at least 3, as wizards can't cast 2nd-level spells until they reach character level 3. He can even try to make a 3rd-level pearl, though the minimum caster level is 5, and he adds +5 to the DC because he doesn't meet the "able to cast 3rd-level spells" requirement.

So according to this the formula listed above is wrong.. And the minimum DC is just as you say. 5 + CL 3 which equals 8. Not 13.

So what is right.

Belt of Giant Strength DC 13 or Belt of Giant Strength DC 8?

Phergas wrote:

Jeff Merola wrote:

The Caster Level of an item is just a default assumption, not a requirement, unless it also appears in the requirements section.

Thanks for the response.

Does the caster level of an item, say a Pearl of Power like used in the FAQ you linked, get used to determine the DC?

So in this case: 5 + 17cl = DC22?

If not, how do you determine the DC?

Thanks!

Yes. That was part 3 & 4 of the list I gave. An item's CL exactly determines its DC by the formula DC = CL + 5.

/cevah

Thanks Cevah.

I see what you are saying there....

But then how does this factor into it?

"Though the listed Caster Level for a pearl of power is 17th, that caster level is not part of the Requirements listing for that item. Therefore, the only caster level requirement for a pearl of power is the character has to be able to cast spells of the desired level.

However, it makes sense that the minimum caster level of the pearl is the minimum caster level necessary to cast spells of that level--it would be strange for a 2nd-level pearl to be CL 1st.

For example, a 3rd-level wizard with Craft Wondrous Item can create a 1st-level pearl, with a minimum caster level of 1. He can set the caster level to whatever he wants (assuming he can meet the crafting DC), though the pearl's caster level has no effect on its powers (other than its ability to resist dispel magic). If he wants to make a 2nd-level pearl, the caster level has to be at least 3, as wizards can't cast 2nd-level spells until they reach character level 3. He can even try to make a 3rd-level pearl, though the minimum caster level is 5, and he adds +5 to the DC because he doesn't meet the "able to cast 3rd-level spells" requirement."

So in the case of the example of the 3rd level wizard making a 2nd level pearl.... So using that same math...

1: No bonus
2: 2nd Level spell -- CL 3
3: Higher Level to Prevent Dispelling --- CL 8
4: Same results but the DC is 13 not 22...

Is a Pearl of Power an exception?

The Caster Level of an item is just a default assumption, not a requirement, unless it also appears in the requirements section.

Thanks for the response.

Does the caster level of an item, say a Pearl of Power like used in the FAQ you linked, get used to determine the DC?

So in this case: 5 + 17cl = DC22?

If not, how do you determine the DC?

Thanks!

Hi - I'm looking for some clarification on this subject because I've encountered different opinions related to what exactly contributes to determining the DC to craft an item.

An "official" response, or a link to an errata that addresses this issue, assuming the alternate opinion is correct, would be extremely helpful in putting this to bed in our group.

Example 1:

A Belt of Giant Strength has a CL of 8. The DC to create this item would be 8 (the value of the CL) plus an additional 5 (per the rulebook). For a total DC of 13.

The construction requirements are:

Craft Wondrous Item, bull's strength; Cost 2,000 gp (+2), 8,000 gp (+4), 18,000 gp (+6)

Therefore crafting a Belt of Giant Strength +2 has the same DC as a Belt of Giant Strength +6 because according the rulebook the DC is 5 + the caster level of the item which is still 8.

Alternative Opinion Using the Same Example:

A Belt of Giant Strength has a CL of 8, but CL is not used in determining the DC of the item because it is NOT listed as a requirement in the items creation. Instead the DC to create this item is 3 x the enhancement bonus of the item.

Therefore crafting a Belt of Giant Strength +2 would have a DC of 6 (3 times the bonus of the item) plus 5 to equal 11. While a Belt of Giant Strength +6 would have a DC of 18 (3 times the bonus of the item) plus 5 equal to 23.

This debate surfaced because of some information found in another thread on the Paizo rules forum. It came from Sean K Reynolds, who apparently is a contributor and former Paizo Developer.

Sean said:

"Caster level is only a prerequisite for creating the item IF the caster level is LISTED in the Requirements section of the item (for an example, see amulet of mighty fists).

The text on page 460 is a little unclear and probably is derived from the (wrong) SRD text taken from the (wrong) DMG 3.0 magic item introduction (where Monte wrote it correctly, then someone changed it to something wrong and that's how it got published, and fixed in the errata for 3.0, and then 3.5 was written by updating the original 3.0 Word documents, which didn't incorporate the 3.0 errata, and thus went to print with wrong information again). Anyway, caster level is NOT a prereq unless the item's Requirement section specifically lists a caster level."

Which example that I have listed above is correct? Again, anything officially sanctioned by Paizo on this subject would be extremely helpful in putting this to bed.

Flagged for wrong forum, this one is for the Adventure Card Game :)

Anyway:

PRD wrote:

The DC to create a magic item is 5 + the caster level for the item.

The CL of the item being in the prerequisites simply means you take a +5 penalty to it should you not be of that caster level (due to not meeting that prerequisite). The base DC is still based on the CL of the item. The enhancement bonus of belt of giant strength only affects the price, not the DC of the check to create it, where the base price of an item that grants an Ability bonus (enhancement) is the Bonus squared × 1,000 gp.

Opps! Sorry about that!

And thanks for answering haha.

Hi - I'm looking for some clarification on this subject because I've encountered different opinions related to what exactly contributes to determining the DC to craft an item.

An "official" response, or a link to an errata that addresses this issue, assuming the alternate opinion is correct, would be extremely helpful in putting this to bed in our group.

Example 1:

A Belt of Giant Strength has a CL of 8. The DC to create this item would be 8 (the value of the CL) plus an additional 5 (per the rulebook). For a total DC of 13.

The construction requirements are:

Craft Wondrous Item, bull's strength; Cost 2,000 gp (+2), 8,000 gp (+4), 18,000 gp (+6)

Therefore crafting a Belt of Giant Strength +2 has the same DC as a Belt of Giant Strength +6 because according the rulebook the DC is 5 + the caster level of the item which is still 8.

Alternative Opinion Using the Same Example:

A Belt of Giant Strength has a CL of 8, but CL is not used in determining the DC of the item because it is NOT listed as a requirement in the items creation. Instead the DC to create this item is 3 x the enhancement bonus of the item.

Therefore crafting a Belt of Giant Strength +2 would have a DC of 6 (3 times the bonus of the item) plus 5 to equal 11. While a Belt of Giant Strength +6 would have a DC of 18 (3 times the bonus of the item) plus 5 equal to 23.

This debate surfaced because of some information found in another thread on the Paizo rules forum. It came from Sean K Reynolds, who apparently is a contributor and former Paizo Developer.

Sean said:

"Caster level is only a prerequisite for creating the item IF the caster level is LISTED in the Requirements section of the item (for an example, see amulet of mighty fists).

The text on page 460 is a little unclear and probably is derived from the (wrong) SRD text taken from the (wrong) DMG 3.0 magic item introduction (where Monte wrote it correctly, then someone changed it to something wrong and that's how it got published, and fixed in the errata for 3.0, and then 3.5 was written by updating the original 3.0 Word documents, which didn't incorporate the 3.0 errata, and thus went to print with wrong information again). Anyway, caster level is NOT a prereq unless the item's Requirement section specifically lists a caster level."

Which example that I have listed above is correct? Again, anything officially sanctioned by Paizo on this subject would be extremely helpful in putting this to bed.

This came up recently in our gaming group and we are trying to find an answer for it...

The scenario is this:

The player is engaged in combat - nearby is an enemy caster. The player readies an action to move when the caster begins casting a spell.

The enemy caster begins casting a spell and the readied action is triggered (the spell has a casting time of 1 action).

The player moves next to the enemy caster and, because his readied action takes place before the caster's action, the player is able to force an AOO because the enemy is casting a spell within his threatened space.

Is this a legal maneuver? Yes/No and Why?

Thanks for your help!

Yes. You must run as written in PFS play. You can change tactics if the players invalidate them, or utilize fluff about weather with mechanical effects, but that is the extent of it.

Cool thanks... So can you utilize any of the abilities within their stat-block, or are you limited to their described combat tactics?

Is there a formal rule that says a gm cannot modify encounters to make them more difficult?

Right... But what I'm wondering if there is some rule that says you can or cannot have a magic item made for you upon request...

Let me clarify my motives... As it stands, the DM has to apparently roll on his own to determine what items are available, or at the very least I think roll a percentile dice for each item we are looking for. It is my hope that by asking a merchant/crafter to make the item (if it's not available) I can bypass the percentile roll, or the chance that it's simply not available in town.

I'm looking for a rule, something official, that says players can do this from a roleplaying standpoint and actually get the items they are looking for once the appropriate costs and time has been taken into consideration.

Right that was just an example, in real-world terms it might be a partnership between two crafters who make a magical item because maybe the blacksmith has no ability to magically enchant an item...

My point is this, in RL I could walk into a tailor-shop (using the front door) and request an amazing suit to be custom made for myself. Why couldn't a character walk into a shop and say "hey, I need a Headband of Alluring Charisma +2 made for me. Do you have the time? Great, here's a down-payment, and I'd like to pick it up in 7 days time." You know... Roleplaying...

Is there any rule that would enable a character to place an order with a merchant/crafter, say a blacksmith to get +1 full plate made, therefore enabling them to bypass the chance the item is randomly not available in town. Obviously there would be a waiting period involved with this...

So again, is there an official rule that says you can or cannot do this? Or would this come down to DM discretion.

*If there is an official rule, could you please include a link to it's source?

Thanks for the help!

Is there any rule that would enable a character to place an order with a merchant/crafter, say a blacksmith to get +1 full plate made, therefore enabling them to bypass the chance the item is randomly not available in town. Obviously there would be a waiting period involved with this...

So again, is there an official rule that says you can or cannot do this? Or would this come down to DM discretion.

*If there is an official rule, could you please include a link to it's source?

Thanks for the help!

Question: A level 5 twf rogue has 1 attack per round, but is attacking with two weapons. Obviously the twf rogue gets one attack per weapon with a penalty, but does the level 5 twf rogue also get sneak attack dice per weapon wielded?

Thanks!

As the title suggests, I'm wondering if Smite Evil will affect an evil incorporeal creature...

Evil Incorporeal Creature
- Can only be harmed by "incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all non-magical attack forms."

- "Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source". When I read this it sounds like it has DR against corporeal attacks...

Smite Evil
- Supernatural Ability - I interpret this as meaning an incorporeal creature would be affected by a Smite Evil attack because Smite Evil is a supernatural ability, but would this attack work even with the weapon used to hit it was not magical?

- "Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess." To me this is saying that the corporeal DR that an evil incorporeal being possesses is completely bypassed. Or would you still need Ghost Touch applied to the weapon so that it can do full damage?

Thanks!

As the title suggests, I'm wondering if Smite Evil will affect an evil incorporeal creature...

Evil Incorporeal Creature
- Can only be harmed by "incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all non-magical attack forms."

- "Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source". When I read this it sounds like it has DR against corporeal attacks...

Smite Evil
- Supernatural Ability - I interpret this as meaning an incorporeal creature would be affected by a Smite Evil attack because Smite Evil is a supernatural ability, but would this attack work even with the weapon used to hit it was not magical?

- "Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess." To me this is saying that the corporeal DR that an evil incorporeal being possesses is completely bypassed. Or would you still need Ghost Touch applied to the weapon so that it can do full damage?

Thanks!