Torger Miltenberger's page

First the big bold disclaimer

I know this is a bad idea.

I'm purposefully swimming against the current of the game. If you feel the need to tell me that I guess I can't stop you but you won't be contributing any new information.

So here's the goal. Single classed, full level 1-9 spell progression arcane caster that can hold their own in melee combat, with no more than 2 prep rounds and preferably just one.

I'm looking for options that support this.

So far I'm considering the Orc bloodline on either a straight sorcerer or a Blood Arcanist.

The obvious things I'll need
- Ways to boost my attack bonus
- Ways to boost my damage
- Good AC or a solid miss chance
- Higher than caster standard hit points or some form of damage mitigation.

Any non mythic first party source will be considered.

Custom magic items are not available.

Assume crafting time is available.

25 point buy

I'm more interested in options that work with weapons than natural attacks but either would be interesting.

This is easy to do at low levels and gets exponentially harder the higher level you get so the higher level the options the better.

All you hardcore system mastery guys that I usually end up arguing with do your worst!

Seriously though thanks in advance for any help you can give me doing this crazy thing.

- Torger

Manowar! \m/ O \m/

- Torger

An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator's inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night's sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he's trained in the skill.

Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator's pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.

Seems straight forward enough, can be used on skill check and ability check and can be used on Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a charge. No problem so far

But then we get to

An investigator can pick any one skill that he is trained in but that he can't use his inspiration with. He can use inspiration with that skill. An investigator must be at least 17th level to select this talent.

I can't figure what the purpose of this talent would be as the base ability seems to indicate that inspiration can be used with all skill checks. Also 17th level? seriously?

Further complicating the issue we have

An investigator can add his inspiration die to all Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft checks without expending a use of inspiration, even those he's not trained in.

Which aside from the inclusion of skills not trained in is precisely what the base ability already lets me do.

This feels like perhaps there was a list of allowed skills that is supposed to be there and was replaced with the line about not expending points for knowledge, linguistics and spellcraft. That is of course complete speculation.

Still I'm wondering if there's been any official or semi official word regarding this.

- Torger

So I sat down and started making a swashbuckler today. I hadn't really given the class much of a look till now and when I came across the opportune parry and riposte deed it got me thinking. I'd never considered attacks of opportunity as an action economy currency to do anything other than attack when a threatened opponent provokes.

So are other abilities or feats in the game that allow one to "spend" an attack of opportunity to do a thing?

If so what are they?

Thanks in advance.

- Torger

So it's obviously super unoptimized but I really like the flavor so I want to experiment with making a Druid/Witch/Mystic Theurge. Anybody got any idea on how I can work past the obvious flaws to give the character some extra kick?

Aside from the normal Mystic Theurge problems (getting past SR, late spell access, split casting stats etc. etc.) problems specific to this build would be,

- Witches hexes won't scale
- Witches Familiar won't scale
- Animal Companion won't scale (pity too, having one would be super useful... guess a domain it is)
- The spontaneous summons that are a big part of druids will be one, sometimes two spell levels behind.

So how about it, any archetypes, feats, traits etc. that make this idea less crappy? Early game stuff, late game stuff, whatever, just looking for any tricks to make this viable.

*caveat* Using SLAs as prestige class prerequisites will not be available.

- Torger

So sleep spells,

We all know of deep slumber. Basically it takes sleep, makes it two levels higher, reduces the range and raises the HD cap by 6.

So what level do you guys think a sleep spell with a HD cap of 15 should be?

20?

25?

Not just Sorcerer/Wizard level but Bard and Witch levels as well.

My gut reaction is

Cap of 15 should be be sor/wiz & witch 5th, Bard 4th

Cap 0f 20 should be sor/wiz & witch 7th, Bard 5th

Cap of 25 should be sor/wiz & witch 9th, Bard 6th

I'm not interested in Mythic rules. I'm aware that there's some kind of mythic deep slumber that raises the cap to 20 but my group doesn't use mythic so that's of no use to me.

Anyway I'd love to hear the community's thoughts on the matter.

- Torger

So if I'm reading the feat correctly

Improved Share Spells

Then anytime my eidolon moves more than 5 feet away from me he looses any buffs I've given him via this feat. Doesn't that effectively lock me and my eidolon down to wherever I cast the spell? Yet people seem to think this is a must have feat for a summoner.

What am I missing?

- Torger

Given that under the description of a longbow it states "You need two hands to use a bow regardless of it's size".

But also given that it's not strictly listed as a two-handed weapon but rather as a ranged weapon.

And given that logically while wielding a bow ones hand isn't occupied 100% of the time my question is this:

When wielding a bow am I considered to have a free hand for the purpose of such things as

- taking unarmed AoOs with the improved unarmed strike feat?
- making use of the Crane Wing style feat?
- making use of Deflect or Snatch Arrows?

or really any other ability that requires a "free hand" to use.

Mostly looking for FAQ hits with this one but please feel free to debate below.

- Torger

Question as the thread title.

Does a settlement ever occupy more than one hex?

as per the kingdom building rules presented first in the Kingmaker Adventure Path and later in Ultimate Campaign.

Thanks

- Torger

An open letter to the Paizo creative team

Greetings,

I was a pathfinder modules subscriber for some time. I've consistently enjoyed the products and I salute the quality of your work. A couple months ago I ran into some tough financial times and had to cancel that subscription. The financial difficulties have passed but after some objective assessment I've decided not to renew it. The realization that led to this decision was that:

- I own enough pregenerated content (both official Pathfinder and material form previous editions) to run lvl 1-12 campaigns from now till Ragnarok
- I could get a solid handful of those campaigns up to 17th lvl (mostly due to APs)
- I would be hard pressed to get any of them up to 20th lvl

Henceforth I will be making module purchases on a case by case basis as follows:

- Lvl 1-11, I will not be purchasing modules of this level unless they are sufficiently unique to warrant an exception
- Lvl 12-16, I will purchase some modules of this level. The higher the level the more likely I'll purchase it.
- Lvl 17-20, I will be purchasing any modules of this level that get released. With special interest for content of lvls 19&20

I write this letter not to demand a shift of focus to that which I want, but ensure my voice is heard amongst cries of “high level content never sells well” and “most players have no interest in high level games”. Obviously I don't have access to your sales figures, so perhaps all those voices are correct. You are a company and must make money to continue putting out products at all. So if it really does make more financial sense for you to continue making mostly low-mid level content I respect that and wish you the best of luck. Regardless I want to make sure there's at least one voice saying “I will purchase your high level content.”

In closing I'd just like to say thank you for being the most approachable game company I know.

I appreciate your time, attention and consistently excellent work.

Sincerely

- Torger J. Miltenberger

P.S. I invite any readers with similar purchasing habits to make their support known below. The more people who are interested in such content make their voices politely known the more likely Paizo is to produce it.

I'm curious what ways exist to get as many evolution points as possible.

So far I've found
- Be a half elf for the favored class bonus of +1/4 lvls
- Take this half-elf archetype for an additional +1/4 lvls

for a total of 36 points to work with at level 20

Have I missed anything?

As you can see by the archetype I'm not necessarily concerned about limiting the eidolon or trading away other class features, I'm just trying for the largest possible evolution pool.

Thanks

- Torger

As the subject. Is there anyway to make a weapon flurryable?

Long story short is I want a monk who can flurry with a katana.

Please don't suggest I reskin something. I'm aware that's an option but before I go there I want to see if there's already a mechanism in place.

- Torger

At 1st level, a skirnir can use his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to a weapon as normal, as well as to his shield, paying the arcane pool cost separately for each.

At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute.

So for vanilla magus' activating your arcane pool on your weapon is a swift action.

Can a Skirnir activate their arcane pool on both their weapon and their shield with the same swift action or would if take two separate swift actions?

The text speaks to paying arcane pool points for both but not to doubling up on actions. The term "as well" could be taken to mean they both use the same action or it could simply be meant to mean that you can have both running at the same time. I legitimately can't tell.

Can anyone shed some light?

- Torger

If I have a staff and some of its spells are on my spell list but some are not can I

1) Use the staff at all

2) Use the staves spells that are not on my spell list

For example take the Staff of Speaking
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/staves/staff-of-speaking

Suggestion, tongues and mass suggestion are all on the wizard spell list.

Denounce and glibness are not.

Can a wizard in possession of this staff use it at all?

Could he use it to cast denounce or glibness?

Thanks

- Torger

Can anyone tell me where to find a list of the default pantheon for Frog God Games products?

Preferably with pathfinder appropriate domains.

Thanks

- Torger

By best I mean as many of the following traits as possible

- offensive
- no SR
- no Save or reduced effect on a Save
- no CL dependant effects or CL dependant effects that cap fairly early
- no HD based effects or lesser effects on higher HD
- single target or multiple targets with no AoE
- High enough damage to overcome most resistance (for damage dealing spells)
- Sorc/Wiz caster list (I want to make the wands)

These are spells I've found that aren't bad. Also listed are the difficulties with them.

Magic Missle CL 9 - negated by SR and Sheild
Ear Peircing Screech CL 10 - save for 1/2 on fairly low damage, more expensive than I'd like.
Stone Call - AoE, kind of situational
Enervation - SR and undead, more expensive than I'd like
Sleet Storm - situational
Empowered Snowball CL 5 - mostly negated by cold resistance 30, also don't like the spell.
Empowered Ray of Enfeeblement CL 10 - no good against unded, more expensive than I'd like

I'd apreciate any other sugestions that come close.

- Torger

Does the spring attack feat work with other forms of movement like flight and swim or just with land speed?

I can't see anything that says it dosen't but I've been known to miss things.

- Torger

I want to make a character that will eventualy get feathered wings like an angel. These are the ways I've found to get them. I'm wondering if I've missed any. Looking for options from 1st party paizo products only.

Temporary Angel Wings

- Take nine levels of divine sorcerer
- Take 6 levels of alchemist and the wings discovery
- Play an aasimar, take the Angelic Blood and Angelic Wings feats, requires 10th level
- Take the Greater Eldritch Heritage feat, requires two other feats, 15 CHA and character level 11th

Angel Wings that can be used all day

- Take 20 levels of divine sorcerer
- Aquire wings of flying, 54,000gp
- A summoners 10th level aspect ability, take the wings evolution

Thanks

- Torger

So I'm trying to make a Magus that weilds a rapier and I'm trying to find ways to gain vaule from the fact that my second hand will be empty even when not using spell combat.

So far I'm aware of the Crane Wing - A solid option but pretty feat heavy

and

Duelist levels - also feat heavy and tanks my caster level.

what, if anything am I missing?

Thanks

- Torger

*edit* the closer to pathfinder core the more likely I'll be able to use it.

So I'm working on a dragon disciple and I'd really love for her to get some DR at some point.

The plan is

Aasimar, Paladin 4/Sorceress 1/Dragon Disciple 10/Eldritch Knight 5

The first 14 levels are non-negociable but I might be convinced to trade out the last Dragon Disciple level and the five Eldritch Knight levels.

The further away from pathfinder core the less likely an option is to be avalible but I'd like to hear about any first party pathfinder options.

3.0/3.5 stuff is not avalible.

So far the only options I can find are

- The stoneskin spell (was hoping for something permanent and nobody likes expensive material components)
- A mantle of faith (freakishly expensive)

... and that's all I really see.

So yeah, any help would be apreciated.

Thanks

- Torger

So pretty much what the title says. I'm looking a a neutral good or chaotic good outsider CR 3 or 4 to replace the hound archon on the summon monster IV list.

I've poured through the 3 bestiaries with no luck, I've given a pretty solid look through the tome of horrors to no avail. I even pulled out my copy of book of exalted deeds just in case. Nothing

can anybody help me out?

Thanks

- Torger

P.S. Reskining the hound archon is something I'd rather save as a last resort.

I have a question about the Ultimate Combat Flowing Monk archetype that I'm hoping my fellow paizoians can answer for me.

When using the redirection ability do I provoke an attack of opportunity when I attempt a reposition or trip?

I see no language that indicates that it is an exception to the rule that both of those combat maneuvers provoke but the ability seems pretty underwhelming if that's the case.

Hopefully I'm missing something obvious.

Thanks

Torger

So ummm does it seem strange to anyone else that a class that's based historicaly on a type of eastern assassin dosen't automaticly get the an assassinate skill?

Personaly I wouldn't have any problem with ninja's just getting Death Attack as per the assassin prestige class at 6th level (first level a rogue can go assassin). Rather then having an optional ability that is signifgantly better than the assassin's (1 round or study rather than 3).

just throwin that out there.

Torger

Ok, so the situation is as follows. I have an evil cleric PC in my group who casts udetecable alingment everyday, mostly because other party members have alignment detecting magic and she dosen't want to get caught.

Now in the adventure I'm running I'm rapidly aproaching a point where an angel apears before the party. In the angel's stat block it indicates that she has detect evil as a constant spell like ability. Now the way the enconuter runs she gives the PCs a once over with that ability. If she sees no evil PCs she takes action A, if she does see evil PCs she takes action B.

Now my interpretation of RAW is that the PCs undetectable alignment spell will defeat her detect evil ability and I have two questions.

1) is my interpretation of RAW correct?

2) does anyone else find it a little sad that a creature made of pure cosmic goodness can't sense the relative evil of a person all because of a second level cleric spell? I supose I could kind of understand if it were just some of the less powerful angels but near as I can tell this is the case right up to the CR 23 Solar.

So yea I'd be interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this.

Thanks

Torger

Ok, so this may be a dumb question but is there a chart out there anywhere that lists all the bonuses and penalties that come with the differrent size catergories? Like the one on page 179 of the core rulebook only not just covering the AC modifier?

Thanks

Torger

Greetings,

Firstly allow me to say that I'm super excited by the Alchemist class. It's a fantasy archetype that so often gets passed off as another spell caster that it's exciting to see an interpretation that doesn't neglect the pseudo-scientific nature of the real world source material.

That out of the way I'd like to address one thing about the class that saddens me. At present there's no way for one alchemist to teach another alchemist what he knows. Assuming that there's even a bit of science behind what an Alchemist can do (and given the use of words like formula and discovery I assume that there is) then it seems to me that knowledge of any given alchemical process should be teachable from one alchemist to another.

If that argument's not enough then consider this, an alchemist has penetrated his hated rival's laboratory and stolen his precious research notes. Should he not be able to glean new and exciting secrets from them?

So yeah, the only thing standing between me and absolute love for the class is some sort of in game mechanism for Alchemists to share knowledge. I don't care if it's a thinly veiled rewording of the wizards trading spells rules or if it's something new entirely but it certainly seems necessary to the classes flavor.

I realize this isn't the sort of actual playtest data that you and your development team are looking for, and for that I apologize. I just love this class idea so much that if there was even a chance I could influence this particular aspect of it I felt I had to speak up.

Thank you for you time

Please continue delivering absolutely killer role playing material and I guarantee I'll keep buying it ^_^

Torger