Eldran Tesh

Tancred of Hauteville's page

RPG Superstar 6 Season Star Voter. Organized Play Member. 168 posts. No reviews. 1 list. No wishlists.



Liberty's Edge

6 people marked this as FAQ candidate. 2 people marked this as a favorite.

Hi, I would like to understand how does dimensional anchor interact with the banishment/dismissal spell:

- Can a called outsider that is under the effect of dimensional anchor still be banished/dismissed?

- What about a summoned outsider (in case it makes any difference)?

It would be really great if this could be answered and added to the FAQs... this question keeps coming up in both the campaign I play and the one I GM! :)
Thanks a lot.

PS: adding to my befuddlement is the fact that dismissal has a 20% side effect chance of sending the dismissed creature to a plane other than its own... so it really looks like a form of planar travel.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Given its description, shouldn't it be called "reactive" or some such?
It's a common trait and every time I see it I am puzzled why some many PCs need to be ultraconservative in order to get a +2 bonus to Initiative.

Or am I missing something?

Liberty's Edge

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?
Would flattery be enough? :D

T.

Liberty's Edge

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. :)
Could someone please provide me with a link to this secret location? Thanks.

Liberty's Edge

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?
Can it attack other targets inside 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)?
Can creatures from outside target the creatures inside with ranged attacks and spells?

4C. Do breath weapons and gas-based effects (e.g. cloudkill) affect the creatures inside the wall of thorns?

Thank you.

Liberty's Edge

So... no PC ever used spell turning in your games, right?

Liberty's Edge

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?
Can it attack other targets inside 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)?
Can creatures from outside target the creatures inside with ranged attacks and spells?

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.

Liberty's Edge

This spell stands out as an exceedingly effective way to block the movement of many opponent
1. for a really long time (10 minutes per level!)
2. without save
3. without spell resistance
4. making it extremely difficult to escape (basically, unless you have spells/effects like dimension door or a very high Strength you're blocked there for an hour and a half or more...)
5. you can cast it already on spaces occupied by creature (this puts this spell apart from other walls)
6. and it is only a 5th level spell.

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?
- Can you attack with ranged weapons? Is there a concealment/cover modifier?
- If you are inside the wall, unable to move, can you still attack with melee weapons opponents which are on squares within their reach? Viceversa, can creatures from outside make melee attacks to creatures within reach imprisoned in 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.
Fighter types can maybe get out (with some difficult), but what about all the other characters with Strength 19 or less? I am thinking e.g. of bards and rogues here, but also clerics could easily be in troubles. And there is no alternative here: you can't use Escape Artist for example, although that would make sense.

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.
You better hope that your resident party caster still has a dispel magic left.

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.

Liberty's Edge

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?
And what if - instead - I add 3 cleric levels? I assume those would not stack up in terms of CL.

Thanks.

Liberty's Edge

... 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?
Pretty please? :D

Liberty's Edge

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.
But the armor of spell resistance (19) is basically useless at the higher levels, and is not worth its money (just compare with the heavy fortification power).

Every 18th level caster (or 16th level caster with the spell penetration feat) automatically overcomes a SR 19.
Even a 14th level caster has extremely good chances (just need to throw a modest 5).
And a puny 8th level caster (or a 6th level caster with the spell penetration feat) has a 50% chance of overcoming 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?

Liberty's Edge

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.

Liberty's Edge

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.

Liberty's Edge

I can't find the description of the swarm traits in the Bestiary.
Where is that listed?

Liberty's Edge

Lesser confusion is a bard spell. Why does it have a DF (divine focus) component?

Confusion is also a Sor/Wiz spell, and it has as components: V, S, M/DF so the DF looks intentional.

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.

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.
But - after 24 hours - do I also get extra skill points on top of that for having higher intelligence, points that I can spend as wish among different skill?

Thanks

Liberty's Edge

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:
Shield: Sor/Wiz 1
Shield of faith: Clr 1
Shield other: Clr 2, Pal 2
Shield of law: Clr 8

So now, if I am a wizard or sorcerer, is Shield the only power that I can use out of this staff?
This would mean that I'll need to share the item with the group's cleric if I am to make full use of its powers. Is this working as intended? Or can the wizard - and therefore also cleric and paladin - use all powers (having just one on his spell list being enough to use them all)?

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? :)

Liberty's Edge

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.
Thank you.

Liberty's Edge

PFRPG rulebook states:

Bane: A bane weapon excels against certain foes. Against a designated foe, the weapon's enhancement bonus is +2 better than its actual bonus. [...]

Can the total bonus exceed +5?
Does a +5 sword of dragon bane act as a +7 sword against dragons?

Thanks.