RSS RSS RSS RSS Facebook Twitter Email
Paizo People

PuddingSeven's page

57 posts. No reviews. No lists. No wishlists.


Profile
Aliases
Campaigns
Posts
Threads
Favorited by Others
Search Posts

Search PuddingSeven's posts:


Ranged touch damage spell beyond Scorching Ray

I'm having a hard time finding a ranged touch spell that actually does straight damage, beyond Scorching Ray. Is there really no higher level evocation ranged touch spell that just does damage?
How would you roleplay the Arcane Trickster's "tricky spells"

I'm wondering how you guys would actually handle the AT's Tricky Spells feat. The ability to cast any spell without V, S, or M components is a pretty powerful ability, from a role-playing standpoint.

Tricky Spells:

Spoiler:
Starting at 5th level, an arcane trickster can cast her spells without their somatic or verbal components, as if using the Still Spell and Silent Spell feats. Spells cast using this ability do not increase in spell level or casting time. She can use this ability 3 times per day at 5th level and one additional time per every two levels thereafter, to a maximum of 5 times per day at 9th level. The arcane trickster decides to use this ability at the time of casting.

So, given the ability, and taking into account the overall concept of the Arcane Trickster character, including key words like:

    * "...guile and craftiness..."
    * "...the subtlest aspects of the arcane ..."
    * "...subtle or confounding..."
    * "...mischief and thievery..."

and game mechanics like:

    *Disable Device 4 ranks minimum
    *Escape Artist 4 ranks minimum
    *Special: Sneak attack +2d6 minimum
    *Ranged Legerdemain (disable device from 30' away)
    *Sneak Attack
    *Impromptu Sneak Attack

...how would you as a player or as a DM handle a few hypothetical scenarios?

Scenario 1:
The party is facing off against a group of brigands, with the party leader in a verbal confrontation with the leader of the bandits. Picture the meeting with Redfoot at the big bell in The Usual Suspects. The other party members and the bandits are all spaced out on their respective sides, behind the leaders. The AT is probably the least dangerous looking person there. Combat has not started and the players have not yet rolled initiative.

The party's AT wants to cast a tricky spell. Let's say, Mage Armor. Again, no VSM, nothing to indicate the AT is casting, and keeping in mind the concept of the AT...

Would everyone be asked to roll initiative?
Would combat be considered started?
Would the bandits even be given an opportunity to react to the "casting"?
Would the bandits even know he cast a spell?

What if the spell was Web or Fireball (targeted at several of the bandits), how would that change things? Would it be the automatic first action in a surprise round? Would the AT's own party be caught be surprise?

Scenario 2:
The party is sitting at a table in a crowded tavern. The town bully walks in and starts harassing a young lass. The AT uses Tricky Spell to cast Grease under the bully to cause him to fall and humble him a bit (or enrage him, but hey that's Chaotic for ya). Would anyone be able to identify the AT as the source of the spell? If someone was watching him closely, would he look like he was doing anything other than staring into his beer for a few seconds?

I love the concept of the AT as a fun character to role-play (not the best to roll-play, I admit) and I'm curious how others would adjudicate situations like these with a non-VSM spell.

Do you guys see any situations where the Trick Spell ability isn't quite all it's cracked up to be?
Where does it say melee = concealment? Shadow Strike question.

I've seen several threads regarding ranged attacks at a target engaged in melee, and how the penalties for this are a result of the target's concealment due to being in melee. Sometimes people call it a penalty due to cover, and some people call it a penalty due to concealment.

Is there text that specifically addresses this, or is the penalty just assumed to be a result of one or the other?

I'm looking at the Shadow Strike feat from APG..

Spoiler:
Shadow Strike:
You accurately strike even those you cannot clearly see.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You can deal precision damage, such as sneak
attack damage, against targets with concealment.

If a target in melee gets a bonus AC due to concealment (or the attacker gets a penalty due to same), would this new feat allow a sneak attack against that target, regardless of their flat-footed status?
Charm Person - successful saving throw

What happens when the target of a Charm Person spell makes their saving throw?

Does the target know they were just hit with a spell?

If so, does the target know what kind of spell or what effect it may have been, had it succeeded?

Do they automatically know who cast it? (What if it was a sorcerer with Still spell and silent spell?)

Also, what happens when the spell duration expires? Do they know they were charmed?
Does the victim of a ranged sneak attack automatically know who did it?

Say my Arcane Trickster was invisible or stealthed 30' from the target. He casts Scorching Ray as a sneak attack and it hits. Does the target instantly and correctly identify the source of the attack? If my AT is the only one there, sure he can make a safe assumption. But if there's a major combat going on in difficult lighting/terrain, would he still automatically know?

Would it make a difference if the spell was a column of fire with no discernible direction?
Can a caster intentionally reduce the effect of a spell?

I can think of a few examples (almost all would be for roleplaying purposes) where it would be useful to intentionally reduce the effect of a spell. For example...

Can a 6th level sorcerer intentionally cast Scorching Ray and have it only do 1 point of damage?

Can a cleric cast a Heal Light Wounds to only cure 1 point?

Can a Grease spell be cast to only cover a 5' square?

Could a 9th level wizard cast Magic Missile with only one missile?

What about abilities? Can an Aberrant sorcerer do his acid splash for only 1 point?