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Can these 3 feats be used simultaneously?

Shot On The Run
As a full-round action, you can move up to your speed and make a single ranged attack at any point during your movement.

Rapid Shot
When making a full-attack action with a ranged weapon, you can fire one additional time this round. All of your attack rolls take a –2 penalty when using Rapid Shot.

Manyshot
When making a full-attack action with a bow, your first attack fires two arrows. If the attack hits, both arrows hit.

Here's my interpretation:
Rapid Shot and Manyshot can be used together as a full-attack action, but
since Shot On The Run is a "full-round" action and not a "full-attack" action, it cannot be used simultaneously with the other two feats.

Is this correct?

Can the Cleave and Vital Strike feats be used simultaneously?

Cleave:
As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a foe within reach. If you hit, you deal damage normally and can make an additional attack (using your full base attack bonus)against a foe that is adjacent to the first and also within reach. You can only make one additional attack per round with this feat.

Vital Strike
When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together, but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack). This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit (although other damage bonuses are multiplied normally).

Here's my interpretation:
Since Cleave is a standard attack, you can use Vital Strike to double the damage of your attack. But, if that attack is successful, bonus damage is NOT applied to the additional attacks(s).

Does that sound right?

I'm not sure I understand the rules for the Ill Omen spell (APG pg 229).

Spell description:
Duration: 1 round / level
You afflict the target with bad luck. On the next d20 roll the target makes, it must roll twice and take the less favorable result. For every five caster levels you have, the target must roll twice on an additional d20 roll (to a maximum of five rolls at 20th level).

"On the next d20 roll the target makes..."
So if the target uses a full-round attack to make five consecutive attacks, only the FIRST of those five attacks is affected and he rolls normally for the other four attacks?

"For every five caster levels you have, the target must roll twice on an additional d20 roll (to a maximum of five rolls at 20th level)"
So if the Witch is lv 10, that same enemy would have re-roll three of those five attacks?

Am I understanding this properly?

Is there someplace online where artwork from the Bestiary and other Paizo books can be downloaded?

I use the artwork to create tokens for our online games.

Currently, if I want an image of a monster, I have to do a screen cap of the Bestiary PDF, open the image in Photoshop and then clip out the monster. Not only is it a tedious process, but it's also a little sloppy because bits of the surrounding text and background often get included as well.

It would be a huge benefit if these images were available online, with white or transparent backgrounds.

Does anybody know if such a resource currently exists?
If not, what is the possibility of creating a database of artwork?

Thanks!

One of my players wants to take the Leadership feat, but I have a few questions I'd like to clarify beforehand.

1) Is the cohort controlled by the GM or the player?
The book says the cohort is an "NPC with class levels".
Since NPC's are usually controlled by the GM, I'd guess that the cohort would also be controlled by the GM.
I really don't want the added hassle of having to control yet another creature.
Do you foresee any problems with just letting the PC control his own cohort?

2) When calculating leadership score, what constitutes as "causing" the death of the cohort/followers?
Here's the wording that's creating confusion (pg 129):
"caused the death of a cohort*" (*cumulative per cohort killed)
and
"caused the death of other followers"

My player interprets "caused the death..." to mean that he personally killed them or that his actions directly triggered an event that killed them (i.e. set off a trap).

I interpret "caused the death..." to mean that the cohort/followers were killed (due to monsters, traps, etc) while following his orders or because they followed him into a dangerous situation.

Which interpretation is accurate?

3) There's a -1 penalty for followers killed, but does it matter how MANY are killed? Is the death of 1 follower the same as the death of 100 followers? Is it a flat -1 penalty regardless of how many are killed? Or is there some sort of cumulative calculation like there is for the cohort?

4) A cohort is an NPC with class levels, so how would I create this?
Would I first create an NPC (Expert, Warrior, etc) and then just add class levels? How many NPC levels should he have? Would I use the ability scores for a "heroic" NPC or a "basic" NPC. I'm thinking heroic, but I want to make sure the NPC won't be way too strong.

5) The player in question is a Fighter and somewhat of a munchkin, so I'd like to discourage him from creating yet another melee character just to rack up the extra damage.
Any suggestions on how to handle this?

Sorry for the long post.
I appreciate your help!

What's your favorite class in Pathfinder and why?
Prestige classes and the new classes from the Advanded Players Guide are fair game.

I hate to say it, but I love fighter. With all those feats, so many options become available.

Each time I play with a fighter, it's a totally new, unique and exciting experience.

I'd love to see Paizo release a book of Magic Items, similar to the Magic Item Compendium.

What are the chances of that happening?

If a character has a high BAB, it allows him to make an extra 1-3 attacks as part of a full-round action.
The two-weapon-fighting feats also allow you to make additional attacks.

I'm confused as to how you would calculate the total number of attacks.

Let's suppose my BAB is +16/+11/+6/+1 and I have the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat (with a light weapon in my offhand).
Would I be able to make a maximum of 7 attacks?

This is how I'm calculating Attack bonus. Is this correct?
Attack 1 (primary): BAB +16, -2 TWF
Attack 2 (offhand): BAB +16, -2 TWF
Attack 3 (primary): BAB +11, -2 TWF
Attack 4 (offhand): BAB +16, -2 TWF, -5 Improved TWF
Attack 5 (primary): BAB +6, -2 TWF
Attack 6 (offhand): BAB +16, -2 TWF, -10 Greater TWF
Attack 7 (primary): BAB +1, -2 TWF

So my attack bonuses would look like this: +14/+14/+9/+9/+4/+4/-1

Since I'm not making an offhand attack after my final primary attack, does the -2 TWF penalty still apply to that final primary attack?

Also, if I choose not to attack with TWF at any point, would the -2 penalties go away?
For example, let's just say that I only wanted to make an offhand attack once:
Attack 1 (primary): BAB +16, -2 TWF
Attack 2 (offhand): BAB +16, -2 TWF
Attack 3 (primary): BAB +11
Attack 4 (primary): BAB +6
Attack 5 (primary): BAB +1

I'm not sure I'm calculating BAB correctly for prestige classes.

If I am a lv 6 Fighter (BAB +6/+1) and I take two levels in Duelist (BAB +2), would my BAB be +8/+3?

I'm not sure I understand the two-weapon rend feat.

The feat description says:
Striking with both of your weapons simultaneously, you can use them to deliver devastating wounds...If you hit an opponent with both your primary hand and your off-hand weapon, you deal an additional 1d10 points of damage plus 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier.

If you're fighting with two weapons, how would you attack with both weapons simultaneously?
Is there a special way to attack with 2 weapons simultaneously?
Or would you just roll two normal attacks against the same enemy?

Can somebody explain the process of attacking and using two-weapon rend?

Thanks!

A player in my group is interested in creating a Two-Weapon-Fighting character that uses 2 spiked shields.

Would his AC benefit from both shields?

I don't see anything about this in the book, so I'm inclined to believe that he would indeed receive AC bonuses from both shields.

Is there an obscure rule or detail that I'm overlooking?

Most armor enchantments range from +1 to +5, but some enchantments just have a dollar value. Ex: Slick is listed as $3750, rather than +1 or +2.

An armor's enchantments cannot exceed +10, so how do I calculate an enchantment who's value is in GP and not in +1 denominations?

For example, if I have a +1 Slick Wild Breastplate, would the total enhancement bonus be +4 or +5?

There's the mandatory +1 Attack/Damage enchantment, Wild is a +3 enchantment and Slick is $3750.

+4 or +5 total?

In addition to the flaming/frost/shock and burst enchantments, my players are asking for new +3, +4, +5 elemental weapon enchantments.

Here are my ideas.
I need to make sure that they are balanced and fair.

Splash: +3 enchantment
On a successful crit, everybody adjacent to the target receives 1d6 splash damage.

Immobilize: +4 enchantment
On a successful crit, the enemy is immobilized for 1d6 rounds.
Fort Save negates, rolled once per round (DC = BAB + 5).
Enemies who are immune to that element are not affected.
Enemies with resistance to that element receive a +4 bonus to their save.

Instant-Kill: +5 enchantment
On a successful crit, the enemy is immediately killed.
Enemies who are immune to that element are not affected.
Enemies with resistance to that element roll a Fort Save (DC = BAB + 5) and receive an additional +4 bonus to their save.
A successful save results in immobilization rather than death.

These enchantments stack with all previous enchantments.

Do these ideas sound balanced?
Are the Fort Save and +4 resistance bonus appropriate?

I want to make sure I have this correct:

There are different types of AC bonuses: Force, Deflection, Armor, Shield, Dodge, Deflection, Natural Armor, Enchantment, Luck, etc.

Bonuses of different types do indeed stack, but bonuses of the same type do not stack (with the rare exception).

According to the spell description, Mage Armor is a Force bonus.
So, would Mage Armor stack with the AC bonus granted from normal armor or a Ring of Protection (deflection bonus)?

Since Mage Armor is Force, it would NOT be stackable with Bracers of Armor or the Shield spell, which are also Force.

So, wearing Bracers of Armor +2 would grant me a continuous +2 Force bonus to AC. But if I were to cast Mage Armor (which grants a +4 Force Bonus), the bonuses would not stack and I would have to take the larger of the two bonuses.

Do I understand this correctly?

Here's the situation:

In one dungeon, Darkmantles dropped from the ceiling to ambush PCs who walked directly underneath them.

The idea was to make the PCs roll Perception checks to spot the Darkmantles and avoid them.
Since this was a "trap", I also allowed Reflex saves so the PCs could dive out of the way.
If a PC failed both saves, then the Darkmantle would catch them flat footed and battle would ensue.

One PC decided to just hold his sword over his head and walk casually through the corridor, hoping to impale the Darkmantles as they dropped down.

Would holding a sword above your head be considered a ready action?
If not, what type of action would this be?

Would that PC have to roll an attack to successfully impale the Darkmantles?

Should this be treated as a charge and do double damage to the Darkmantles?

How would you guys handle this situation?

Scenario:
PCs are actively engaged in battle with multiple enemies.
One enemy has been hiding in another room for a few rounds and finally rushes out at them, joining the battle. He would move and attack on the same turn.

Does that enemy catch the PCs by surprise (sneak attack) because they were unaware of his presence?

Or would they roll for perception to see him entering the room and have a chance to raise their defenses?

I'm not entirely not sure I understand how spell resistance works.

If somebody has spell resistance, you first roll to see if you overcome the spell resistance (caster level check) and THEN, if spell resistance has been overcome, the players roll normally to see if the spell hits/affects them?

So basically, it adds one additional roll that the caster must overcome?

If I cast fireball, I must first roll to over come spell resistance.
If I overcome spell resistance, then the opponent rolls to make the reflex save?

The caster level check to overcome spell resistance is 1d20 + caster level.
So if an enemy has SR 6, then a 4th lv Wizard would only have to roll a 2 to overcome that SR?
That seems too easy to overcome.
Am I missing an important detail?

I'm trying to build a Lv 6 monk and I just don't understand how the Attack Bonus is calculated for Flurry of Blows.

The chart on pg 58 lists the FoB attack bonus as: +4, +4, -1.
Which seems self explanatory, but then the rulebook states:
"For the purpose of these attacks, the monk’s base attack bonus is equal to his monk level."

So, if the monk is level 6 and his BAB = his level, then wouldn't his BAB for Flurry of Blows = +6?
Why does the chart list Flurry of Blows as +4, +4, -1 and not +6, +6, +1?

And where does the -1 come from?

The book also mentions "Improved two weapon fighting" which just confuses me further.
How does ITWF fit into it?

Can somebody explain how a Lv 6 monk with STR 14 would calculate the Attack bonus for Flurry of Blows?

Would the "Weapon Focus" and "Weapon Finesse" feats further increase the Attack Bonus for Flurry of Blows?

I'm kind of slow, so I apologize ahead of time if these are dumb questions.

One of my players (a lv 6 fighter) wants to become undead.
He doesn't really care to become a vampire, lich or any particular type of undead, he just wants the basic undead template.

Right now, all PCs in our group are lv 6 (fighter, rogue, sorcerer).
Currently, the fighter is already way more powerful than the other PCs, so I want to make sure this imbalance doesn't increase further.

If I gave the fighter the undead template, how could I keep the group balanced?
Should I give the fighter a level adjustment, like maybe a penalty of 1 level?
Or should I just give the other players bonus a feat so that everybody receives some sort of boost?

Also, just to clarify:
If the fighter becomes an intelligent undead, he can regenerate HP naturally, right?
But he would determine his HP by his CHA score, rather than his CON score?

Since he will still be intelligent, rather than becoming mindless, should he still be subjected to mind-affecting enchantments?
How about ability drain/dmg?

I've been thinking about making a new product: plastic interlocking terrain tiles that can be used for D&D, Pathfinder and other games that require a board with 1" x 1" grid increments.

I need your HONEST opinions and feedback on this idea. More details are provided below. Please let me know what you think of my ideas and what you'd want from a terrain product. Your input and critiques would be extremely valuable.

First of all, I know that some gaming terrain already exists. Dwarven Forge is a great example, but it's very expensive. A single room & passage set costs $119, so creating a larger dungeon could be very cost prohibitive.

Heroscape offers plastic HEX terrain pieces that interlock on the edges and are stackable.

Mageknight and Battletech offer some terrain, but I haven't seen anything that is grid-based.

Are there other pre-existing grid-based terrain products that i'm unaware of?

My product would be plastic, solid colored pieces that interlock on the top/bottom and maybe on the sides. Think of Legos, but proportioned for D&D. The pieces would probably be 1/2" tall and would come in increments of 1"x1", 2"x2", 3"x3",...,12"x12" and other sizes like 1"x5", 2"x6", etc.

Unlike legos, which have several small knobs on top, my pieces would have a single square peg on top, which would fit into the bottom cavity of the piece above it. The square peg would be wide enough that miniatures would be able to rest on top of it without becoming unbalanced.

The pieces would be stackable so that walls, towers and elaborate 3-D maps could be built. In addition to interlocking vertically, should they also interlock horizontally, like Heroscape? If so, the sides of the pieces could be shaped like a jig-saw puzzle, but that might make construction too cumbersome.

Dwarven Forge products are very sturdy and detailed, but my product would be more light-weight and simplistic, probably with solid color pieces like green, blue, red, grey, brown, etc. Would the simplicity and lack of detail/texture be a turnoff? If so, maybe textures like grass or dirt could be printed on the tops.

I was going to make the pieces 1"x1" scale so that they would be compatible with preexisting D&D products, but would you rather have a different scale, like 1.25"x1.25" or 1.5"x1.5"?

Would anybody even be interested in stacking the pieces to make 3-D maps? Would building a 3-D map be too much trouble?

I know that GMs like to make changes to maps "on the fly", so the pieces would be made from a non-porous plastic that could be written on with dry/wet erase markers and easily wiped off. Would the ability to draw on the pieces be a selling point?

The goal of my product is to provide an interactive experience, while being affordable and light weight. The pieces would be durable, yet easily replaceable. Is there a market for this product? How many of you would actually buy and use something like this? What other features would you like to see?

Before I begin making prototypes, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Don't be afraid to shoot it down or offer negative feedback. I prefer that you be honest with me so that I don't sink time, energy and money into a product that nobody wants.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to hear me out and offer your input!

PS - I probably left some important details out, but I'll post again if I think of anything else.

Is it just me, or does Erik Mona look like a bloodthirsty viking?

Does anybody else think this guy looks like Mojo from the X-Men comics?

Searching through the spells alphabetically in the Core Rulebook PDF is very difficult.

Clicking on the "Spell Descriptions" bookmark drops me off at "Acid Arrow" and then I have to scroll down through pages of spell descriptions to find exactly what I'm looking for.

Running a search function is a little more successful, but it turns up dozens of false results before finally taking me to the spell that I want.

Referencing spells should be quick and easy, not a nuisance.
PLEASE add A-Z bookmarks that will allow us to quickly access spells.

Small flaws like this keep a good product from being a truly great product.

I know Paizo is focusing it's attention on many upcoming projects, but please don't forget about the projects that have already been released, especially a flagship product like the Core Rulebook.

In general, which is more awesome: Werewolves or Vampires?

I vote werewolves.

How does Paizo choose who will update the daily blog?

I've noticed that several different people contribute to the blog and I was wondering if you had any rhyme or reason behind this system.

Is it on a volunteer basis or a random lottery system? Do you draw straws, spin the bottle or play Russian roulette?

Once somebody is "chosen" to write the blog, how is the content determined?

I must know the secret behind this seemingly random selection process!

I'd like to do a series of one-shots with my group.
By one-shot, I mean a pre-designed campaign that can be completed in 1-3 sessions.

I was looking into the availability of one-shot products and somebody suggested that I use the PF Society scenarios.

I've never played a PF Society scenario and I don't know anything about it.
How suitable would these scenarios be for a "pick-up-and-go" one-shot?

We don't plan on actually joining the society or going by the official rules, we just want some quick and easy fun.

What about the GameMastery Modules or Adventure Paths?
Would these be more appropriate for a one-shot?

Does Season 0 of the Pathfinder Society use 3.5 rules or PFRPG rules?

I assume it uses 3.5 rules since the product description says "...suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game."

The Season 1 product description says "...suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game" so I assume this season uses the new PFRPG rules.

Will Season 0 ever be updated to incorporate the new PFRPG rules?

Does Paizo offer any one-shot products?
By one-shot, I mean a pre-designed campaign that can be completed in 1-3 sessions.

I've seen the Adventure Paths products, but it looks like they're meant to be played over a longer period of time.

If no previous one-shot products are currently available, it would be cool to see a book of one-shots released in the future.

Any idea where I can download some ideas for one-shots?

I've got 3 questions:

#1) Is it possible to add Flaming, Frost AND Shock abilities to a weapon?
Each is a +1 enhancement, so that would be 3d6 of extra damage for only $6000, which seems too affordable.

The rules say:
A single weapon cannot have a modified bonus higher than +10.
A weapon with a special ability must also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
Weapons cannot possess the same special ability more than once.

I've never heard of a "+1 Flaming Frost Shocking Longsword", but I don't see any rule against this, unless I'm overlooking it.

#2) On pg 468 of the Rulebook, the table says a +10 item costs $200,000.
How is this possible? All magic items must be at least +1 and cannot exceed +10.
So adding a +10 enchantment to a +1 item would make it a +11 item, which is impossible. Can somebody explain this to me?

#3) I need help house-ruling a special enchantment.
My players want three enchantments that will freeze, paralyze or catch their opponents on fire.
This is my idea so far: if a critical threat is confirmed with a roll of natural-20, the enchantments will freeze/paralyze/burn an opponent for 1d4 rounds.
These enchantments would be upgrades of Flaming, Icy and Shocking Burst.
What would be an appropriate price and CL for these enchantments?

I'm confused about the rules for the Arcane Archer's Enhance Arrows ability.

The rules state:
"every nonmagical arrow fired by an arcane archer gains...(the elemental, distance, burst or aligned) quality."

The word "non-magical" is where I'm getting confused.

Does this mean:
1) If he's using a magically enchanted bow (which automatically makes the ammunition "magic"), he can't also use his Enhance Arrows ability?
So if I have Frost Longbow and I want to imbue my arrows with fire,
would the Frost and Flaming enhancements stack (1d6 frost + 1d6 flame)?
Or would I have to choose between the two enhancements (1d6 frost OR 1d6 flame)?

2) If the Archer uses his Enhance Arrows ability to make +1 magical ammunition, he can't also enhance his arrows with another quality?
So he couldn't make +1 flaming arrows?

There's a blurb of information that seems important, but I'm not sure I fully understand it:
"The bonuses granted by a magic bow apply as normal to arrows that have been enhanced with this ability. Only the larger enhancement bonus applies. Duplicate abilities do not stack."

I read this to mean:
The bonuses from his Enchant Arrows ability and his weapon do indeed stack if they are different (i.e. frost bow, flame arrows).
If they are the same enchantment (i.e. +3 bow, +1 arrows), only use the higher enchantment.
Otherwise, the arrows must be "non-magical" before they are nocked in the bow. But he can still Enhance his arrows if even if the bow makes them magical or he gives them a +1 enhancement.

Is this correct or am I way off?

Twin Eidolon:
I’d like to see the Twin Eidolon ability become available at an earlier level.
Wizards and Sorcerers gain access to the Polymorph and Greater Polymorph spells at lvs 9-14, so it doesn’t make sense to force the Summoner to wait until level 20 to gain access to a shape-changing ability.

Levels 7 or 9 seem like an appropriate time to receive the Twin Eidolon ability.
I don’t think gaining the ability at an earlier level would be too overpowered or “game breaking” because the Eidolon isn’t uber-powerful at that point.
Maybe the ability could also receive some kind of scaling bonus every 3-4 levels, like increased stats or DR.

Polymorph:
Why doesn’t the Summoner have access to the Polymorph and Greater Polymorph spells? He can turn into a crazy Eidolon but he can’t turn into a regular animal? That doesn’t make any sense. The Summoner is "King of the Monsters", so I think it's insane to deny him these iconic spells. Polymorph and Greater Polymorph need to be added to his spell list.

Evolution:
Evolution is a cool ability, BUT it’s hampered by the fact that the Eidolon stops evolving when the Summoner “maxes out” at lv 20 (assuming he doesn’t go into epic levels). Once the Summoner hits lv 20, he’s stuck with his Eidolon as-is.

Here’s my suggestion on how to make this ability more dynamic:

Infinite Evolution (Su):
At level 20, the Summoner gains the ability to change his Eidolon’s Evolutions once per day, including any Evolutions applied to himself through the Greater Aspect ability.

The Summoner should be able to make monsters “on the fly” to suit a variety of situations, so I think an ability like Infinite Evolution would help keep him flexible and relevant.

To recap, here are my proposed changes:
1) Make Twin Eidolon available at an earlier level
2) Give him Polymorph and Greater Polymorph spells
3) Allow him to eventually change evolutions at least once/day.

I'm working on a build for an Arcane Archer and I'd like your input/feedback/tips/suggestions/etc.

Here are the prereqs for the PRC:
1) BAB 6
2) Arcane caster lv 1
3) Precise Shot
4) Point Blank Shot
5) Weapon Focus (Bow)
6) Elf or Half-Elf (house rules ignore this prereq)

We're about to begin a campaign starting at lv 10.
Here's an incomplete build that I've been fleshing out:

6 lvs of fighter
1 lv of sorcerer (arcane bloodline, raven familiar)
3 lvs of arcane archer

Human (78 HP): Str 14, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 14

Current Feats: Toughness, Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Many Shot, Weapon Focus (Composite Longbow)

Starting money: $62,000

Current equipment:
MW Composite Longbow

I'll probably only add another 2-3 levels of Arcane Archer before the campaign wraps up. If we do end up going to lv 20, I'd max out Arcane Archer and then add another 3 lvs of sorcerer or fighter.

Play style:
I plan on using ranged attacks 99% of the time, only using offensive magic and melee attacks in emergency situations.

Here are my questions:
1) Armor: Right now, my AC is only about 16, which is my biggest weakness. Should I buy light/medium mithril armor and/or mithril buckler, AC items and get the Arcane Armor Training feat? Or should I just stick to Mage Armor and Shield spells?

2) Bloodline: I chose the Arcane bloodline for the Arcane Bond ability. Is there another bloodline that might be more beneficial? (keep in mind low-sorcerer lv)

3) Spells: What lv 1 spells would be most useful in combat? Possibilities include: Magic Missile, Summon Monster I, True Strike, Shield and Mage Armor (not necessary if I decide to wear armor).

4) Feats: I'm considering Dodge, Improved Precise Shot, Mobility, Shot on the Run, Weapon Finesse, Improved Familiar, Arcane Armor Training, Weapon Specialization.

5) Equipment: Any good enchantments I should put on my equipment? Any good equipment (offensive or defensive) that I should purchase?

6) Thrown Weapons: we're house ruling that thrown weapons can also benefit from the Arcane Archer's enhancement abilities. Any cool ideas for this?

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to make this build more fun, interesting and effective in combat?
I don't plan on playing with this character for more than a few months, so i'm willing to try anything! :)

Can I remove individual items from the "My Downloads" section?
It's getting a little cluttered and it would be nice if I could eliminate some of the free material.

I'd like to purchase the Golarion Campaign Setting, but I've been holding out, waiting for it to be updated so that it'll be consistent with the Core Rulebook. (I'd prefer not to do any conversions)

I think Lisa said the book might get revised after all the current copies sell out.

If I purchase the PDF now, will I be able to download a revised version in the future once the book has been "pathfinderized"? Will there be an additional cost?

Any chance of this great promotion happening again in the future?

Yo.

I currently play in Eberron and I'd like to utilize some Golarion specific ideas into my campaigns.

Is there some sort of Golarion for Dummies book that can give me a very brief overview of Golarion and its regions?

It would be great if I could easily figure out the Eberron equivalents of the countries and cities in Golarion without having to spend too much time/money/energy.

Thx

Is it possible for a wizard to have a Pet Rock as his familiar?
What would the stats be for that?

It's probably the only familiar that can be hurled at an opponent.
Pet Rock, attack! (throws rock)

Is it just me, or do dragons seem highly overrated?
When it comes to cliche fantasy, dragons are up there with unicorns and fairies.

Dear Paizo,

I know this has been discussed ad nauseam on the message boards, but I would like to formally request a Monsters as PCs book.

The appendix of the Bestiary does indeed contain some loose suggestions and guidelines for creating Monster PCs, but there are no fast, easy or definitive methods currently available.

So far, James Jacobs and others at Paizo recommend that GMs draw upon their experience and wisdom in order to create balanced monster PCs, experimenting and tweaking as gameplay progresses so that the MPCs aren't over/under-powered.

Here is my predicament:
Unfortunately, I'm not experienced enough as a GM to create balanced MPCs. The players in my group want Vampire, Werewolf and Doppelganger characters, but I don't know how to handle this. I don't trust myself to create MPCs that are fair, balanced and fun. I feel a little overwhelmed trying to stat this out by myself because it's such an ambiguous process. I need some help.

Someone at Paizo mentioned that a Monsters as PCs book may eventually happen, but that it wouldn't be for a long time. There didn't seem to much importance or enthusiasm behind the idea.

As respectfully and politely as possible, I'd like to request that the Monsters as PCs book happen sooner rather than later. I know you have a million different projects going on, but I believe that there is a great amount of demand for this book. I have seen many people clamoring about it on the messageboards and I really believe that it would be a huge benefit to GMs, so I hope that this book can become a priority. Please don't put this on the back burner for too long.

Thanks again for your time and understanding.
You guys do great work and I'm looking forward to all the awesome Paizo products to come.

Can a sorcerer of the elemental bloodline take the Improved Natural Attack feat to upgrade his ray?

The ray is considered a spell like ability, but is it also considered a natural weapon? Here are some factors I'm wondering about:

1) Unlike a wizard who must learn his spells, the sorcerer's talent is natural, so would the ray be a "natural attack"? The ability does 1d6 dmg and can be used 3+CHA/day. Since this ability is summoned from within, it's technically "natural".

2) Sorcerers of the abyssal and draconic bloodlines have claws which are treated as natural weapons and can benefit from the Improved Natural Attack feat. So would the ray be also be a (ranged) natural attack?

3) Rays are included under the Weapon Focus feat, so in addition to being a spell-like ability, they must also be considered a weapon. If it's considered a weapon, does that disqualify it from being a natural attack?

Also, rays are included under the Weapon Focus feat, but aren't expressly mentioned under the Weapon Specialization Feat. Does this mean the Weapon Specialization feat cannot be applied to the ray? As a ranged attack, I would think it would be eligible for the Weapon Specialization feat.

Are there any other feats/items that can be used to buff the ray?

Any help clarifying these rules would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Dear Paizo,

I love your PDF products very much.
They're very convenient and they make my life much easier.

That being said, I would LOVE the ability to edit the bookmarks and links.
It would be awesome if we had some extra customization options to make referencing things a little bit quicker/easier.

For example, it would be very convenient to be able to create bookmark folders for each PC/NPC that contained the pages pertaining directly to them. Imagine being able to create a customized list of spells or abilities. It would be a huge time saver.

I know that you need some level of security protection for the PDFs and I agree with that, but would it be possible to give us the necessary permissions just to edit the bookmarks and links?

Bump?

I'd like to make a Lv 5 Bugbear Sorcerer as the main villain for my campaign.
Unfortunately, the rules in the new Bestiary for making monster PCs/NPCs aren't as clear-cut as they were in the 3.5 MM.

I just want to make sure I understand the process:
According to pg 297 of the Bestiary, I take the bugbear's given stats, add the +4, +4, +2, +2, +0 and -2 modifiers to its ability scores and then add 5 class levels of Sorcerer?
Is that correct?

A bugbear is a CR2 creature.
After adding 5 levels of Sorcerer, I estimate the creature to be CR6.
Does that sound about right?

Would a CR6 Bugbear and a few CR2/CR3 minions be an appropriate challenge for a group of three Lv 4 adventurers (Fighter/Rogue/Paladin)?

I want to make sure he won't be too difficult or too easy.
I'd like to make him a recurring villain, so I'd like him to be a bit tougher than the PCs so that he can survive multiple encounters.

Basically, I want to build a "Bogeyman" who lurks in shadows, terrorizes people and is a real psychedelic threat.
The Classic Monsters Revisited book gives Bugbears a cool feat, Slow Terror (CHA based), that can instill fear.
I figured I could expand on this and make him an Abyssal Sorcerer that focuses on fear spells.
Is there another class that might be more appropriate for this concept?

Any suggestions on how to properly build/advance this character would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

What's your favorite monster?
My vote is owlbear.

Ok, I know this has probably been discussed ad nauseam, but what's the best way to make a Monster PC?

Obviously, many monsters are more powerful than the base classes.
To compensate, some people suggest giving the Monster PC an experience debt or making it take levels in NPC classes, such as Commoner.

Here's my problem:
Paizo removed the Level Adjustment mechanic, so I'm not sure how to gauge the severity of the penalties.

So what's the best method for determining how to make a Monster PC equal to a base class PC?

I love playing as a Human.
Elves, half-elves and half-orcs are tolerable.
I despise dwarves, gnomes and halflings.

Does this make me a racist?

Maybe I just have something against short and squatty characters.
Is there a word for that?

For some reason, our group never seems to play past level 12.
Interest just seem to fizzle out.
Maybe players are bored with their characters or maybe the campaign becomes stale.

Our last several campaigns have ended at level 12, except for one campaign which ended at level 8.

Is there some kind of Level 12 curse or something?
Or is there some hidden mechanic that changes the way the game plays at that level?

At what level do you guys usually wrap up your games?

Would the Improved Natural Attack feat increase the potency of the Elemental Sorcerer's ray?
Is the ray considered a natural attack?

To make the game more epic, I've been thinking about giving +2 ability points every 4 levels, rather than the usual +1.

Could this cause any potential problems that I might not be aware of?
I want to reward my greedy players with rapid character growth, but I don't want to create a game-breaker.

Favored class currently grants players +1 skill OR hp / level.
This seems a little weak.

In order to give favored class more impact, our group is considering giving +1 skill AND hp / level.
Does this sound like too much?