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I was casually re-reading Treantmonk's Guide to the Wizard, and I am always struck by how useful it is (and it happens to be very entertaining too, which is quite remarkable for what one would expect to be a very dry "user manual"). So now I am left wondering: Treantmonk, what would take you to update your Wizard's Guide with the new spells and feats from the Advanced Player's Handbook?
T.
I am a bit confused by the description of the witch hexes in the APG: how often can you use a given hex? Once per day? Or can you use the same hex again and again? For example, can the witch use the Evil Eye again and again every round? And what about the Disguise hex? (To me it does not make much sense that it lasts 1 hour/level but you can re-use at will, that would effectively give you permanent disguise, but maybe that is WAD). T. PS: I wanted to look at the APG FAQ first but I could not find them. I remember a poster some time ago stating (I guess jokingly) that the FAQ are purposely kept well-concealed by Paizo. :)
Dear James, I have a few (long-standing) questions regarding the Wall of Thorns spell (Core Rulebook page 367). I'd be really grateful if you could clarify these to me. Thanks a lot! 1. Precisely, what can a creature do (i.e. which actions can it take) while inside a Wall of Thorns (WoT)? 2. If a creature can take an action (other than attempting to free itself with a Strength check), will it take damage as if it moved even if it remains in the same square? [Question credit: Laurefindel] 3. Does the WoT provide a concealment/cover modifier to those inside? Does it block the line-of-effect of spells? 4A. If a creature is blocked inside the wall, can it still attack with melee weapons opponents which happen to be on squares within its reach? Can it attack target outside the wall with ranged weapons or spells?
4B. Viceversa, can creatures from outside make melee attacks to the creatures inside the wall (and within reach)?
4C. Do breath weapons and gas-based effects (e.g. cloudkill) affect the creatures inside the wall of thorns? Thank you.
Just to be clear, these are the questions about the Wall of Thorns spell (PF Core Rulebook page 367) that I would like to be answered: 1. What can a creature do (i.e. which actions can it take) while inside the wall? 2. Does the WoT provide a concealment/cover modifier to those inside? Does it block the line-of-effect of spells? 3A. If a creature is blocked inside the wall, can it still attack with melee weapons opponents which happen to be on squares within its reach? Can it attack target outside the wall with ranged weapons or spells?
3B. Viceversa, can creatures from outside make melee attacks to the creatures inside the wall (and within reach)?
3C. Can gas-based effects (e.g. an incendiary cloud or a cloudkill) and breath weapons affect the creatures inside the wall of thorns? Thank you.
This spell stands out as an exceedingly effective way to block the movement of many opponent
Am I missing/misinterpreting something here or it really works this way? It looks way too powerful to be true (i.e. broken). Additional important questions (dear Paizo staff, I'd be delighted if you could reply to these questions): - what can you do while you are inside the wall?
-------------------------------------------------------------------- EDIT: Let me comment on some relevant sections from the spell description: Creatures can force their way slowly through the wall by making a Strength check as a full-round action. For every 5 points by which the check exceeds 20, a creature moves 5 feet (up to a maximum distance equal to its normal land speed). Of course, moving or attempting to move through the thorns incurs damage as described above. A creature trapped in the thorns can choose to remain motionless in order to avoid taking any more damage. That is WAY too difficult! You need a minimum Strength of 20 just to have a 5% probability of scoring a 20+5 = 25 and be able to move 5 feet.
Any creature within the area of the spell when it is cast takes damage as if it had moved into the wall and is caught inside. So you can cast it on squares already occupied by creatures. Scary! In order to escape, it must attempt to push its way free yes, if you have Strength 20+, and even then it's going to be ugly. or it can wait until the spell ends. Oh, sure, it is just 10 minutes per level after all.
Creatures with the ability to pass through overgrown areas unhindered can pass through a wall of thorns at normal speed without taking damage. So the druid could enter into melee and the cast the wall all around himself and then move on. Neat. Too neat. A wall of thorns can be breached by slow work with edged weapons. Chopping away at the wall creates a safe passage 1 foot deep for every 10 minutes of work. Normal fire cannot harm the barrier, but magical fire burns it away in 10 minutes. We are still talking about hundreds of rounds here. None of this can be done in combat.
Hi, I am a bit confused on how adding class levels to monsters would work in practice. First of all, if one is to allow a monster race (e.g. kobold or gnoll) as a viable race for PCs, how are the modifiers to the six abilities extracted from the Bestiary tables? What about other racial bonuese/penalties, favourite classes, bonus to skills, etc.? Second (this is for monsters proper, not PC races) suppose I want to add 3 sorcerer levels to a dragon. How does that work? Do these levels stack up with the sorcerer capabilities that the dragon already has (caster level, spells per day and known spells, etc.)? What about the bloodline? Would the levels stack up also for bloodline powers?
Thanks.
... I have just finished reading your guide to the PF Wizard and that was both very interesting (although I disagree on the harsh judgement of a few spells, including Mind Blank) and a lot of fun to read. So I was wondering, now that the wizard got his due, are we getting a Sorcerer Guide anytime soon?
I think that the the spell resistance armor special ability is too weak in relation to the cost. Take spell resistance (19): that is a +5 bonus. It is easy to see that +4 and +5 bonus powers are supposed to be good at all levels, including high levels.
Every 18th level caster (or 16th level caster with the spell penetration feat) automatically overcomes a SR 19.
So why would a high level character (say, level 17+) would ever want to invest a lot of money in such a basically useless armor power, also considering that he/she can get a heavy fortification for the same amount?
The hold person spell description specifies: The subject becomes paralyzed and freezes in place. It is aware and breathes normally but cannot take any actions, even speech. Really no action at all? Not even purely mental actions, such as maintaining concentration or casting a Quickened Spell? I am asking since in the glossary the description of the paralyzed condition is not so harsh: A paralyzed character cannot move, speak, or take any physical action. He is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Not even friends can move his limbs. He may take purely mental actions, such as casting a spell with no components. So it would seem that paralysis from the hold stuff spell is more potent than "generic" paralysis.
Hi there, you knowleadgeable folks! Do PF elves sleep or not? 3.5 elves did their freaky reverie thing rather than sleeping, but what about PFRPG? The Races Chapter talks about immunity to magical sleep, but does not imply not needing natural sleep. However, the nightmare spell specifies Creatures who don't sleep (such as elves, but not half-elves) or dream are immune to this spell and AFAIK that is the only mention of this fact in the book. It is clear, but hidden in very very obscure place.
Could you please help me understand how does the headband of vast intelligence work? The headband has an associated skill for each +2, and this is fine.
Thanks
Please help me clarify this. I suspect I must miss some information somewhere. 1. Staves use the spell trigger activation method. (p. 491) 2. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. (p. 458) 3. Staff of Defence (p. 492), as well as several other staves, has mixed arcane and divine powers:
So now, if I am a wizard or sorcerer, is Shield the only power that I can use out of this staff?
And here's one more question for the rule pundits among you: Recharging Staves: Imbuing a staff with this power restores one charge to the staff, but the caster must forgo one prepared spell or spell slot of a level equal to the highest-level spell cast by the staff. (p. 491) Suppose I am recharging a Staff of Divination, whose highest-level spell are Prying Eyes (Wiz 5) and True Seeing (Clr 5, Wiz 6, Drd 7): does the "cost" of recharging the staff depend on who is recharging it? (Alas, the poor druid must spend a 7th-level spell slot!) PS: when I was checking the above, it took me a while to find Prying Eyes in the rulebook... turns out it is on page 326, just before Produce Flame. Maybe somebody at Paizo was trying to reform the alphabetical order? :)
The more I reread Chapter 15, the more I am puzzled. On dancing weapons, this is what the book states (boldface mine): Dancing: As a standard action, a dancing weapon can be loosed to attack on its own. It fights for 4 rounds using the base attack bonus of the one who loosed it and then drops. While dancing, it cannot make attacks of opportunity, and the person who activated it is not considered armed with the weapon. The weapon is considered wielded or attended by the creature for all maneuvers and effects that target items. While dancing, the weapon shares the same space as the activating character and can attack adjacent foes (weapons with reach can attack opponents up to 10 feet away). The dancing weapon accompanies the person who activated it everywhere, whether she moves by physical or magical means. If the wielder who loosed it has an unoccupied hand, she can grasp it while it is attacking on its own as a free action; when so retrieved, the weapon can't dance (attack on its own) again for 4 rounds. Question 1: "when so retrieved, the weapon can't dance (attack on its own) again for 4 rounds". This means that if the weapon is not retrieved in that way (e.g. it simply drops) it can be reactivated later without waiting for 4 rounds. Right? Question 2: the person who activated the dancing weapon can direct it, telling the weapon to change target or cease attacking? Is this a free action? Is this a verbal or a mental command? Question 3: can the dancing weapon perform maneuvers (e.g. disarm, sunder on its own), if so directed? Question 4: can the dancing weapon flank? This is relevant if the user and the weapon - while sharing the same square - are attacking different targets. Question 5: "while dancing, it cannot make attacks of opportunity", and that's fine. But does the weapon provoke attacks of opportunity? If the activator moves around, the weapon will accompany him (it says so in the description), so in principle it can provoke AoO. And people would be happy to sunder a dancing sword as an AoO. Official answers on this matter will be intensely appreciated.
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