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So I'm considering a house rule for future campaigns that could help differentiate spellcasters a little more, and allow for more diverse character concepts. The basic rule is that, upon taking his or her 1st level in an arcane or divine spellcasting class, a character has a choice to make: If the class is arcane, the character may choose whether Intelligence or Charisma governs all aspects of his or her spellcasting (bonus spells, save DCs, school/bloodline powers, etc.); if the class is divine, the character may choose between Wisdom and Charisma for the same purposes.

Would this idea cause any significant balance issues? Obviously, a Charisma-based Cleric would have more uses of channel energy, but would also likely have a lower Will save than a standard Wisdom-based one. And a Charisma-based Wizard would have better social skills, but not as many skill points as the standard version.

As far as roleplaying goes, it would open the door to some interesting concepts; imagine the wizard whose spellbook is more akin to a sketchbook or painting portfolio, as he studies magic more as an art than a science (Charisma-based). Or the vivacious, passionate cleric whose faith comes from the heart rather than deep insight (Also Cha-based). Or even a sorcerer whose spells are powered by force of mind instead of force or personality (Int-based).

Any thoughts on this idea?

Hello everyone!

I have a new player who will be joining my campaign shortly, and he will be playing a Druid. The campaign is a Legend of Zelda setting, and his race will be a Zora (aquatic, fish-like humanoids). For roleplaying purposes, he only wants his character to wildshape into animal forms associated with oceans, like sharks and such.

Now, most of my dungeons in this campaign do incorporate swimming/underwater areas, so his character will thrive in such situations. My question is, how do I help him build a character that will be effective when the party is not dealing with an aquatic area? I just want to make sure his character doesn't become a "fish-out-of-water" who can't contribute effectively in land-based combat.

I'm not looking for over-optimization, just some basic advice for when I sit down and help him create his character soon. Thanks a lot!

So I'm trying to design a bard archetype that uses bardic performance to call on the power of good deities, healing those in need through song, dance, etc. They're meant to be an additional option for divine support, able to serve as a party's primary healer if needed. This is my idea for the archetype so far, though I would like some feedback on balance or other concerns:

Sacred Performer (Bard Archetype)

Alignment: Any good.

Focused: A sacred performer does not gain the bardic knowledge, lore master, or jack-of-all-trades abilities.

Spells: A sacred performer's spells are drawn from the bard spell list, but her spells are divine, not arcane. Likewise, her cantrips are replaced by orisons, but still use the 0-level spells from the bard spell list. In addition, each sacred performer also adds all of the cure spells to her list of spells known (cure spells include all spells with “cure” in the name). These spells are added as soon as the sacred performer is capable of casting them.

Bardic Performance: A sacred performer gains the following type of bardic performance:

Healing Song (Su): A sacred performer can spend 1 round of bardic performance to create an effect equivalent to a cure light wounds spell on any creature within 90 ft., using her bard level as her effective caster level. For every three levels she attains beyond 1st, the sacred performer can target one additional creature with this ability. At 6th level, she may use 2 consecutive rounds of bardic performance to instead grant any one creature within range the benefit of cure moderate wounds, using her bard level as her caster level. At 18th level, she can spend 2 consecutive rounds of bardic performance to grant the effect of cure moderate wounds to as many creatures within range as her level will permit. If this ability is used on creatures to which positive energy is harmful (such as undead), the affected creatures receive Will saving throws (DC = 10 + 1/2 the sacred performer’s level + the sacred performer’s Cha modifier); if successful, the affected creatures take only half damage. This ability replaces the fascinate, suggestion, and mass suggestion bardic performances.

Sacred Magic (Ex): At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter, a sacred performer can add one spell to her spells known from the cleric spell list. The spell must be of a level she can cast. This ability replaces versatile performance.

Any thoughts on this? Any helpful advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

The title of this thread says it all. I'm considering playing a rogue in an upcoming campaign who would fight with a gladius...since rogues are proficient with short swords, and the rules for the gladius in Ultimate Combat state that feats and abilities that apply to short swords apply to the gladius, does that mean the character would be proficient with it? The rules just seem a tad unclear to me, since the gladius is listed as an entirely separate martial weapon.

So I run a bi-weekly Legend of Zelda campaign for my friends, using the Pathfinder system (with quite a few variant rules to better fit the setting). In an upcoming session, I plan on the heroes meeting an NPC who has a Picto Box (essentially a magic photograph camera).

My question is, what could you folks suggest as far as rules go to build such a magic item? Obviously, it would be a wondrous item, but what sort of spell (or spells) would serve as a creation requirement? How could a PC go about building such a device? Any help would be most appreciated.