Rogue Fact Checker Checker's page

Made this thread as a continuation on my thoughts that spawned in this thread.

This is an attempt to "fix" the many issues of Sacred Geometry while still keeping some of the original flavor and power. The two major issues are in my opinion the following:

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Sacred Geometry
You can use your mathematical prowess to add metamagic effects to your spells without using a higher-level spell slot.
Prerequisite(s): Int 13, Knowledge (engineering) 5 ranks

Benefit(s): When you take this feat, select two metamagic feats you do not yet have. When casting a spell, you can perform the steps below to spontaneously apply the effects of either or both of these metamagic feats, as well as any other metamagic feats you have, to the spell without expending a higher-level spell slot.

Once per day as part of a 30 minute ritual that can be combined with spell preparation or the refreshment of your daily allotment of spells, you contemplate the spiritual meaning of geometric shapes and how to harness the innate power that suffuse them. Roll a d6 for every skill rank you possess in Knowledge (engineering) and write down the result. This is your pool of Sacred Insights for the day. Any unused points are lost when you next refresh your daily spells.

When choosing to cast a spell using Sacred Geometry, first determine the effective spell level of the modified spell you are attempting to cast. Then you must spend an equal amount of points from your Sacred Insight pool and perform a 1 minute ritual consisting of mentally aligning the right geometric shapes. At the end of this ritual, you may cast the spell without expending a higher level spell slot. If this ritual is interrupted before completion (treat it as an ongoing casting attempt for concentration DCs) you lose the spent points from your Sacred Insight pool, but not the spell slot.

Alternatively, you may exert great effort to hasten the ritual to be completed in the normal time it would take to cast the spell. This neither requires the 1 minute ritual nor increases the casting time of the spell, but requires you to spent a number of Sacred Insight points equal to the effective spell level squared.

At level 10, 15 and 20, your pool of Sacred Insights increase by +10 points (for a total of +30 at level 20).

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These changes are aimed to kneecap the in-combat spam of Quickened and Maximized spells, introduce a daily limit in a fairly engaging way, and dissuade converting every spell slot into the highest it can be. I'm envisioning this to be used mostly out-of-combat, or to cast lower level spells during combat.

Might have gone a bit overboard with the squared points cost, though.

A cleric's Touch of Law counts as a 1st-level spell (FAQ) and you can use SLAs for satisfying the spell requisite when item crafting (FAQ).

Is there anything stopping a cleric from crafting a Wand of Touch of Law? Except the knowledge that you'd still need a DC 20 UMD check to use it (FAQ).

So the Chart Caster Mesmerist has a really cool/powerful/strange ability called Feign Destiny.

At 3rd level, as an immediate action, a chart caster can grant an ally a +1 competence bonus on a failed attack roll, saving throw, or skill check by reminding his ally of their destined success. The chart caster must use his ability within 1 round of the failed check, and his ally must be within 30 feet of him when he does. If the bonus is enough to turn the failure into a success, the ally succeeds at the check. At 6th level, the bonus increases to +2. At 10th level, it increases to +5. A chart caster can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier.

Do note that the ability does not have to be used in reaction to the failed check. You can use it at any time before one round as passed, turning the failure into a success.

So.

A Mesmerist CC, their Cavalier ally, and an Ogre is locked in combat. Nobody is flat-footed.
The Cavalier charges the Ogre but misses with their Spirited Charge attack roll.
On the Ogre's turn, it decides to take the Withdraw action and ends up 80 ft away behind three locked doors, surely running to get reinforcements.
The Mesmerist decides to use Feign Destiny which turns the failed attack roll into a success. This damage is enough to instantly kill the Ogre, and it does.

Does the Ogre die 80 ft away or next to the Cavalier?

An Inquisitor with a CL 12 Greater Magic Weapon cast on their +1 Bow uses the Bane class feature.
Is the bow now a +3 Bane Bow, or a +1 Bane Bow with a +3 enhancement bonus?

A Slayer with the Shield Master feat has upgraded their shield with a +4 enhancement bonus to AC, and has also enchanted the shield as a weapon with a +1 Benevolent effect.
When using the aid another action, would the Slayer add an extra +1 or +4 bonus to the ally's roll?

I've been under the impression that the enhancement bonuses are treated as separate effects, but I'm not so sure now.

The end goal here is to play a triggerhappy skald that helps their party through unconventional means. That is, by recklessly shooting everyone on the field to the surprise of enemies and the resignation of allies.

1) First, the description of Betrayal feats have a special stipulation if you're using "class abilities granting allies access to teamwork feats (such as cavaliers or inquisitors)" that prevents you from being the initiator. Would Shared Training, the spell, fall under this clause?

2) Friendly Fire requires you to initiate it as a standard action during which you make a ranged attack against a foe. If I use a Scatter Weapon then as part of this standard action I make a ranged attack against all creatures within a cone. Would this allow me to trigger Friendly Fire against multiple opponents?

Straight to the point. Can you prepare spells multiple times in a day?

I know that you have a daily allotment of spells, so a Wizard couldn't get more spell slots no matter how many times they prepare over the course of a day. I am more curious about if I can decide to take a 8 hour rest in the afternoon to abandon the spells I prepared in the morning, and replace them with others. This wouldn't break any daily allotment limit, and the rules for preparation does say that "a mind fresh from rest" is the one requirement to abandon/replace prepared spells.

I do know about the Ring of Sustenance which doesn't allow you to prepare spells multiple times, but I figured that was a limitation specific to the ring.

If a Paladin with one level in Splintersoul Vigilante changes into an identity that isn't LG, can they change into the Vindictive Bastard paladin and then back into their normal Paladin class when they return to their LG identity?

I've successfully incorporated the Chakras with copious amounts of alcohol, and it's a mess. So much of a mess that I'm going to need to write it down where I can easily reference it so I know what I'm doing when leveling up. The pdf character sheet is getting way too cluttered for that, so here I am.

What are your own experiences with complicated builds? More trouble than they're worth? This is the first time I've had to dump information like this, which I think is a sign I should heavily rein it in for my next character.

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The Familiar is absolutely vital. Normally it's a move action to trigger your Temp HP, Drunken Ki, and all that jazz. But during combat we'd rather be able to full-attack or at least move and attack, so we will cast Spirit Share on the familiar so that it can use its actions to sustain our need for booze. It's a good idea to replace the familiar's feat with Spell Sponge for double the duration. Keep it on your person, preferably hidden, so that it stays within reach and out of danger.

Silksworn Occultist and Trappings of the Warrior.

When a silksworn chooses an implement school, he does not choose a specific object. Instead, a silksworn must be wearing an ostentatious garment or magic item worth 10 gp or more of the appropriate type and in the appropriate slot: abjuration (wrists), conjuration (shoulders), divination (eyes), enchantment (neck), evocation (hands), illusion (head), necromancy (chest), and transmutation (feet). A silksworn who does not meet this requirement is treated as lacking the appropriate implement for the purpose of his class features, including spellcasting.

Shield (abjuration) and weapon (transmutation).

Am I correct in assuming that the Silksworn doesn't need their implements to be specifically worn in the magic item slots, but just their location? So that a level one Silksworn could use their fancy (but mundane) gloves for the Evocation implement school even though the gloves doesn't actually take up a magic item slot.

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Then, since the Wrist slot consists of items that would more aptly be described as on the forearm, would a Buckler be considered to be in the "wrist slot location"?

This slot consists of armbands, bracelets, bracers, gauntlets, manacles, shackles, vambraces, and other items that can worn over the wrists.

This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm

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If the above is true then I'll be equipping my high heels to qualify for Trappings.

Would the AoO-sharing effect of Paired Opportunists interact with the AoO from Song of Sarkoris?

Paired Opportunists requires an enemy to provoke an attack of opportunity to trigger, and there's no such language in Song of Sarkoris. Normally I'd not spend much time overthinking this but since you can make the AoO against any enemy, not just the one who made it happen, the answer to "who provoked it" is not obvious.

Yes, I know they're only available to Bards/Skalds. But the prerequisites are always skill ranks and you can usually take them in place of feats instead of spells known. A Fighter 12 / Bard 1 multiclass can qualify for Music Beyond the Spheres which is essentially a 13th-level class feature for the bard, and the investment is minimal.

Other good Masterpieces when dipping would be Pageant of the Peacock and Song of Sarkoris (with a Tuned Bowstring). It feels quite weird that it works like this and I can't think of any other ability that does. Thoughts?

No jump can allow you to exceed your maximum movement for the round.

Let's say I'm a staggered human with a 30 ft base speed, and a really good acrobatics bonus. I attempt to use my one action to move across a 30 ft wide street. Halfway there I make a 10 ft high jump over a cart and continue moving.

Do I count these 10 ft of vertical movement against my maximum movement for the round, ending up in the middle of the street 20 ft away from where I started?

Idealist cleric.
I'm wondering to what extent the Invoke Realm ability is considered Channel Energy as the description seems a little contradictory.

This ability is considered channel energy for purposes of feats that grant additional uses of channel energy or allow the cleric to exclude creatures from channel energy’s effects.

This alters channel energy.

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The first sentence specifies when it is considered Channel Energy, which implies that it doesn't count as Channel Energy for any other situation. But the second sentence states that it "alters" Channel Energy which means that it still is Channel Energy.
Should it be "replaces", or is the first sentence just superfluous?

I'm aware that no ability that relies on the number of Channel Energy dice would work, like Channel Smite/Bless Equipment, or anything that needs positive/negative energy. I'm more interested in Channel Foci, Quick Channel, and magic items that modify the radius.

While I've seen a lot of DPR contests for level 10 and up, there seems to be a lack of disgustingly optimized beginner adventurers. So let's see what kind of third level shenanigans people can come up with instead of focusing on levels people may not even get to play at.
The contest will include three specific rounds of combat which are scenarios you should encounter pretty often. An approaching enemy, an engaged enemy, and a distant enemy. These three rounds are part of the same encounter.

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Build Rules:
Character level 3.
All Paizo content is available, but no monstrous races or obviously overpowered ones (like Drow Noble).
20 Point Buy, two character traits, and standard wealth by level (3000 gp).
You build must be capable of dealing with the three rounds of combat during two separate encounters on the same day.
All saves must have at least a +2 bonus.
A minimum AC/HP isn't required, although you get the "Viable" stamp of approval if you actually survive the three rounds.

Pre-Buffing:
You are allowed two buffs before combat begins, but their duration must be at least 10 minutes.

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Your opponent will be the Dire Ape. It has 10 ft reach, an AC of 15, and a CMD of 20. It uses its Bite attack for charges and standard actions attacks.
Any other relevant statistic such as saving throws and touch AC is in the description, although we're pretending it has unlimited HP for our calculations.

Enemy actions: It will prioritize charging before a standard action attack. It will never ready an action.

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Enemy actions: Full-attack if possible, otherwise move and standard action attack.

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Enemy actions: Full-attacking your ally, or move and attack if you manage to move your ally out of its reach. It is blind with rage, and would not care about provoking Attacks of Opportunity.

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Your "contest DPR" is the average of your three rounds.

So do I use the highest d20 roll, or the highest attack roll (which includes the attack bonus)?

Kind of an obvious question, but I've been using the highest d20 roll and then applied the separate bonuses. I got the impression that's how it should be because of the last sentence of the feat, but that could be referring to miss chance.

The one true way to decide on worship is obviously power. If your chosen deity can't even be bothered to help out their most faithful servants in their time of need, then they are either weak or cruel. Neither is a quality you should look for in a person, and especially not a God.
So I say, might makes right! The extradimensional hand of the planes will guarantee that worship goes to those that deserve worship, as long as people are allowed to make informed decisions untainted by societal pressure.

So anyway, here's some cool Fey Obedience benefits.

The Obedience giving a +4 bonus to all int-based skills is hella sweet considering that it's the ability score with the most skills, and there's plenty of ways to key even more skill to intelligence. But the Second Boon is even better. Never surprised or Flat-Footed because you can literally see the future is pretty much the coolest thing ever, and is far more powerful than simply always getting to act in the Surprise Round.

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The Obedience is already half a feat, so it doesn't need to provide much to be on par with a normal feat. But it definitely goes beyond that with the Second Boon which is the 6th lv spell Legend Lore on crack.
Even if you only know rumors, you can spend a standard action instead of 2d6 weeks and still gain the best possible result the spell can give you. This can save months and even years of downtime. The Third Boon is a one round Time Stop, but can be used on other creatures which gives it a bit more versatility than the normal spell.

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Maze is pretty good, no questions asked. But the second use of the ability is greater than sliced bread. It's your own personal demiplane that lasts indefinitely, nobody in it requires sustenance, and every willing target within 100 ft is teleported there with you. No creature limit at all. It's a very effective panic button and pairs well with the Second Boon that allows you to cast Plane Shift.
Also, the Obedience save bonus would apply against most polymorph spells.

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These are the three most interesting Obedience benefits in my opinion, since they give unique and powerful abilities. What are other deities worthy of worship?

So I've been having a lot of fun with my Quintessentialist, but stumbled upon some questions about the Exemplar's ability scores recently.

In our latest session we were ambushed by some creatures dealing strength damage and my Quintessentialist ate two hits before managing to manifest the Exemplar. My GM reminded me to apply the strength damage to the Exemplar, since it "uses your ability scores", and so I did. After we escaped I recalled the Exemplar back to my mind and healed my own ability damage.
Now what made us come to a stop was that the Exemplar had taken a couple more hits, and a lot more strength damage. When I manifested it again my GM ruled after some discussion that the Exemplar's ability scores were also fully healed, since it "uses your ability scores".
We weren't fully in agreement though, so for future scenarios it might be good to clear these issues up.

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Let's say the Quintessentialist has been buffed by Bull's Strength before manifesting the Exemplar. Will the Exemplar benefit from the +4 Enhancement bonus? What happens if the buff's duration on the Quintessentialist ends while the Exemplar is out?

So let's say my Spiritualist has worked themselves up to the Improved Eldritch Heritage feat (Arcane bloodline), and wants to give out the feat line to their Exemplar during manifestation.
The benefit of having Improved Eldritch Heritage is being given either the 3rd or 9th-level power, chosen when you get the feat.

Benefit: You gain either the 3rd-level or the 9th-level power (your choice) of the bloodline you selected with the Eldritch Heritage feat. For purposes of using that power, treat your sorcerer level as equal to your character level – 2, even if you have levels in sorcerer. You do not gain any of the other bloodline abilities.

Keeping in mind that the Exemplar is a completely different creature, should it be able to choose between the two options upon getting the feat?

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Follow-up question if the answer is "no choice":

If it can't, and the Spiritualist has chosen the 9th level power that allows you to increase your spells known, would the Exemplar be able to choose their own spells known upon getting the feat?

In this case the Exemplar is given the exact same feat, and the exact same benefits, which is to choose new spells known.

Some gunslingers wield guns and blades in concert, readying a shot to unbalance attackers and then eviscerating their assailants. At 7th level, the gunslinger can spend 1 grit point when she readies an action to make a ranged attack with a firearm against a creature that declares a melee attack against her. If she does, the readied ranged attack does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If this readied attack hits, she gains a +4 dodge bonus to AC against the triggering attack, and she can make a single melee attack with a slashing or piercing weapon against the creature that attacked her; if this melee attack hits, it is considered to be a critical threat. This deed replaces the dead shot deed and one other 7th-level deed.

So.

Sweet Iomedae that's good.
Well maybe not that great for the standard Gunslinger who lacks melee damage and doesn't have any hand free to carry a melee weapon. That Gunslinger would use a Cestus with a x2 crit multiplier and deal below 10 dmg.
But for the Funslinger who uses a Heavy Pick/Shadowshooting Buckler Gun, and has one level of Swashbuckler to regain Grit from melee crits, it's pretty damn great. We'll pick up Overwatch Style to ready multiple ranged attacks per round, and by some miracle we have a 'Sword and Pistol' build that actually synergizes well by blending melee and ranged.

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Now what can a character that has automatic critical threats do that normally isn't viable?

I'm talking about things like taking the Gore Fiend feat to regain rounds of rage from critical hits, and using the Feasting Bite rage power to heal each round from bite attacks.

Ideas?

Since Inspiring Rage doesn't specify that it is a Mind-Affecting effect like it does with Dirge of Doom, should I assume that Undead creatures can be affected by it? I know they won't get any morale bonuses, but Rage Powers are still on the table.

I'm also aware that there are multiple instances of Undead barbarians, with what seems to be a general rule in the stat block of the the Vampire Savage from Monster Codex, pg 241.

Undead Barbarian An undead creature with the ability to enter a rage gains the morale bonuses from rage despite being immune to morale effects. The bonus to Constitution from the rage applies to an undead creature's Charisma instead.

Was this ever confirmed to be the general rule, and if yes, would Inspiring Rage count as "the ability to enter a rage"?

So I'd like to use the Heal skill at range, specifically the Provide First Aid action combined with a Healer's Satchel.

Is there anything like the Ranged Legerdemain ability (that makes Disable Device and Sleight of Hand work at range), but for Heal?

Or a magic item that lets you act as if you were close by, such as the Gloves of the Shortened Path (but a bit cheaper)?

So through the Battle Poi exotic weapon we can get fire damage, and through Flame Blade + Elemental Spell we have the other three elements. Add the Choral Support teamwork feat and we can make this into Sonic damage.

Is it possible to get Positive/Negative Energy or Untyped?
Is there an easier way than Flame Blade to get other energy types than fire?

Some obscure archetype that gives you energy weapons at level 1 would be perfect, since I'd prefer to not be shoehorned into playing a druid.

Are you still not considered wielding the Kinetic Blast even when using Kinetic Blade?

I'm aware that the language is pretty explicit, but it seems strange to attack with something "in your hand" that you aren't actually wielding.

Edit:
Quote by Mark Seifter - Strongly implies that you actually wield the Kinetic Blade, did this change during the playtest?

Sometimes traits have more interesting effects than simply being another "+1 and class skill". Faith's Hunter is one such trait.

Category Basic (Combat)

Divine powers smile upon you each time you grievously wound a favored enemy. When you confirm a critical hit against a favored enemy, you may extend the duration of any divine spell affecting you by 1 round. The benefits from multiple critical hits stack. Divine spells with an instantaneous duration can’t be extended in this manner.

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So which spells would benefit greatly from increasing the duration? Is there some powerful spell with a low duration, like Divine Favor but three rounds?

The original plan was to use a SLA, but well, they're not spells.

So I'm gonna use the Bewildering Koan feat for my next build, and that would probably require them to actually understand me. The setting isn't decided yet, but I can expect to meet a wide variety of enemies.

By lv 6, when the build comes online, I'll know 16 languages. I think these ones would cover 99% of the enemies I'll meet.

I've decided to not bother with race-specific languages such as Dwarven/Tengu/Grippli/Halfling, since those creatures will have Common as a language already.

With the exception of Gnolls/Boggards, is there any sentient enemy I wouldn't be able to communicate with if I had these languages?

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This build is supposed to be PFS legal, but could the Gesture Expertise trait otherwise be used to communicate with anyone (with sight) with a DC 15 linguistics check?

Why you, you?

You were taught a style of martial arts that relies on the natural weapons from your racial ability or class feature.

Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, Weapon Focus with selected natural weapon.

Benefit: Choose one of your natural weapons. While using the selected natural weapon, you can apply the effects of feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite.

Special: If you are a monk, you can use the selected natural weapon with your flurry of blows class feature.

A brawler’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that modify either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

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As a Brawler, I could take Feral Combat Training (Unarmed Strike), correct?

I'm unsure if my Unarmed Strike counts as a Natural Weapon for the feat prerequisite.

What's your opinion on size restrictions?

I feel that they're an unnecessary and redundant mechanic which just shuts down certain builds arbitrarily, since larger opponent already have a higher CMD from their size bonus.
And while I do understand why a Colossus might be a tad unimpressed by a Bull Rush from a house cat, this is a game where the same house cat could have a higher strength score than the Colossus.

What bothers me though, is that some maneuvers just got a free pass.
If you can't Trip an opponent because it is 'too big', how are you able to exert enough force to Disarm them? Or, you know, Grapple them.

So. How do they work?

Kinsight goggles are in fact two separate crystal monocles, linked together with a simple silver clasp that allows them to both be worn at once like pince-nez spectacles. The left and right halves may be separated and worn individually, allowing two people to see through one another’s eyes.

When separated, the wearer of either half of the goggles may speak a command word to see through the lens of the other half, so long as the halves of the goggles remain within 500 feet of one another. When the two lenses are attached and worn as one item, they offer no magical benefit—just some minor magnification.

If I have darkvision, and my pal does not, what happens when I activate this item?

A) I see "through the lens", using my own senses.

B) I see "through another's eyes", losing my darkvision.

Alright, so for most characters the attack with the highest BAB means their first attack. However, let's say I'm a hasted Unchained Monk.

Now I have (at least) three attacks that are made with my highest BAB.

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1) Do I need to make a full-attack to use Quick Dirty Trick, or would any melee attack made at my highest BAB work?
(Such as the attack during a charge, or the Free Hand Maneuver weapon trick.)

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2) Is there a limit to how many times I can use a Quick 'Maneuver' feat per round?

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3) Would I be able to use both the Quick Dirty Trick and the Quick Steal feats during the same full-attack, replacing two different full-BAB attacks?

An Undine sorcerer with the Hydrualic Push Spell-Like Ability attempts to store it in a Ring of Spell Storing. Does it work?
And if not, why doesn't it?

You are practiced at using physical might to escape your bonds. You can use Strength instead of Dexterity as your base ability for Escape Artist skill checks to free yourself from bondage. Additionally, you gain a +1 trait bonus on such Escape Artist checks.

Okay, I checked the deity and Kurgess did not have lust as an area of concern. Which ones of the following uses of the skill would this trait apply to?

Escape rope/bindings

Escape a net, animate rope spell, command plants, control plants, or entangle
Escape a snare spell
Escape normal manacles
Move through a tight space
Escape masterwork manacles
Escape grapple or reduce pinned condition to grappled condition

If it's the traditional meaning of the word, then I'd argue that it applies to everything except squeezing.

Thoughts?

So here's the item.

This hollow metal or wooden tube contains slow-burning powder. When you light the fuse (a move action), it creates a 3-foot-long, blazing fountain of red-hot fiery sparks. You wield this fountain of sparks as if it were a heavy mace. Attacks with the fountain are melee touch attacks. The fountain deals 1d8 points of fire damage (your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage).

The fountain sheds light as a torch and can ignite combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth. Once ignited, it lasts for 1 minute. If extinguished before this time, the remaining duration is wasted. Crafting this item is a DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check.

I've been trying to figure out how to TWF with this Flame Fountain, and I'm hoping that there's a way to make it work with Brawler's/Monk's Flurry to avoid having to light up two every fight.

Or some obscure way to make a Heavy Mace count as a double weapon, or count as part of the Close/Monk weapon groups.

Any ideas?

You and your allies use the sun’s glare to your advantage.

Prerequisites: Bluff 3 ranks, Stealth 3 ranks.

Benefit: When you hit with a melee attack, you can attempt a Bluff check as a move action to feint. You do not gain the benefits of this feint; instead, if you succeed at your Bluff check, an ally with this feat who is adjacent to you or your opponent gains the benefits, such that the opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) against your ally’s next melee attack against that opponent. This attack must be made before the end of your ally’s next turn. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on your Bluff check in bright light. This bonus increases to +4 in natural sunlight. You cannot use this feat in dim light or darkness.

Special: If you have the Improved Feint feat, you can feint with Out of the Sun as a swift action after you hit with a melee attack.

How would this teamwork feat interact with the following two feats?

Out of the Sun grants the benefits of the feint to your ally, but Greater Feint changes the benefit of feint to a penalty suffered by your opponent.
If I feinted for my ally while possessing Greater Feint, what would happen?

A) Only my ally would benefit from Greater Feint.
B) Everyone, including myself, would benefit from Greater Feint.
C) Everyone, excluding myself, would benefit from Greater Feint.
D) Greater Feint wouldn't affect Out of the Sun, so nothing would change.

Would Distracting Cloak interact with Out of the Sun at all? And if it would, in what way?

When performing a combat maneuver, you must use an action appropriate to the maneuver you are attempting to perform. While many combat maneuvers can be performed as part of an attack action, full-attack action, or attack of opportunity (in place of a melee attack), others require a specific action. Unless otherwise noted, performing a combat maneuver provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the maneuver. If you are hit by the target, you take the damage normally and apply that amount as a penalty to the attack roll to perform the maneuver. If your target is immobilized, unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated, your maneuver automatically succeeds (treat as if you rolled a natural 20 on the attack roll). If your target is stunned, you receive a +4 bonus on your attack roll to perform a combat maneuver against it.

When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver, make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus. Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, feats, and other effects. These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver. The DC of this maneuver is your target’s Combat Maneuver Defense. Combat maneuvers are attack rolls, so you must roll for concealment and take any other penalties that would normally apply to an attack roll.

Benefit: In most situations, a tower shield provides the indicated shield bonus to your Armor Class. As a standard action, however, you can use a tower shield to grant you total cover until the beginning of your next turn. When using a tower shield in this way, you must choose one edge of your space. That edge is treated as a solid wall for attacks targeting you only. You gain total cover for attacks that pass through this edge and no cover for attacks that do not pass through this edge (see Combat). The shield does not, however, provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on you by targeting the shield you are holding. You cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else.

When employing a tower shield in combat, you take a –2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield’s encumbrance.

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Say there's two medium creatures in a five-foot wide passage. One of them has a Tower Shield and uses it to gain Total Cover. Can the other creature attempt any combat maneuver against the shield-wearing one?

The normal response to a Tower Shield seems to be sundering it, but Total Cover should negate that tactic.

And if you can't use combat maneuvers, but you as a GM would rule that you can sunder it, what other maneuvers would you allow?

Category Race

Requirement(s) Undine
When the air is full of water, your elemental blood allows you to blend with your surroundings and become one with the precipitation. In areas of nonmagical fog, rain, snow, or similar conditions (such as the spray of a waterfall), you gain the effects of concealment, but with a miss chance of 10%. If the precipitation would already grant you concealment, the miss chances stack.

So, what's the difference between gaining the effects of concealment, and gaining the real deal?

As far as I'm aware, concealment grants you a miss chance and the ability to hide with stealth. The effects of concealment should be the same.

So would the benefit of this trait not prevent a (chained) rogue from sneak attacking you, but prevent a Heartseeker bow from ignoring the miss chance?

Does this sound right, or is there some similar ability that can provide an example?

So while I'm (begrudgingly) of the opinion that the Stealth rules mean for you to avoid observance by concealment/cover, I've noticed that (normal) concealment more often than not can't be used to hide.

Cover and Concealment for Stealth: The reason a character usually needs cover or concealment to use Stealth is tied to the fact that characters can't use Stealth while being observed. A sneaking character needs to avoid all of an opponent's precise senses in order to use Stealth, and for most creatures, that means vision. Effects such as blur and displacement, which leave a clear visual of the character within the perceiving character's vision, aren't sufficient to use Stealth, but a shadowy area or a curtain work nicely, for example. The hide in plain sight class ability allows a creature to use Stealth while being observed and thus avoids this whole situation. A sneaking character can come out of cover or concealment during her turn, as long as she doesn't end her turn where other characters are directly observing her.

Okay, so effects "which leave a clear visual of the character" can't be used to use Stealth. This means that every effect that grants concealment to single targets is worthless for stealth, since you're leaving a clear visual. What can be used is area effects, such as an area of darkness or Obscuring Fog. Since the concealment is all around you, the effect doesn't leave a clear visual.

So let's focus on Dim Light/Darkness. As is commonly known, Darkvision negates the concealment opponents would be granted from illumination levels. The Vision and Light rules would from a strict reading disallow you to use any forms of concealment to hide in normal light, but they're more likely to only be relevant to concealment from illumination.

In an area of bright light, all characters can see clearly. Some creatures, such as those with light sensitivity and light blindness, take penalties while in areas of bright light. A creature can’t use Stealth in an area of bright light unless it is invisible or has cover. Areas of bright light include outside in direct sunshine and inside the area of a daylight spell.

Normal light functions just like bright light, but characters with light sensitivity and light blindness do not take penalties. Areas of normal light include underneath a forest canopy during the day, within 20 feet of a torch, and inside the area of a light spell.

/.../

Characters with darkvision (dwarves and half-orcs) can see lit areas normally as well as dark areas within 60 feet. A creature can’t hide within 60 feet of a character with darkvision unless it is invisible or has cover.

In most encounters, at least someone will possess Darkvision. This disqualifies Dim Light for hiding purposes, leaving only concealment from the first 5 ft of fog/smoke as a viable option for hiding.

With the exception of smoke, every other eligible use of concealment for hiding seems to be total concealment. Which basically amount to: "you can use concealment to hide when they already couldn't see you due to concealment".

Is there any other area effect granting concealment, or is fog/smoke the only reliable way to hide without resorting to cover/total concealment?

Benefit: This metal glove lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with unarmed strikes. A strike with a gauntlet is otherwise considered an unarmed attack. Your opponent cannot use a disarm action to disarm you of gauntlets.

So I've seen a couple of Gauntlet threads, and know that Gauntlets attacks are something completely different than Unarmed Strikes. But even so, it's a bit unclear for me.

If I attack with a Gauntlet (and want to benefit from Enhancement bonuses), can I choose to deal nonlethal damage as if I hit with an Unarmed Attack?

Some feats have prerequisites. Your character must have the indicated ability score, class feature, feat, skill, base attack bonus, or other quality designated in order to select or use that feat. A character can gain a feat at the same level at which he gains the prerequisite.

A character can't use a feat if he loses a prerequisite, but he does not lose the feat itself. If, at a later time, he regains the lost prerequisite, he immediately regains full use of the feat that prerequisite enables.

So, if I have Combat Expertise (requiring 13 int) and lose my Headband of Intelligence (dropping my Int to 11), I'll still have the feat, but as I lack the 13 int requirement I can't use it.

But if I had the Elusive Redirection feat, which Combat Expertise is a prerequisite for, would I lose the use of that feat, too?

You can redirect an attack back at your assailant or into an adjacent enemy.

Prerequisites: Elusive target class feature, Combat Expertise, Improved Unarmed Strike, flowing monk level 12th.

Benefit: When you successfully use your elusive target class feature to avoid taking damage, you can spend an immediate action and an additional point from your ki pool to redirect that attack back at your attacker or toward any other opponent adjacent to you and your attacker. This attack uses the same attack roll as the original attack, but it targets the opponent you choose.

Normally, feat chains share the same Ability Score requirement, making the answer to my question obvious. But the prerequisites of Elusive Redirection makes no mention of the 13 int requirement.

As I still have Combat Expertise (although I can't use it), I still fulfill all the prerequisites of Elusive Redirection and should be able to use it even as my Intelligence falls into single digits.

Is this correct?

You can attempt to disarm your opponent in place of a melee attack. If you do not have the Improved Disarm feat, or a similar ability, attempting to disarm a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. Attempting to disarm a foe while unarmed imposes a –4 penalty on the attack.

If your attack is successful, your target drops one item it is carrying of your choice (even if the item is wielded with two hands). If your attack exceeds the CMD of the target by 10 or more, the target drops the items it is carrying in both hands (maximum two items if the target has more than two hands). If your attack fails by 10 or more, you drop the weapon that you were using to attempt the disarm. If you successfully disarm your opponent without using a weapon, you may automatically pick up the item dropped.

Is there some way to make a wielded weapon immune to disarm attempts, more specifically the self-inflicted kind? I'm looking to fail disarm maneuvers on purpose and need a way to not drop my whip with every attempt.

Is there a spell or some alchemical item which would help me? I've considered gluing the whip to a cestus/gauntlet with Alchemical Glue, but I'm guessing the disarm rules would override such ideas.

So here's what the d20pfsrd has to say about the Shaken condition from the Demoralize action.

You can use this skill to cause an opponent to become shaken for a number of rounds. This shaken condition doesn’t stack with other shaken conditions to make an affected creature frightened. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s Hit Dice + the target’s Wisdom modifier.

Success: If you are successful, the target is shaken for one round. This duration increases by 1 round for every 5 by which you beat the DC. You can only threaten an opponent this way if it is within 30 feet and can clearly see and hear you. Using demoralize on the same creature only extends the duration; it does not create a stronger fear condition.

Fail: The opponent is not shaken.

While I understand that Demoralize won't stack with itself, the PRD lacks the first part about demoralize not stacking with other fear effects, and I've read that this part got introduced then redacted.

So I'm having a little trouble understanding the 6th level ability from the Sensei Monk, and would like some clarification.

At 6th level, a sensei may use his advice ability when spending points from his ki pool to activate a class ability (using the normal actions required for each) in order to have that ability affect one ally within 30 feet rather than the sensei himself.

Does this mean that I have to activate my Advice ability every time I want to use Mythic Wisdom?

So while trying to do a martial fire damage build, I stumbled upon Weapon Versatility and wondered how it would interact with the 'damage type: Fire' property of the Battle Poi.

This pair of arm-length chains has handles at one end and heavy fuel-soaked torch heads at the other.

Benefit: The weight of the poi is insufficient to deal physical damage, but the burning fuel deals fire damage. If you are proficient in battle poi, you are treated as if you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat for the purposes of making poi attacks.

Special: Poi can be extinguished by spending a full round action smothering them in sand or submerging them in water.

Name: Battle poi

You can use your favored weapons in unconventional ways.

Prerequisite(s): Weapon Focus, base attack bonus +1

Benefit(s): When wielding a weapon with which you have Weapon Focus, you can shift your grip as a swift action so that your weapon deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage instead of the damage type normally dealt by that weapon. You may switch back to the weapon's normal damage type or another damage type as a swift action.

If your base attack bonus is +5 or higher, using this feat is a free action instead.

Now as you might have noticed the Battle Poi doesn't deal physical damage at all. It normally deals elemental fire damage, but Weapon Versatility will take away its damage type and would let it deal bludgeoning damage instead.

But what kind of bludgeoning damage?

Can't be physical, so it's either Untyped Bludgeoning or Bludgeoning Fire damage.

Serial Killer Vigilante Archetype.

A serial killer must choose the stalker specialization. Her hidden strike is considered equivalent to a sneak attack with the same number of dice for the purpose of meeting prerequisites or using abilities that depend on sneak attack.

This alters vigilante specialization.

So could a Serial Killer take Accomplished Sneak Attacker and gain +1 Sneak attack die? Or would it be +1 Hidden strike die?

Would every effect that normally adds to sneak attack add to hidden strike? What if you've already have the Sneak Attack class feature, would it add both to SA and HS?

While I love the pathfinder system and the horrifying amount of rules and feats, the major thing I find many other RPG's does better is the use of several dice for rolls instead of one.
By using the single d20, attack and skill rolls vary so greatly that it breaks immersion and results in the game depending more on good rolls than anything else.

I've thought of using two d10's instead of the one d20, but I'm wondering how that will affect critical hits/failures.

One could design new critical threats with the same chance as before, but that would become rather complicated when we reach crit threats such as 17-20.

My idea as it stands is to use the two d10's' result as the "hit" roll, and make the d20 the "crit"-die. As in, you roll two d10's and one d20 for every attack/save roll.

A natural 1 or 20 on the d20 are always miss or hit, respectively.
But when you critically threat you don't make a confirmation roll. If you have hit with the result of your two d10's then you automatically crit if you roll your crit range with the d20.

What I can't convert is a bonus to confirmation rolls. Like, would that express itself as a bonus to the crit-die (d20) so that you will crit more often?

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Thoughts, criticism?

It will probably be easier to understand with a link to the Primal Companion Archetype from the PFSRD site.

The bold part is the errata'd part of the strikethrough part. The major difference between the two I see is that the errata'd part doesn't have the limitation that the evolution points are set between uses of the ability.

However, the next ability introduced in the Primal Companion archetype reinforces that limitation.

At 8th level, once per day as a swift action, a primal companion hunter can touch her animal companion and grant it one evolution that costs up to 4 evolution points. The companion must meet the prerequisites of the selected evolution. Unlike the evolutions from primal transformation, this evolution is not set; it can be changed each time the hunter uses this ability.

/.../

*****

So could one use the Primal Transformation ability to grant their Animal Companion different evolutions with each use of the ability?

I'm asking because the limitation of set evolutions were removed from said ability with errata.

Either the Primal Surge ability is in need of errata in case it refers to Primal Transformation pre-errata, or they deliberately meant for the Primal Surge ability to introduce the limitation to the Primal Transformation ability. (Because of word count?)

I know that you cannot take Weapon Focus (Improvised Weapon), since it requires proficiency in the selected weapon.

But would the +1 to attack still apply if one used a normal weapon as a improvised weapon?

Example: A rogue with Weapon Focus (Dagger), who uses it incorrectly by bashing with the handle.

And would the normal weapon even count as an improvised weapon?

Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, base attack bonus +1.

Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.

The most important question is the latter, which would determine if a monkey familiar can throw longbows or not.

I remember reading a table for the cost of hirelings per point of skill bonus/rank somewhere, but searching gets me nowhere. I believe it was specifically about hirelings/NPCs with ranks in craft, but I can't be sure.

Does it ring a bell for anyone? Do you know if there is a way to hire experienced NPC crafters?

The Witch can choose to pick a patron familiar instead of her standard familiar, which grants her familiar a power depending on the Witch's patron.

Now, the power of interest is the one granted by the Animals patron.

The familiar gains the ability to speak with animals of its kind at 1st level.

If it would normally gain this ability at 7th level, the familiar gains the ability to speak with all animals (as though constantly under the effects of speak with animals) at 7th level.

My question is how this ability interacts with archetypes which replaces the "Speak with animals of its kind" ability normally granted at 7th level.

Like the Valet archetype's 7th level replacement power of "Speak with animals of its kind".

At 7th level, a valet can move before and after using the aid another action, as long as its total movement does not exceed its speed.

This ability replaces speak with animals of its kind.

Familiar archetypes modify familiars' standard abilities, similar to how class archetypes modify player characters' class features. These archetypes function by swapping out certain abilities that are standard to common familiars for new abilities tailored to particular themes. Unless otherwise stated, levels referenced in this section refer to the familiar's effective level, which is the master's combined levels in the classes that grant that familiar.

Would an Animals Patron, Valet familiar of a first level witch be granted the Deliver Aid ability?

Would an archetype of a class be granted the replacement ability of a class feature earlier if the PC managed to get said class feature earlier?

First question: Is Tie Up one of the actions you can perform in addition to maintaining a grapple? (I.E would it be done with the +5 bonus?)

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Second question: The CMB/Escape Artist check to break a grapple is not a grapple check, correct? Meaning that the grappler wouldn't be granted the +2 bonus to CMD (from Improved Grapple) if her target simply tries to escape instead of reversing said grapple.

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Thanks in advance!

I was thinking of making a kobold rogue with this trait, but I wonder how often I would be able to benefit from this trait.

What ways exist to get a reliable supply of mundane smoke? (yaknow, with the exception of smokesticks)