I really like the idea of a Cleric of Erastil with the Feather domain to get an animal companion, with Boon Companion to boost its effectiveness. The domain also grants some other nice benefits, including a Perception boost, and Fly as a 3rd level domain spell.
I've been toying with a way to use the deity-specific WIS-to-hit with longbows feat (name escapes me right now) to reduce the MADness of the build, but it's hard to get online early as I'd like (the BAB requirement for Weapon Focus delaying that being the biggest issue) and there is the additional problem of DEX being a required stat for several archery related feats. (Then again, this build is meant to mix full level casting with archery and a companion, so it only really needs to be an effective archer , not an amazing one).
If skill points are an issue, you could also consider an eventual move into the Evangelist *prestige class*. You'd basically trade off a single of Cleric advancement in exchange for the prestige class benefits, which includes many more skill points.
A headband of unshakeable resolve can deal with fear effects at least. A lesser talisman (pentacle) can deal with several effects including dominate. It's based off protection from evil.
I was also going to suggest the Pentacle Talisman. Either buy several lesser versions at 600gp each, or a greater version at 6,000gp. It won't entirely solve your problem, but would be a great Defence to layer with other Will save boosting options.
Mind Butressing Armor seems like a great option too, though much costlier. I'd also want to ensure that Mithral medium armor still counts as medium for the purpose of the enchantment, given it otherwise generally counts as light Armor, apart from for proficiency purposes.
Should be workable, assuming you're not relying on your armor too much for defence and don't mind the delayed ninja trick and sneak attack progression (though you could always take Accomplished Sneak Attacker as a later feat on the justification that you're getting a bonus feat from being a monk).
The flurry from Unchained Monk is always nice if you use unarmed attacks or monk weapons (I'd suggested using a monk weapon given you're only dipping and won't progress the UAS damage die
-- the new waveblade is nice), and the ki pools will stack, subject to the rule about applying only one ability score modifier.
The Black Asp archetype is most flavourful for combining with a ninja, but if your current character is more CHA-based than WIS-based, you will probably want to look at Scaled Fist. Both replace Still Mind, so you could only choose one, ad the Black Asp doesn't really grant anything for a one-level dip, so Scaled Fist seems like the right choice.
What are your ability scores right now? Having a good CHA score will definitely soften the blow of losing your armor (assuming Scaled Fist).
Probably a question better suited to the Rules forum.
I believe the rules specifically say SR does not stack, but instead overlaps. In terms of whether that means two separate checks, that seems like it would be very impractical, such as for lowering it, as Java Man mentions.
Had a quick look online and found the following older thread for your consideration: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2mwkn?Overlapping-Spell-Resistance
Consensus there seemed to be that you just apply the highest one, unless something gets rid of that. That does potentially still raise the problem of how you lower both for friendly spells though...
So for a character attacking a bad guy with 1 mirror image and blur up would be:
Roll attack roll.
If the attack his the defender's AC, roll to see if it hits an image.
If it does not strike an image, roll miss chance from blur.
This the right idea?
How do you describe that to the PC? Are they aware they were attacking the correct guy and only missed due to blur (assuming the PC knows what blur is)?
A bit of a long day, but my reading is that the FAQ stipulates that miss chance typically only comes into play (barring Blink, etc) if the attack roll beats AC and is not already 'defeated' by Mirror Image. It does not operate to protect the images themselves -- just the actual caster. So to make it simple, that means you resolve the mirror image defence first, and then only if that has not already protected the defender do you consider miss chance.
Accordingly, at the risk of making it more complicated than it has to be, I take the sequence as being:
(1) Roll the attack roll.
(2) If the attack roll beats enemy AC, roll to see if it hits an image. Either: (a) The attack roll beats AC and does NOT hit an image, in which case you roll miss chance, and resolve as normal; or (b) The attack roll beats AC and DOES hit an image in which case the attack is defeated at the cost of an image, and you do not consider miss chance.
(3) If the initial attack roll does NOT beat enemy AC, but misses by five or less, it destroys an image. Once again, miss chance plays no role here, and does not protect the image.
(4) If the attack roll does not beat enemy AC and misses by more than five, it misses entirely, and either miss chance nor mirror images have any role.
As to how to describe it, I think that is up to the DM. But I'd describe a miss due to Mirror Image the same way as I would whether Blur (or other miss chance inducing effect) was in place or not: namely that the attack fails to hit the "real" enemy. If the attack fails to miss chance, I'd describe the attacker as having identified the "real" enemy, but missing due to the blurring effect surrounding him/her.
I can appreciate why that might not be super-satisfying, but I do think the FAQ ruling is sensible and straightforward from a game perspective, especially given that it helps rein in the stacking of different "forms" of miss chance.
If you might be interested in a slightly less typical support build, maybe something like a Benefactor + Witch Doctor Shaman with Life spirit (likely with the Restoration variant), and grab the Bless Equipment feats?
I'd imagine that would be a character most would appreciate having at the table.
Invisible Fog (Level 3)
This spell works as Obscuring Mist, except that the fog is invisible. It reduces visibility to 5 feet for anyone who can see invisible or who has true seeing, but has no effect on anyone else.
It is interesting, and has a subtlety to it that I like. Obviously subject to the usual fog counters (fogcutting lenses, for example), but could be a fun mechanic to surprise those with sight-enhancing spells. Of course, as a caster, you might also be relying on those same spells, so you might often be shooting yourself in the foot with this.
Unfortunately I'm not sure it does anything to achieve what I'm looking for in this particular case (which is to make offensive illusion spells less easily invalidated), and is more directed towards making the caster unseen (something largely achievable with Greater Invisibility + Mind Blank). Even with Invisible Fog in place, my reading is that True Seeing would still invalidate spells like Phantasmal Killer.
Some practical tips, purely from my own personal perspective:
- Motivation is a really important part of one's character, and acts as a driving force for their goals and actions. In a game like PF, it is important that the character's motivations align with the campaign you're involved in. Before committing to anything, I think it is important to get at least a vague sense of the type of campaign the character is joining and what the goals will be. That way, you can tailor the backstory to ensure it allows for some motivation for the character to be involved in the plot. (There is nothing worse for me than seeing a character with a backstory that gives them no reason whatsoever to care about the campaign plot. I've seen some elaborate, lengthy backstories that end up being completely tone deaf to the themes and scope of the campaign, and leaves the character to tag along awkwardly for no apparent reason.)
- Never make the backstory more interesting than the plot of the campaign itself. It should be a broad sketch of the character's background (shaping their motivations and goals), not a long recitation of their prior super amazing deeds.
- Consider the location and history of the world you're in, and try to mesh your character idea into that. For example, if you want to play a wizard who specializes in enchantment magic, where would such a character likely come from? Where would he or she have studied? What about their background led them to specialize in enchantment over, say, evocation?
- I like to create a broad sketch of history and personality, but leave enough room for the character's specific traits to develop organically within the campaign. For example, I'm currently playing a Shoanti Shaman in Rise of the Runelords. I knew starting out that he would be very traditional and a proud meber of his people. As the campaign progressed, I expanded on that by adding extra touches, like a strong dislike for Chelaxians (given their history with the Shoanti) and some initial level of ignorance and stereotypical views of other cultures, like Varisians. It came up organically and was a bit of fun, all while being consistent with the previous background sketch and grounded in the campaign world.
- Give some thought to creating a character who is going to be able to mesh and work with other characters. Most PF campaigns are centered around groups of PCs that work together (and are premised on the assumption they can do so), so maybe leave any angsty loner characters for some other game. It's certainly not required, but I personally like playing characters that are at least somewhat likeable and social. That's partly because I play mostly online via Roll20 with people who I have no prior relationship with, so playing an easy going and likeable character makes it a little easier to engage with the other players and avoid any misunderstanding about whether it is me or the character who is acting like a jerk.
Excellent thoughts everyone -- thank you very much.
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Dave Justus -- I had looked at Aroden's Spellbane, and while it' a 9th level spell, it certainly would be a pretty effective counter to True Seeing, See Invisibility, and potentially other spells on top of that, with the longer duration you mention. Pretty amazing spell.
I hadn't actually considered the interaction of the Blind the Sighted spell with inherent true seeing abilities, though I wanted to ensure that things like blindsight would still work (the idea being to make illusion spells effective rather than to make the character immune to detection). Actually, on that same thinking, I could actually remove the reference to See Invisibility, as it isn't a critical part of the spell. From your comments, do you think Blind the Sighted would be more balanced as an 8th level spell?
As far as the metamagic idea goes, that's not something I had thought about before. I'll definitely have to think about that. I'm not sure the concept of creating a new feat appeals to me so much as the idea of a wizard researching a new spell to address his/her biggest weakness, but I definitely get the rationale for the idea.
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blahpers and Mr. Styx -- your ideas kind of align in that they both involve opposed checks, and the idea of a dispel-like spell that specifically targets True Seeing effects had certainly occurred to me. From the caster's perspective I don't like it quite as much, given it has action economy implications, and maybe more importantly, it requires identification of an enemy's use of true seeing to allow for targeting. Also, part of the thinking with Blind the Sighted is that it is higher level than True Seeing, which provides an inherent justification for why the spell might be able to counter a lower level one, whereas Dispel True Seeing is lower level.
Having said that, I'm now considering a hybrid idea -- a spell with an aura effect that constantly seeks out and attempts to dispel true seeing effects within the area. It gives me this visual of tendrils of eldritch energy (maybe ironically visible only to those with true seeing?) which are constantly questing out to find those with true seeing effects and apply a dispel check against them. That could be both cool and effective without being an outright "sorry, no" to those with True Seeing. Would need to look into the caster level applicable to constant true seeing effects though.
I'm looking at a possible illusionist wizard build, and am concerned that at higher levels True Seeing is really going to become a problem.
While I appreciate that Mind Blank will help with some of that (such as allowing the wizard to remain invisible via Greater Invisibility), it really hurts the flavourful offensive options available to an illusionist. For example, True Seeing will trump things like Phantasmal Killer (and by extension, Weird) and other similar spells (such as Phantasmal Asphyxiation). It also dramatically reduces the effectiveness of the Shadow spells.
So I was thinking: as a high level wizard illusionist, I'm smart and obviously know this True Seeing thing is a problem -- so what would I do to deal with it? Well why not research and create a spell to specifically counter it?
Hence the following spell idea:
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BLIND THE SIGHTED
School: abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M (finely ground black onyx powder worth 250gp)
Range: personal
Target: you
Duration: 1 min./level (D)
You surround yourself with a sphere of power with a radius of 5 feet per caster level that negates the effect of see invisibility, true seeing, or any effect akin to either of those spells. These sight-enhancing divination effects continue to work outside the affected area, but anything within the area is not revealed (including darkness effects, invisibility, illusions and anything else that would otherwise be revealed). This spell has no effect on other senses, such as blindsense, blindsight, scent or tremorsense.
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Does this seem like a reasonably balanced spell? I designed it fairly quickly, but note that it is a level or two higher than True Seeing (which is cleric 5 and sorcerer/wizard 6), has a similar material component cost and duration to True Seeing, and the same sort of radius as Invisibility Purge. It is a level lower than Mind Blank, but has a much reduced duration and none of the anti-scrying effects the latter spell has.
My thinking is that it does not offer an illusionist a total defence against divination magic and requires getting a little closer than they might prefer to get off offensive spells, but at least it would invalidate True Seeing as a total counter to an illusionist's tricks. It would also open up Mirror Image as a valid defence again!
Fetchling Oracle with the Shadow mystery. Maybe play with the notion of shadow as the balance between light and dark/good and evil and whatnot. I probably wouldn't dilute things with a prestige class
Your group could use the divine based casting support, but the mystery remains thematic and appropriatand to the sort of campaign you're looking at. CHA based so you can get Diplomacy and related skills going. The shadow spells should also offer quite a bit of versatility.
Ranged inquisitor perhaps? Drop the 19 in Dexterity, use th racial bonus to boost Wisdom perhaps (or alternatively Strength). Then use level boosts to convert odd numbers into even ones over the course of the campaign?
I agree wth Scythia. If you don't want to rebuild NPCs to take advantage of things like Spell Perfection (combined with Spell Focus, etc), or to go the nuclear route of adding Mythic tiers, your best bet is to leverage spells with no saves or which have a secondary effect even on a successful save. So things like Waves of Exhaustion, for example.
Of course, the advice from Dragonchess Player about targeting different class' weak saves is also excellent. One would think that smart enemies would recognie what sort of saves might work against what sort of PCs at this level. As a PC I typically know that sneaky guys will have good REF saves but weak WILL, arcane casters will have high WILL but low FORT, etc. So it's fair for the NPCs to expect the same.
Endure Elements so he doesn't need to think or worry about what he is wearing -- he will always be comfortable for the weather. Or at a higher level, Life Bubble.
Lots of long lasting buffs for sure. Nothing he has to worry about recasting all the time. That's soooo much effffort.
Not exactly what you are looking for, by I thought it worth mentioning that my Shaman is about to take the Planned Spontaneity feat. It will allow him to split several regular spell slots between two spell options, which I'm hoping will further expand his versatility.
Right now it is sometimes hard to justify preparing more situational spells because Shamans don't have the option to spontaneously cast Cure spells like a Cleric or Summon Nature's Ally like a Druid. This feat should make that more of an option. Basically I will prepare something more situational like Ice Body in the same 'split slot' as something more reliable like Heal. That way I can use Ice Body if it seems like a good call, but know that Heal is also there if I need it.
Calcific Touch is a good option. It's only forth level but that means you can apply whatever metamagic you want to it(I'd advise maximize).
Best part is that a successful save doesn't stop the worst part of the spell; the d4 of dex damage that petrifies them permanently once they're down to zero.
Of course I have a personal phobia regarding paralyzation/petrification so maybe that's just me.
Do you happen to know if a touch spell like that would also carry the Lich's usual Paralyzing Touch? My feeling is that it could discharge the touch spell on the touch attack, allowing for some synergy and stacked effects to save against.
It also makes the suggestion of something like a Bloodrager or Magus Lich more intriguing, as it can use its touch attack as a secondary natural attack, along with whatever other full attack routine it might be making.
My recollection is that an Oracle gets to choose whether to spontaneously cast cure or inflict spells, with no alignment restriction. So that could be a fun option, and allows you to play a class that's a bit different than your prior Cleric.
As for deities if you go Cleric, let me add Besmara to the list, especially if a pirate -esque character suits the setting and party.
Another option might be Groetus for a fatalistic "all will end eventually" character, but who might preserve the lives of his allies to further his own ends of ultimately hastening the end of all things. (Maybe seeing his party mates as tools in a larger design.)
EDIT: Darn autocorrect. So many errors. Teaches me to try to type something coherent while feeding my kid dinner.
I feel like the obvious familiar choice is... octopus.
Either it's sort of a "Mini Me" situation, or even maybe some family connection (from pre-awakened days), but I love the visual of this smaller octopus just bobbing along after the larger one.
Some great advice in here. I'd been intending to suggest Massacre, but Rysky beat me to it.
Time Stop is certainly great for setting up the battlefield with summons and ongoing area effects.
Spellbane is especially great if the liches are aware of the party tactics, as a means of countering some key spell choices. Spell Immunity and Greater Spell Immunity, as well, assuming one of the liches skews towards being a divine caster.
You will also want to consider how to maximize use of the terrain, as well as the liches' undead immunities. So stuff like (Persistent?) Cloudkill through the area can be helpful, especially if the liches are using things like Echolocation to continue to see. I expect several of your players can easily deal with the vision issues, but perhaps not all, and having to deal with an ongoing Cloudkill effect may become quite challenging (especially since the CON damage will make future saves even harder).
I kinda hate Dazing spell, but if it's something the PCs use, definitely use it back against them in turn.
Life Bubble completely destroys that strategy, as communal delay poison, so it all depends on whether your players usually prepare it and use it. I definitely would and if they know they are going to face the final boss you can expect them to be ready with a lot of protection spells.
Don't only think what the BBEG can do to the players to completely mess with them, but also try to foresee what your players would try to do to avoid the BBEG messing with them.
Also, making the BBEG a Bard with offensive stuff would be soooo ironic (you know why) xD
I faced a Dirge Bard as an high level enemy on my last campaign and even though we managed to cut her from her minions she gave a tough fight (the key spell that she used to screw us up was Silence!)
Of course, probably a Wizard would be more powerful but a bard would be so ironic.
Good points about predicting and addressing the PC's counters/defences.
If the liches know much about the PCs' tactics and capabilities, they likely have some sense of what the PCs might be doing to prepare/buff, and work around that. Since they know they're fighting liches/high level casters, they should be buffed to the max with things like Death Ward, Freedom of Movement, Life Bubble, etc.
That's where things like Mage's Disjunction and the Symbol of Dispelling or even Wall of Suppression come in, to strip those things away and make them vulnerable.
I *really* like Kalindlara's suggestion of a dedicated dispeller/counterspeller amongst Team Lich. There are tons of shenanigans such a caster could use to boost their effective caster level for Greater Dispel Magic (feats like Dispel Focus/Greater Dispel Focus, Spell Specialization, Spell Perfection, and spells like Cleromancy and Grand Destiny, to name a few). Obviously Destructive Dispel could be great for the chance of stacking some stun on top of the dispel itself (or at least sickened, making the enemy a little bit weaker versus allied lich spells). I like the Arcanist for this lich, because of the action economy of the Counterspell exploit to counter the PCs spells as an immediate action, while using Greater Dispel on his/her own turn to strip away any buffs, or ready a further counterspell as a standard. The ability to use the Potent Magic exploit to further boost caster level checks doesn't hurt either.
EDIT: The combination of something like Wall of Suppression or Anti Magic Field and Spellbane seems like a fun possibility. Haven't really considered the finer details, but the idea of being able to ignore the downsides of such spells while leveraging their obvious advantages is neat. (Can you tell this topic has me really thinking? Every time I think of an idea and post, a bunch of other ideas pop into my brain -- hence all the edits.)
Some great advice in here. I'd been intending to suggest Massacre, but Rysky beat me to it.
Time Stop is certainly great for setting up the battlefield with summons and ongoing area effects.
Spellbane is especially great if the liches are aware of the party tactics, as a means of countering some key spell choices. Spell Immunity and Greater Spell Immunity, as well, assuming one of the liches skews towards being a divine caster.*
You will also want to consider how to maximize use of the terrain, as well as the liches' undead immunities. So stuff like (Persistent?) Cloudkill through the area can be helpful, especially if the liches are using things like Echolocation to continue to see. I expect several of your players can easily deal with the vision issues, but perhaps not all, and having to deal with an ongoing Cloudkill effect may become quite challenging (especially since the CON damage will make future saves even harder).
I kinda hate Dazing spell, but if it's something the PCs use, definitely use it back against them in turn.
*Edit 1: Actually, I highly recommend you make at least one of the liches a cleric, and set him/her up with a bunch of the channeling feats, so you can drop a series of quickened channels to harm the PCs and heal the liches, along with your other tactics.
Edit 2: For NPC enemies, the Symbol spells are pretty clutch. In particular, Symbol of Dispelling right before the PCs enter combat can be a brutal way to strip away some of their key buffs and leave them feeling vulnerable.
Edit 3: For evil necromancer liches, I also love the Death Clutch spell. Wait until a PC is obviously injured, and then hammer them with it.
Monk combined with Speaker for the Past Shaman, who takes the Spirit Shield Revelation from the Ancestors mystery. Then combine things like Hex Strike feat with the Evil Eye Hex to mix debuffing with offence.
Use spells like Barkskin and False Life for extra defence. Maybe cherry pick some stuff off the Cleric list using Human FCB for further options (Divine Favor, Shield of Faith, etc). And since you're not going to use magic items, you can also leverage spells like Bull's Strength and Bear's Endurance. At the end of the day, you're a full caster of the Shaman side, so that offers lots of potential.
Yeah, to me it seems like out of character problems between players are manifesting as in character behaviour between their characters (maybe along with a healthy dose of immaturity).
It doesn't seem like your problem is going to get solved with in character solutions. You need to address the fact that certain players don't seem to like you, or something about your play style or character creation. You're going to need to have an honest discussion with them to figure out what's happening, and you'll probably have to restrain yourself from being defensive when complaints or criticisms are voiced.
It may be that you're not going to be able to fix these issues, but you will hopefully at least get some clarity on the problem, and have the option to either constructively address the concerns raised, or maybe decide to move on to a group you might get along with better.
Serious thread necromancy, but I intend to update this guide to current errata and with all options. Shaman are still great :)
Glad to hear it!
Playing a Speaker for the Past Shaman at higher levels now, and loving it. Happy to see if there are any cool features or ideas I might have been missing out on.
No. You can't stack the same ability twice from the same source without it saying you can.
If you were to add Bane from an Inquisitor ability though, it may stack due to it coming from a different source. However, expect table variation even for this.
Rory -- I assume you're referring to the rule about how different bonuses stack? I was thinking this over, and I'm not sure that rule applies here.
Bonus:
PFSRD, Common Terms says wrote:
Bonuses are numerical values that are added to checks and statistical scores. Most bonuses have a type, and as a general rule, bonuses of the same type are not cumulative (do not “stack”)—only the greater bonus granted applies.
The important aspect of bonus types is that two bonuses of the same type don’t generally stack. With the exception of dodge bonuses, most circumstance bonuses, and racial bonuses, only the better bonus of a given type works. Bonuses without a type always stack, unless they are from the same source.
Poster's Note: There is also a lengthy table listing the various bonus types which I will not reproduce here.
This Enemies' Bane ability does not grant a "bonus" as such, because it isn't giving a numerical bonus and just adds the Bane quality to a given weapon (while also speaking specifically to what happens if you use the ability on a weapon already having Bane). So I do not see the rule about stacking bonuses as being applicable.
Is there another rule dealing with stacking of abilities that maybe I'm just not aware of?
Cavall -- Thanks for the input. Arcana definitely wasn't something that was previously high on my list of skills for this character, but he is Human with the Skilled racial trait, with a decent INT boost from an item, so i can make it happen. I have also been looking at the feat since 13th level, so I was able to allocate points when I reached 14th level, and can do so again at 15th to get my 9 ranks. Part of the upside of taking it late game, I guess. It would have been much harder to manage at earlier levels.
Hubaris -- I particularly appreciate your insights as someone who used the feat. Sounds like it worked well for you, and I think I'll take it based on your experience and my own needs. While it doesn't work for this character, I'd never seen Magical Epiphany before, so thanks for mentioning that, too.
Weirdo -- That's a good point about Shamans not have the 'release valve' of spontaneous casting that other divine casters do. being able to pop off a Cure spell or Summon Nature's Ally with otherwise wasted spell slots might have led me to choose something different. It also explains why the feat seems to be designed more for arcane casters than divine ones.
Grandlounge - My Shaman likes to dispel as well, though tends to ready an action to counterspell more than anything, so he has been focusing on Spellcraft to this point.* Nice to know there is an additional upside to have so many ranks in Knowledge: Arcana though.
*: As an aside, he uses Myrrh as an additional component to boost the check, and oftentimes pre-casts Cleromancy for a potential luck bonus up to +4 if we know we're up against a powerful caster. Our group's Bard has also given him Grand Destiny a few times, for an additional +4 competence bonus to the check. Collectively that can get him up to a +9 to his usual CL, meaning he can oftentimes act as a counter to even very powerful enemies. And if it's really important, he can now use the Rewind Time revelation to weed out a low roll.
The latest version of the AP Stylebook allows for use of the "singular they" pronoun, and they're a lot stricter on grammar than virtually everybody else.
So I didn't think there was anything ambiguous in the OP.
"They" has been adopted as a new usage for the neuter second person pronoun. The "singular They" has been around forever as a replacement for "his or her," but in recent years has seen a lot broader usage. Several major language organizations have already adopted it as acceptable formal usage.
Interesting to know!
While I'm happy to accept that it is grammatically correct as a substitute for "he or she" or "his or her" (which I tend to use for gender neutrality), OP referred to the player as he/him, so it seemed to me that there was no need for gender neutral language. Accordingly, I found the varied usage of "he" and "they" in the original post confusing, particularly when OP was making reference to the problem player's actions and the group's response.
It seems like I was not the only one, but it isn't a big deal, and not something I would have commented on apart from Goblin_Priest's post about there being multiple problem players (which I thought I could help clarify).
As to the original issue, glad to see that things have been proceeding more smoothly of late. I'd echo Derek Dalton's note about staying vigilant against a recurrence of bad behaviour in the future though!
They? You've got more than one such trouble player? Urgh, time to disband the table.
I think the OP meant "he" on several instances when he or she wrote "they". I noticed this as well, and it made it very hard to read, but I felt awkward about pointing it out in my response.
For the record, my understanding is that the OP has only a single problem player.
-Be an oracle
-VMC oracle
-Pact wizard archetype from horror handbook
Are there any more?
Those are the only ones I can think of, as well. If you want the hindrances, but not the benefits for some reason (I can't imagine why you would) maybe ask your DM if Oracle's Burden can be made permanent via Permanency? Seems like a lot of hoops to jump through to hamper yourself though...
Add me to the list of voices saying this is an OOC problem involving a player who doesn't seem to respect you or the other members of your group, and is prioritizing his own interests over the group's fun.
Personally, I would not hesitate for a second to boot him out at this stage. The interventions to date have been unsuccessful, and he is clearly the type to leverage any advantage he can against you -- I suspect he knows you are keeping him around so the game does not collapse, and relying on that when issuing his ultimatums of 'evil character or nothing'. He also seems highly immature and incapable of seeing things from any perspective but his own (as evidenced by his many complaints of feeling picked on and taking in-character actions personally while expecting others not to do the same).
If there are valid reasons for not kicking him out (which I think is something only you can really determine), I still think resolution starts at an OOC level. I think you need to decide on what kind of game you want to run and the group wants to play (which sound to be in alignment), and take the time to inform him and the other players that they will all be expected to work within that. If that means no evil characters, so be it. If that means realistic consequences to player actions, so be it. After directly communicating that, your job is then to consistently enforce those rules and expectations, regardless of how he acts out in response.
Maybe -- just maybe -- he will eventually take the hint and start acting (more) appropriately. I find it unlikely given his stated history and lack of improvement to date, and personally would have neither the time nor patience for the attempt, but I do wish you well if this is the path you end up taking.
I have a 14th level Shaman with the Speaker for the Past archetype (which basically trades out the spirit animal and the versatility of wandering hex for several revelations from the Ancestor and Time oracle mysteries).
Looking ahead to 15th level, I was considering picking up the Planned Spontaneity feat.
Full Text:
PFSRD says: wrote:
Planned Spontaneity
You have a measure of flexibility when preparing spells.
Prerequisite(s): Knowledge (arcana) 9 ranks, ability to prepare and cast 4th-level spells.
Benefit: Once per day when you prepare spells, you can designate one spell slot from each of up to three different spell levels that are lower than the highest-level spell that you can cast. In each designated slot you can memorize two different spells of the respective level. You can cast either spell as normal, but when you do, the spell consumes both of the spells prepared in that spell slot.
Special: A wizard can select this feat as one of his bonus feats.
One of the challenges in playing a prepared spellcaster like a Shaman is consistently preparing the 'right' spells for the day. While I currently handle that by leaving a few slots open and mostly picking spells that are generally useful (rather than only in niche situations), that comes with its own limitations and I miss out on using some fun stuff as a result.
Planned Spontaneity would help with that issue, as it would allow me to prepare for the days with some choices built into what he prepares. For example, in a 7th level slot he could prepare both Heal and Ice Body. While Heal is probably going to be generally useful, Ice Body could end up fantastic in the right situation, and having the flexibility to make that choice on the fly seems great.
Anyone have any thoughts on the feat? Anyone used it and able to tell me how it worked out?
Another option might be for them to go looking for the legend, but to instead encounter one of its stunted spawn. Make this creature more to their CR so they can beat it, but with the need for them to basically use all their resources to do so.
Then make it clear that this creature they could barely beat was a pale shadow of its progenitor. That should give them the appropriate caution.
What about a bard who multiclasses into a swashbuckler as he starts to transform into the character he only pretended to be before?
Sure, maybe it isn't super-optimal, but it could still be fun. His inspire courage ability could be oratory-based, as he calls out some of his character's famous lines as he attacks!
Maybe consider Arcane Duelist archetype to better fit the mold, or maybe Daredevil? Celebrity fits, of course, but is a horrible archetype from a 'power' perspective.
There will be times when you will absolutely need invisibility purge and daylight.
I find I prepare Invisibility Purge all the time, but rarely end up using it now that we are at higher levels, where our party has more options to deal with invisibility. But if your party doesn't have other options for dealing with invisibility, I think it still merits preparation, for sure.
Daylight is another one that way not get used often, but when you need it, it is clutch. I might suggest getting a scroll or two, though, rather than preparing it every day.
On a strict reading, I see no reason why it wouldn't work, but I'm not sure that really aligns with the intent of the ability (which is probably why I'm only thinking of this idea now, six levels after the character first got the ability).
Enemies' Bane (Su): As a swift action, the shaman imbues a single weapon she’s wielding with the bane weapon special ability, choosing the type of creature affected each time she does. The effect lasts for 1 minute. If the weapon already has the bane weapon special ability of the type chosen, the additional damage dealt by bane increases to 4d6. The shaman can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier.
It just occurred to me today that I could potentially use it twice -- once to give the weapon the Bane weapon special ability, and then again on a subsequent round, to increase the additional damage up to 4d6.
Does this seem legitimate? Requires two uses from a fairly limited pool of resources, but it might be useful in some situations.
I haven't played PFS, but is retraining allowed? I'm wondering if you could cheese the Renown feat by taking it, buying what you need right now, and then retraining it.
Definitely seems a bit cheesy, but perhaps it could work...?
Really cool idea, overall. The concept that pretty much every full caster is a Big Deal (tm) is interesting. Should let you create some dynamic NPCs. A 20th level wizard in that sort of world would be pretty godly.
Should be a source of some good plot points, too (namely that these sorts of high level casters must be constantly striving to secure their own share of the declining amount of magic in the world). I can imagine pogroms in certain places where any current or potential magic users are destroyed to limit any future drains on the magic pool, or a powerful magic user who makes deals with otherworldly forces (demonic/devilish/whatever) to keep his magic juice flowing. Maybe a cabal of mid-level wizards/arcanists who hunt down other casters and use rituals to steal their power (one might even call them "mage hunters" -- see what I did there?). So many cool adversary ideas that can flow from the concept...
Mechanically, I agree with avr that condition removal stuff could be the biggest nuisance, but its something you can probably mitigate as need be. You'll just have to be mindful of that when choosing enemies (and their spell loadouts). It may also restrict the scope of access of certain common utility spells (at least until higher levels). One good example is Teleportation, which is accessible by wziards at 9th level, but as a 5th level spell for the 6th level casters that get access, it won't come online for the PCs until fairly late game. That might actually be more helpful than hurtful for you, of course, as being able to blip around the world at a whim can easily wreck certain plots. And if only their enemies have such power... well, that could be an interesting dynamic too.
I might be a bit biased in favour of the idea because I really like a lot of the 3/4 BAB and 6th level casting type classes. I find they tend to be the most balanced as a whole, and they tend to be a lot of fun to play. So even as a player I think I'd be super into this idea.
Communal Resist Energy and Protection from Energy are great when you need them, though I agree with Tarik that your current enemy composition doesn't necessarily require them. Similar comments apply to things like Magic Circle vs Evil (as a counter to evil enemies, especially summons or those with anything like a dominate person spell), or and Daylight (as a counter to darkness magic).
Communal Delay Poison isn't very exciting, but could be a nice option if you're encountering poisonous enemies in your wilderness travels (perhaps if you're in that sort of climate).
An extra Prayer is probably a decent call, and Archon's Aura is good if you've got good AC, but the lawful aspect is probably an issue for you as a Desna worshiper. Speaking of which, I think the spell I'd recommend most for you is actually Beacon of Luck. Apart from being very 'on theme', it gives a nice boost to you and your allies' saves (of a type unlikely to create any stacking conflicts), and an immediate action reroll in an emergency.
Lastly, one move my Shaman often does -- which applies equally well to your Cleric -- is to leave a slot open, and then decide whether to fill it (and with what) when you have a better idea of what you might be up against. You'll only need fifteen minutes, and while that obviously won't work if you're ambushed or attacked suddenly, it can be really great if you're about to go into a cave or something, or need to breathe underwater, or if you need to fix up a blinded, cursed or diseased teammate or deal with a specific problem, etc etc etc. The Cleric's true spellcasting power is having access to the whole spell list on short notice, and keeping a slot open at each level (where possible/sensible) is a great way to leverage that.
EDIT: Darn, got kinda ninja'd on a bunch of that while typing this up.
... (By the way, one of the Oracle players asked me about how I'd make an Oracle well before the Bard player did, and I told him the Waves suggestion that was mentioned in this thread.) The plan, which, by the way, can be destroyed with a simple Area of Effect spell like Burning Hands or something.
Cool -- glad my various suggestions have been at least a little bit helpful. :D
I'd go with CHA 14, favour DEX slightly over STR (relying on Gravity Bow to help make up the difference in damage) for the bonus to hit, though Inspire Courage will also help with both, while Heroism could help with to hit. Allegro might also be a worthwhile buff to increase the number of arrows being fired. Because the focus is on being an archer, the reduction in spell casting is less painful, as many rounds will be spent shooting arrows rather than casting spells.
Just one option, but for this particular scenario I think it works, and should fit in okay with most other builds. It can even counterspell effectively (by which I mean ready an action to shoot anything that casts a spell, of course). :P
Going full save-or-suck caster also works as Nicholas suggests. Could even use the same Blindness/Deafness tactic you're looking at, and/or maybe Gillterdust. Suggestion could also be decent if that doesn't count as a 3rd level spell for your rules.
I might consider an Arrowsong Minstrel for ranged support. Free Precise Strike at 2nd level is nice, and picking up Gravity Bow also helps with damage, all while passing out bonuses via Inspire Courage. Yeah he'll have less spells, but I think the ranged damage will be a great addition to the group.
Good thoughts from Ravingdork. I also think that your key spells for this trick will be Shadow Conjuration and Shadow Evocation. Focusing on the shadow spells gives you huge flexibility and Resilient Illusions really boosts the Will save DC to disbelieve. (I agree with your interpretation on that, btw.)
Edit: Also worth mentioning the usual tricks for metamagic reduction (traits like Magical Lineage) and the Persistent metamahic feat. Really good way to make one of those Shadow spells stick, since it should apply both to the disbelief save and any additional save.
Yeah, it sounds more effective to me to "starve" the enemy army by ensuring they don't find many replacements. So rather than working to get the locals to fight, get them ready to flee en masse.
With that sort of overarching strategy, you can then focus on having the party itself employ hit-and-run tactics to thin your enemy numbers. Wights are not stupid, but neither are they particularly bright and without oversight from a smarter leader, they may be quite susceptible to clever ambushes, etc.
But at the end of the day, you may be best served by reaching out to neighbouring lands for help before the wight army menace becomes an overwhelming threat to the region. Perhaps they can send some experienced cavalry archers, higher level clerics, etc.
While not strictly "fleshwarped" creatures, there are lots of aberrations that fit the same mold as what you're looking for. I'd personally take an almost Lovecraftian approach, and have the PCs enter ruins filled with long-forgotten horrors best left undisturbed.
Maybe a chamber sealed with protective magics and runes, which contains Moits of Shub-Niggurath. A combination of the Slugspawn (CR5) and Spawning Canker (CR9). Perhaps they have been sealed off from time as a desperate means to contain their spread, and the PCs have now exposed the world to their horror if they cannot purge them. Or perhaps even worse, the chamber is already open when they arrive, and there are indications that the BBEG has taken samples...
As a possible final boss for the region, or even an enemy the PCs are meant to flee, I present the Gibbering Abomination, perhaps guarded or preceded by Gibbering Mouthers.
You could even just apply the Fleshwarped template to some more standard humanoid enemies, like a tribe of orcs (with lots of basic grunts, and maybe some leaders with class levels), combined with some Oronci. You might consider having the tribe as a whole be beholden to (or simply driven insane by) a Tentacled Horror. The upside is that your PCs will likely be safe from the Aura of Insanity, but it will still present an intimidating threat, especially with the support of its fleshwarped orc minions.
Combine it with Noble Scion of War and BOOM.... basically a perm +5 to initiative.
Alternatively wait till the BBEG and after initiative activate it in full (and combined with Fates Favoured) gives you +3 on all D20 rolls for the battle
I never realised this interaction between charisma check bonuses and Noble Scion before. I knew dexterity check increases affected init normally, but they're so few in comparison.
...one more reason for me to play a Sacred Attendant...
Of course, Noble Scion of War is most useful for a CHA-based caster (such as Sorcerers and Oracles), whereas Visualization of the Mind works only for prepared casters like Wizards, Clerics and Shamans, none of whom are primarily CHA-based (though Cleric and Shamans do have at least some CHA synergy). That likely means you're primarily taking the feat for the interaction with this spell.
In most cases, you would be better off just taking Improved Initiative for the static initiative boost, I think, especially once you factor-in the 200gp per day casting cost and spell slot usage associated with Visualization of the Mind. It's also a lot easier to work in Improved Initiative with character backgrounds, whereas Nobel Scion has to be taken at 1st and may not be suitable for a lot of characters.
I still think Visualization of the Mind is fantastic spell, though. My Shaman prepares it fairly frequently, if he thinks he may be facing some tough fights that day (usually for Wisdom, to get the Perception check boost and a re-roll on a key Will save).
What sort of setting are you envisioning to use these enemies? I'm assuming the main villain is probably powerful enough that these CR5-8 enemies are not meant to be its primary guardians?
I like the idea of the PCs having to wade through throngs of disgusting Grothlut fleshwarped creatures on their way into a stronghold or important location. They are relatively weak on their own, but seem more effective in numbers, and their moaning may also serve as a crude form of alarm.
Maybe have a Ghonhatine as a key bodyguard near the end of the scenario, especially if the individual they are guarding has immunity or protection against being nauseated.
EDIT: Depending on how you want to run things and how it fits your campaign, it could also be fun to present the PCs with a fleshwarped monstrosity (using some imagination and the fleshwarp crafting stuff) that turns out to be the remnant of someone once dear to the PCs. This would very likely focus the parties' efforts on going after the person/thing responsible...
It is not a matter of what books suit the AP... it is a matter of what books YOU, as the GM, are familiar with and can manage.
Any AP can be destroyed by allowing even one book the GM is not familiar with. Letting one player pick one class from a book that the GM does not know can be enough to kill the campaign -- because the GM does not know how the rest of the content in that book is intended to keep the balance. Psionics? If the GM is unfamiliar with them and doesn't choose what options to use for interaction, a single Psionic character can wreck a campaugn. Psychic magic? Same deal. Mythic? Even easier.
There are numerous options in the Core Rulebook alone to provide a wide variety of characters. Add ONLY the books you are comfortable that you understand well, or even only the parts of books. Performance Combat? It is optional.. if you're not familiar, don't even go there. Word Casting? Same deal.
Generally agree with all this. One option might be to limit things to Core and APG (an option I've seen several DMs use). Your players might not love being restricted, but the reality is that you need to maintain control over the game as DM, and a large part of that is ensuring that you are familiar with the content.
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