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I really like the premium modules for FoundryVTT. They make the life of GMs so much easier. One thing I would like to have, though - especially for the modules for Pathfinder Society Scenarios and the included scaling macro, would be to have that macro use default token settings and especially the PF2e Workbench NPC mystification settings!

Different tables have different views on how tokens should be configured, so I am not asking for my preferences to be used as the default, but for a way to accomodate everyone by utilizing the options already in place for the system.

In the Default Token Settings you can set the visibility of a tokens name on the map, visibility of HP bars, append a random number oder prepend a random word. Very nice options that I would love to use. And with a modules like Token Mold I can kind of do that already. But it would be nice not to have to use yet another module. Token Mold also uses its own settings instead of the default.

For NPC mystification I haven't found a viable way to use it with the Premium Modules yet. It is such a cool feature. Replace creature names with size and type, and reveal the actual name once the creature has been identified.
Unlike Token Molds settings, though, the scaling macro completely ignores NPC mystification - even if it is set to "always".

Does anyone have an idea how I can force the mysticifaction to be used by the scaling macros?

Hello everyone,

After I received an email telling me about the remastering of G&G, I am a bit confused about what that actually means:

1. Is there a list of changes somewhere? I was hoping the FAQ and Errata page would have those, but it doesn't.

2. The new rules are probably considered as Erata for the old ones? The Official FAQ and Errata site doesn't have it listed yet. So does that mean those rules are not in effect right now? Or are we in some kind of in-between phase where both versions are viable?

3. Since the PDF only dropped now, it is too late to use the free remaster rebuild for characters. Can I replace features that were significantly changed without purchasing a rebuilt for a character? Or do I have to use retraining?

I am pretty sure that it shouldn't work, but can't really find a rule to prevent it, so I am looking for other opinions / guidance here:

Can one weapon represent multiple Ikons of an Exemplar? For example can a Shortbow be both an "Unfailing Bow" and a "Starshot"?

Of course when shifting Immanence, you have to select which of those is currently active and wouldn't be able to activate both effects at once, but you could use it to gain more flexibility. Starshot's abilites are only usefull if you have multiple enemies / a swarm, while Unfailing Bow is better against a single enemy (and doesn't hurt your friends with that pesky splash damage, either).

I am just prepping the scenario and while reading the gauntlet entries, I am a bit surprised that the actual classes of characters make a difference for some of them. I don't think that has ever happened before and I really hope that it will not happen often (or at all) after this. There are just too many classes to really do something like this fairly.

I have a rules question to that section, too: Does a multiclass archetype suffice to be considered a bard, rogue or whatever?

Hello fellow Pathfinders,

After a recent discussion about the influence subsystem I discovered that there are apparently two ways of reading the rules regarding the influence skills and the corresponding Dicover action.

The relevant rules texts (copied from Archives of Nethys)

Success [...] You learn which skill that can Influence the NPC has the lowest DC (skipping any skills that you already know), [...]

Influence Skills The skills the PCs can use to Influence the NPC are listed here with their DCs, in order from the lowest DC (the skill that works best) to the highest DC. If a skill isn't listed but a player gives a strong narrative explanation for using it, you can add it as an appropriate DC (usually the highest listed DC). Diplomacy should usually be on this list, but should rarely be the best skill to Influence an NPC, in order to encourage and reward using Discover to learn and cater to an NPC's interests.

The two different ways of reading this seem to be:

1. The players already know which skills can be used to influence the NPC, just not which of those is easiest or hardest. Using discover lets you kind of rank them by difficulty.

2. The players have no idea which skills can be used. Using discovery tells them the next easiest skill they have not yet found out.

I feel like 1 might give the players to much information from the start, while 2 can be overly harsh - especially if the NPCs have many obscure lore skills as the easiest ones.

Unfortunately, GM Core and Gamemastery Guide use the same language, so looking at both versions didn't help.

The main confusion stems from the Discover action:

"You learn which skill that can Influence the NPC has the lowest DC" - This sounds like you are already supposed to know which skills can be used overall, just not how their DCs are ranked (interpretation 1).

"(skipping any skills that you already know)" - This on the other hand seems to indicate, that you DON'T know the skills before you discover them (starting with the easiest one) (interpretation 2).

Since english is not my first language, that confusion might stem from lack of understanding. Or maybe the text is ambiguous?

How do you use the system? Version 1 or 2? Or do you have a completely different way of interpreting it?

PS: The influence subsystem is used quite frequently in the Pathfinder Society scenarios, and most GMs and players here HATE it. That might be because we have been using the second interpretation since the first one seems to be much easier - but it might also be too easy then. Since I am looking for how to run it in organized play, house rules and similar suggestions wouldn't help me all that much, either :)

Can you please finally give us PDF only subscriptions (other than for Society Scenarios)? For your international customers, the shipping fees are just insane. Also: I don't need any physical books anymore!

Hello everyone,

Today I just want to state something that has been bothering me for a while now. Just so that I know that I have said it and thus there is the (probably small) chance for the Org Play team to see it and maybe think about it.

I started playing participating in Paizo Organized Play back in 2017, after having played Pathfinder locally with multiple groups since its inception and playtest. The first few adventure, as well as how the Society was described and received in the world of Golarion in all that time has more than likely heavily colored my perception of it as an entity.

Back in First Edition, at for a time in second edition as well, the Pathfinder Society was concerned with Archeology and Exploration. Not without reason they were seen as Tomb Raiders by some. There even were Factions like the Scarab Sages, that specifically focused on things like that. And I really enjoyed that.

But there came a point, where the scenarios became less and less concerned with themes like that. I honestly can't remember the last time I acutally GMed or played a scenario that, from the onset, had the exploration of ancient ruins as its theme. And I think that is a shame.

More often then not nowadays, adventures are either rooted in some stuff about big NPCs (which I mostly don't give a rats a$$ about, like the whole stories about The Waterfall or the hag a few seasons back) and less about exploration and discovery. There have even been adventures like A Lie told to Strangers where, after hearing the introduction, my only thought was: "Yes, there is probably a bad thing happening there. But WHY IN THE WORLD does the Pathfinder Society care about that? We are not investigators and prosecutors, we are explorers!"

Looking at the current faction descriptions in the PFS Guide, it feels like the Grand Archive is the correct faction for the type of adventure I am looking for. There was exactly ONE scenario in Season 5 with Grand Archive Tag - and that one had you work at the whim of a poisoner to get new supplies.
Looking at Season 4, Seeking the Heart of Calamity and the following adventures in that storyline might be the closest to the type of adventures I am looking for in the last two years.

I just hope that we can maybe change direction again at some point and get more adventures that feel like we are part of a society of explorers and archeologists, and more storylines that revolve less around some big NPCs that you probably only care about if you played the PFS1 storylines that introduced them way back when.

TL;DR: Please bring back more exploration, archeology and actual trailblazing / pathfinding to the Pathfinder Society!

PS: Maybe it is just me and most other players enjoy the newer style of stories more than I do. That is fine, too. I am not trying to force my style onto anyone. I just wanted to have at least said something.

I DMed this yesterday for a group with 32 ACP. Fortunately enough we had a Gunslinger, a Bow Ranger and multiple casters, one of them a Bard with Force Barrage. But we also had some people who simply couldn't participate in the final fight at all. I didn't realise it before running, but that fight has some serious issues:

1. The final enemy is flying 10 feet above the water and is throwing knives or his cantrip. So there is bascially no chance to ever get into melee with it without using a reach weapon. And even with a reach weapon, you have to be either on one of the piers and very close to the Phantom, or use one of the Effervescant Ampules provided by the adventure. Unfortunately, those are Talismans, so you need 10 minutes to affix them. You get them before the Bear Dance, and after that there isn't really all that much time to take breaks, so I deem it unlikely that many groups will have had the time to even affix them.

2. The enemy is basically the same in low tier. That means 4 Level 3 characters can encounter a flying incorporeal enemy with ranged attacks, who specifically has the tactic to stay out of melee. It has a resistance of 6 against nonmagical attacks - so unless you have a true ranged character or spells, even your ranged backup weapons will have a hard time damaging it

3. The CP adjustments are pretty much useless! Since it is almost impossible to ever be able to reach the creature in melee (see 1), there isn't much point in trying to run around the map and catch it. And since the enemy has ranged, but with very limited range, it won't move out of range of the low range options the group might be using, either. All that combines into a situation, where all the additional hazards will be placed in positions where they are more than likely never triggered. The two hazards that are always present are in the two spots where it is likely that someone will get close enough to trigger them eventually, but additional ones have to be placed "spread as evenly as possible", which means they are placed somewhere, where no player character will ever be.

In combination, all those effects make for one potentially nasty, potentially boring for a lot of players, and pretty much unscaling fight.

One solution that would at least give players some option for melee, would be to have the phantom fly only 5 feet above the water. That way it would still be in range for normal melee attacks if it gets to close to a pier of the Ampules are actually used. But that would only take care of part of the issues.

If I drop a weapon attached to a weapon harness, can I use Quick Draw to get it into my hand and attack again?

The weapon harness states: If the weapon would be knocked from your grasp or you would drop it, the weapon dangles from the bracer by its harness rather than falling to the ground. You can regain control of the weapon in the normal time it takes you to draw it.

Unfortunately the description only talks about the time it takes, not the specific action. Looking into Quick Draw, it just mentions that you interact to draw. Looking further into Interact, under Draw we find:

Draw, put away, or swap an item. You must be [...] wearing it to draw it.

Is that requirement still fullfilled with Weapon Harness? Am I wearing that weapon? Or is the action to regain control a special kind of action or maybe the "change your grip" option of Interact?

I wish the item would just say "same kind of action" instead of "normal time".

Relevant rules:

Quick Draw
Weapon Harness
Interact

I have now played and then DMed this scenario and honestly have to say: This is one of the worst scenarios I have ever had the displeasure to experience! Many of those gripes stem from serious issues in editing, design, etc.

Where to begin?

1. The map of the mansion does NOT fit the description AT ALL!
Map: You start in a storage room. A door leads out of it into a wide open room with sofas but not tables. Just one example from early on in the scenario:
Description: You start in a storage room. There are some barrels that hide you from a room empty but for a couple of tables.
Where are the barrels? Is the northern wall of the storage room supposed to be barrels?

All over the map there are doors that lead to areas without any description or which, when used, would completely circumvent some areas like B2. Some descriptions mention things you could not possibly see from the entrance of the area. And then at some point the description tells you that you moved up a level. But there are no stairs and you are still on the same map.

All of this requires a lot of hand waving and mental gymnastics and acceptance from the player side.

2. The transition from B2 to B3 / B4 - The hazard in B2 makes it very likely, almost a certainty, that not all characters arrive in B3 at the same time. Yet once you arrive in B3, there is some kind of teleportation to B4. Does that teleportation wait for all characters to arrive in B3? Or are we supposed to start the B4 description / hazard as soon as the first character reaches B3? Potentially we have to run two hazards at the same time with a split party. I did NOT want that, so the teleporting winds were nice enough to wait for everyone.

3. Secondary Success Conditions - Those are completely missing. I just assumed that you automatically get them. But that would make basically all the investigation, skill checks to understand things, some of the puzzles, etc. utterly meaningless. Well, except for treasure bundles, which for area B6 just state "for retreaving clues from Nazreiha's library" - Do you need all clues from there? Are two enough? (One would be a clue, not clues, so that would not suffice)

4. A4 Trap effects - How long does the blindness from failing the save last? Why is it correct that on a crit failure you fall prone, but are not blinded? Arguably that would make a normal failure worse than a crit failure

5. Blood-Gorged Dandasuka ability Bloody Mist - Is the fort save against the damage a basic safe? Since the blindness is listed after the safe it seems like the safe does only affect the damage - you are blinded without any way to avoid that. The ability also has no trait, which feels weird. It seems like a kind of visual effect and ranged attack

6. The story behind the adventure doesn't make a whole lot of sense - First of all: You are breaking into the home of someone to gather information. So far, so good. But while there, you steal their stuff (Cabinet in the library - those are NOT clues) and murder their guests. Yes, they are Rakshasa. But that alone is not enough reason to attack and kill them. Some of them (the first encounter in the mansion) even ignore you until you attack. AITA here?
Then in the end you find out that Nazreiha knew you were coming. Doesn't that make all the evidence you gathered suspect at least? Why would she leave incriminating evidence behind at all? The only reason I can think of is to mislead the Pathfinder Society. But in the conclusion everyone seems to think that the evidence is totally valid. Why?

Overall a desastrous finale to an already rather weak season. I really hope the quality of PFS scenarios improves moving forward :(

The first encounter in Shards of Glass scales up the area damage from 1d4 to 2d6 fpr 5 players. Since there are two of those exploding plants, that increases the area damage (which will most likely hit everyone with its insane radius of 60 feet) from 2d4 to 4d6. How is that OK for a level 1 adventure? A high roll on damage will take out multiple characters at once. The rest will scramble to save them, letting the single true enemy live long enough to to his display again, for another burst of 4d6 - very high TPK potential!

Also: The amount of Survey Points needed has no scaling at all. Which feels weird since more players equal more rolls. The same issue for Event 2. It has a success condition of 4 successes. That can easily be changed to "a number of ideas equal to the number of players", but the adventure as written has a fixed number there.

While we are talking about survey pointa: The description before Event 1 mentions that the amount of points achieved will be important for Event 2 - but Event 2 makes no mention of those points at all.

I am currently preparing to run this scenario. The first encounter seems to have two contradictory instructions:

However, their resolve is shaken, and Jamimpi will surrender if reduced to low enough health (see Creatures below). A critical success adds 10 to this HP threshold.

and

If any PC critically succeeded on the above Request or Coerce checks while trying to get them to stand down, Jamimpi surrenders when reduced to 20 Hit Points (30 for levels 11–12) [...]. Otherwise Jamimpi fights to the death, believing it is the only way to protect Csilla from herself.

Which one would be the correct one to use? I can't follow both instructions.

Later on, there is another contradiction, though a less severe one:

If the group obtains a number of these equal to the number of PCs, they trigger the Gug Guardians encounter

and

This combat is triggered by either accumulating 5 Observance Points, or[...]

Also, the Observance Points are called Oberservation Points just above the first of the two listed passages on page 10.

The amped versions of the Oscillating Wave Psychic (https://2e.aonprd.com/ConsciousMinds.aspx?ID=3) spells both convert the damage to a d10. One of them lists (in parenthesis) that this conversion removes the attribute modifier from the damage. The other doesn't.

My impression would be that both remove it and that the text in parenthesis is just for clarification. But I have seen people that say it stays there for ray of frost.
Which interpretation is correct here?

Hello,

Unleash Psyche has the requirement "You're in an encounter" (among other things). But since it lasts 2 rounds am I correct to assume that it doesn't automatically end when the last enemy falls? That is especially important for the Emotional Acceptance subconcious mind, because that way you can spend the remaining Psyche turn healing your friends a bit.
If it automatically ends with the encounter, groups would need to keep one poor enemy alive but restrained or at least delay their turns to prolong the encounter, which just feels weird.

I am really not a big fan of Unleash Psyche only working in encounters! Especially for Gathered Lore. The ability to always assist with Occultism would be really cool - if it wasn't limited to encounters. When was the last time anyone assisted inside of an encounter?

Hello,

Unleash Psyche has the requirement "You're in an encounter" (among other things). But since it lasts 2 rounds am I correct to assume that it doesn't automatically end when the last enemy falls? That is especially important for the Emotional Acceptance subconcious mind, because that way you can spend the remaining Psyche turn healing your friends a bit.
If it automatically ends with the encounter, groups would need to keep one poor enemy alive but restrained or at least delay their turns to prolong the encounter, which just feels weird.

I am really not a big fan of Unleash Psyche only working in encounters! Especially for Gathered Lore. The ability to always assist with Occultism would be really cool - if it wasn't limited to encounters. When was the last time anyone assisted inside of an encounter?

Hello,

Until recently I always thought that you could not make melee strikes with thrown weapons listed as Ranged Weapons (Javelin, Dart, Chakram, etc.).
But then I built a Thaumaturge with a Chakram (AoO-like reaction with a thrown weapon was something interesting enough to try out) and Foundry VTT listed a melee attack with the Chakram. I was confused and thought it must be an error in the Foundry ruleset - but the GM of the table (an experienced Society GM, like myself) was adamant that ALL thrown weapons could be used to make melee attacks.

I am coming here in the hopes that someone can shed some light on the situation and quote a rule that proves either him or me wrong once and for all :)

The Precog has a Temporal Anomalie called Future Training, which grants proficiency in weapon categories like Advanced Melee, Heavy, etc.
Unfortunately it doesn't say anything about Weapon Specialization. And, unlike for example the Nanocyte, who's Weapon Spec entry states

You gain the Weapon Specialization feat as a bonus feat for each weapon type this class grants you proficiency with, including any weapons for which you gained proficiency through a nanocyte knack.

the Precog's just reads

You gain the Weapon Specialization feat as a bonus feat for each weapon type with which this class grants you proficiency.

Is there a general rule somewhere that lets class abilities count for the class granting the proficiency or is the Precog out of luck here and doesn't gain the Weapon Specialization for those weapons?

Hello Paizo Customer Service,

A few weeks back my wallet was stolen, which lead to me having to change all my credit card numbers. Unfortunately I had the wrong (old) one at hand when I changed them for Order 36704388 after being informed that the payment didn't go through (which is correct, that number has been disabled).
Now I cannot find a way to correct the information and use the new CC number that is already in my payment methods here. What can I do?

Hello there,

I am currently building a Sprite Fey Summoner for Strength of Thousands and have two rules questions:

1. Sprite and Fey Eidolon both give me Sylvan as a language. Am I out of luck here or can I select another language instead, like it is with skills most of the time?

2. The Eidolon gets 2 cantrips right away, which lead to me looking into Eidolon spellcasting a bit. The rules state that it uses my proficiency and spell attack rolls. But there is no mention about anything else. So it uses its own Charisma modifier for things like the damage on the Gale Blast Cantrip? That would be a pity. It seems like it was tailor made for something like a Fey Eidolon.

Hello Customer Service,

Unfortunately there seems to have been an issue with my credit card payment for order 36604479. I looked at the info after I got that message and there was no fault. I also tried to reinitiate the payment, but so far nothing happened.
I have used the very same credit card for a purchase I did later, so the info is obviously correct.

Can you please look into it? I am supposed to run one of those adventures on saturday...

I am prepping the scenario for the weekend and have found only minor things, though wanted to list them here for others:

1. The Anatomical Model in Subtier 1-2 has two different ACs listed for when the construct armor breaks. The statblock says 13, the construct armor description says 12.
Judging from the Elite version that appears on the same page, 13 should be the correct value (4 lower than the base value)

2. The Scholar of Sorts' Text Passage ability isn't really easy to understand / use:
They use one action to enter a text, which then teleports them to another text. Now they are inside that text, presumably without any chance for the players to know, which one it is. But then what? Do they wait for the PCs to enter the correct room and then spring from the book? The text also states that they can use this ability to gain a tactical advantage, but a passage before says they are "ignoring the nuances of tactical decision-making". So it won't ever use the ability in combat? Then why even have it listed? It is not like the players are likely to ever see it being used.

Hello Customer Service,

I finally wanted to place a larger order and redeem my gift certificates I received for GMing at PaizoCon, now that the APG is finally not a preorder anymore (which are excluded for the vouchers).
Unfortunately, the system doesn't recognize the two codes I have gotten. Neither when trying to enter them in step two of ordering (payment method), nor when I try to enter them directly under "My Gift Certificates".

What can I do to use those vouchers ASAP? I would especially like urgent access to the APG, since I will be GMing at GenCon this weekend and chances are that players might be using the new classes / ancestries, for which I am currently not prepared :(

Hello Customer Service,

I recently received my subscription order for PFS2 scenarios (Order #23384688) and was a bit surprised: Due to the current 25% discount on all PDFs, it would have been cheaper for me to cancel the subscription and buy the PDFs seperately.

Yes, it is less than 1 USD, but the money isn't really what I am complaining about. It is just that I think not using the current discount for PDF only subscription sends the wrong message to your loyal GMs, who are the only people who will probably have those subscriptions anyways.

Hello there,

The title already says pretty much everything about my question:

Picks have a crit spec effect that adds two damage per weapon damage die. Is that damage added before or after doubling the damage due to inflicting a crit?

On a related note: Does the additional die caused by the fatal property that all picks have count as a weapon damage die?

To give an example:

A light pick with a striking rune inflicts a critical hit. The normal 2d4 weapon damage dice become 2d8 due to fatal, are then doubles, and another d8 is added due to fatal as well. Disregarding other bonuses to damage, do we end up with:

A: 2*2d8+1d8+4 (only the original dice count, damage added after doubling)
B: 2*2d8+1d8+6 (the original dice and the fatal die count, damage added after dounling)
C: 2*2d8+1d8+8 (only the original dice count, damage added before doubling)
D: 2*2d8+1d8+10 (all dice count, damage addded before doubling)

Hello,

I received a confirmation that as part of my subscription, I purchased the two new PFS scenarios (1-16 and 1-17). And when I click on them in the store, it says "Note: You purchased this product today. View order."

Yet neither can I find them for download in my digital library, not are they listed as "in your downloads" on the product page itself.

How can I get access to the adventures?

I am a bit confused about two passages in the rulebook that seem to contradict each other:

The example for gaining multiple focus points on page 302 states:

"For instance, if you were a cleric with the Domain Initiate feat, you would have a pool with 1 Focus Point. Let’s say you then took the champion multiclass archetype and the Healing Touch feat. Normally, this feat would give you a focus pool. Since you already have one, it instead increases your existing pool’s capacity by 1."

But when I look at the Healing Touch feat at page 223, there is this caveat:

"If you don’t already have one, you gain a focus pool of 1 Focus Point, which you can Refocus by praying or serving your deity. (For more on devotion spells, see page 107.)"

In my mind those two seem to contradict each other. One says you only get a focus point IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE ONE, the other says you get a second point.

Which one is correct? And what about other powers that are worded in the same way?

Hello,

After having played multiple of the playtest adventures that contained locks to pick, I am wondering what the intent behind the new lockpicking is.

The DCs to pick a lock were, in many cases, so high that a maxed out Rogue had to roll a 13+. Three times. No only is the chance to do that in a single round only 6.4%, but there is also a chance of 38.6% that you critically fail at least once. That not only will increase the time to open the lock, but only require a spare lockpick. So, for every two locks you will be opening, you will on average need one additional pick. Not only is that pretty expensive at low levels, but also makes the rogue feel incompetent.
Please, at least change the critical failure to negate one success OR destroy your pick. And/Or lower the DCs of locks to be more in line with the new and much lower skill values of characters.

Yes, I am aware that the new language tries to be more exact then we are used to, and that is a good thing. At least up to a point. If you cross that point, though, it makes rules quite hard to read and understand. To illustrate my point of view, I want to have a closer look at Furious Focus:

(1 Action), Attack, Fighter, Press
Requirements You are wielding a melee weapon without the agile trait.
Make a Strike. The Strike gains the following failure effect.
Failure This attack does not count toward your multiple attack penalty.

On first glance, this sounds pretty straight forward. But then you notice that this level 1 feat of the fighter, which used to be the go to class for new players, since it was the easiest to play, references a whole slew of other things:

Press Actions with this trait allow you to follow up earlier attacks. An action with the press trait can be used only if you are currently affected by a multiple attack penalty. Some actions with the press trait also grant an effect on a failure. Effects on a failure can be gained only if the action took a –4 multiple attack penalty or worse. The effects that are added on a failure don’t apply on a critical failure.
If your press action succeeds or critically succeeds, but it deals no damage and causes no other effects (typically due to
resistance), you can choose to apply the failure effect instead.

non-agile Your weapon has to be one that DOESN'T have a specific trait. Which is weird, since weapon traits tend to be a good thing that allow you to do more things

Multiple Attack Penalty and the Strike Action play a role as well.

So, to fully understand that simple level 1 feat, you have to know a whole bunch of stuff. And most of it is just limiting a feat that, at first glance, seemed nice. But once you put it all down in writing, it becomes:

All of strikes with a non-agile melee weapon, that suffer at least a -4 penalty from earlier attacks, do not increase your multiple attack for subsequent attacks if they miss, or miss and don't inflict damage, but not if they critically miss. This is incompatible with anything other then basic attacks.

Quite a lot of stuff to consider, and overall the whole feat just sounds way less interesting if you include all the caveats that are otherwise a bit obscured.

Please, make the rules more accessible to people that don't enjoy reading legal documents :)

I know that one of the goals of PF2 is to be more streamlined and less complicated then PF1. But on some fronts I think things went a bit too far. One of those is the flat-footed condition.

I like that it now is a static penalty, and not depending on stats and gear of the penalized creature. Especially for GMs that is a huge boon.

But why does basically everything make you flat-footed? Prone, Flanked, Stunning Fist and Daze are all low level options of controlling the enemy. And now they are all incompatible with one another. It is of no use to flank an enemy if that enemy was already knocked down by an ally or dazed by the mage. That sometimes doesn't leave too much room for any tactics.

A related topic is the utter lack of more types of bonuses and penalties. I concur that 10 or more types like in PF1 was overkill. But just three? That is just not enough to be interesting anymore.

Hello,

After playing PF Playtest a couple of times, as well as discussing it with multiple people, I noticed one thing that bothered a lot of them. All of them are quite familiar with Pathfinder in its current incarnation, and so they well know which feat or spell does what, and when it is usefull or not.
The problem now is that the Playtest reused a lot of the old names for things, but made their use vastly different. To name just a few examples:

Power Attack - In PF1 this was a must have basically for melee characters, and the lower the enemies AC was, the more useful Power Attack became.
Now in PF Playtest, it is Fighter only, and is more usefull if you opponent has a HIGHER AC, since the additional attack at -5 you are forfeiting would have a better chance of still hitting and inflicting more damage then the bonus PA is giving you.

Furious Focus - In PF1 this helped you on your first attack when using Power Attack and a Two-Heanded Weapon.
In PF Playtest, FF CANNOT be used on your first attack, is mostly incompatible with Power Attack, and works with any non-agile weapon

Can you please find new names for those new abilities, so that we can avoid confusion with the earlier stuff?

Hello everyone,

after reading the rulebook, I am not quite sure what equipment is available for purchase for newly generated characters. Only the equipment in chapter 6, or everything in the book that is common equipment, which would include potions, scrolls and elixirs?

Hello fellow Pathfinders,

Another question regarding the playtest:

Do scrolls use the attributes of the person casting the scroll or, like they did in PF1, the mininum attribute required for such a scroll? There is a maximum Spell Roll and DC listed for scrolls, but not one for attributes.

Hello there, fellow Pathfinders,

When creating characters for the Doomsday Dawn Adventures, we stumbled upon a question about the starting equipment:

Can one buy scrolls and / or potions as part of the starting equipment? The section in the rulebook references chapter 6, and only talks about armor, weapons and other basic equipment. Yet potions and scrolls are magic items of level 1 and can be of common rarity.

Are there any clarifications regarding those yet?

Hello fellow Pathfinders,

I recently discovered the Involutionist Archetype in the Adventurer's Guide.

The issue in question comes from these sections:

"When fully manifested, the involutionist’s spirit phantom gains the special ability normally applied to a shaman’s spirit animal."

and

"At 3rd level, when an involutionist uses her bonded manifestation ability, she can instead manifest her spirit phantom’s spirit animal special ability and use her spirit phantom’s hexes as if they were her own. Hexes used during this manifestation count toward any limited number of uses per day."

Looking at them I am not quite sure how they works or, more precisely, which abilities are aquired or how they work.

1. If I take for example the life spirit, does the phantom gain Fast Healing since that is the ability APPLIED TO the spirit or does it gain Channel Energy since that is the actual SPIRIT ABILITY?
2. If it is the latter, or in case of any hex that depends on attributes, etc., do the spirit's attributes / feats govern the number of uses / DCs of the abilities or are those based on the Involutionist's attributes / feats?
3. If the spirit gains Channel Energy and takes the Selective Channeling Feat, can the Involutionist make use of that feat when using bonded manifestation or does he have to take it himself as well? What about Extra Channel?
4. If it is not the Channel Energy but the Fast Healing does that mean that taking that spirit and the Life Link Hex, you can basically ALWAYS heal all of the party back up to (Max HP-4) without expending ANY resources other then time?

Hello everyone,

For reference a few links first:

Constrict
Trample
Rend
Natural Attacks
Amulet of Mighty Fists - This amulet grants an enhancement bonus of +1 to +5 on attack and damage rolls with unarmed attacks and natural weapons.
(Greater) Magic Fang - "Alternatively, you may imbue all of the creature's natural weapons with a +1 enhancement bonus (regardless of your caster level)."
Damage Reduction - "A creature with this special quality ignores damage from most weapons and natural attacks."

Constrict, Trample and Rend are Special Attacks, and each of them has their damage based on a natural attack of the creature. The AoMF and GMF increase Damage to all natural weapons. Does that increase increase the damage of Constrict, Trample or Rend?
And if not (because they are special attacks, not natural weapons), does damage reduction apply since they are, as per the previous statement, NOT natural attacks?
Or is there a distinction between natural attacks and natural weapons? If you look for natural attacks, you find the natural weapons listed, while natural weapon is not explained anywhere and the list of natural attacks does not list the special attacks either.

If the AoMF/GMF do not count and Damage Reduction does apply, is there any way to get through even the simplest damage reductions like magic with those special attacks?

Hello everyone. My char in Wrath of the Rigtheous has passed away recently (and I didn't want to revive him), so I am building a replacement which is going to be a druid. Now I have found some things in the wild shape rules that I am not 100% certain about. Of course I have sent those questions to the DM / group as well, but want to check if there are any FAQs or clear rulings that I can present to them as well, so I have come here, to the gods of rules lawyering, to ask for your help :P

Here you go:

1. Quick Shape and returning to normal
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/quick-wild-shape
Does this feat change the time it needs to change back to youe basic form? If so, is the base form always a swift action since it is available at all levels or does it depend on the form you are changing out of?

2. Polymorph and "Abilities of the same type"
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic#TOC-Transmutation-Polymorph
"In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead."
Is Blind Sense a lesser version of Blind Sight? Is Darkvision a lesser version of Blind Sight? Or a lesser version of Blind Sense?

3. Plants and Movement Modes
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/p/plant-shape-i
"If the form you assume does not possess the ability to move, your speed is reduced to 5 feet and you lose all other forms of movement." - What happenes if you get a fly speed from a spell someone cast on you prior the wildshaping into an immobile plant? What happens if the fly spell is applied after you already changed?

4. Attacks with special rules attached to them
From the polymorph rules (see 2): "In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead."
Do you just get the basic version of the attacks or special rules attached to them as well (for example the Corpse Lotus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/plants/corpse-lotus, which has some special rules listed under the name of the attacks, which you get)? How about variants of things that you get and that have the same name like the improved version of grab the Sargassum Fiend has? (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/plants/sargassum-fiend)

5. DCs of special attacks (poison, trample, etc.)
The polymorph rules (see 2) state "The DC for any of these abilities equals your DC for the polymorph spell used to change you into that form."
Since you are not using spells for wild shape (it is SU not SLA), what is the DC of those abilities? Do you use the spells that are referenced and your wisdom modifier? Or half your level and wisdom since you are not using any spell? Or the normal rules for said abilities (ususally half your HD + Con or Strength)?

6. (Greater) Magic Fang + Bane vs. Silver / Cold Iron
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/magic-fang
Greater Magic Fang has a section stating that you cannot use the enchantment bonus to beat any DR except for magic. But that statement is only in the section for one attack that gets a higher enhancement bonus. Neither the "all attacks get +1" nor the normal magic fang has it. So if you combine either the normal MF or GMF to all attacks with an Amulet of Mighty Fists with Bane against your current enemy, you have an enhancement bonus of +3. Do you beat silver and cold iron DR with that as per the usual rules or does the exception from GMF still hold true here?

7. Amulet of Mighty Fists und Constrict / Trample
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/amule t-of-mighty-fists , http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/universal-monster-rules #TOC-Trample-Ex- und http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/universal-monster-rules #TOC-Constrict-Ex-
"This amulet grants an enhancement bonus of +1 to +5 on attack and damage rolls with unarmed attacks and natural weapons."
"Targets of a trample take an amount of damage equal to the trampling creature’s slam damage + 1-1/2 times its Str modifier."
"The amount of damage is given in the creature's entry and is typically equal to the amount of damage caused by the creature's melee attack."
Is your damage of trample and constrict enhanced by your AoMF (Holy, Bane, Enhancement, etc.)? Both are not natural attacks, but they refer to them for their damage.

And now for the mythic stuff:

M1. Mythic Powerful Shape
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/mythic/mythic-feats/powerful-shape-mythic
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/simple-template -giant-cr-1
Is the damage roll a strength based roll? And is your AC a dex based roll? I'd say yes to the first (damage is rolled and is based on str) and no to the second (AC is not a roll), just want to make sure I got it right.

M2. Dimensional Grappler
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/mythic/mythic-heroes/mythic-paths---paizo-inc/guard ian#TOC-Dimensional-Grappler-Su-
The part about the quickened dimensional anchor confuses me. It suggests that you are using a swift action, which you wouldn't be able to do in most cases. Also it requires a ranged touch attack, so you are provoking AoOs from enemies other then the grappled one? And actually have to hit him despiste already grappling?

M3. Legendary Item / Legendary Fortification
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/mythic/mythic-magic-items/legendary-items
"Legendary Fortification: When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored against a creature wearing an item with this ability, the wearer can expend one use of legendary power to negate the critical hit or sneak attack and instead take normal damage. Only armor, shields, and worn items can have this ability."
Is using this ability an activation of the item or does the item give you the constant ability to negate crits and sneaks by expending Mythic Power? What kind of action is it to use that ability? Fortification (the normal one from armor) would be constant and doesn't require an action, but also has no cost.

Hi,

If a character takes the Universal Mythic Path Ability "Legendary Item" for a double weapon, does the whole weapon become legendary or only one end? And if the charakter takes "Upgradeble", can he upgrade both ends for reduced cost or only one of them?

Hello everyone,

I am currently planing to play a Summoner (Synthesist) and have a few rules questions. I know that the Synthesist is currently rather strange regarding rules and tried to find answers but so far wasn't able to :(

Here are my questions:

1. Saves: Do I use my own Saves or the Eidolons? Since it says something about Physical Traits of the Eidolon, I would guess Reflex and Fortitude from the Eidolon, Will from the Char itself?

2. Senses: If my race has Low Light Vision, can I use that while inside the Eidolon?

3. Skills: The Description says that I can use all my abilities while fused. Does that mean that I can use Disable Device to open a lock (provided of course that I have ranks in DD) when I am fused to a quadruped Eidolon without arms?

4. Healing: That question has been asked before, I just write it down here to keep my list as complete as possible since ;)
How can the Eidolons HP be healed? It doesn't heal naturally and its HP are added to mine as temporary HP. Temp HP cannout be healed.

5. Abilities: If I have an ability like "Tanglevine" from the Verdant Bloodline that says that somethings grows out of my hand, does my Eidolon need hands so that I can use that ability while fused?

6. Tanglevine and AOOs: If I use Tanglevine from the Verdant Bloodline (acquired through Eldritch Heritage), does that Trip/Disarm/Steal Maneuver provoke AOOs?

Please don't use this thread to comment on my choice of character, feats or whatever, this is strictly about the rules! ;)