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I purchased and downloaded a license package for Bestiary 3 in HeroLab on January 23rd. I followed all the instructions in the email, and the data license shows as being installed. However, at least one race (Shae) is nor showing up in HeroLab. Lone Wolf has not replied to my email; please advise.

Zhayne wrote:

Not by RAW, but the druid armor restriction makes no sense. Metal is every bit as natural as leather and hide.

Ore is natural. Skin and hide are natural. Meat is natural.

Metal, leather, jerky, and cooked foods are all varying levels of unnatural. Everything is derived from 'natural' ingredients if you follow the chain far enough back.

And keep in mind, we're talking about a universe where magic cares if stone is worked or unworked.

There are plenty of reasons to say druids can use metallic armors (such as their ability to use metallic weapons, etc.) But I think it is a fallacy to say that tanning of leather from skin is exactly the same as the mining, smelting, refining, and forging of metal from ore. A plate of steel bears very little resemblance to the heap of coal and hematite from which it was made, whereas leather still clearly resembles the skin from which it was made.

Bad assumptions by you and Ross. I don't base it on "art". It is based on two elements; historical armor from museums, and from armor, specifically "studded leather armor" being usable by druids in prior game systems, on which Pathfinder is based. Roman armor, Greek armor, Assyrian armor... all of these used studding. Roman armor used it extensively along seams, edges, the peplums, and as accenting on the breastplate. Your argument would make it impossible to rivet leather armor at all, and that is just absurd.

Wish Paizo would weigh in directly here. I don't see how studded leather armor suddenly becomes something other than leather. The armor itself is made of leather; studs, whether metal, bone, wood (or Peppermint Candy; love that!) are attached to it, not an integral part of it. If the metal being attached somehow alters the armor, what about buckles? Is leather armor tied on with things? Gaff tape? Saying that leather armor is no longer leather because it has metal studs added would be like saying your plate armor is leather because it has leather straps to fasten it on your body. If the description said "Metal Studded Armor" is prohibited, or was the armor type that would be different. The word "leather" is part of the description, therefore it is leather.

I noticed a serious (to me, anyway) error on the Animal Companion "Leopard" in the Pathfinder rules. The damage from a leopard bite is only 1D4, when in reality (yes, I know...) the bite is the same as that of a lion, over 650 PSI. The tiger's bite is nearly twice that of a lion, at over 1050 PSI. Both of those creatures do 1D6 bite damage. Same thing for the claw damage; leopards in fact are stronger, pound for pound, than lions. A 135 pound leopard can carry a 260 pound dead young giraffe in its mouth 20 feet up into a tree. Lions can't even climb...

I also don't understand the Charisma assigned. You have small cats at a charisma of 6, the same as dogs and horses. OK.. but then the big cats have a charisma of 10, which would make more sense.. but you gave the same charisma to a badger, which is only slightly less foul tempered than a Tasmanian Devil...and dinosaurs have a charisma of 14. Very confusing.

I think you need to make some corrections in that table. Or explain what part of pebbly rough lizard skin is more appealing than soft warm fur. :)

I'm new to Pathfinder, but not to RPG. After looking over the various race/class/prestige info, I decided to take a lengthy journey down the trail to Shadowdancer.

I started with a half-elf Rogue. I won't bore you with all the details of Feats/Skills/etc. My next level, I took a level of Druid, focused on Animal Companion. This gave me a Melanistic Leopard. My plan in general is to run back and forth each level, winding up as a level 3 Rogue level 2 Druid when I take my first level of Shadowdancer. From there, I'll go back and forth each level; Shadowdancer, then Druid, then Rogue, then Rogue/Druid/Shadowdancer. Ultimately I can heal my pet, heal my shadow, and have companions useful as lookouts/scouts and ambushers in both urban and nature settings.

I'm looking at the long term here, so I'm not worried about the various stat arguments.

Has anyone else tried this sort of build with the same or other classes? I'm curious not only about your feelings on the time investment, but on how other players and DM's react. The group I am in are supportive and intrigued by my choice. :)