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Hey, so I haven't played for a couple years, and at a recent con I found out about the rules updates, and I have a couple specific questions.

1. Did the basic alchemy Archetypes just get straight up nerfed, or did they get some buff that I'm not seeing? Like, as far as I can tell now, they lost getting more free items per day to get "not needing a formula book" and nothing else. It looks like you only ever get 4 items per day as a Poisoner or Herbalist?

2. Did poisons (already fairly weak) just get nerfed, or did they get some improvement that I'm not seeing?

I see that Witch is getting an update in like October, but in the mean time, did we EVER get a definitive answer about how the Witch MC Archtype Familiar worked?

I remember there being a LOT of back and forth about whether or not the familiar got the bonus witch familiar abilities.

Side 1 (no) said : The Archtype familiar gets ONE (1) familiar ability by default, and if you take Basic Witchcraft it then has TWO (2) and never gains more by default.

Side 2 (yes) said : The Archtype Familiar is a WITCH familiar and therefore gets TWO (2) Familiar abilities to start out. 2(default) - 1 (Dedication reduction) + 1 (Witch bonus). And that, if you take Basic Witchcraft it then goes up to 3. Then there was FURTHER disagreement about whether it got the additional extras at 6, 12, and 18...

So, has this ever ACTUALLY been clarified?

So, for example, if I wanted to retrain a class feat, does that only require spending the downtime (as per book rules), or do I need a boon of some sort?

Does the "1 damage" of a Blowgun or Dart Umbrella count as a damage die even though it's not an actual die?

I'm pretty sure it doubles on a crit and benefits from Striking runes.

But if you take weapon innovation, can you use the weapon die increase modifications to increase it, and if so what does it increase to?

I know it's probably not optimal, but is there anything rules wise that would interfere with a gunslinger with the Poisoner archetype poisoning their bullets?

Please cancel the second half of the order (Guns & Gears Pocket Edition)

Thank you

Alright, i have a silly build idea, which i know is going to be sub optional, but I'd like help making it as good as it can be while retaining a few core components.

Fixed points that cannot be changed:
PFS Legal
Giant Instinct Barbarian
Raging Thrower @ lvl 1
Rogue or Swashbuckler dedication
Fane's Fourberie by Level 4

Building to level 10

Current build

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thoughts, changes?
I realize that using Fane's will hurt my bonus damage as dagger and dart are both Agile.

So Giant Instinct gives you access to a Large Weapon.
It's possible to read the wording as it giving you access to A Single (one) large weapon.

Does Giant Instinct give you the option to buy more/other Large Weapons?

It specifies that it may be "of any weapon type otherwise available at character creation". Does this mean you could take an Advanced weapon if you have access via a 1st level feat? (i.e. Gnome Flickmace)

Does this mean you can never have a Large Exquisite Sword Cane?

And Lastly, if I MC into Rogue or Swashbucker and take Fane's Fourberie, can I get an oversized novelty deck of playing cards?

Witches automatically.

Alchemist, Wizards, and Sorcerers via class feat.

Leaf order Druids.

And obviously the Familiar Master archetype.

Am I missing any options?

Is there a non-archetype non-ancestry way for clerics or oracles to pick up a familiar?

I played several sessions at a con over the weekend, and they've been submitted and entered.

I gained acp and it's available. But no reputation was entered for several of them.

Is this an error, or is it something that varies with adventure and/or specific goals/results in play?

Ok, poisoner dedication gives "basic alchemy benefits" with the caveat "... they can be used only for alchemical poisons."

Basic Alchemy Benefits (BAB) gives you the alchemical crafting skill feat, and that gives you 4 common level 1 alchemical item formulas.

There are only 2 level 1 poisons in the PHB.

A> Can I use the Alchemical Crafting feat to craft non-poison alchemical items normally (i.e. not with advanced alchemy, but with time and money).

B> If yes to A, can I take non-poison formulas for my other two free level 1 formulas?

I understand that even if A&B are yes I can't use my advanced alchemy or infused reagents to make non-poisons, but being able to CRAFT minor elixers of life and lesser alchemist fires sends like it would still be useful.

So aside from Gods & Magic, what are some good books for lore related to Pharasma and Pharasmin religion?

First or second edition books are fine, but let me know which edition so i know where to look.

Thanks!

Did a cursory search and didn't find a thread on this.

How do these interact? Do they interact?

I might be wrong, but it kind of looks like they don't?

Alchemical investigator doesn't get infused reagents, it gets versatile vitals, and it's quick tincture uses those.

So level 2 18 int Alchemical Sciences Investigator with Poisoner Archetype would get 4 Versatile Vitals usable only for Quick Tincture to make Elixers and Tools, and 2 Infused Reagents usable only for Advanced Alchemy to make lvl 1 poisons?

A level 10 20 int version with Expert Poisoner would get 5 Versatile Vials usable only for QT for Elixers and Tools, and 10 Infused Reagents usable only for Advanced Alchemy to make poisons up to lvl 7?

Does this scan correctly?

All common backgrounds unless specifically called out are legal for PFS characters, correct?

Specifically, since Abomination Vault is sanctioned, and the Eldritch Anatomist background is in the AV Players guide and not tagged Uncommon or Rare, it's freely available for PFS characters?

What would we need to do to show enough interest to make this happen? Is it something that is or had been considered? Are there hidden obstacles to doing pocket editions for these books like they do for the core line?

Based off the Adopted Ancestry I boon, I'm assuming it's only the races in core?
Can i do Adopted Ancestry Kobold since they're freely available?

I've been building and rebuilding and changing my mind repeatedly on a build for an investigator for PFS.

I've pretty much settled on a Forensic Medicine investigator, and i very much want to take some sort of Archetype at 2nd level.

Putting aside multiclass archetypes and medic, your personal opinions: would an archetype that improves combat viability, or an archetype that plays into being the skill monkey be more useful?

I.E. Archer vs Lore Master or Linguist

Halfling Sling Staff is definitely better than a light crossbow, but it's it enough better to justify spending a feat for it, especial when that means passing on halfling luck?

Is the Jinxed Halfling heritage legal for PFS play?

It's uncommon but i see no boon nor access exception.

Hey I've done a few searches and all I'm finding is arguements with no answers, so is there a PFS specific ruling on how the familiar from the Witch dedication works?

Specifically "Your familiar has one less familiar ability than normal."
A> Your familiar only gets 1 ability ever unless you take a special feat.
B> It's one less than an actual Witches familiar, which gets bonuses, so 2, but it never goes up because you're not leveling as a witch.
C> It's a Witches familiar minus 1 and it does scale with your level so 2, 3 @6th, 4 @12th, & 5 @18th
D> There's no official PFS guidance and it's up to the whim of your current session GM.

I've got a pretty specific character idea in mind for PFS, and i just need a little help working it out.

I'm currently looking at one of 2 stat blocks.
Str 10
Dex 14
Con 10
Int 18 or 16
Wis 12 or 14
Cha 14

Is there a good reason to favor one over the other, and is there a way to make Medicine key off Int instead of Wis?

Specific Example: Lost Omen Ancestry Guide adds the Cactus Leshy ancestry.

Say I wanted to make a 'Cactus' Leshy and instead fluff it as being a Bramble Bush based Leshy. Keep everything exactly Mechanically the same as a normal Cactus Leshy, just for the purposes of flavor/character saying it's a Thorn Bush instead of a Cactus.

Is this generally gonna be Ok, or are people gonna be weird about it because "It's not what's written in the book"?

Quick question:

Say I find a way to increase a Blowgun's Damage Die size.
(Homebrew Deity with Blowgun as favored weapon, Inventor Weapon Innovation, other)
Normally a blowgun's damage is just 1.
Does it increase to 1d4?
Or would it not work, because it doesn't have a damage "die"?

Since blunderbuss is a legal weapon for a weapon innovation base, it might be prudent to establish now how certain weapon properties interact.

Via weapon innovations you can get sniper & deadly d8 onto a blunderbuss.

(Also since Attack Refiner isn't marked melee only you could get Backswing and Shove on any legal gun, bow, etc.)

So how do Sniper and Deadly d8 work with Scatter's splash damage?

My assumption is as follows. Deadly adds dice, so on a crit the splash damage goes up by the number of dice. I.e. with no runes normal splash is 1, crit splash is 2. With Major Striking normal splash is 4, crit splash is 7.

Sniper, i assume, applies only to the main target that you roll the attack on.

Is this what's intended?

So, just to be clear, Guns are not class locked, right?

Nothing I read in the Gunslinger specifies that only they can use guns, nor do I find anything that gives Gunslingers automatic access to guns, which are uncommon.

Access is based on region of origin in the Uncommon classes sidebar.

So there's no reason a Fighter or Ranger or whoever, if they're from a region that has access to Firearms, like say Alkenstar, couldn't have a gun.

Likewise, if an Inventor is from Alkenstar, shouldn't they be able to say, use a Blunderbuss as the base weapon for a Weapon Innovation?

Thoughts?

Some class feats are available to more than one class.
For example, Quick Draw is available to both Rogues and Rangers (And at least 1 archetype). Bespell Weapon, Barrelling Charge, AoO, etc.

What are some other class feats that you feel should be opened up to more classes?

Personally I feel that Combat Assessment (Fighter, Magus[playtest]) would be reasonable for Investigators, and possibly Rogues and Rangers.

If i take Additional Lore as my level 4 skill feat, do i immediately get the lore at expert, or do i miss out on the free skill increase at level 3?

Essentially, if i take additional lore at later levels is it worse?

I'm working on building an Investigator, with the plan to take the Pathfinder Agent dedication.

My goal is to stack up things that grant benefits either buffing Recall Knowledge or granting stuff for successful recall knowledge checks.

My biggest problem is what to put into all my Skill Feat slots, and making sure I don't miss out on Important or Useful Investigator feats while grabbing Pathfinder Agent feats.

So far
Empirical Investigator - Free action Recall Knowledge 1 per 10 minutes
1Class Know Weakness
1Skill
2c Pathfinder Agent Dedication
2s
3s
4c
4s Thorough Reports
5s
6c Discerning Strike
6s
7s
8c Recognize Threat
8s Diverse Recognition
9s
10c
10s

I feel like Additional Lore, Assurance, and Automatic Knowledge would all be good fits.
I know that Arcana, Nature, Occult, and Religion are the key skills for identifying monsters, but is there an order of likelyhood, is one of those skills MORE useful or LESS useful than the others.

Basically my goal is to gain combat benefit from identifying enemies, but also to have some extra skill based usefulness.

I found one thread with no answers, so I'll try a new thread.

Wayfarer Resonance Tinker, LOWorldGuide P.23
Pathfinder Agent feat 4

You can use the unusual resonance of your wayfinder to grant

it additional effects. Choose one cantrip from the arcane,
divine, occult, or primal list. You can activate your wayfinder
to cast that cantrip at will. Additionally, you can Activate your
wayfinder with a [one-action] (envision) activation to transform it into
a nondescript pin or brooch to hide your affiliation with the
Pathfinder Society. This transformation lasts for 1 hour

With regards to the bolded part, do I have to be a spell caster to use this?

If so then I assume my casting stat would be my normal casting stat.

If I can use this ability WITHOUT already being a caster, how do I determine my casting stat for the spell if I pick a combat cantrip?

Iron Fists gives your Fist unarmed attack the shove trait.

Pre-errata 2 i had assumed that shoving and tripping using a finesse shove or trip weapon would allow you to shove or trip using Dex.
Now we know it doesn't.

So what benefit does having Shove on my fists give me? Is it only that i can add +to hit runes from hand wraps to my shoves?

Can i "drop" my hands on a critical fail like i could with an actual weapon with the shove trait to avoid falling prone? (I doubt it but who knows)

For pathfinder second edition, how does XP gain and Leveling work?

This is important because I'm filling out things for an online game convention where I intend to play multiple games with the same character, and they want to know the level of the character for each scenario, so I need to be able to figure out if I'm going to Level between adventures.

And I CANNOT for the life of me find anything in the Organized play section that tells me.

Does striking spell only work with basic strikes, or does it work with other actions that involve a strike?

Specifically, Can I Striking Spell, Cast a 2 action spell that qualifies, and then Combat Assessment?

Likewise, if I gain other actions that involve strikes through archetypes, if I'm holding a Striking Spell charge, it should trigger on strikes even if they're part of another power, right?

Ok, first character for PF2 PFS.

Half-Orc
Swashbuckler, Gymnast
Courier

Using a Whip as primary weapon.

Str 16
Dex 18
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 10

R1 - Iron Fists
C1 - Dueling Parry
S2 - Titan Wrestler
C2 - Finishing Follow-through
G3 -
S4 -
C4 - Impaling Finisher
R5 - Bloody Blows

The idea is to have the Whip to trip at reach, and Iron fists for up close.

Granted this puts me on d4's all the time, but I think having Trip and Shove as a Gymnast Swash is worth the trade off.
Also this will eventually require both a magic whip and the Handwraps or whatever.

Is there currently any way to deal lethal damage with a nonlethal weapon (particularly a Whip) without taking the -2 attack penalty? Preferably PFS legal.

(Working on a Whip using Gymnast Swashbuckler)

I can't find an answer.

I have Int 8 (-1)
My class gives Trained in Athletics, and 3 other skills Plus Intelligence Modifier.

Does this mean I only get trained in 2 skills?

I know that's effectively how it worked in PF1, just checking for PF2

I'm thinking of building a leshy melee combatant built around the Grasping Reach ancestry feat.

I'm thinking of going Barbarian, but was wondering if another class like fighter or ranger might gain more benefit.

Mostly i want to focus on class feats that allow attacking multiple foes "within reach" or that improve two-handed weapons in some way, since Grasping Reach requires using a non-reach 2-hander.

So I'm trying to figure out just how limiting the Magus and Summoner 4-spell system is, so I was wondering how many low level spells people typically use each adventuring day (long rest to long rest).

I made a poll over on the Enworld PF2 forum, because their forum DOES polls, but I'm not sure about Paizo's views on linking things like that.

Anyway, When you play a Caster (Wizard, Cloisterd Cleric, etc) what percentage of your lower level spells (anything other than your Top Two spell levels) go unused in the average day?

75%-100% - I use very few low level spells, often none.
50%-75% - I use a few, but not most of them.
25%-50% - I use a lot of them but rarely use all of them.
0%-25% - If I have any spell slots left at the end of the day I fell like I haven't used my abilities to their fullest.
0%++ - I'm usually down to Cantrips and Focus before the last encounter of the day starts.

Because I couldn't think of another way to just randomly throw out what I want.

I want a Heritage for Leshy's that gives them Thorns. Essentially built in armor spikes. Not so much for any combat build, but because I really want to make a character that is a sentient Blackberry Bush with a Shrike as a Familiar.

Also, I would gladly pay ~$30 for an official book that mods Starfinder classes to PF2 rules.

Just to make sure I've got this right.

If I take Flying Blade (Feat 1), which lets me use my Panache, precision Damage, and Finishers with Thrown weapons, and I take Impaling Finisher (Feat 4), a Finisher attack that hits two targets with a single Melee Strike, The interaction is I can do Impaling Finisher with a Thrown weapon, right? Say, I could use a Starknife.

I like the idea of having a Swashbuckler/Staff Acrobat.

Gymnast Swashbuckler (so we get Panache for Shoves/Trips among other things)
Staff Acrobat gives us the ability to Shove/Trip without a free hand.

So we need something that both qualifies as a "Your Staff" for Staff Acrobat and has Agile or Finesse so that all our Swashbuckler stuff works.

So, we have the Filcher's Fork
1d4 dmg, Spear group (Qualifies for "Your Staff"), has Agile & Finesse (and a bunch of other stuff).

But it's Uncommon. So we need access.

Filcher's Fork has the Halfling trait, so that is our route.

So which option is best?

1. Play a Halfling, take the Halfling Weapon Ancestry Feat that gives us access.
2. Play a Versatile (general feat at lvl1) Human, Take Adopted (Halfling), then take the Halfling Weapon Feat as our ancestry feat.
3. Play a Human, take the Human Unconventional Weaponry ancestry feat and take Filcher's Fork, which then let's us select Any human heritage including Half-Elf, Half-Orc, or any of the versatile heritages from the APG. And if we do that, which Heritage?

I'm thinking Number 3, because I don't think I'll really CARE about the other weapons that Halfling Weapon Familiarity would improve/unlock, and being a Small character seems like a poor choice for a Shove/Trip build.

Also, side question, Does Backstabber stack with other sources of Precision Damage?
I.E. If I'm using the Fork and have Panache, on a Normal Strike I'd do +3 dmg and on a Finisher I'd do +2d6+1?

Is there any way to add new weapon traits or swap existing traits for different ones?

I'm talking traits like Trip, Agile, etc.

Very specifically, a way to make a Bo Staff have either Agile or Finesse?

Do we have any spoilers or previews for any of the Non-Multiclass Archetypes yet?
Beyond simply the list of names I mean.

I'm just getting into 2e, and I was wondering, do 2e adventures ever have player options the way that 1e adventures did?

Things like Feats, Spells, Magic Items, and even Class Archetypes.

Thanks

Let me preface this by saying, I'm pretty sure that RAW since it's not stated you CAN that you can't do what I'm about to ask, but it's an odd case.

Spell, Threefold Face (PPC Legacy of the First World)
arcanist 3, medium 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, witch 3

You grow two extra faces around your head.
This grants you All Around Vision.

Spells and effects that do things like affect your vision, BLOCK YOUR MOUTH, Deafen you, etc., only affect one face, so to fully blind you it would take 3 castings of Blindness for example.

So what if I have a Bite Attack?
Say I'm an Orc with Toothy so I have a bite attack.
If someone casts Lipstitch on me (Magically sews the mouth shut, normally preventing speech and bite attacks among other things), it wouldn't stop me talking or biting unless they cast it 3 times.

By logical extension, does this mean that, unfettered, while under Threefold Face I would have 3 bite attacks?

Would you accept that ARGUMENT that it SHOULD give me three bite attacks and allow that if you were DM?

Dumb magic item interaction question.

Gloves of Improvised Might (Adventurer's Armory 2) are essentially Amulet of Mighty Fists for Improvised Weapons.

They max out at +5 effective enchantment, and can have Melee weapon enchantments put on them.

What if I put Transformative on them?

I pickup a Chair as a two-handed Improvised Weapon.
I use the Transformative power of the GoIM to turn it into a Great Sword.

Is it now a normal weapon since it's a Great Sword?

If it is a normal weapon, do the GoIM (which only work on improvised weapons) still work on it?

Is this just a really stupid idea?

What's your thought?

Toying with another build concept.

Far Strike Monk using Throw Anything and Shikigami Style chain.

For Ideal build, I want to throw Sledgehammers (2d6 base dmg improvised weapon RAW)

So I either need a Sack of Infinite Hammers, or Sledgehammers with someway to make them have the Returning power, since at higher levels I'll be Flurry-ing up to 7 hammers a round.

Gloves of Improvised Might (my first idea) specify that they can have MELEE weapon enchants, and Returning is technically a Ranged enchant.

Unfolding Wind Strike is good, BUT I can't do that and Shikigami at the same time (2 styles) and Master of Many Styles doesn't stack with Far Strike (And loses Flurry anyway)

Greater Belt of Mighty Hurling while good for the build specifically excludes Improvised Thrown Weapons from it's returning power.

If I throw ACTUAL Earthbreakers (without the Throwing enchant) would that use technically make them improvised weapons for Shikigami style purposes, but allow them to still return via GBoMH since they're manufactured weapons?

I feel like there's a way to do this with only a single feat or a magic item I just don't know about or remember.

[EDIT: I mean, obviously for a home game I think most DMs would simply allow Returning on Gloves of Improvised Might, or I'm fairly certain the people I play with would at least, but from the standpoint of a PFS legal character how could I make this work?]

Ok, silly build I've been thinking about for a long time, I've done versions before but I want to make the best possible version.

Concept: to make the best possible Melee Improvised Weapon combatant who uses the Bard/Skald cantrip Summon Instrument to summon guitars to use as a weapon.

Feats: Catch Off-Guard, Improvisational Focus, Shikigami Style and subsequent feats.

Possible 1-2 level dips for Summon Instrument - Daredevil Bard or Spellwarrior Skald

Possible classes:
Cad Fighter with dip
Slayer with a dip
Empty Hand Monk with a dip (Downside, must be Lawful)
Hinyasi Brawler with a dip (Downside, Hinyasi and Shikigami Style don't appear to work together)
Magus with Two-World Magic Trait (Benefit, No Dip! Downside 3/4 BAB)

Any Thoughts? Any class options I should consider along with these?

I have a silly build idea that involves a Hinyasi/Snakebite Striker Brawler.

With catch off guard, unarmed enemies are always flatfooted against my Improvised weapon attacks, so they'll always take my Sneak attack damage.

[Yes I KNOW this probably isn't an "Optimal Build"]

So obviously I need a reliable way to keep my enemies from having weapons in their hands.

I'm assuming Disarm is easier to pull off than successful sundering.

[I realize that Snakebite Striker gives up 4 out of 5 Maneuver Training ranks for stuff, this is unfortunate for this build, but oh well]

Is there any Sunder build that would be BETTER than a Disarm build, and are there any good feats that I might be unlikely to know about for either a sunder or disarm build?

Thanks.

Just double checking.

If i take a vigilante talent that grants feats, for example "Whip of Vengeance" which grants whip mastery and improved whip mastery, if i use the benefit of those feats in social guise, that triggers the whole "Bruce Wayne is Batman!!1!" thing, right?

Like if i take Power Attack as a regular feat i can use it in either identity just fine, but if i get Power Attack using the Combat Skill talent, using the feat in Social guise risks exposing my double identity?