Rob C's page

There's a new 1st level campaign starting there in the next few weeks if anyone wants to join

I've played in this campaign for years. I get my daily D&D fix there :)

Hey guys!

This may seem like an obvious question but I just can't find an official answer or rule for it.

I have a player who wants to end his turn at the intersections of 4 squares.

My initial reaction was "No way! You have to end in a square. Pick one"

But where in the rules does it say you have to end your turn in a complete square? Seems obvious to me that you should, but I can't find a definitive rule that says this.

It becomes a pain for working out reaches, effects, and so on when you've got a PC on a different grid scale.

Thanks in advance :)

Have any Pathfinder monsters been named or given characteristics of any specific Paizo staff members? That is, a kind of honorary acknowledgement to them.

Oh wise and wondrous Creative Director, I call on thy wisdom :)

Overrun, Trip and Bull Rush all make mention that you can't make the maneuver against anyone "who is no more than one size category larger than you."

Grapple used to have such a rule in 3E ("You automatically lose an attempt to hold if the target is two or more size categories larger than you are.") but that rule has gone walkabout.

Can tiny creatures grapple huge creatures in Pathfinder, giving them all the penalties that the grapple condition bestows?

How about incorporeal creatures?

Quiet you! You're the reason I'm asking the question :)

I can't find anything in the RAW that says all creatures can unarmed strike. I mean, it makes sense to me and I agree with it, but is there some reference for it?

The closest I have is from the Equipment section: "All characters are proficient with unarmed strikes and any natural weapons possessed by their race."

The toad familiar doesn't have any natural attacks listed. I'm not sure if there are other creatures like this, but if something doesn't have any attack method listed, can it actually attack? An unarmed strike perhaps?

The extension of this is that if you can gesture while in gaseous form but can't perform somatic components, you could also speak but not make verbal components.

That is, you can speak while in gaseous form. Just not "in a strong voice"

By pure Rules as Written, I don't think Gaseous Form can be dismissed if you cast it on yourself. You aren't just making a simple gesture (such as a nod of the head) you are making a specific 'gesture' to dismiss a spell cast on yourself with such complexity that it takes a whole standard action to perform whilst provoking an AoO.

By Rules as Intended / Rules as Played, I think Gaseous Form can be dismissed if cast on yourself. In my mind I look at creatures such as Vampires who can go into a gaseous form. They should have some way of coming out of it at will.

The spell's duration has a (D) in it, so of course they can dismiss it on themselves.

My group looked at me strange when I asked them too. Gaseous Form is completely dismissable if you cast it on someone else, there is no ambiguity there. The question was more whether you could make the 'gestures' required to dismiss gaseous form while you are in it.

While gaseous you can't make the verbal components for a spell, but can you speak at all?
While gaseous you can't make the somatic components for a spell, but can you gesture at all?

"There's no specific rules for gesturing"

You've hit the nail on the head. There is no specific rule for gesturing. It's a gap.

If we look at the intro part of the Magic section:
"To cast a spell, you must be able to speak (if the spell has a verbal component), gesture (if it has a somatic component), and manipulate the material components or focus (if any)."

Gestures and somatic components look to be directly related. So if you cannot make a somatic action, can you make a gesture?

I agree with your summation though Mr Pitt. There is likely no definitive answer here (unless a designer wants to weigh in).

I look at it much the same way as the Silence spell. Both are dismissable providing you don't cast them on yourself. If you do, then you have to wait the duration out.

Can a person who casts Gaseous Form on themselves choose to dismiss it early even though they can't make somatic actions?

Can a person who casts Gaseous Form on themselves choose to dismiss it early?

From the PRD:
"(D) Dismissible: If the duration line ends with "(D)," you can dismiss the spell at will. You must be within range of the spell's effect and must speak words of dismissal, which are usually a modified form of the spell's verbal component. If the spell has no verbal component, you can dismiss the effect with a gesture."

Gaseous Form is listed as a Dismissible spell. And since it has no verbal component, you arguably need to make a gesture to dismiss it.

But once you are under the effect of Gaseous Form, are you able to make gestures? Gaseous Form notes that you "can't attack or cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components while in gaseous form." So if you can't make somatic actions, can you gesture?

"You must be within range of the spell's effect and must speak words of dismissal, which are usually a modified form of the spell's verbal component. If the spell has no verbal component, you can dismiss the effect with a gesture."

So to dismiss a verbal spell, the words you speak are a modified form of the verbal component. So to dismiss a somatic spell, the gestures you make would likely be a modified form of the somatic component. And since you can't make somatic actions at all in gaseous form, you can't make modified versions of them either.

The shape of your form isn't mentioned in Pathfinder, however, 3.5e noted: "A gaseous creature can move about and do the things that a cloud of gas can conceivably do". I don't see a cloud of gas being able to make gestures.

Apologies for the necro, but seems my question is well suited to this thread on reverting back from Gaseous Form.

Can a person who casts Gaseous Form on themselves choose to dismiss it early?

From the PRD:
"(D) Dismissible: If the duration line ends with "(D)," you can dismiss the spell at will. You must be within range of the spell's effect and must speak words of dismissal, which are usually a modified form of the spell's verbal component. If the spell has no verbal component, you can dismiss the effect with a gesture."

Gaseous Form is listed as a Dismissible spell. And since it has no verbal component, you arguably need to make a gesture to dismiss it.

But once you are under the effect of Gaseous Form, are you able to make gestures? Gaseous Form notes that you "can't attack or cast spells with verbal, somatic, material, or focus components while in gaseous form." So if you can't make somatic actions, can you gesture?

The shape of your form isn't mentioned in Pathfinder, however, 3.5e noted: "A gaseous creature can move about and do the things that a cloud of gas can conceivably do". I don't see a cloud of gas being able to make gestures.

lol! Love it Eponine :)

I was on a similar train of thought to you.

My thinking was for the scouting to summon some Nosoi Psychopomps. If the enemy are hiding then the Nosoi spirit sense - which works like blindsight - would help find them. Since Nosoi can fly at 50ft and have at Will invisibility, they should be able to cover a lot of area without being spotted. IF they spot something, have them cast a sound burst directly overhead as a signal.

In addition, have the eidolon with the burrow (or even earth glide ability) and tremor sense to scout for anything touching the ground or below it. I think the DC to notice something burrowing underground is like +25DC, so hopefully the eidolon can go unnoticed too.

Though it does make me chuckle to picture wave after wave of lantern archons :)

Thanks for the input Caliban. I agree, I'm not aware of anything like this either but I don't profess to know the additional Pathfinder material very well at all.

The combination of long range detection + long range kill would seem an unlikely thing to allow. It would render assassins practically unnecessary.

"Oh, you want me to kill xxx? Just give me a second. Ah, there you go"

:)

Hey guys,

Apologies for a multi-part question...

Assume a PC is in a vast maze - miles upon miles worth of maze. He knows there are other sentient creatures more physically powerful than he also in the maze. Everyone/everything else in the maze is out to get him. No 'good' guys in the way.

1. Is there a spell he could cast to locate other sentient creatures within the maze across a good distance? Something like a Commune with Nature, but that provides more specifics I think.

2. Is there a spell he could cast, once he knows his foes, that could strike them from distance? Nightmare is ok I guess, but relies on them being asleep and the will save would be fairly low given they have never met.

The goal here is to find someone/something and strike it before it can strike you. In a perfect world, this would be a PC build consisting of any Paizo class with no more than 10 levels.

Any Paizo source for spells is fine.

Thanks guys! You came up with far more things than I did.

At the moment I'm going to try and grovel with my DM to let me have a Tiefling with the variant ability: "You do not need to sleep. You are not immune to sleep effects."

Using only Paizo sources, are there any races, classes, spells, feats, or traits that remove the need to sleep? Is there any way to build a character who is awake 24/7?

Can't use items or build a custom class/feat.

Hmm....