The Other's page

Hi all,

I realize that there was significant discussion regarding Feral Combat Training and the 2015 UC errata, but I am still not entirely clear on the current state of the feat.

Feral Combat Training:

Choose one of your natural weapons. While using the selected natural weapon, you can apply the effects of feats that have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite.

Does this mean that any feat that has Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, yet mentions specifically "unarmed strike" in the feat text (for example Dragon Style, Vicious Stomp, or Medusa's Wrath), can still be used with Feral Combat Training?

While using this style, you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against sleep effects, paralysis effects, and stunning effects. You ignore difficult terrain when you charge, run, or withdraw. You can also charge through squares that contain allies. Further, you can add 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus on the damage roll for your first unarmed strike on a given round.

Whenever an opponent falls prone adjacent to you, that opponent provokes an attack of opportunity from you. This attack must be an unarmed strike.

Whenever you use the full-attack action and make at least one unarmed strike, you can make two additional unarmed strikes at your highest base attack bonus. These bonus attacks must be made against a dazed, flat-footed, paralyzed, staggered, stunned, or unconscious foe.

It would seem so, otherwise the feat would be almost completely useless. Or has it been nerfed to the ground?

Thank you in advance.

Hi all,

I posted the other day about Fighting Defensively and Pounce.

There doesn't seem to be consensus on whether one can Pounce Defensively, other than maybe don't plan on using it in PFS because of table variance, and ask your GM.

What about Pounce and Medusa's Wrath? RAI, this seems like it should work, but the wording in Medusa's Wrath is the same as Fighting Defensively; it requires a "Full-Attack Action":

Whenever you use the full-attack action and make at least one unarmed strike, you can make two additional unarmed strikes at your highest base attack bonus. These bonus attacks must be made against a dazed, flat-footed, paralyzed, staggered, stunned, or unconscious foe.

When a creature with this special attack makes a charge, it can make a full attack (including rake attacks if the creature also has the rake ability).

We have the Spell Combat FAQ (thank you @Ascalaphus), which is somewhat helpful, but still doesn't address the larger RAW question:

Magus, Spell Combat: Does spell combat count as making a full attack action for the purpose of haste and other effects?

Yes.

Edit 9/9/13: This is a revised ruling about how haste interacts with effects that are essentially a full attack, even though the creature isn't specifically using the full attack action (as required by haste). The earlier ruling did not allow the extra attack from haste when using spell combat.

So, does the RAI feel of Medusa's Wrath make us think that Pounce + Medusa's Wrath should be OK? Or is there still the larger RAW issue of the discrepancy between "making a full attack" vs. "taking a full-attack action"?

Hi all,

I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere, but I couldn't find it in the Core FAQ, nor in searching this forum.

RAW, is it clear whether or not "making a full attack" and "taking a full-attack action" are the exact same thing?

Specifically, if I Charge and have Pounce, and can therefore "make a full attack" after the Charge, can I choose to fight defensively when making this full attack?

RAW states "you can choose to fight defensively when taking a full-attack action."

In other words, is "making a full attack" the same as "taking a full-attack action"?

Thank you in advance.
The Other

Hi all,

This is not a Society build, though it could be with some tweaking (like Bloodrager first). This has come out of a homebrew campaign, without retraining. I'm asking for your help for any advice and general fact checking. Much obliged in advance.

My main questions, apart from overall correctness, are: can Divine Favor work with Druid levels? And how should I work around FCT with the Deinonychus levels? Do I go WF Talon and then focus on Charging and Grappling with the Allosaurus (I'd rather not, with that massive reach)? Any other suggestions, if you get the general gist of what I'm trying to do (high DPR with decent AC), would be greatly appreciated.

Initiative and Fort and Will Saves should be good, Dex will be very bad. The atrocious Dex save is probably the most glaring weakness of the build.

Magical Knack: Druid

1(Druid 1): Improved Initiative
1(Druid 1): Toughness
2:(Bloodrager 1[Id Rager: Anger, Urban Bloodrager]) BAB 1
3:(Druid 2) Extra Rage BAB 2
4:(Druid 3) BAB 3
5:(Druid 4) Natural Spell BAB 4 (Wildshape: Deinonychus until Level 9)
6:(Warpriest 1) Weapon Focus (Talon) BAB 4
(Divine Favor as Druid 6 (does this work?) +2 Luck Attack/Dmg x2 Day as Standard Action)
- Travel Blessing, Liberation Blessing?
7: (Warpriest 2) Feral Combat Training (Talon) BAB 5 (Divine Favor +2 x3 Day as Swift)
8: (MoMS/Martial Artist 1): Improved Unarmed Strike,
Dragon Style (Wis to AC) BAB 5
9: (MoMS 2) Shaping Focus, Dragon Ferocity BAB 6 (Evasion) (Iterative) (Wildshape: Allosaurus)
10: (Warpriest 3) Combat Reflexes BAB 7
11: (Warpriest 4) Dual Enhancement (or Boon Companion), BAB 8

LVL 9: Allosaurus, Charge vs. AC 22, Vine Strike, Divine Favor Up (Rough Calculations)
AC: 10 + 6 NA + 3 Bark + 4 WIS + 4 Mage Armor + 2 Dex + RoP+3 - 3 Dex (Huge, Rage) = 29 AC
Hit: Charge 2 + BAB 6 + STR 4 + Rage 3 + Belt 2 + DFavor 2 + WFocus 1 + WShape 3 + Amulet 3 [Furious]- 2 PA (+24)
Dmg:
Claw 1: STR (4+3+2+3 [34 STR + 12])x2 (DFerocity) + DF 2 + Amulet 3 + PA 4) =2d6+31 (38)
Claw 2: STR (4+3+2+3 [34 STR + 12])x1.5 + DF 2 + Amulet 3 + PA 6) =2d6+29 (36)
Bite 1: STR (4+3+2+3 [34 STR + 12]) + DF 2 + Amulet 3 + PA 4) +21 =2d6+21 (28)
Talon 1: STR (4+3+2+3 [34 STR + 12]) + DF 2 + Amulet 3 + PA 4) +21=1d8+21 (25.5)
Talon 2: STR (4+3+2+3 [34 STR + 12]) + DF 2 + Amulet 3 + PA 4) +21=1d8+21 (25.5)

Total DPR vs AC 24 or less: 38+36+28+51+23.5(Vine Strike)= 176.5

Magic Items
1: Headband of Wisdom +2 (2k craft, Owl’s Wisdom), +4 later
2: Wand of Mage Armor (Buy 750g)
2: Belt of Giant? Strength +2 (2k craft, Bull’s Strength), +4 later (6k)
3: Amulet of Many Fists +1 (4k buy), Furious later (6k craft, rage)
4: Druid Vestments (1375g craft, wildshape), switch out for Monk Robes
5: Ring of Protection +1 (and so on)

Hi all,

This is so good that I felt I needed to post it here:

Incredible Reddit Post on Flying for Melee Characters

Hello all,

Is it just me, or does the Dedication Emotional Focus for the Id Rager archetype seem quite powerful for a one-level dip? Another +2 to Will saves while raging, the Skill Focus bonus feat, and the impressive Dutiful Strike ability.

Additionally, might there be a way of exploiting the "deals damage against that target as if the phantom were one size category larger" aspect of the ability for a character NOT using natural attacks?

TL;DR: Out of all possibilities for a one-level Bloodrager dip, does the Id Rager archetype with Dedication Emotional Focus make the most sense for a TWF Warpriest?

Thank you, as always,
The Other

Hi all,

I'm still not clear on buffs and stacking. I'm envisioning an Unchained Barbarian/Arsenal Chaplain Warpriest at Lvl 11.

Do the following bonuses stack:

BAB +8
STR +5
Divine Favor +4
Rage +2
Furious Weapon +3
Weapon Training +4
Weapon Focus +1
Sacred Weapon +2

For +29 to hit and

STR +5
Divine Favor +4
Rage +2
Furious Weapon +3
Weapon Training +4
Sacred Weapon +2

For +20 to damage?

Thank you, as always,
The Other

Dear all,

I hope this post finds you well. I am currently engrossed in the delightfully meaty process of designing my first PFS character, and have come across Secret Wizard's enticing TWF Mantis Zealot build:

---

Traits: Hedge Magician, Artisan

Blessings: Trickery (not sure why s/he only listed one?)

Feats:

1. Two-Weapon Fighting, BONUS: Weapon Focus

3. Power Attack, BONUS: Double Slice

5. Craft Weapons and Armor

6. BONUS: Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, FCB: Weapon Specialization

7. Craft Wondrous Item

9. Lunge, BONUS: Improved Critical

11. Critical Focus

12. BONUS: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, FCB: Two-Weapon Rend

---

My understanding is that item creation is not PFS legal, and I have therefore developed the following tweak, centered on Quicken Blessing: War and the synergy with Improved Critical:

---

Traits: Fate's Favored, Ancestral Weapon: Sawtooth Sabre

Blessings: War, Trickery

Feats:

1. Two-Weapon Fighting, BONUS: Weapon Focus

3. Quicken Blessing: War, BONUS: Double Slice

5. Power Attack

6. BONUS: Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, FCB: Weapon Specialization

7. Improved Initiative

9. Lunge, BONUS: Improved Critical

11. Critical Focus

12. BONUS: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, FCB: Two-Weapon Rend

---

I have a few of questions for you, if I may:

1) Should I swap QB: War and Improved Initiative? I like the idea of having War Mind on Swift action for all of those levels.

2) Battle Lust + Improved Critical is enticing, given TWF. However, do you have any ideas, other than Fervor self-healing, that can help mitigate all of the nonlethal damage?

3) Should Power Attack or Double Slice come first?

4) Do you have any other general reactions or suggestions for this type of build?

---

Thank you for your consideration, as always.

The Other

May I ask, what is your opinion of a Combat Druid taking Ice Armor? This seems like a boon for a first level front-liner; does it make sense to take this over CLW? What might your general opinion be of this spell for Combat Druids before Wildshape?

Thank you for your consideration.

The Other