I'd like some clarification on the Legendary Influence feats from Ultimate Intrigue. The wording isn't as clear as I'd like and one interpretation makes the Improved version almost crippling. Here's the exact wording of the feats as posted on D20PSRD;
"Legendary Influence
Prerequisite(s): Lesser spirit power class feature.
Benefit(s): Immediately select one feat (other than an item creation feat) for each spirit you can channel. Whenever you perform a seance to channel a spirit, you can allow the spirit to gain 1 point of influence over you to gain access to that spirit's Legendary Influence feat for as long as you channel that spirit. You can use this bonus feat as a prerequisite for any feats granted by a spirit power (such as the champion's legendary champion ability), but not for any other feats."
"Improved Legendary Influence
Prerequisite(s): Legendary Influence, lesser spirit power and propitiation class features.
Benefit(s): For each spirit you can channel, choose a second feat other than an item creation feat. Whenever you allow a spirit to gain 1 point of influence over you to gain that spirit's associated feat via Legendary Influence, you can allow that spirit to gain 1 additional point of influence over you to gain the second feat."
My confusion is how this interacts with the Medium's Spirit ability, especially this paragraph;
"In addition to granting power to the medium, a channeled spirit can influence the medium. By channeling a spirit, the medium allows the spirit to gain 1 point of influence over him. If the medium loses that 1 point of influence, he loses contact with the spirit, though he is still unable to perform a new seance until the normal 24 hour period has elapsed since his last seance. When the spirit leaves after the 24-hour duration and before the next seance, the spirit's influence over the medium resets to 0. Certain abilities allow the medium to gain additional power in exchange for allowing the spirit more influence over him."
Interpretation A: You must gain 1 influence to channel the spirit, then a 2nd point to gain the first feat, then a 3rd point to gain the second feat.
Interpretation B: The 1 influence you're required to gain to channel the spirit also qualifies you for the first feat. You then must gain a 2nd point for the second feat.
As written, Interpretation A would would put you at the 3 influence threshold at the start of your day and you're automatically taking the spirit's influence penalties and initiative penalties, which are all more severe than any feat you might gain. Not to mention you're only 2 influence away from being an NPC for the rest of the day.
Interpretation B still puts you at 2 influence, but at least that gives you a bit of breathing room and no automatic penalties. However, from the way the feats read this doesn't seem to be the one that is intended.
I'm planning to run a game set in the Diablo universe and could use some advice on several things. We'll roughly follow the plot of Diablo II or III and the players will be Mythic. I'm pretty familiar with the lore of the setting but if anyone has some cool ideas share those, too.
In most of my previous PF games I simply use wealth-by-level and have players buy their own equipment rather than figure out where to place loot for them to find or calculate how much gold they should have.
In the Diablo games, however, acquiring sweet loot is a huge aspect of the series. My players do like finding stuff and I feel they would be missing part of the experience if I didn't have at least some random drops.
What is the easiest way to handle this kind of thing? I know I can roll on the tables in the PH but is that the fastest method? Whats the best way to avoid players having too much loot or getting a lot of junk they can't use or don't need (which they will probably sell)?
Another aspect of the Diablo series is fighting a whole mess of dudes at once. Sometimes it might just be swarms of peons, but other times it could be a dozen very powerful enemies.
In my experience it is very cumbersome and takes a very long time irl to run combat with a dozen creatures. Are there simpler ways to do this in PF? What about houserule suggestions? I'd like the combat to feel dangerous and epic but not slow it down.
ps. I really want to run a chase scene with a Treasure Goblin.
I'd like to cancel my Pathfinder Adventure Path subscription. Now that the last part of Iron Gods has shipped I don't need that sub to be active at this time.
I'm the kind of gamer that likes to get off the road and admire the scenery by crawling all over it. Prince of Persia and Shadows of the Colossus are among my favorites for that reason.
I realize that level of detail isn't feasible in an MMO as these kinds of features require all kinds of additional animations and physics (compounded by each additional type of character model, etc) but I would love to see a little more interaction between player and environment than I usually encounter in an online game. The only MMO that comes to mind where climbing is fully supported is DCU, although that is more Spiderman-style.
Even little things such as being able to actually climb specific elements like ladders or designated walls or vines would be awesome. Normally when I encounter a ladder in an MMO it's usually just decoration or something I click on to magically appear at the top or bottom. In a game where we can expect to see a lot of forts and walls and sieges I wouldn't mind something a little different.
I've been asked to run a Pathfinder game by my wife's friend who is interested in picking up the hobby. The current plan is to start next weekend.
Myself and one of the players have several years of experience, two others played 3.5 back in the day, and the last two haven't played tabletops at all.
I'd like to run something low-level that will get them introduced to the rules that they can then continue playing once everyone is comfortable.
I have all the Core books (APG, UC, etc) and the Rise of the Runelords hardcopy and a lot of other material available in PDF form.
I haven't read too deeply into Runelords, but as I'm already playing a Kingmaker game with another group it seemed that would be good exposure to a lot of elements of the game and provide a lot of freeform decisions.
Are either of these APs a good idea? Anyone have any other suggestions for what to start everyone on?
I will also have one or two spectator friends who have never played. I'm considering giving them enough information to play enemy mooks during some encounters just for kicks.
This is a class which I personally adore. Unfortunately it can easily produce an unoptomized pile of class features that isn't especially effective at anything. This is also my first attempt at a guide so I can't guarantee it's going to be very complete, but I hope it's at least helpful to someone interested in the class.
I'll eventually convert this to a Googledoc and expand it to include the role of the class and discuss the number of buffs and auras it can put up, as well as which ones stack with eachother.
Entry Requirements
Basically you're going to need at least +4 BAB, the Challenge and Inspire Courage class features, and 5 ranks in three skills, meaning the absolute earliest entry is 5th level. Battle Herald is essentially a fusion prestige class the melds two classes together, much like the Rage Prophet. As such the number of ways to qualify are intentionally limited.
Challenge
Cavalier - The major decision here is whether you want to have 1 level of Cavalier or 4 levels. If you want your mount to actually matter or you want more Order abilities and Challenge uses definitely go with 4 Cavalier levels. And speaking of Orders...
Order of the Cockatrice - You are the teamwork guy and ideally you want to be close to your team all the time to hand out buffs, thus negating this Challenge. The morale bonus from Braggart will get overlapped by other abilities.
Order of the Dragon - If you intend to take 4 Cavalier levels this is actually a strong choice. The competence bonus from the Challenge stacks with Inspire Courage. And since you want to be close to allies you are often in position to Aid Another.
Order of the Lion - The dodge bonus to AC stacks with everything. The competence bonus against Fear effects also stacks with the moral bonus against fear from Inspire Courage and your Banner. Not too shabby.
Order of the Shield - The best reason to take this Order doesn’t come until 8th level and by then you don’t want to still be in this class. Not great.
Order of the Star - If you have a strong Charisma score and decided to take Evangelist Cleric you may consider taking 2 levels, but really you’d be better off with more levels of Cleric.
Order of the Sword - With all the moral bonuses you’re going to be throwing around the ones granted by this order will probably be overlapped early on.
Beast Rider - This could make your mount a little more durable and make it viable longer than the standard mount. If you intend to go with 4 levels of Cavalier and take Boon Companion this option isn’t bad.
Emissary - You lose Tactician in exchange for more mobility and mounted abilities. Taking Fleet and being able to move in medium armor is nice and will let you maneuver alongside your fellow combatants, but the main reason to do that was Tactician.
Standard Bearer - Yes. What was a lackluster archtype before suddenly becomes much more appealing. Because you aren’t likely to ever take more than 4 Cavalier levels the vanilla Cavalier would lose out on the Banner ability until much later. Standard Bearer fixes that by moving the Mount ability (which you don’t really want) to 5th level (which aren’t going to take). This is also the best 1 level dip option if you’d prefer 4 levels of Bard.
Strategist - Unless your party has other members with mounts or animals, take Strategist for the more useful Drill Instructor ability if you intend go 4th level Cavalier. Strategist can also be paired with Standard Bearer.
Samurai - Strictly speaking, this is a worse option than Cavalier. You want to be a team player and losing Tactician to the self-only Resolve ability isn’t great. While it’s nice that Resolve can refresh off of your Challenge ability, you will likely only ever have 2 uses of Challenge.
Swordsaint - This Samurai archtype replaces your mounted class features with more melee focused abilities, which can make it slightly better. The trouble is that these abilities scale with your Samurai level and you are a multiclass character.
Inspire Courage
Bard - The advantages of going 4 levels of Bard are many, including having 2nd level spells, more skill points, and upgrading your Inspire Courage to +2 as soon as you enter Battle Herald. We’ll also go over a few of the Bard archtypes here;
Cleric (Evangelist) - This is an interesting build with better spellcasting upfront and strong flavor. You may actually consider taking that 5th level of Cleric at some point for 3rd level spells. Any domain with a strong 1st level power that doesn't need a high Cleric level is a good choice. Nobility makes sense but won't really pan out unless you're especially high level. Animal can stack with the Cavalier's Mount but you aren't really going into Herald for a strong mount. Travel is a great choice for battlefield positioning.
Monk (Sensei) - This is also an option, though it carries with it the usual multiple ability dependance. You also won't get full use out of your armor proficiencies unless you decide to ignore your Monk bonuses. Technically the Battle Herald doesn't require a high Charisma score but it can't really be a dump stat either. Some Cavalier Order abilities do require Charisma, so if you go this route don't bother taking more than one level of Cavalier.
Cavalier 5/Pathfinder Chronicler 3 - Technically this works, but this is a really late entry into the prestige class. Definitely the worst option which goes back to that 'big pile of mismatched class features' problem. Not something to consider unless you are starting at high level.
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This is a confusing and ill-understand discussion within my gaming group. How does the Pathfinder Lycanthropy template actually function? The wording of the template seems clear enough, but it doesn't match up with most of the example creatures given in any of the PF product lines. This makes it especially difficult to try and use it with player characters.
Challenge Rating: If the PC's level is greater than or equal to the animal's, this only increases your CR by +1. This actually wouldn't be a problem with many animals, but when you start talking about bears or tigers that +1 does not justify the huge ability score gain. Does the template assume "base creature" just means the PC's race? Or does it also include class levels? If "base creature" is just meant to be 1 HD humanoid then the CR increase would be much higher when creating weretigers and such, which seems to make more sense. But that's not how most other templates work.
Size and Type: This issue was cleared up with the errata to Bestiary 2. Hybrid bears and tigers are large.
Ability Scores: And here is the real difficulty. In what order is the +2 Str/+2 Con applied? Is it added to the base creature's stats before or after you compare them to the base animal's? The wording of the template suggests you apply the bonuses to the base character first and then compare them to the base animal's to see which is higher (and therefore what stats the hybrid will have). However, none of the example animals seem to follow a consistent pattern.
Werewolf/Wererat - The +2's are added in after the animal's scores are applied.
Werebear/Weretiger - The bonuses are added in before and then overlapped by the animal's superior scores.
Wereboar - After removing Rage bonuses, it's clear that the +2's were added after the animal's scores were factored in. This does not follow the pattern of the other lycanthropes in Bestiary 2 but does follow the pattern of Bestiary 1.
Werebat - This template has exceptions unique to itself, such as the size and speed rules.
Wereshark - The bonuses are added in before.
Werecrocodile - The bonuses are added to the base creature but then never compared to the base animal (which should have overlapped). This one is just way out there.
In my opinion the correct method for determine the ability scores of a lycanthrope in hybrid form is to apply the +2 Str and Con to the base character first and then compare these adjusted scores to those of the base animal, taking the higher of the two. This matches the wording of the template and also provides the smallest increase in stats. However, this method does not match half of the example monsters. Several of them compare the unadjusted stats to the base animal, take the more favorable, and then apply the +2's on top. This creates a larger stat increase and does not match the wording of the template.
If I could get an official response, that would be great. Even better would be a clarified and consistent version of the template in future Bestiaries.
Silly titles aside, I'm currently playing a sort of fantasy equivalent of a spider-themed superhero. The character is a 3rd level Drow Synthesist Summoner in the Kingmaker AP.
For a bit of background, Aldo is an orphan raised by surface elves and has grown up sheltered and naive. He balks at the frontier justice that the rest of the party views as normal and tries to redeem bandits (with little success thus far). Because he has never really encountered his own people, he has developed a romanticized vision of the Drow and tries to emulate their fighting style (badly) to strike fear into the hears of mean people. Instead of an Eidolon, he summons a heroic costume that grants him special powers.
Things I currently have in the build;
Evolutions - Climb, Slam (x2), Skilled (Acrobatics), Imp. Damage (Slam)
Feats - Skill Focus (Stealth), Spider Summoner (for cuddly celestial spiders)
Things I'd like to eventually do;
Improve unarmed combat, jump even higher, full Spider Climb, shoot webs (preferably using the Web monster ability), move around in combat, gain extra senses, and whatever else is appropriately Spiderelf. Possibly incorporate some combat maneuvers, medium range attacks, and better summoning.
1) Is there a better or different way of accomplishing similar results? Should I look at using a different class or multiclassing? Ninja? Monk? Wizard?
2) Are there any swanky feats, spells, or magic items that you believe would benefit such a character?
3) How do I shot web? Aside from Synthesist, is there another means of acquiring the Web ability? Alternatively, are there ways of getting the Web Bolt or Web spells on the Summoner list?
4) Are there rules for swinging on a rope, vine, or whip? Can I attack while swinging on a rope? Does it provoke? What happens if I swing into someone? Is it a charge? Bull Rush?
Hardmode: No Summoner or 3rd party material. I'd also prefer to avoid needing the GM to houserule anything.
Most of the vanilla methods I've come up with are accomplished *very* late game since the absolute earliest you can recruit a Large sized dragon using Leadership appears to be lvl 18, with most other options falling at 19th or 20th.
This is because of the addendum under Leadership that states you have to add +8 to a dragon's CR when determining it's cohort level (which normally must be 2 below yours).
Right now I'm looking at the Noble Scion class which, by level 15, allows you to have a cohort up to your level rather than 2 below. This would effectively let you recruit a Young Green dragon (CR 8+8) at lvl 16, which as far as I know is the lowest CR dragon that is Large sized unless you also count the Young Sea dragon (but riding an Imperial dragon might look goofy...).
Playing a Small-sized character (or shrinking your size) and/or finding ways to increase the dragon's size might allow you to recruit and ride it earlier (following the same CR+8 pattern with younger dragons).
1) What are reliable ways to alter yours and the dragon's size? (preferably making it bigger and you smaller)
2) Is there a mechanical way to gain a dragon ally other than Leadership? Can dragons be summoned via any spell?
3) If a dragon takes levels in Sorcerer is there anything saying it must take the Draconic bloodline? While it makes sense it gains little mechanical benefit.
4) Are there other ways of gaining Leadership as a class feature or reducing the level gap between character and cohort besides Noble Scion?
5) What is the formula for determining the cohort level for other monsters? When could I recruit a River Drake, for example.
Assume everything in the core line, adventure paths, modules, player companions, and campaign setting products is available.
I'm pretty stoked about this. My group and I really enjoy Epic and high-power play but building or leveling a high-level character takes forever and often times there aren't as many pre-made monsters and scenarios to fight against, making it more work for everyone. My favorite aspect about Mythic that I've heard so far is that it can be implemented at any level of play. I could start a 3rd level campaign with characters that already feel more capable instead of having to wait 10 or 15 levels. It also provides the option to continue playing our level 20 characters while dodging some of the sketchy math that appears in later levels of the game. And as always it will be OGL and open to 3rd parties to add even more options. You've got a great thing going here, Paizo.
My account says my hardcopy of the Advanced Race Guide shipped on the 12th, but I still haven received it. I've previously received products from Paizo within a week. Should I check with the postal service to see if there is an issue?
Hey, hey! I just started working on this again and thought I'd post a few more ideas. These are going to be more toned down compared to the previous builds I'd posted and will only run from 21-30th level. I'm also hoping to possibly get these printed in Wayfinder #4 so they will be sticking closer to actual PF.
Obviously these are not complete yet. The Paladin is the most polished, although depending on reactions I'm willing to change things. Comments are welcome and needed! Monk, Sorc, and Wizard will be posted as they are completed.
Paraphrased from pg. 407 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook wrote:
Advancement: The rate at which characters gain bonus feats and ability points continues unchanged. Similarly, a character’s base attack bonus, saving throws, and class features or abilities with level dependent effects continue to advance. Remember that a character cannot have more than 4 attacks based on its base attack bonus.
Spells: A character’s caster level continues to improve every time she takes a level in a spellcasting class. If a characters advances beyond 20th level in a spellcasting class, the rate at which they gain spells per day changes. Every odd-numbered level the spellcaster gains a single spell slot one level higher than her previous maximum level. These slots can be used to prepare lower level spells or spells augmented by metamagic feats. Every even-numbered level, a spellcaster gains additional spell slots equal to the highest level spell he can currently cast. These slots can then be divided among the spell levels he currently has access to. Alternatively, the character can forgo gaining new spells per day in exchange for learning two more spells of any level they can currently cast.
Epic Barbarian
Alignment: Any nonlawful
Hit Die: d12
Skill Ranks per level: 4 + Int modifier
Rage (Ex): An epic Barbarian continues to gain 2 additional rounds of rage per day for every level after 20th.
Rage Powers: A Barbarian gains a new rage power at 22nd level and every two levels thereafter. Any rage powers with effects based on the Barbarian’s level continue to advance at the same rate. In addition, the Barbarian can also choose from the following epic rage powers:
Bear Warrior (Su): Once per rage, the Barbarian can use the Wild Shape ability of a Druid of her level to take the shape of a bear or dire bear. At the GM’s discretion, other animals may be possible as well.
Deathless Frenzy (Ex): The Barbarian cannot die from hit point loss while raging, though she still takes damage. At the end of her rage, if the Barbarian is at -10 hit points or lower, she instantly dies.
Primal Intuition (Ex): The barbarian gains blindsense to a range of 60 feet while raging. This requires that the Barbarian have the Scent or Night Sight rage powers.
Storm Rage (Su): Any weapon the Barbarian wields while raging is treated as an Anarchic Thundering weapon. In addition, if the Barbarian scores a critical hit, the target is affected as if by the Deafening Critical feat.
Trap Sense (Ex): The Barbarian’s trap sense improves by +1 at 21st, 24th, 27th, and 30th level.
Damage Reduction (Ex): The Barbarian’s DR improves by 1 at 22nd, 25th, and 28th level.
Epic Bard Hit Dice: d8
Skill Ranks per level: 6 + Int modifier
Spellcasting: The Bard’s caster level continues to improve and she gains additional spells per day as shown above.
Bardic Performance (Ex): An epic Bard continues to gain 2 additional rounds of performance per day for every level after 20th. Any performances with effects based on the Bard’s level continue to advance at the same rate.
Versatile Performance (Ex): The Bard can choose a new associated skill at 21st, 25th, and 29th level.
Lore Master (Ex): The Bard can use this ability one additional time at 23rd and 29th level.
Epic Cleric Alignment: A cleric's alignment must be within one step of her deity's.
Hit Dice: d8
Skill Ranks per level: 4 + Int modifier
Spellcasting: The Cleric’s caster level continues to improve and she gains additional spells per day as shown above.
Channel Energy (Su): The Cleric’s number of channel energy dice improves by 1 at 21st level and every two levels thereafter. At 22nd level, the Cleric gains the ability to affect more types of creatures when she channel's energy, based on her chosen domain. Clerics who chose an elemental domain (Air, Fire, Earth, Water) can heal creatures with the associated elemental subtype and harm those with the opposed subtype. Clerics with alignment-based domains (Chaos, Evil, Good, Law) heal outsiders with the same alignment and harm outsiders with the opposed alignment. At the DM’s desertion, other options may be available as well, such as a Cleric with the Artifice Domain affecting creatures of the Construct type.
Improved Domain (Su): The Cleric can now use her first granted powers at will. In addition, she may now convert any prepared spell into a domain spell of the same level.
Epic Druid Alignment: Any neutral
Hit Dice: d8
Skill Ranks per level: 4 + Int modifier
Spellcasting: The Druid’s caster level continues to improve and she gains additional spells per day as shown above.
Wild Empathy (Ex): The Druid continues to add her full class level to Wild Empathy checks.
Supreme Bond: The Druid’s Nature Bond improves. Druids who chose a domain may now use their first level granted power at will and spontaneously convert prepared spells into domain spells of the same level.
If the Druid chose to have an Animal Companion, her companion gains the Advanced creature template and Spell Resistance 11 + her Druid level.
Wild Shape (Su): At 22nd level, the Druid’s wild shape now functions as Beast Shape IV in addition to other available forms. At 24th, the Druid can use wild shape to take any form allowed by Giant Form II and Form of the Dragon II. At 26th level, the Druid’s wild shape improves to include Form of the Dragon III.
Toxin Immunity (Ex): At 23rd level, the Druid gains immunity to all diseases.
Nature's Champion: At 30th level, The Druid gains the benefits of the Half-Fey template.
Epic Fighter Hit Dice: d10
Skill Ranks per level: 2 + Int modifier
Weapon Training (Ex): At 21st level and every four levels thereafter, a Fighter becomes further trained in another group of weapons. He gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when using a weapon from this group, and the bonuses granted by previous weapon groups increase by +1 each (maximum of +5).
Bonus Feat: At 22nd level and every two levels thereafter, the Fighter gains an additional combat feat. In addition, the Fighter may now choose from the list of Epic combat feats that she qualifies for.
Epic Paladin Alignment: Lawful Good
Hit Dice: d10
Skill Ranks per level: 2 + Int modifier
Spellcasting: The Paladin’s caster level continues to improve and she gains additional spells per day as above.
Mercy: The Paladin may choose a new Mercy at 21st, 24th, 27th, and 30th level from any of those available to her on the non-epic list or from the following options: Atonement, Restoration, Raise Dead.
Smite Evil: The paladin gains a new use of her Smite Evil ability at 22nd, 25th, and 28th level. At 27th level, the Paladin’s Smite Evil also functions against Chaotic-aligned beings.
Aura of Supremacy: At 23rd lvl all of the Paladin’s auras have the radius improved to 30ft. 1/ day per aura the Paladin may use a swift action to grant her allies immunity to the affect her aura grants resistance to for 1 round.
Supreme Bond: At 24th level, a Paladin who chose a spiritual weapon has its enhancement bonus improved to +7. It then gains an additional +1 enhancement every even level thereafter. She can also choose from the following additional properties when enhancing the weapon: Dancing, Holy Power, Sharpness, and Vorpal.
A Paladin who has chosen to have a special mount may now choose from the following options when summoning a new mount: Half-Celestial Unicorn, Lammasu, Quoatl, Young Silver Dragon. Subtract their CR from the Paladin’s level when determining the benefits they would gain for being a special mount.
Aura of Life: At 26th, the Paladin becomes immune to death affects. All allies within her aura receive a +4 bonus on saving throws against death affects and any attack that would instantly kill them.
Divine Champion: At 30th level, The Paladin gains the benefits of the Half-Celestial template.
Epic Ranger Hit Dice: d10
Skill Ranks per level: 6 + Int modifier
Spellcasting: The Ranger’s caster level continues to improve and she gains additional spells per day as above.
Supreme Bond: The Ranger’s Hunter’s Bond improves. If she chose the Companion Bond, she can now grant the bonus to any ally that can see or hear her, regardless of distance. In addition, she can grant the bonus against any number of targets so long as they are of the same type.
A Ranger who chose an Animal Companion uses her full Ranger level as her effective Druid level and her companion gains the Advanced creature template and Spell Resistance 11 + her Ranger level.
Wild Empathy (Ex): The Ranger continues to add her full class level to Wild Empathy checks.
Combat Style Feat: At 22nd, 26th, and 30th level, a Ranger can choose a new combat style feat, either from the non-epic list or from the following epic options. Rangers who selected archery can choose: (list pending)
Rangers who selected two-weapon fighting can choose: Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, (list pending)
Favored Terrain: At 23rd and 28th level the Ranger may choose a new Favored Terrain from the list, and increase the bonus of another Favored Enemy by +2 (to a maximum of +10).
Favored Enemy: At 25th and 30th level the Ranger may choose a new Favored Enemy from the list, and increase the bonus of another Favored Enemy by +2 (to a maximum of +10).
Epic Rogue Hit Dice: d8
Skill Ranks per level: 8 + Int modifier
Sneak Attack (Ex): At 21st level and every other level after that, the Rogue’s Sneak Attack improves by +1d6.
Trap Sense (Ex): The Rogue’s trap sense improves by +1 at 21st, 24th, 27th, and 30th level.
Rogue Talents: At 22nd level and every even level thereafter, the Rogue can select a new Rogue Talent. This can be one from the non-epic list, or one of the following Epic Rogue Talents:
Bonus Feat: The Rogue may choose any epic or non-epic feat for which she qualifies for.
Dispelling Strike: (Prereq: Dispelling Attack) The Rogue's Dispelling Attack now functions as a Greater Dispel Magic spell, targeting the lowest level affects first.
Critical Strike: Whenever the Rogue scores a critical hit on a Sneak Attack, his extra Sneak Attack damage is maximized.
I know that Pathfinder fully intends to do Psionic and Epic rules in the future(and that this question has probably already been asked), but do you have any plans for a product like Deities & Demigods? (but, y'know, better executed?)
I play in one of those rare groups where the player characters are occasionally deities, become deities, or regularly interact with them in both roleplay and combat encounters, so its of special interest to me.
Currently we use the Immortal's Handbook: Ascension, which usually works fine, but it can (and has) sometimes been unbalanced even at that level of play.
I heard that you had created stats for a Mantis demigod, but I wasn't sure if that was representative of all demigods in Pathfinder or if it was tailored specifically for that NPC.
I don't know how everyone feels about Epic level, but I'm personally a fan. I posted this on the Dicefreaks boards as well, but I thought I'd post it here to see if anyone had any other suggestions or ideas.
Basically I've created some 21-40th level progressions for the base Pathfinder classes. I've only finished a few of them, namely the Cleric, Paladin, Monk, and Wizard. Ranger and Rogue are still works in progress.
Cleric:
22nd lvl - Divine Servant (Sl): The Cleric gains the ability to make rank checks against Powers, salient affects, and other Clerics. The Clerics has an effective divine rank of 1 per 10 class levels. This does not grant her any other benefit of having divine rank, and her effective rank can never exceed her deity's actual rank. In addition, she can now use her Domain's first granted power as an at-will ability.
24th lvl - Improved Channel Energy (Su): The Cleric's Channel Energy ability improves. The Cleric can choose to either increase the die size of her Channel Energy to d8's or gain the ability to affect more types of creatures when she channel's energy, based on her chosen domain. Clerics who chose an elemental domain (Air, Fire, Earth, Water) can heal creatures with the associated elemental subtype and harm those with the opposed subtype. Clerics with alignment-based domains (Chaos, Evil, Good, Law) heal outsiders with the same alignment and harm outsiders with the opposed alignment. Clerics who have the Turn Undead or Rebuke Undead feats can now turn or rebuke these creatures as well. The DM may allow additional options (the Artifice domain might allow the Cleric to heal constructs, for example).
26th lvl - Portfolio Sense (Sl): The Cleric becomes aware of major events happening in the world, much like a demigod. She now automatically senses any event that involves a thousand or more people. This is limited to the present. This ability improves at 32nd level, allowing the Cleric to automatically sense any event related to her deity's domain that involves 500 or more people. In addition, the Cleric also gains the Remote Sensing ability of a Demigod, using her effective divine rank to determine the range and number of locations.
28th lvl - Divine Magic: The Cleric chooses any one of the following ability's from the Epic Wizard list: Spell Mastery, Epic Spellcasting, or Automatic Metamagic.
30th lvl - Immortal Servant: The Cleric is treated in all ways as a rank 0 Power, gaining the benefits of natural agelessness and no longer needing to eat, sleep, or even breath. She still retains any age penalties that have already accrued. In addition, she gains access to a second Domain related to her deity or ideal.
32nd lvl - Remote Communication (Sl): The Cleric gains the remote communication ability of a Demigod and uses her effective rank to determine the range and number of locations she can communicate with.
34th lvl - Divine Magic II: The Cleric chooses any one of the following ability's from the Epic Wizard list: Spell Mastery, Epic Spellcasting, or Automatic Metamagic.
36th - Supreme Channel Energy (Su): The Cleric's Channel Energy ability improves again. The Cleric can choose to either increase the die size of her Channel Energy by one step or gain the ability to affect more types of creatures when she channel's energy, as described above.
38th - Greater Domain ability: ??? (I'm gonna need help with this one)
40th - Demigod: The Cleric ascends to the right hand of her deity, or becomes a paragon of her chosen ideal. She gains all the benefits of being a rank 1 Demigod (if using the rules in the Immortal's Handbook: Ascension, the Cleric instead gains the Disciple template). In any any situation that requires a rank check, the Cleric uses her effective divine rank or her actual divine rank, whichever is better. The Cleric also uses the better value to determine the strength of her salient powers.
Monk:
22nd lvl – Wholeness of Spirit (Su): The Monk can now heal additional effects using his Wholeness of Body ability. He gains the Paladin’s Mercy class feature and is treated as a Paladin of half his level for the purposes of determining what status problems he can heal. This stacks with any actual Paladin levels he may have.
24th lvl – Iron Unarmed Strike: The Monk’s Unarmed Strike damage improves to 2d12 and is treated as if having the Impact special property, doubling his threat range. Lastly, his Unarmed Strike overcomes damage reduction as if it were an Epic weapon.
26th lvl – Perfect Ascetic: The Monk no longer needs to eat, drink, sleep, or even breath. His maximum age is increased by his Monk level x his Wisdom modifier.
28th lvl – Ki Beam (Su): By spending 1 Ki point, the Monk can project his Unarmed Strikes as a ranged touch attack. The Monk adds his Wisdom modifier to the damage instead of his Strength modifier. He can do this in place of a normal Unarmed attack, or as part of a Full-Attack.
30th lvl - Divine Ascetic (Su): The Monk can spend 1 Ki point to render himself effectively weightless and gain a +20 on Acrobatics checks made to balance for 1 round. So long as the Monk moves at least 30 feet each round, he can move across water as if it where solid ground and run on walls and ceilings as if he where under the effect of a spider climb spell. By spending 1 Ki point, the Monk does not need to move and may simply act normally for 1 round, treating the surface as normal footing.
32nd lvl - Mind over Body: The Monk uses his full Monk level to determine his number of Ki points each day and gains the ability to manifest powers as a 1st level Psion, using his Monk level as his manifester level. However, he does not gain power points and instead uses his Ki Pool to manifest and augment these powers. At each level thereafter, the Monk continues to learn new powers from the Psion list.
34th lvl - Body over Mind (Su): The Monk can accomplish seemingly magical feats through physical perfection. By spending 5 Ki points, the Monk can double his movement speed for 1 round. By spending 10 Ki points, he accomplishes the truly magical, enabling him to duplicate a Time Stop effect. Unlike the Time Stop spell, this does not slow down or hinder other creatures. The Monk is simply moving supernaturally fast.
36th lvl - Grand Master (Su): The Monk no longer needs to spend Ki points on his most basic abilities. He permanently gains 1 extra attack each round, his speed improves by 20ft, and he gains a +4 dodge bonus to AC. He may now spend 5 Ki points to make a Full Attack using only a Standard action. Lastly, he no longer needs to be within arms reach of a wall to activate his Slow Fall ability. The Monk simply glides safely to the ground, even in open air.
38th lvl - Grand Old Master: The Monk's prowess improves to the point where he no longer needs to spend Ki on his High Jump and Divine Ascetic abilities, permanently granting him the ability to stand on water, walls, and ceilings and providing a +20 perfection bonus on Acrobatics checks. He can now charge his Ki Beam; for each consecutive round that he chooses not to fire the beam, he must spend 1 Ki point, plus one additional Ki point for each previous round. Each round the beam goes unfired, the Monk's critical threat range and critical multiplier improve by one until the attack is used or interrupted. The resulting blast is barely controlled, causing the Monk to take backlash damage equal to the number of Ki points spent.
40th lvl - Enlightenment (Su): The Monk finds himself a mountain or a bodhi tree and has himself a think. He is now treated as Divine Rank 0, making him effectively immune to the ravages of time. The Monk can enter a meditative trance once per day to gain the Portfolio Sense, Remote Sensing, and Remote Communication abilities of a lesser divine being (rank equal to 1 per 5 class levels). The Monk is treated as having the Law, Knowledge, and Strength domains for the purposes of determining what locations and people he can view and contact. Because he does not eat, sleep, or age, the Monk may meditate for as long as he likes, but is mostly unaware of his immediate surroundings and forfeits his Uncanny Dodge and Monk AC bonus for the duration.
Paladin:
22nd lvl – Supreme Aura: All of the Paladin’s auras have their radius improved to 30ft. Once per day per aura the Paladin may use a swift action to grant her allies immunity to the affect her aura grants resistance to for 1 round.
24th lvl – Supreme Bond: A Paladin who chose a spiritual weapon has its enhancement bonus improved to +7. It then gains an additional +1 enhancement every even level thereafter. She can also choose from the following additional properties when enhancing the weapon: Dancing, Holy Power, Sharpness, Vorpal
A Paladin who has chosen to have a special mount may now choose from the following options when summoning a new mount: Half-Celestial Unicorn, Lammasu, Quoatl, Young Silver Dragon. These creatures do not gain the Celestial template and use their own SR or that granted by the Paladin’s Divine Bond feature, whichever is better. In addition to the benefits of being a special mount, they advance normally for creatures of their kind.
26th lvl – Divine Spark: The Paladin becomes even more empowered by her deity and cause, gaining the Celestial simple template. This grants the following benefits: Darkvision 60ft, Resistance to Acid, Cold, and Electricity 15, Spell Resistance equal to 5+character level, and 1 extra use of her Smite Evil per day. Additionally, her Damage Reduction is improves to 10/evil and chaos.
28th lvl – Divine Hand: The Paladin can now Lay on Hands at will. Her Lay on Hands ability now has the additional affect of a Raise Dead and Restoration spell.
30th lvl – Divine Aura (Sl): The Paladin gains a godly aura similar to that of a Demigod, allowing her to cause fascination, panic, or resolve. She is treated as having an effective rank of 1 per 10 class levels for determining the strength and affects of her aura, and for opposing Powers and similar beings. Like all of her auras, her Divine Aura has a radius of 60ft. Lastly, her Smite ability can be used at will.
32nd lvl – Divine Spellcasting: The Paladin’s spellcasting ability improves. She can now cast all of her 1st level spells at will as spell-like abilities. In addition, she gains the ability to cast 5th level spells from the Cleric list. (note: By this point, the Paladin should have 4 spells per day of levels 1-4, plus bonus spells. Instead of using the Cleric list, we may want to just make a 5th level Paladin spell list)
34th lvl – Smite Chaos: The Paladin’s Smite Evil ability now functions against Chaotic-aligned beings and creatures with the Chaos subtype. If the target of her smite is both Evil and Chaotic, it is subject to a Holy Word spell, with no save. Creatures that survive still take damage from the Smite, as normal.
36th lvl – Aura of Life: The Paladin becomes immune to death affects and the radius of all her auras improves to 60 ft. All allies within her aura receive a +4 bonus on saving throws against death affects and any attack that would instantly kill them. Her other auras improve as well, as follows: Aura of Courage – all nearby allies are completely immune to fear. Aura of Faith – the Paladin’s weapons and those of her allies are also treated as lawful-aligned.
38th lvl – Divine Spellcasting: The Paladin’s spellcasting ability improves. She can now cast all of her 2nd level spells at will as spell-like abilities. In addition, she gains the ability to cast 6th level spells from the Cleric list. (note: Again, we may want to just make a 6th level Paladin spell list)
40th lvl – Divine Champion: The Paladin gains the full benefits of the Half-Celestial template. This overlaps (does not stack with) the bonuses gained at 26th level.
Ranger:
22nd lvl - Supreme Bond: The Ranger’s Hunter’s Bond improves. If she chose the Companion Bond, she can now grant half of her Favored Enemy bonus against a single target to any ally that can see or hear her, regardless of range. At 24th, 27th, and 30th level she can grant the bonus against one additional target, to a maximum of 5 targets at level 30. Alternately, the Ranger can instead allow allies within 30ft of her who can see or hear her to benefit from her Woodland Stride and Pass Without Trace abilities.
If she instead chose to have an Animal Companion, her effective Druid level becomes equal to her Ranger level for determining the strength of her animal companion. At 26th level her animal companion gains either the Advanced or Giant simple template. This choice must be made at 26th level and cannot be changed, though the Ranger may make a different choice if she later gains a different companion. Finally, the Ranger may have one additional animal companion. However, her effective Druid level is considered to be half her Ranger level when determining the strength and abilities of this companion.
24th lvl: Supreme Quarry: The Ranger can now have a number of Quarries equal to her Wisdom modifier. Any weapon she wields is considered to have the Bane and Keen special property against if her Quarry is also one of her Favored Enemies.
26th lvl – Combat Style Mastery: A Ranger that chose Archery as her combat style treats all nonmagical arrows she fires as if they had a +1 enhancement bonus. If the Ranger already has Enhance Arrow class feature, her arrows are instead treated as if having a +2 enhancement bonus.
A Ranger who chose the Two Weapon Fighting combat style no longer takes any penalty when fighting with two weapons in each hand. When using a Full-Attack action, she may make the same number of attacks with her off-hand as with her main hand.
28th lvl: Master of the Wild: The Ranger is no longer affected by the natural weather and environmental hazards of her Favored Terrain (blizzards, quick sand, etc). While within one of her favored terrains, the Ranger is constantly under the affect of a nondetection spell unless she chooses to reveal herself.
30th lvl: Master of the Hunt: The Ranger automatically recognizes tracks made by one of her favored enemies and her current Quarry. While tracking a Quarry, the Ranger can increase her movement speed to match that of her target (if it is better). While within her favored terrain and dealing with her favored enemy, any weapon the Ranger wields is considered to have the Dread special property.
32nd lvl – Divine Spellcasting: The Ranger’s spellcasting ability improves. She can now cast all of her 1st level spells at will as spell-like abilities. In addition, she gains the ability to cast 5th level spells from the Druid list. (note: By this point, the Ranger should have 4 spells per day of levels 1-4, plus bonus spells. Instead of using the Druid list, we may want to just make a 5th level Ranger spell list)
34th lvl - ???
36th lvl - ???
38th lvl – Divine Spellcasting: The Ranger’s spellcasting ability improves. She can now cast all of her 2nd level spells at will as spell-like abilities. In addition, she gains the ability to cast 6th level spells from the Druid list. (note: Again, we may want to just make a 6th level Ranger spell list)
40th lvl - ???
Rogue:
22nd lvl – Epic Rogue Talent: At 22nd lvl and every even level after that, a Rogue gains a talent from the following list:
Bonus Feat: The Rogue may choose any epic or non-epic feat for which he qualifies for.
Critical Strike: Whenever the Rogue scores a critical hit on a Sneak Attack, his extra Sneak Attack damage is maximized.
Disease Use: (Prereq: Poison Use, Non-Good) The Rogue may harness diseases (magical or otherwise) and apply them much like a poison. The Rogue is always immune to infecting himself but otherwise gains no special resistance to disease.
Dispelling Strike: (Prereq: Dispelling Attack) The Rogue's Dispelling Attack now functions as a Greater Dispel Magic spell, targeting the lowest level affects first.
Epic Dodge: Once per day the Rogue may automatically dodge 1 attack and succeed on 1 Reflex save. He may use both affects in the same round if so desired.
Gutter Mage: (Prereq: Major Magic, Int 12) The Rogue gains the ability to cast a 2nd-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list once per day as a spell-like ability, with a caster level equal to the rogue's level. The save DC for this spell is 12 + the rogue's Intelligence modifier. The rogue learns an additional 1st and 0 level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, usable two and three times per day, respectively.
Super Awesome: The Rogue is simply better than everyone else. This has no in game affect, but everyone knows it.
Stealth Aura (Su): The Rogue is constantly under the affect of an invisibility spell. He can suppress this ability as a swift action and can designate creatures, such as allies, who are unaffected by this ability. If the Rogue becomes visible for any reason, he becomes invisible again as soon as he succeeds on a Stealth check.
Wizard:
22nd - Major Magic: At 22nd level and ever even numbered level thereafter, the Wizard chooses one ability from the following list. Some abilities can be taken multiple times:
Spell Mastery: All of the Wizard’s 1st level spells become spell-like abilities, usable at will. This ability can be taken again, each time allowing the Wizard to cast the next level of spells at will. However, the Wizard can never have this ability more than once per 10 class levels (so a 24nd lvl Wizard could have it twice, and so on).
Automatic Metamagic I: The Wizard can now automatically apply the Silent, Still, and Extend Spell Metamagic feats without changing the level of the spell. She must still posses these feats in order to make use of this ability.
Epic Spellcasting: The Wizard gains the ability to cast a 10th level spell once per day. She initially learns two 10th level spells and can thereafter learn more 10th level spells as normal, either by leveling up or from scrolls or books. The Wizard can also gain bonus spell slots for having a high ability score.
This ability may be taken multiple times, each time allowing the Wizard to cast spells of one level higher. The Wizard can never cast a spell with a level greater than half his class level and must still posses a high enough Intelligence score.
Supreme Bond: The Wizard’s Arcane Bond improves. If the Wizard chose to have a familiar the creature gains the Advanced creature template and can now cast Orisons as a Wizard of its level. She can now scry on her familiar at will.
If the Wizard chose to have a Bonded Object she no longer needs to make concentration checks when attempting to cast spells without it. She gains one 1 additional spontaneous spell each day for every 10 Wizard levels she possess.
Enhanced Spellcasting: The damage cap of the Wizard's spells improves by 10 for spells that deal damage based on her caster level and by 5 for spells that deal damage based on half her caster level. This ability can be taken multiple times and its affects stack. This does not allow the number of dice to exceed the Wizard's caster level (metamgic effects such as Empower Spell do not count toward this limit).
Automatic Metamagic II: (Prereqs: Automatic Metamagic I) The Wizard can now automatically apply the Enlarge and Widen Spell Metamagic feats without changing the level of the spell. She must still posses these feats in order to make use of this ability.
10th-lvl spells: Eclipse, Let go of me, Nailed to the Sky, Peripety, Ruin, Soul Scry.
11th-lvl spells: Animus Blast, Dragon Knight, Epic Mage Armor, Mass Frog, Mummy Dust, Safe Time, Spell Worm, Summon behemoth, Verdigris
12th-lvl spells: Contingent Resurrection, Damnation, Greater Spell Resistance, Origin of Species, Rain of Fire, Raise Island
13th-lvl spells: Crown of Vermin, Dragon Strike, Enslave, Hellball, Pestilence, Soul Dominion
