Love is a sickness.
Welcome aboard! :D
Who needs omens when the reality is this tangible? Still, the strands of fate could be read simply by studying nature. A'letta got out of bed and, without first washing herself or grabbing some breakfast, made her way to the beach in the western part of Sandpoint. The morning breeze washed away the mental grime as she made her way down to the surf. There she sat down, feet firmly planted in the shifty sand. The waves came crashing down a meter in front of her and this sight helped to calm her mind. Yes, danger was still ahead, but they still had time to prepare for the battle to come. Cold water rushed up around her ankles. She knew the water could not reacher any higher, for now. The answer obviously wasn't to be found in the water. Reclining back, the water soaked her yellow dress as she laid down to watch the birds overhead. Oh, if the gods and spirits had a favorite messenger, it surely must be these winged animals.
A good twenty minutes passed before A'letta knew what she needed to know. She scrubbed herself clean using handfuls of sand and salty water, not caring if anyone saw her naked. The thin-spun yellow dress, the tribal spear and her carved wooden mask laid on a heap a couple of meters behind her. Then, she invoked the spirits to wash and bless her and a rift appeared above her from where blessed water from the spirit world poured through. When all was said and done, she heard her tummy rumbling. Spirits and omens would have to wait for now, because someone was hungry!
All rogues should pick up a reach weapon and the gang-up feat. The problem I have with that is that I can't stand the idea of a long-spear wielding rogue. Another problem I have with rogues is that the amount of skills is nothing but a fancy gimmick past level 7 or 9. At that point, magic can do whatever you do, but better. My favorite rogue build is a hobgoblin rogue (+2dex/con, darkvision, whip proficiency) who wields two (scorpion) whips. Sadly, you rarely get the opportunity to play a hobgoblin. The hobgoblin nets you the necessary proficiency, the rogue gives you plenty of feats through talents and if your teammates got half a brain between them, you can sneak attack from 15f away. Is this a strong build? Sure, if he's in the ideal position, but a fighter, barbarian or any archer can do the damage he does in any given round, no matter the circumstances. I could go into the problems with stealth and TWf, but you've all gone over that already. I got one more point to make though - the whole 'chill touch x times a round' doesn't work. James Jacobs (Creative Director) in response to Produce Flame wrote:
For whatever that's worth.
*Bro-hug*
I just want to thank you for setting up this amazing event! I registered and signed up as well, of course :D
Fire sorcerers only work under optimal circumstances whereas the Michael Bay devotee makes sure the circumstances are nearly ALWAYS optimal. Also, the fire sorcerer is giving up all his utility and other options to reach that burning potential whereas the Michael Bay devotee simply took some feats, but can memorize an entire different set of spells if the circumstasnces require it. And from my personal experiences with these fire-based sorcerers, they're rarely worth their slot on the table. They're like an inverted barbarian - they only got one trick and when that trick ain't possible, they're sitting there pouting. Nuking arcane casters are sub-optimal to begin with, but a proper evoker wizard can mix optimal AoE boom potential while retaining his utility potential. But perhaps I'm a puritist. Wizard 4 lyfe, homies.
Be a human, go for Fast Learner / Improvisation / Improved Improvisation. Buy a Traveler's Any-Tool. Take the Quick Learner trait. Tada! You can use any weapon at no penalty (after the first attack), you are considered trained in any and every skill and get a +4 bonus (next to stats and what not) on it. The Any-Tool gives a +2 on every craft check out there so you can Macgyver things up. This setup will also let you focus on the skills you do go for with skill ranks :)
You're doing Asmodeus' work, Mikaze. Thanks a ton for your posts :)
Anyone who is proficient with the whip can use the scorpion whip. So, no, he doesn't need a feat for it. Bards are starved for feats, so do not pump dex over str. Weapon Finesse and Agile Maneuvers is a trap. Arcane Strike and Power Attack plus Archaeologists Luck will give you quite a bit of damage, although you might need some to hit buffs. A bless and prayer would help a lot, obviously and eventually you can run around with heroism. The easier path is to go for a bow, but I think you'll do just fine with a damage-based scorpion whip approach. You're the trapfinder and most likely party face. This means that you're not the one who has to carry the groups weight in combat. Being able to throw out buffs, the occassional debuff and some damage is good enough. Say lvl1 with 16str -> +3 and 1D4+3. Arcane Strike and Luck -> +4 and 1D4+5. Luck and Arcane Strike scale with level and if you feel your to hit can take it (best judged during actual play) you can always pick up Power Attack. You can wear a buckler to keep your off-hand free while still getting some AC from it. If you go Weapon Finesse, you won't have the feats to go for archery as a bard. Human would let you pick up Arcane Strike and Lingering Performance at level 1. You can be the judge whether the whip works and if it doesn't, pick up archery feats as you go and phase out the whip.
Heh. If you opt to remove CLW, you might as well ban leadership while you're at it. Why? You can have two players pick leadership for cleric/oracle cohorts who lurk around the corner on healing duty. Hell, a bard would work. The whole discussion shouldn't revolve around the 'curse of the CLW wand', but around the question of pace. Do you like the pace that PF sets? Or do you prefer the game being a bit slower with pc's having to find shelter to recuperate after one or two combats? With some sleight tweaks and an agreement with his/her players, any dm can get the pace desired.
Krass carefully moves forward, ready to unleash an arrow as soon as a goblin pops into view.
Krass Kargoth. Let me know if there are any problems with him! I thought of going for a chakram at first, but just couldn't get it to work :) General:
Krass Kargoth
N Hobgoblin Fighter (Armor Master) 1 Age: 19 Height: 5'2" Weight: 215lbs Init: +2; Senses: Darkvision 60', Perception +2 Languages: Common, Orc, Goblin, Giant. Str 16, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10. Feats: Combat Expertise (F1), Improved Dirty Trick (1)
Combat:
Combat:
DEFENSE AC:21, Touch 12, Flat-Footed 17 (6 armor, 1 armor from trait)
OFFENSE BAB +1; CMB 4 (or 6 Dirty Trick)
Melee Weapons:
Missile Weapons:
Equipment:
In hand: Flail + Heavy Shield.
Worn: Chainmail. Gear: Chainmail (150g 40 lbs), Heavy Wooden Shield (7g, 10 lbs), Flail (8g, 5 lbs), Short Sword
Skills:
Acrobatics*: -4
Appraise: +1 (int) Bluff: 0 (chr) [c]Climb*: -3 (str) [c]Craft(any) +1 (int) [c]Diplomacy: 0 (chr) Disguise: 0 (chr) Escape Artist*: -4 (dex) Fly*: -4 (dex) Heal: +1 (wis) [c]Intimidate: +8 (chr) [c]Knowledge Dungeoneering: +1 (int) [c]Knowledge Engineering: +1 (int) Knowledge (Any Other): +1 (int) Perception: +2 (wis) Perform: 0 (chr) [c]Profession: +1 (wis) [c]Ride*: -5 (dex) Sense Motive: +1 (wis) Spellcraft: +1 (int) Stealth*: -6 (dex) [c]Survival: +1 (wis) [c]Swim*: -4 (Str) * Armor Check Penalty (-7) Special Abilities:
Traits and Feats:
Exchange Agent: Belkzens Hold - Orcish, Survival +1 Defender of the Society: +1 armor in medium/heavy armor Combat Expertise: -1 attack, +1 dodge to AC Improved Dirty Trick: No AoO when using Dirty Trick, +2 to CMB and CMD when Dirty Trick. Background:
Harsh cultures breed harsh people. Born the son of a hobgoblin envoy from the Chitterwood (Isgar) to Belkzen, he has grown up in a ruthless warrior culture. His parents got in trouble with a local chieftain and a group of Pathfinders accepted their request to take Krass and his sister Davora with them. The whereabouts and faith of his parents are unknown to him. Up to his 12th year he lived in Belkzens Hold, after which he was relocated to Absalom. Here he was educated in the way of the warrior and eventually got his first job for the Pathfinder Society: to aid the Pathfinder lodge in Magnimar in any way he can. With the faith of his parents unknown to him he has every reason to get closer to Belkzens Hold to find out what happened and who has to pay the iron price. Personality:
Years of training in Absalom smoothed the jagged edges of his temper. Krass rarely shows any emotions, not even in battle. When duty calls he fulfills his role and when off-duty he loves to go camping out in the wild, jogging about whilst carrying a backpack full of rocks about as a kid would drag a cart full of toys. Those who treat him with respect will encounter a professional soldier, those who mock him for his race should thank the lodge for civilizing him. Krass distrusts those who use arcane magics. Appearance: It is hard to discern Krass' race as he is clad in rough leather with layer upon layer of heavy chain. Thick leather gauntlets reinforced with strips of iron, studded leather boots with iron bands and a bascinet helmet with nose guard compliment the heavy chain and leather. Loose fitting clothes of earthen brown and ashen gray cover the armor and keep all but his orange-red eyes covered. Broad blunt features are hidden behind the above. His ears are decorated with a couple of piercings, all of them bits from various sorts of armor: souvenirs from those he has defeated in battle. These serve as his personal shrine to Gorum.
Improved Initiative. Acting first can make or break an encounter. |
