StarlingSweeter's page

I could have sworn at one point I had found a map of the crimson citadel and the chambers below it. It described some information about the red mantis and their leader. It wasn't terribly detailed, it was a side portrait of the underground complex.

For the life of me I can't find it again and the recent news of a Red Mantis Adventure has me so excited. Did I make this up in my head?

Good morning everyone!
Over the past couple of days I have had the joy of introducing my friend to pathfinder society play and they've been having a blast. However, one thing they have noticed is that a lot of GM and Players where they play have been using AI art for monsters tokens, character tokens, and presumably backgrounds (for scenes in-between flip-maps). As a group of artists, this is mildly off-putting and off-putting to me as someone who feverously endorses the organized play program. I know paizo has taken a hard stance against AI art in their products and I suppose I am wondering if that applies to tabletops run in their campaign? It certainly has negatively affected a newcomer's experience into getting into the society.

To be clear this is not about AI art in paizo's products but at organized play tables used by players and GMs.

It was recently revealed by Avi Henriques on blue sky that Lamashtu has new anathema!

Old attempt to treat a mental illness or deformity, provide succor to Lamashtu’s enemies

New attempt to change what makes you different, provide succor to Lamashtu's enemies.

They go on to mention that they wanted to "Disentangle the idea that disability itself was monstrous and instead focusing on her embracing those who revel in being different".

Honestly this is a huge relief to me personally. Lamashtu has always been one of my favorite deities. But as someone who struggles with disability in its many forms, it always felt gross to make any character with that anathema. I am uninformed whether she requires unholy sanctification (its likely she does) but for mundane worshippers of her I gather this change will be much appreciated.
It also puts her softly off my "deities likely to die" as why would they concern themselves with the future following of Lamashtu if they were gonna kill her next year? Haha they totally wouldn't do that right guys?

Anyone else have any particularly uncomfortable anathema like this that could benefit from some change? Thoughts on Lamashtu's new anathema?

I thought it would be wise to create new thread rather then flood the playtest ones but there has been some exciting news! The new animist (and all spellcasters in the remaster) no longer have spellcasting proficiency tied to traditions (arcane, occult, primal ect…). Instead there is only one universal “spell proficiency”. The modifiers still change depending on your class (clerics still use WIS, sorcs use CHA) however if you gain spellcasting from other sources (like multiclass dedications) you will always use your universally applicable “spellcasting proficiency”.

Would love to hear the community’s thoughts on this. Personally, I am stoked as I think this really opens up a lot of options for multiclassing like wizard getting more use out of the psychic dedication. Of course you’re still going to want to line up main attributes too I’m guessing witch, psychic, and sorcerer are going to be very high value going forward.

Source

So the Psychic, like the Sorcerer has a bunch of granted spells from their subclass. Unlike the sorcerer though, there is no wording that says they can't override these spells on a level up. Is this a typo? Or can psychics unlearn granted spells that don't suit them. I think this would really benefit the oscillating wave who may not want to keep burning hands their entire career.

As you gain new spells in your repertoire, you might want to replace some of the spells you previously learned. Each time you gain a level and learn new spells, you can swap out one of your old spells for a different spell of the same level. This spell can be a cantrip. You can also swap out spells by retraining during downtime.

As you gain new spells in your spell repertoire, you might want to replace some of the spells you previously learned. Each time you gain a level and learn new spells, you can swap out one of your old spells for a different spell of the same level. This spell can be a cantrip, but you can't swap out bloodline spells. You can also swap out spells by retraining during downtime.

Thanks for the help!

Along with a lot of other topics like alignment, refocus, and name changes I would really like to see Paizo clarify the rules around ruling illusions in the remaster. I have to say that personally, I really like the way they are currently written in favor of the player. However I know there have been countless arguments on how one can interact with illusions, what it takes to disbelieve them, and what to do if someone knows its an illusion but hasnt disbelieved it. Especially in PFS.

Preferably in a way that allows spells like Illusory object to retain their strength but not in a cheap way.

From the RAW I can understand the following:
-Illusions, typically created by spells, need perception (or another check) to disbelieve them.
-A creature that interacts with an illusion in an impossible way knows its an illusion but can't ignore it until it disbelieves it.

I think a classic example is of an illusory wall or box(easily creatable using illusory object). If someone sticks their arm through an illusory wall it is obviously an illusion but if they fail their accompanying perception check then they still believe it to be real and can't ignore it.
I have seen GMs say that at this point an enemy could stride through the illusion since it knows its an illusion and others say they can't ignore it since they haven't disbelieved it.

Would love to hear the community's thoughts on possible rewording or clarification that keeps illusions powerful but also stops Illusory Object from being a pseudo 1st-2nd level wall of stone to low perception enemies.

Heya!
I thought it would be very interesting to see a magus that was focused on athletics maneuvers in conjunction with their spellstrike and battlefield control. So I made one. The idea started out with the goal of seeing a cool unarmed magus and evolved into a black-hole themed magical wrestler.

Would love to hear people's thoughts on the balance. I think it has some interesting power points leveled out by the attack trait. Lemme know what you think!

Grasping Void Hybrid Study.

So one thing that I was really missing from this adventure path was a Beyond the Campaign section at the back of the book. In some previous adventures they may give you some plot hooks or tidbits to make new homebrew or even take these level 20 adventurers onto new exciting things!

I thought it may be nice to make a few. Tell me what you think and if you have even more ideas I would love to read them!

Beyond the Campaign

Once Bloodlords has concluded the party has saved Geb from an unwanted war and eliminated a great threat within its ranks. The players can rest knowing that their characters are now powerful and established bloodlords and some of the most powerful and influential people in the country. Depending on how they handled the events in chapter 2 they may have also freed Geb from his spectral bounds and hold a special position in his graces. Just like the eternal kingdom of Geb, the story of your characters have built needn't end here.

The following are some suggestions for brand new adventures or even a new campaign are detailed as follows.

The Battle is Won but the War is far from Over

Now with the threats inside the house taken care of, the newly appointed Bloodlords and their king can set their sights on their enemy across the wastes. Alkenstar remains a neutral party continuing to trade both with Geb and Nex, something that must be decided before War is declared. Nex is sure to be brewing in anticipation of the coming conflict, spies must be sent and information gathered to see just what the enemy is planning. Word also comes of an entity deep beneath the sands, a dark magic brewing and ancient seals crumbling away. Can Geb sway this new force to its side? Or will it also have to contend with the whispers of blood and Ebon Feathers.

Unholy Politics

In book 4 Ghoul’s Hunger the PCs had a chance to make strong allies with the ghoul Archpreist of Nemret Noktoria. Assuming that they did not make a bad impression, shortly after the campaign concludes, several invitations are extended from the underground city to several prominent members and dignitaries from Geb. The Cathedral of Epiphenomena is also rumored to be attending this event with their own champions. With so many prominent figureheads in one place there is no short of betrayals, assassinations, and ancient secrets to uncover in Nemret Noktoria.

The Greatest Faction

When the PCs conclude the adventure, stories of their exploits seeded across the nation and exploded the reputation of their closest allied faction. This has given that ally a surge of staff, money, and power to use in anyway they see fit.

The Celebrants launch a propaganda campaign focused on the remnants of Lastwall. Surly no one knows more about the shambling tide then the nation of the dead. What better way to prove that you are the best undead nation then provided “aid” to the struggling knights of lastwall. That being said, it has also afforded Geb the closest contact to the whispering Tyrant they have ever had before and some nations doubt the altruism of this move.

The Builder’s League as well has always held occult secrets deep in their many archives and libraries and for the first time in millennia one has come to light. A powerful series of runic arrays that span the entire city of Mechitar has opened a portal to Eox. Perhaps some of the nations most powerful warriors can harness the powerful undead energies or learn something new from the alien forces beyond.

The Reanimator’s have learned of an ancient weapon that was once used against Nex during the previous war. A massive undead known as the Benthic Reaver. Now with the boosted resources and with war upon them, Geb has commanded the creature captured and brought to heel. This time, permanently. Heroes of Geb must dive deep beneath the waves and explore ruins of civilizations lost even to those who do not die to recruit one of the most powerful weapons the country has to offer.

Regardless of what faction followed them, its enemies are sure to revile their new found popularity. During future adventures, members of rival factions will be sure to inhibit characters at their every move along with increased paranoia from their neighbors abroad. Do these new PCs have what it takes to survive?

When targeting a wall of force with a strike do you need to make a DC 11 flat check? Its an invisible effect and nothing in the wording seems like it would exclude it from the invisible rules.

It would add a lot of durability to an already decent spell and I was wondering peoples thoughts.

So with the coming of Kingmaker this October and my AOA group slowly moving their way towards the final books I've been looking for the next adventure on our horizon. I find myself in the lucky position to be in groups that are running EC, AOE, SOT, and soon to be OoA so all thoes are out which means that kingmaker is a pretty good bet for me.

That being said I have absolutely fallen in love with Mwangi Expanse, from its culture to its people to the setting. So much so that I dont think SOT will satiate my desire to play in that region. Simply the overwhelming joy I feel being able to look at NPCs and see some that look like me brings me more happiness then I can describe. Since we already have an adventure and an AP set in the region I don't foresee too much more content being put out which is why I was wondering if Kingmaker could make the switch.
I'm not too big on the River Kingdoms and I've heard that the AP's encounters and combats are more slot as-you-go which may make it easier then some APs with region specific plot (like Bloodlords haha). Maybe someone whos played through the original could spread some light on how easy or impossible it would be to convert. I plan to purchase the 2e version coming in the fall so it isn't really a question of mechanics and more of a question of story.

I was thinking something perhaps along the lines of creating a kingdom on the legacy of the Shory empire, bringing flying cities back to the expanse. Or dealing with diplomatic negotiations with the likes of Mizali, Nantambu, and the Nine Walls. The entire concept seems cool but without first hand knowledge of the AP its impossible to know for sure. For example I know the first book is all about clearing out bandits and savage inhabitants of the River Kingdoms. Something which has...controversial history with the Mwangi to say the least. Maybe replace them with demons akin to the White City or Charau'ka?

Thank you for reading my long post and ramble and I'm eager to hear any and all suggestions! Even if they are "No its not possible find another adventure".

I posted this to reddit and thought I would post it here too.

So, The Reanimator archetype from Book of the Dead is the pinnacle of necromancy that I’m sure many of us have been waiting for. However, much like many other player options provided by the book it has been met by mixed receptions. While many of its abilities are strong or at least workable (the definition of “appropriate corpse” being the subject of many future debates I’m sure when there isn’t a single word in the zombie monster definition which defines them as humanoid) I think there is one feat that doesn’t work as intended even with the most generous interpretation of its wording.
So this is going to be a small deep dive in to the wording and balance of Shambling Horror.

Disclaimer: Most of this review is based in the idea that you want an on-level minion (your level – 4) to follow you around and have the most combat efficient chance of hitting and being relevant. It also only takes into account the common skeletons and zombies found on AON and not any adventure path specific enemies.

TLDR: Shambling Horror is a spell that fails to deliver on the one thing it meant to do. Summon a competitive undead minion. Its size and level restrictions make it extremely difficult to find a target and straight up can’t be usable in some published content. Even if you stick to enemies and summons far below your level the chance you encounter them during published AP content is slim to none. While its uncommon rarity does give GMs and players a warning I don’t think that this level of mechanical blindness when creating an ability meets the standard of what paizo produces.

Level: 6 (gained at 12), Level isn’t terribly important but it does come in towards the last 50% of the gameplay. This means that the spell has less time to shine in your adventure should be judged a little harsher accordingly (not to mention its competition with class feats).
Casting Time: 3a MSV, not a big deal at first glance but poses a small issue combined with its range making it a bit awkward to use in combat.
Range: Touch, okay so using this in combat most of the time will take two rounds unless you’re hasted. Unless they died next to you as a caster you need 1 round to stride to the fallen body and 1 round to animate it.

Duration: 10 minutes, not the worst! Unlike most summoning spells this one you can take in between encounters. However, if you need to take a break to heal, refocus, or any other common 10-minute activity this spell will drop and you’ll have to cast it again. You can refocus while you have the spell up effectively allowing you to instantly up it again but that limits you entirely to what the GM will let you do while you refocus.

Targets: 1 corpse of a Gargantuan or smaller creature that has a level no greater than your level – 4 and has died since the last sunrise. So, this is where most of my problems with the spell begins. Does anyone know how rare -4 enemies are? Well, I took a look, in the entirety of the AP I run (age of ashes) from lvl 12 onwards and from the moment you get this feat until the end of the entire adventure path there are 3 level appropriate enemies to use Shambling Horror on and all of them are within book 4. However! Also consider the fact that at higher levels you’ll be fighting a wide array of creatures who don’t even necessarily drop corpses on death such as undead, elementals, and constructs and you narrow that number down to 1 single encounter that you can use this ability. Funnily enough, in the example from AOA you can’t even use it to summon an on-level undead as the creature is level 10/large and the closest undead to it is the level 8 drake skeleton. That you can now summon at level 14.

Text: So the text of shambling horror reads as follows.

The reanimated creature is an undead skeleton or zombie. Choose a skeleton or zombie stat block of the same size as the original creature and of a level no higher than the creature's original level. The shambling horror keeps Speeds it had in life, as well as melee Strikes that deal only physical damage. These attacks use the highest attack modifier from the skeleton or zombie you choose. Some of the skeleton's or zombie's abilities might not make sense for the shambling horror, and some abilities the creature had in life might not persist in undeath; the GM makes the final choice of what abilities the horror has.

This is awesome! In theory. Being able to resurrect a creature and force it to use the abilities it had it life is awesome and probably the reason you’re a necromancer. The cons are everything else. The skeleton and zombie stat block is a staggeringly restrictive list of creatures, most of which don’t even go past lvl 11 with only 1 skeleton being level 13 and gargantuan. I put together a small Table of creatures that you can summon to put it better into picture. At every level you use this ability you will strain to find CL-4 opponents and will strain even harder to find them of the right size category. However, no matter what you do or how you manage you suddenly stop having valid targets after 17th level when skeleton titan is no longer best in slot.

The second half of the text reads

A shambling horror has the minion trait. You can't control more than one shambling horror at the same time—if you create a new one while one is already under your control, you must choose one to release, causing it to lose the minion trait. Shambling horrors that have been released expire when the spell duration does. After the duration expires, you can cast shambling horror again on the same corpse to animate it once more. However, after the next sunrise, you can no longer animate the corpse as a shambling horror.

This makes this ability even harder to use! If you thought that you could go out and find a proper undead minion to use this ability with well, you’re wrong! Along with the staggeringly small list of creatures this ability applies to and the difficulty one might have locating a proper one for reanimation the fact your pool of bodies resets every sunrise guarantees that the only way you can get a useful summon is if the GM pity throws one your way.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it’s more complicated then I first thought. The spell by itself isn’t too bad. The fact it doesn’t require sustaining and last between combats means that you can (in theory) have a nice undead minion around with you sustained by a renewable resource. My biggest issue with this spell is the incredibly restrictive size and level rules making it nearly impossible to find a target during adventure. Compounded by the fact that it is limited in another really unfun way, the lack of published content. If we had Skeletons and Zombies of every size from levels 8-16 this would be a better focus spell and, despite all its restrictions, I would encourage any reanimator to pick it up but until that happens it feels like a trap option to me.

I am really hoping I missed something or mis-interpreted some text but I don’t think I have. I am really interested in hearing in what the community has to say and maybe give some feedback/context I haven’t seen.

So with book of the dead on the way (with many subscribers already having their hands on the PDF) I think its safe to say that visions of necromancer characters are in the near future. I was brushing up on my summoning/necromancer knowledge when I realized that because of the slowed 1 condition all zombies have wouldn't that make them simply unviable summons? No matter what abilities it has the whole point of having a minion is that you trade 1 for 2 actions, 1 for 1 is just not playable imo.

There used to be a debate with whether a minion could be effected by slowed/quickened but that debate seems to have be put to rest with the Poppet's Spark of Independance.

Maybe there's a balancing point I'm missing but it seems kind of immersion breaking to play a necromancer that doesn't summon 1 of the most classic undead monsters in the game. I do plan on homebrewing this at my table regardless of RAW but I also like to dable in PFS so I would love to know if there's been any more clarification on this (or maybe even in BOtD).

(Specifically this has to do with the Animate Dead spell which pulls statblocks from the bestiaries not any zombies Animal Companions from BOtD as I assume the rules are different)

Alternative title: PF2e guide to writing guides

So pathfinder 2nd edition has a handful of really informative guides. They go into detail on how to play/build certain classes while also helping you avoid weaker options you might not have noticed at first. I’ve been getting the ich to make a guide lately (on gunslinger or PFS character building) but am kind of struggling on where to start. So given that I kind of wanted to “poll” the community in what they think makes a good class guide!

Does it matter to you if the author has a lot of first-hand experience with the class or is knowing the class in theory fine? Do you prefer lots of math in your guides or do you prefer it more on gameplay feel/roleplay? Are equipment loadouts/character build examples useful to you? Do you like it when guides go through all published character options (like ancestries and backgrounds) or do you prefer they give some generalizations to keep it readable? Also formatting, is there a particular method of presenting information you find most efficient? I guess anything is better then a wall of text but its a subtle aspect of writing that I think helps in the long run.

I think those are some of my core questions but feel free to throw in extras! Thanks for the help in the responses ahead of time incase I can’t keep up.

So recently my partner and I have fallen in love with the fey demi gods of the Eldest. Their character (a tricksy theif rogue) worships the Lantern King and ever since we started including them in our stories it seems like fey and fey deities keep cropping up more and more.

Ragadahn became the center of worship for my dragon inspired kobold instead of the more popular Apsu. The Lost Prince made an iconic figure for a gnome struggling through the effects of loss and the bleaching. A Lore Oracle who was cursed by Magdh after they drank from her Pools of Reflection.

The Eldest have been a lot of fun to build characters around but I find myself craving more resources and advice to properly portray them. Currently my bible is First World Realm of the Fey and it has been a great help for providing structure and context for a lot of the Eldest and how they interact with the world.

Are there an short stories, scenarios, or APs that are worth looking into to further flesh out this pantheon. I have heard that the later parts of Kingmaker (video game) feature the lantern king himself! Is that worth purchasing and looking into?

Thank you anyone who responds to help and thank you James Sutter (and all the writers and editors who helped) for making such a wonderful cast of gods!

Hi all!
So my GM has decided to run Night of the Gray death for my group in a few weeks. Its very exciting to play at high level, something that I've never gotten the chance to do throughout all my TTRPG experience (across 5e and 2e lol). Of course I threw myself into the most complicated high level build I could think of. I would love the communities feedback to see if there's any really good option I missed (particularly in items and spells as those are really hard to parse single handedly). Huge shoutouts to Grotle and Tarondor's spell and wizard guides respectfully. Really helped me get a starting place in the 16 levels of content to sift through. The adventure runs from levels 16-18 and there is no Free Archetype.

Build: Halcyon Universalist Wizard

Ancestry: Human, Half-Orc
1- Natural Ambition (Reach Spell)
5- Orc Superstition
9- Pervasive superstition
13- Spell Devourer

Class: Universalist Wizard
Thesis: Spell Substitution
Bonus Feat- Familiar
2- Magaambyan Attendant
4- Enhanced familiar
6- Halcyon Speaker Dedication
8- Bond Conservation
10- Halcyon Spellcasting Initiate
12- Flexible Halcyon Spellcasting
14- Cascade Bearer Spellcasting
16- Halcyon Spellcasting Adept

Stats and Saves:
AC: 37
10 str 20 dex 18 con 20 int 18 wis 12 cha
+26 Fort +27 Reflex +26 Will (+1 to all saves against magic)

Notable Items:
+2 Greater Resilient Deathless Leather Armor
Staff of Divination Major
Hat of the Magi (Greater)
Endless Grimoire (Major)
Wands (2nd Longstrider, 4th false life, Menace of Mind, Ocular Overload)
Bag of Holding Type 1

As for my actual wizards spells I'm fairly certain there's over 50 or so since I spent a chunk of my extra gold padding out my spell list. I would love to hear any spells you guys think are MUST haves on the arcane spell list or maybe just ones you think are unassuming but you had a good time with!

Thanks everyone in advance!

So I have a new group starting up an extinction curse game this saturday and I want to play a gunslinger. Personally I love the idea of the Way of the Drifter. In and out of combat maneuvering sounds awesome. However looking at my damage numbers Im pretty dissapointed.

Since im restricted to 1H weapons (finesse for melee) both my gun and my sword are d6’s for damage. Since my main fantasy is obviously using my gun it feels wired that it only does 1d6+1 at the best of times. This feels like really low damage to me but I have never played a ranged character before.

On the other hand I was thinking maybe going a different way would be a better idea if I wanted to deal damage with guns? Something 2H like arquebus or dwarven scattergun whos flat bonuses make rolling feel good (though scatter at low levels feels like it could take out some party members).

Any tips on how I can improve my damage?

The text of Implement Empowerment states you need a free hand when you strike to add a small bonus to damage on your attacks. Since bows are 1+ I am assuming you cannot add this damage to your strikes with them? As you do have a free hand but its occupied while you are striking.

If so this may mean that crossbows and guns may be the favoured weapons of a ranged Thaumaturge.

So the new Mwangi Expanse book introduced the Wyrmblessed bloodline for sorcerers which brought us 10 new dragon types. The imperial and primal dragons offer a new slew of flavorful options and interesting combinations of breath weapons and damage types. This is pretty exciting for caster folks but I was wondering if dragon instinct barbarians can choose from this new list as well?

Each listing comes with a corresponding element and AOE shape so it doesn't seem too far fetched to fill in the mechanical requirements for Dragon Instinct rage. But as far as I know there is no wording to RAW allow Dragon Instincts to choose from these options.

Am I right in my thinking or is there a chance I could play a Cloud Dragon Instinct M'beke dwarf any time soon?

So I have a lvl 6 goblin Giant Instinct Bararian in pathfinder society play. I have a heavy splash into champion dedication allowing me to get Champion's reaction. The goal would be to reliably apply retributive strike (paladin cause) with rage damage for some good mitigation and damage dealing.

However up until this point I've been using a bastard sword & shield to help mitigate my AC loss due to rage/clumsy. Retributive strike however, makes it convincing to switch to a reach weapon like the Guisarm. The reach would synergize well with the new reaction and athletics trip.

Basically I'm asking for advice on whether I should switch from sword and board to polarm. I can't carry both as large barbarian weapons have double bulk and adding up my full plate, weapon, and adventuring equipment would encumber me. I feel like without the raise shield AC I may be too squishy.

Anybody with mid-level barbarian experience to help me inform this decision? Thanks a lot in advance!

P.S I also plan on purchasing the shifting rune in the future if that changes anything.

So I was looking at building my 2nd character since my first just passed the 1-4 threshhold. I want to make a character who uses an animal companion and fighter with cavalier dedication seemed like a really fun way to do it. Horses however seemed a little boring to me.

I was wondering since the wording of the cavalier dedication doesn’t specify “common” animal companions with the mount trait if I could get a Riding Drake instead. Would pledging myself to a wyrmkin diety (such as Apsu) make any difference?

I gather that this may be a stretch but since the Riding drake is standard on AON I thought it may be worth to ask.

My group is currently converting from Dnd 5e to PF2e and since we are a smaller group we are starting with the Free Archetype Variant.

One of my friends is looking at builds using the Oracle Archetype as their free one. Overall a solid archetype but the problem we are running into is that their character would heavily fit into the Ancestor Mystery.

The character in question is a 5th level paladin champion with her main stat being strength (19) with a decent splash into charisma (16).

Are the drawbacks that this archetype gives you as insane as I think they are? In combat (triggered when you use the focus spell) you begin to roll every turn for what ancestor is in control of you. There is a 50% chance you roll Skills or Spellcasting meaning that whenever this martial character tries to make a strike (including for her reaction) she needs to make a DC 4 flat check to actually follow through. Given the amount of strikes she is making per turn that DC 4 can add up.

I feel like you could work around it if the focus spell was good enough to pay off but Ancestral Touch feels like a worse demoralize (with all the negatives that its curse brings with it that is).

I do realize that she doesn't need to get First Revelation (the feat that grants access to the focus spell and curse at all) but if we are just going to ignore the most flavorful part of the mystery then why choose that mystery at all over something that could benefit her mechanically.

Currently she moved to Battle Mystery and chosen basic mystery (Domain Acumen) for an extra focus point (pretty nice on a paladin) and she will probably continue on with basic spell casting in the near levels.

It would be great to know if Ancestor Mystery is a good viable option for her lore and flavor and we are just over reacting. Or if Battle mystery is the better path.

Thanks for Reading
Cheers!