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The Abundant Step monk feat is listed as Feat 6. It grants a Focus Spell of level 4, which means it cannot be cast until level 7 (when half your level rounded up becomes a 4).

So does that mean the only thing I can get out of this feat as a level 6 Monk is the extra focus point granted by it?

I remember there was that FAQ about special materials being subject to size/barding multipliers on armors and I was wondering if anything had been decided about using the fitting armor enchantment to mitigate the costs of barding and such.

What happens to the corpses raised by Animate Dead at the end of the adventure?

All spells and e ects end at the end of an adventure with the following exceptions.

Animate Dead isn't on the list of exceptions. I'm inclined to think that spells go away, leaving their targets as they were before being modified. So the Yak I spent 24gp on and later raise as a skeleton should go back to being a mundane skeleton as the Animate Dead wears off, right? As long as it didn't get destroyed during the adventure.

The first level is an Evergreen scenario right? I've reported a couple sessions and it's coming up as already played so prestige doesn't count. Is this the right place to post this issue?

Neither Ultimate Campaign nor Occult Adventures have released a FAQ/errata concerning how the Occult Classes can retrain class abilities. In a home game, a GM can use the lists available to determine what abilities make sense to retrain, but in PFS it seems our hands are tied.

Is there something I've missed? Our cool occult characters need these options!

The Amulet of Mighty Fists can grant melee special abilities to your natural attacks.

Some melee abilities adjust enhancement bonuses. One is listed below.

This special ability can only be placed on melee weapons. A furyborn weapon draws power from the anger and frustration the wielder feels when battling foes that refuse to die. Each time the wielder damages an opponent with the weapon, its enhancement bonus increases by +1 when making attacks against that opponent (to a maximum total enhancement bonus of +5). This extra enhancement bonus goes away if the opponent dies, the wielder uses the weapon to attack a different creature, or 1 hour passes.

Does the AoMF gain the enhancement bonuses, or does it only go to each individual weapon?

For example, Abby the homonculus full attacks (AoMF +0 Furyborn). She bites (hit) claws (hit) and claws (miss). Does Abby now have a AoMF +2 Furyborn, or are her weapons just +1 Furyborn bite, +1 Furyborn claw, +0 Furyborn claw?

During the playtest for the Vigilante class, I recall a developer stating that Up Close and Personal would count toward activating the Stalker Talents that rely on d8 Hidden Strike. The current wording doesn't explicitly allow it, and it hasn't made it to the FAQ so...

Does a successful acrobatics check using Up Close and Personal count as qualifying for the stalker talents marked with an asterisk (*)?

A stalker vigilante can apply only one talent marked with an asterisk (*) to a given hidden strike, and only when that hidden strike is dealt against a foe that is unaware of the stalker vigilante's presence (or who considers him an ally), unless otherwise noted.

When the vigilante attempts an Acrobatics check to move through an opponent's space during a move action, he can attempt a single melee attack against that opponent as a swift action. If the Acrobatics check succeeds, this attack applies the vigilante's hidden strike damage as if the foe were unaware of the vigilante. Otherwise, the vigilante applies the hidden strike damage he would deal if the target were denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. Only a stalker vigilante of at least 4th level can select this talent.

"Applies the vigilante's hidden strike damage as if" doesn't necessarily mean that it's a "hidden strike dealt against a foe that is unaware of the vigilante's presence (or considers him an ally)." You deal damage to them as if they had the conditions, but it doesn't say you can use other abilities that require the conditions.

With a FAQ/errata, it would become explicitly "otherwise noted."

Wizards have spell books and can gain access to non-Core spells by scribing them into their book (whether from an in-scenario spell book or scroll). What about clerics, druids, rangers, paladins, bards, and sorcerers?

If I have access to a scroll of a non-Core spell that's on my list, can I prepare/learn that spell?

The wording on the FAQ says you need the "Poison Use class feature" to buy poisons. Vishkanya get "Poison Use" as a racial ability with the same name and wording as the class feature.

Can Vishkanya buy poisons in PFS?

Am I able to make the free action attack granted by casting a touch attack spell during a move action?

Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) as a free action. You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. You can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on yourself, but to touch an opponent, you must succeed on an attack roll.

Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort. You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, there are reasonable limits on what you can really do for free, as decided by the GM.

My first action in a given round is casting a touch spell. It would seem that If I am able to perform free actions during other actions, I should be able to make use of my free action attack during a move action. For example, walking 10' toward my target, making my free action touch attack, and then walking 10' away from my target.

The phrase "You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target." does not disqualify this notion, but gives players an idea of the options available.

Fortuitous
This special ability can be placed only on melee weapons. A fortuitous weapon grants the wielder more attacks of opportunity. Once per round, when the wielder of a fortuitous weapon hits with an attack of opportunity, he can make a second attack of opportunity with this weapon against that foe at a –5 penalty.

If I have a +1 fortuitous dagger in each of my hands, am I able to use each of them once per round in order to gain the extra AoO at a -5? Can a single AoO that hits cause both of them to trigger simultaneously?

Similarly, does a fortuitous Amulet of Mighty Fists allow me to use the Fortuitous enhancement on each natural attack I possess, in a manner similar to the above scenario, in order to get multiple extra AoO per round?

So I was thinking about Shatter Defenses and the implications of the "to your attacks" phrasing in there ...

Any shaken, frightened, or panicked opponent hit by you this round is flat-footed to your attacks until the end of your next turn. This includes any additional attacks you make this round.

It's a stretch to say that since they are a form of flat footed, they can't take Attacks of Opportunities against me, since they are only flat-footed to my attacks, not to all of my actions and not to me in general.

However, what if it was my attack that provoked? For example, my ranged attack with a bow? Since they are flat footed to my ranged attack, can they take an AoO against said ranged attack?

Discuss :)

After I GM a scenario with faction related boons, does the character I apply my chronicle sheet get all of those boons, regardless of his/her actual faction?

All I can find is on p. 39 of the Guide:
"The GM may select any special boons bestowed by a Chronicle sheet, such as free magical treasure, regional boons, or future bonus die rolls."

I have a feeling this isn't intended/correct. Point me in the right direction?

Mockingbird (Ex): The stalker vigilante can mimic almost any sort of voice, or even animal calls and sound effects, and he can throw his voice at a distance. This functions similarly to a combination of the ghost sound, ventriloquism, and vocal alteration(Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 248) spells. A stalker vigilante must be at least 4th level to choose this talent.

I'd like to know what to expect with table-variation. Do you guys think people get a save? Does my volume increase with level like Ghost Sound? Does my range increase with level like Ventriloquism?

Would love your comments!

So here is a fun little spell out of Occult Adventures (p. 178):

Node of Blasting
School abjuration [mind-affecting]; Level medium 3, mesmerist 3, occultist 2, psychic 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range touch
Target one touched object weighing no more than 10 lbs. Duration permanent until discharged (D)
Saving Throw Will partial; see text; Spell Resistance no
You imbue an object with psychic energy. The node of blasting unleashes a mental blast when a creature with a mind touches the object, dealing 6d6 points of damage to the creature touching the object and causing the creature to be staggered for 1 minute. A successful saving throw halves the damage and negates the staggered condition.
Magic traps such as node of blasting are hard to detect and disable. A character with the trapfinding class feature can use Disable Device to thwart node of blasting. The DCs to find a node of blasting using Perception and to disable it using Disable Device are both equal to 25 + the spell’s level. Additionally, a creature with the read aura occult skill unlock (see page 197) can attempt the same Perception check to notice a node of blasting.

So after I cast this on an object, how can I forcibly trigger it onto an opponent? If I load a stone into a sling, then cast the spell on the stone, Is a successful attack roll enough to blastify my opponent with mental energy? Can I choose to aim at their touch AC and forgo the stone's damage?

After casting, how can I avoid triggering it? If I am wearing gloves/other clothing, am I considered to touch it? Can I use some sort of tool to pick it up? Can I use a cloak or blanket to pick it up?

Would love some ideas on how to use this fun spell! A bagful of marbles seems pretty killer after a few weeks of preparation.

Buckler: "This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an offhand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler’s Armor Class bonus until your next turn. You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler’s Armor Class bonus until your next turn. You can’t make a shield bash with a buckler."

It mentions that the buckler is on the forearm, not in hand like light shields and heavy shields. Is it, therefore, considered a considered a "free hand"? Is it considered an "empty hand"? Is it considered a hand that is "carrying nothing"? The rules only explicitly allows the hand to use weapons and somatic components.

A lot of things require free hands, or empty hands, or hands that are carrying nothing. So what kind of hand is attached to the buckler arm? The ACG FAQ says bucklers don't "occupy" the hand, but we shouldn't use an entry on the Slashing Grace feat to be the end all be all on how bucklers work.

Some things that care about hands being free/empty/carrying nothing:
-carrying/using items like wands, potions, scrolls
-using feats such as Deflect Arrows, Snatch Arrows, Crane Wing, and Dervish Dance
-reloading certain ranged weapons
-class features such as Lay on Hands and Spell Combat
-archetypes such as Sword Saint and Free Hand Fighter
-and many more!

So I'm requesting that a FAQ is posted declaring what type of hand is attached to the buckler arm so that it is clear what out of the above list is usable with bucklers.

This isn't a clarification thread, but rather a discussion. From Mark Seifter's comments we've gleaned that "unaware" =\= "unaware of your presence". The Appearance abilities are strong combat openers against those you get the drop on, but as is can be completely negated by creatures with Scent or Blindsense. Even though you have Total Concealment when successfully stealthed/invisible against such creatures, you would automatically fail because they can notice your presence without seeing you.

Does this seem balanced? I would like your thoughts and ideas.

Just wrapped up PFS session Tide of Morning. Four of the five of us were Vigilantes: lvl 3 Stalker (myself), lvl 3 Warlock, lvl 3 Zealot, lvl 1 Stalker. The other player was an Arcanist of the White Mage variety lvl 4

ME
Human Vigilante-Stalker 3
Social: Adakias CG
Vigilante: Malice N
1. Renown, Enforcer, Weapon Focus (acquired at level 3 through feat retraining)
2. Twisting Fear
3. Social Grace (intimidate), Dazzling Display

*spoilers*
THE BRIEFING
- arrive in social form
- it's obvious that renown will not come into play, so I decide to stay Social during the scenario for the +4 Intimidate with Social Grace
- objective is to retrieve a lorestone from a Druid in Verduran Forest

ON THE ROAD
- some role playing happens, Malice tells the party that he has an associate traveling near the area we will travel to (to cover in case Vigilante form comes up)

DRUID's COTTAGE
- encounter begins when we approach
- Warlock uses both Burning Hands against two swarms
- Zealot stays invisible most of the time and casts entangle to try to weed out an invisible fey, succeeds in entangling us
- I use Dazzling Display/Twisting Fear to knock out the invisible fey; for fun, I roll disguise for the Stalker and Zealot who witness it, they know something is off about me
-another encounter inside the cottage, fires, dead druid, and a monster
- Zealot uses create water to drench the fires
-Stalker gets KOd in one swipe by bad guy (he is the baby of our party)
-Arcanist does some party healing as we fight bad guy
- Zealot saves a book that mentions (after Zealot uses last spell to Comprehend Languages) the Druid was in bad with some quickling, tells us how to find such quickling
- to be sure, we tie up the fey and I intimidate her for information, I set her free after we learn she was coerced to attack the druid's cottage against her will
- we leave

THE GANG
- on our way out, some of the Druid's friends approach
- I assume role of party face (although almost every Vigilante had great social skills)
- I succeed with aid from others in using diplomacy to convince them we did not commit the murder of the druid
- they let us continue

THE FINALE
- we approach a Druid circle, the hideout of the quickling that stole the lorestone
- a snare trap catches Stalker, who decided to be first when crossing a log bridge because of his high acrobatics
- we cut him down, Warlock gets snared by another trap in the process
- Arcanist decides to use monkey fish to swim around the trapped log bridge
- Warlock is cut down, we are a nearly inside of the circle when a voice calls out that we will not succeed
- we venture further, I'm ambushed by quickling and almost succumb to poison on his dagger (low fort save was a close call!)
-I lay into him with for nonlethal damage, fail the intimidate check :(
- Warlock remembers she has tattoo chamber and a wand of magic missile, uses it in front of party while in social form, we all notice that "something is up" (again for fun because PFS doesn't really allow rolls against each other)
-magic missile takes out quickling, another fey appears from invisibility and drops an Entangle from her flying position, all of us make our saves
-Arcanist casts Glitterdust, fey saves but is outlined
-Fey goes for the lorestone, which she fetches out of the pockets of the quickling
-I lay into Fey for nonlethal, knocking her out
-we fetch the lorestone and return to Absalom without further trouble

THE GOOD
-all of the vigilantes in our party had great social skills
-the players of the vigilantes seemed to role play it up with social/vigilante identities, which spiced up the sometimes less RP-heavy PFS scenario
-Warlock and Zealot had orisons/cantrips that were unlimited in usage, like detect magic, light, and create water. These came in handy

THE BAD
-vigilante casters had very limited 1st level slots, especially compared to the Arcanist (it's a very big difference at level 3)
- low fort save came up a couple times for me and the other Stalker on the front line: rat swarm had disease, quickling used poison
- us Stalkers didn't land a single d8 Hidden Strike; I had one opportunity but missed the ranged attack roll; the other Stalker had no opportunities

OTHER THOUGHTS
- does anything happen if the Pathfinders find out about your identity? Probably not
- does anything happen if your party finds out about your identity? Probably not
- so why am I hiding my identity? Because it's FUN! Malice is forming interesting relationships with the other locals' characters at my local shop. It's adding some fun RP depth to our PFS games

More to come.

Adakias/Malice is a terror machine. He wields his frightening countenance nearly as well as his greatsword. After a lifetime of evil deeds, he has begun his search for redemption. Through Sarenrae, he is able to wield his greatsword in effective nonlethal ways, taking advantage of the Blade of Mercy trait and Enforcer feat to demoralize and KO those that stand before him. Those shaken by his presence become weak as the stress of their fear wears upon their bodies.
***
We played a dungeon-crawl mod full of skeletons, zombies, and others. I had a great time and was able to role play my character pretty well. Here is my experience on the good, the bad, and the meh of my Stalker.

THE GOOD
-Twisting Fear was very fun, even with the high amount of monsters I faced that were immune. Each time it was triggered, the table cheered. I even managed to use demoralize as a standard action in place of what would have been a crappy ranged attack and got shaken+damage out of it. Flavorful and useful talent.
-I managed to make Renown work for the scenario, giving me a +4 on Intimidate checks, which really boosted my demoralize abilities.
-Martial Weapons were a welcome sight. Greatsword and Hidden Strike were a "lethal" combination.

THE BAD
-The d8 Hidden Strike was INCREDIBLY hard to pull off. I had to stand around corners and stealth and hope I could get up to them in one move action to break stealth with an attack.

THE MEH
- I didn't change into Social Persona a single time. There was no obvious need for it during a heavily combat scenario.

PROPOSED FIXES
-Add another qualifier for adding d8 Hidden Strike. I think making it activate on Flat Footed (which is still separate from Dex Denied) would be sufficient, or even specifically by acting before them in combat. The only way a low level Stalker can do it currently is by maybe succeeding the opposed Stealth check, which means there is only a chance of being able to even qualify for one single d8 strike in a given combat.

All in all, I had a blast! Look forward to the future adventures of Malice.

Up Close and Personal is very strong, as you get an automatic Hidden Strike in regardless. I do have a question about the timing...

"WHEN you ATTEMPT an Acrobatics check to move through an opponent’s space during a move action, he can make a single melee attack against that opponent as a SWIFT ACTION."

Does this mean that I can trigger my own attack before the Atack of Opportunity is triggered? Can I roll the acrobatics d20 and attack d20 simultaneously? Some supporting text from the CRB combat section:

"You can take a swift action anytime you would normally be allowed to take a free action."

"You can perform one of more free action WHILE performing another action normally."

(Emphasis mine all around.)

So I attempt my acrobatics as a move action, which triggers a swift action attack that I take during the move action. My attack strikes as the success or failure is determined and then I am hit by an attack of opportunity. Is this correct/legal?