Shawn H's page

I like the quests / journeys ideas. Something else to consider might be altering the format of the quests slightly so that they provide a nice gold, boon, or item reward in lieu of an XP reward, they could also be modeled as a "repeatable" to simulate an ongoing need to be solved, such as gather some type of resource for the society, provide security at a contested dig site, or escort a courier from point A to B. This could be easily scaled so that one quest could cover several sub-tiers and include a variety of encounters.

For example; using the random d6 tables like in The Confirmation you have a chart for the quest giver, one for the non-combat encounter, and one for the combat encounter chart for tier 1-2, another for 3-5. 6-8, and 9-11.

There's a new feat for this from Heroes of the Streets, Throat Slicer. Lets you coup de grace a pinned target as a standard. It's not PFS legal though =(

Wouldn't the PRD / Errata be the final source to determine the correct stats for the Whip? ... sigh so much for that logic. It's even got two different descriptions in the PRD. Personally I'd go with the Description from UE, since it was published later. But this probably needs a FAQ, especially for PFS.

WHIP

Price 1 gp
Type exotic
A whip deals no damage to any creature with an armor bonus of +1 or higher or a natural armor bonus of +3 or higher. The whip is treated as a melee weapon with a 15-foot reach, though you don't threaten the area into which you can make an attack. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, you can use it against foes anywhere within your reach (including adjacent foes).
Using a whip provokes an attack of opportunity, just as if you had used a ranged weapon.

You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a whip sized for you, even though it isn't a light weapon. You can't wield a whip in two hands in order to apply 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier to damage rolls.

Whip: A whip deals no damage to any creature with an armor bonus of +1 or higher or a natural armor bonus of +3 or higher. The whip is treated as a melee weapon with 15-foot reach, though you don't threaten the area into which you can make an attack. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, you can use it against foes anywhere within your reach (including adjacent foes).

Using a whip provokes an attack of opportunity, just as if you had used a ranged weapon.

You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a whip sized for you, even though it isn't a light weapon.

In Bestiary 2 it says you can add these templates to summoned monsters, however on the Additional Resources page under Bestiary 2 it doesn't mention this for PFS.

I also don't see any feats that add these templates either, Versatile Summoning from the Monster Summoner's Handbook adds Fiery, Aqueous, Aerial, Cthonic, Dark, and Primordial but also doesn't mention the Resolute or Entropic templates.

Thanks.

... Or. If you cast the spell on another plane, does it transport your body to the Material Plane?

I don't think they can make a blanket determination like that, as there is debate on what is fluff and what is rules. Some of it is pretty clear cut but sometimes it's hard to determine. I don't think Paizo can go through and edit everything they've already produced to make a sweeping correction like some are suggesting. I think for the most part the descriptions and fluff are helpful in understanding how some mechanics are intended to work or an example of what the mechanic actually looks like in use. In home games, I haven't had much of an issue with this adding confusion as we can all talk about it and come to an understanding.

For me, it seems to be more of an issue in PFS games where the rules are generally interpreted much more rigidly.

Kazaan wrote:

Why wouldn't it? It's a Monk weapon in its own right, not just when wielded as a pair of Kama.

It's in reference to the weapon's description mentioning a 'single attack' at reach. It's unclear if it means 'only one ever' or it just means 'no twf with it since you're only using one side'.

It's the sentence in the Double Chain Kama's description about it being used as a kama in each hand or the chain being extended to make a single attack at reach.

The confusion is does this mean it can only make one attack during a turn when used as a reach weapon or if it means the weapon is treated as a single weapon instead of a double weapon when used to make a reach attack.

In the case of the former, you wouldn't be able to use it in a flurry of blows. In the latter, obviously you could use it to make the flurry of blows attacks.

I was at the con with you and I told you my take on it. Did you ever ask Dominick about it? Expect table variation at the least because the wording is poorly written.

There is no reason why one could not flurry with it using one or both kamas in melee but the reach is questionable because of stated poor wording. It wouldn't be overpowered to allow it at reach imo but the wording is an issue.

Nah I didn't ask Dom, it wasn't a big enough deal to bother anyone else with at the con. I just figured that since it was poorly worded and confusing I'd attempt to get a FAQ for it on here.

"The wielder can attack as if armed with a single kama in each hand or extend the chain to make a single reach attack."

My take on this is that the author wanted the weapon to only be usable as either a double weapon OR a reach weapon and that's why it's worded that way. So for any one attack you have to determine if it has reach or not, hence the single part.

However, most likely to fit word count, it was worded so poorly that it can be read that you can ONLY get a single reach attack. With two workable readings you're left with pulling out RAI and your own sense of what sounds right.

I think that's exactly the case, however since I'm trying to use this in PFS, I'd like to get a FAQ or definitive ruling on it.

claudekennilol wrote:

As bolded in the original the post, the main issue is that the weapon itself precludes it from being used as a reach weapon in a full attack. It says right in the text that it can be to make a single reach attack.

Now it's probably intended that they meant you either have two normal weapons or one reach weapon, but I don't fault the GM for ruling as such and I wouldn't argue with it because the text can plainly be interpreted in a way that means you can't iteratively attack with it.

Would you let someone use Greater Weapon of the Chosen to roll twice for each of their attacks? (sure, it is more clear by saying attack action, but it also does use the same verbage "single attack")

The weapon text also says it has both a chain and a rope. If you can only make a single attack with it, do you threaten at reach?

That's another good point, with it being a reach weapon and having that possible limitation, how many Attacks of Opportunity should I be able to make with it?

As bolded in the original the post, the main issue is that the weapon itself precludes it from being used as a reach weapon in a full attack. It says right in the text that it can be to make a single reach attack.

That's the part that's ambiguous and I feel needs a FAQ ruling. It's not definitive that the sentence means the weapon can be used once per round as a reach weapon, once per turn as a reach weapon, once per lifetime, or once per iterative attack as a reach weapon, or if the meaning is that it's either a single reach weapon or a double weapon without reach.

Applying the rules chronologically, the flurry of blows rules in Pathfinder Unchained, I feel would take precedence over the wording in Ultimate Equipment specific to the weapon. When using this ability, the monk can make these attacks with any combination of his unarmed strikes and weapons that have the monk special weapon quality.

My temporary solution to this was to buy and use a Kusarigama, which is essentially the same weapon, only one of the Kama is replaced with a metal ball and it gains the grapple ability and can do bludgeoning damage.

Kusarigama: This weapon has a single sickle held in the off-hand attached by 10 feet of fine chain to a weighted metal ball. The sickle is used to make trips, jabs, and blocks while the ball is whipped around at high speeds and then smashed into the opponent.

Again, this is an almost identical weapon but makes no mention of only being used for a single attack at reach.

Wielding multiple weapons is different from Two-Weapon Fighting. You can have 3 iterative attacks @ +11, +6, +1 and make those attacks with any weapons you have readily available. That could be the Longsword in one hand, the Shortsword in the other, Unarmed Strike with your feet or head, Boulder Helmet, Boot Blade, etc. So long as you stick to your normal iteratives, it doesn't count as TWF; you aren't getting "extra" attacks, you suffer no TWF peanlties, and none of the weapons suffer from the off-hand half-Str to damage penalty. So an Unchained Monk wielding a DCK is no different than an Unchained Monk wielding a normal Kama in each hand; they receive a certain pre-set number of attacks based on their BAB, level of Flurry, and other sources of "extra attacks" (ie. Haste), but they can't use TWF rules to gain additional off-hand attacks. They can assign those attacks to any Monk weapon they are wielding or to unarmed strikes as they see fit. So you could use the Cold Iron Kama in one hand to attack a fey and then switch to the Flaming Kama in the other hand to attack something vulnerable to fire and then Unarmed Strikes to hit something with DR/Blud. It doesn't matter if the two Kama are attached by a chain or not.

The issue was does the double chained Kama get the iterative attacks from flurry of blows as a reach weapon.

Imbicatus wrote:

CampinCarl9127 wrote:

I'm pretty surprised a PFS GM made a mistake like that. You are definitely right, you can absolutely flurry with a double chain kama.

I'm not. I play a lot of PFS, and I have played with GMs of varying rules knowledge. PFS GMs are just like any others, and sometimes they get things wrong. Several times I have accepted a wrong ruling rather than argue it and disrupt play.

Hmm. I suppose I will defer to the superior experience on the matter, because I've only experienced two PFS GMs before I quit, and they were both pretty good.

Yeah, sometimes you just have to pick your battles. When you see a long argument starting up at the table, the first question you always ask yourself is "Is it worth stopping play? Is the ruling that important to the situation?"

I understand there will be table variation on some things but this is the primary weapon for the character so I'd like to have it figured out so its not up in the air from session to session.

This is awesome! I'll be getting this when it comes out. I love the Pawns line, I really hope you guys come out with a Box of the gargantuan and colossal creatures. ... Pathfinder Pawns Colossal Creature Collection ... feel free to use that name =P But seriously I'd really like to have a representation of all the giant dragons, tarrasque, demons, and Cthulhu of course.

Clearly this shouldn't work with a double-chained kama.

We're talking about an unchained monk here.

lol yeah I see the irony with it =P

So at a recent PFS game I was told by the GM that I could not use Flurry of Blows with a Double Chain Kama. Her reasoning for this was based on this sentence in the double chain kama's description The wielder can attack as if armed with a single kama in each hand or extend the chain to make a single reach attack.

My understanding of this is that the weapon is considered a double weapon if wielding both of the kamas without reach or a single weapon if using it as a reach weapon. Flurry of blows, unlike two-weapon fighting does not require two weapons and specifically states all of the flurry attacks can be made with the same weapon.

Can someone please clarify how this should be ruled? Is this the only monk weapon that can't be used to make multiple attacks with Flurry of Blows? Please note my question is how this is ruled in Pathfinder Society Play, not for home games.

Thank you!

Flurry of BlowsAt 1st level, a monk can make a flurry of blows as a full-attack action. When making a flurry of blows, the monk can make one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus. This additional attack stacks with the bonus attacks from haste and other similar effects. When using this ability, the monk can make these attacks with any combination of his unarmed strikes and weapons that have the monk special weapon quality. He takes no penalty for using multiple weapons when making a flurry of blows, but he does not gain any additional attacks beyond what's already granted by the flurry for doing so. (He can still gain additional attacks from a high base attack bonus, from this ability, and from haste and similar effects).

Kama, Double-Chained: This weapon comprises a pair of kama connected with an 8-foot length of chain. The wielder can attack as if armed with a single kama in each hand or extend the chain to make a single reach attack. By swinging the rope, the wielder can whip the kama about to disarm or trip opponents. Furthermore, if one of the weapons is dropped, the wielder can retrieve as a free action by pulling on the chain.

Monk Flurry of Blows: When I use flurry of blows, can I make all of the attacks with just one weapon, or do I have to use two, as implied by the ability functioning similarly to Two-Weapon Fighting?

You can make all of your attacks with a single monk weapon. Alternatively, you can replace any number of these attacks with an unarmed strike. This FAQ specifically changes a previous ruling made in the blog concerning this issue.

posted November 2012 | back to top

Cool, Thanks.

Can a poisoning sheath be used to apply an oil to a weapon instead of a poison?

I'm posting this here as I'm looking for the answer as it applies to PFS, I realize in a home game the GM is free to rule otherwise.

Thanks.

Inlight of the new Flip-mat Classics Line of Reprints, are there any plans on reprinting the Darklands and Deep Forest maps? These are both used in the Confirmation scenario for PFS and I know Darklands is used in at least 5 other PFS scenarios. From a GM perspective it really puts a damper on running scenarios when we have to hand draw 3-6 full size maps for some scenarios because the flip maps are out of print. I think Silverhex Chronicles is probably the worst offender for using a ton of maps, but The Confirmation which is right there with it.

!!! When will this be legal for PFS ?

It's really awesome when the designers chime in on posts like this.

$10 for the PDF from Paizo plus $10 for the content on Hero Lab (In most cases) is still half of what the physical book costs...

25 Points

Tiefling (Oni-Spawn) **From Blood of Fiends
+2 Str +2 Wis -2 Cha

Monk (Quinggong)

Level 1
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 6

Traits: Reactionary, Adopted(Open Palm of Irori);

Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike(Monk), Stunning Fist(Monk), Improved Grapple(Monk Bonus), Improved Initiative(Level 1);

Skills (4/level):

Acrobatics(1) +7, Intimidate(1) +4, Perception(1) +8, Stealth(1) +6;

Progression

Level 2: Combat Reflexes(Monk Bonus)

Level 3: Dragon Style

Level 4: Power Attack Ki Power(-Slow Fall); +1 Dex

Level 5: Dragon Ferocity

Level 6: Improved Trip (Monk Bonus)

Level 7: Elemental Fist

Level 8: +1 Dex

Level 9: Hammer the Gap

Level 10: Medusa's Wrath (Monk Bonus)

Level 11: Dragon Roar

My goal for the character is to maximize the damage from my Unarmed Strike Flurry of Blows. Any thoughts or suggestions ?