Valerie Medvyed's page

I'm really bored of taking the same 5 or 6 general feats on each character, so I designed some new ones to diversify. I think these are balanced against the power of Fleet, Shield block, and toughness, but I'd appreciate some feedback.

Alchemist’s Friend level 1
You gain resistance to splash damage from your allies equal to one-half your level, with a minimum of one.

Better Backstabber level 15
When you hit a flat-footed creature with a Backstab weapon or unarmed attack, it deals one precision damage per damage die in addition to its normal damage instead of the normal backstab benefits. You may choose to use the standard backstab benefits instead if you wish.

Better Brace Level 15
When you ready to strike an opponent who moves within your reach, until the start of your next turn strikes with the brace weapon deal an additional 1 damage of the same type as the weapon for each weapon damage die it has. This is in addition to Brace’s regular damage but is not precision.

Dangerously Deadly level 19
When you would add a deadly weapon damage die, add one additional die of the same type.

Day Tripper level 1
You have a +2 circumstance bonus on fortitude saves to avoid addiction.

Expert Study Level 3
You gain a 1st level feat from your class that you qualify for.
Note: You may not take this feat if you have the human feat Natural Ambition, nor may you take this feat and later take Natural Ambition

Expert Training level 7
Advance one of your skills from trained to expert
Fatal and Deadly level 19
When attacking with a fatal weapon or unarmed attack, it gains the deadly d6 trait, in addition to its other traits.

Flash Grip Level 11 Free Action
Requirement: You are holding a combination or modular weapon.
Frequency: Every ten minutes
Change your grip on the weapon from one mode to another.

Great Backswing level 3
In addition to Backswing’s regular bonus, after missing twice in a row with a Backswing weapon or unarmed attack, you gain a +2 Circumstance bonus on your next attack. After missing thrice in a row with a Backswing weapon or unarmed attack, you gain a +3 Circumstance bonus on your next attack.

Great Force level 19
When using a Forceful weapon or unarmed attack, your third attack each turn with the weapon gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to thrice the number of damage dice, and your fourth attack each turn with the weapon gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to four times the number of damage dice.

Great Resonance level 19
When you use the conduct energy action granted by a Resonant weapon, the energy lasts until the end of your next turn.

Hidden Lethality level 1
When using a weapon or unarmed attack that has the nonlethal trait, you may make a lethal attack with a -1 circumstance penalty. If you are an expert in that weapon or unarmed attack, you may make a lethal attack with it with no penalty.

Legendary Training level 19
Prerequisite: master Training
Advance one of your skills from trained to expert, from expert to master, or from master to legendary.

Master Study level 11
Prerequisite: Focused Study or Natural Ambition
You gain a 2nd-level feat from your class that you qualify for.

Master Training level 11
Prerequisite: Expert Training
Advance one of your skills from trained to expert or from expert to master.

Small Bite level 1
Frequency: once a day
The first time each day you bite down on a Lozenge, you may choose to gain the secondary effect without ending the primary effect.

Swift Capacity level 11 Free Action
Frequency: Every ten minutes
Requirement: You just fired a capacity weapon.
Switch to the next chamber or barrel of the weapon.

Swift Grip Level 7 Free Action
Frequency: Every ten minutes
Change your grip on an item from one-handed to two-handed, or two-handed to one-handed, or from one hand to another free hand.

Triple Sweep Level 7
When using a sweep weapon or unarmed attack, if you have attacked two different targets this turn with the weapon already, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your attack roll if you attack a target you have not attacked yet this turn. If you have attacked three different targets this turn with the weapon already, you gain a +3 circumstance bonus to your attack roll if you attack a target you have not attacked yet this turn.

Wand Wielder level 15
Frequency: Once a day
You may activate a single wand one additional time each day.

Saw this on Reddit and it was an instant buy for me. A PF2e Video game? Finally! It’s clearly worth the $5 price tag, but I’m torn between “leaves you wanting more” and “maybe classes should have more than a single 2nd level feat?” I thought it had good encounter design, but terrible writing. I’d have played more if Champion was an available class.

I have searched and searched and found no answer to if I must make online non-scenarios open to the public?

Hi, I have both a regular PFS game I play in, and an online group I've been meeting regularly with for three years. Due to my Voice Disability, I haven't felt comfortable GMing since High School, but my online group has raised my confidence. I'm going to try GMing the Beginner Box for them, using Foundry VTT. I would like to get PFS credit. Some of them are coming to Gencon, so I'd encourage them to carry a character into those PFS games.

Reading the official material and Doug Hahn's guides, they hint that scenarios must be open to the public, but give little guidance on how that works online. It's also unclear if that extends to the weird space the beginner box is in. It seems a proper adventure could be private. (If this goes well, I'll run Kingmaker)

Question: Can I run the Beginner Box for credit privately?
Question: Which venture-captain or other person should I speak to?

Suggestion: The Official guides should clarify which of Bounties, quests, scenarios, beginner box, or adventures must be public.
Suggestion: The Official guides should clarify what makes an online session "Public." We have rules lawyers in this community. I know I could charge for a public session, or at least, I've seen people do that. Is it public if I would accept anyone, but only tell my friends where to find the game?

Request: If Doug Hahn could add the above information to his amazing Guides, that would be sweet as well. Or maybe I've overlooked something.

I'm getting ready to run a Kingmaker game in Xen'drik, and I want to stump my players and encourage them to recall knowledge. They're experts about previous editions, but they haven't realized the value of recall knowledge yet. The Ceratioidi are a perfect monster to make them go "What the F%#$ was that?" and I can absolutely point to it as something Paizo published out of China Miéville's mind. (The Scar is one of my favorite books) But I can't find any conversions to PF2.

Here's the 1e entry, but there's much more info in Pathfinder #32: https://www.aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Ceratioidi

I'm thinking they'll be a special advisor to troll lord Hargulka. Thus, I'm targeting a level of 5 with minions at 3 or 6 with minions at level 1. They'd have a rivally with the newly arrived Tartuk, but the PCs will have to kill the Ceratioidi anyway. So I'm thinking maybe it has four actions? Permanent haste to stride or strike? It could have a strong attack, and water spells that force saves? But what weakness (small w, not just bonus damage) would balance that? It seems like the 1e version has low AC? I worry my players would one-turn kill it, say "That was weird," and move on.

Another issue is communication. The developers of PF2 talk about eliminating "hidden" abilities, and the tiny male half is very much hidden. I'm thinking it wiggles when it casts spells, which will absolutely be a joke when they figure out what the thing on the back of her neck is.

Some 3rd level spells for them to cast would be Sea of Thought, crashing wave, and Aqueous Orb.
2nd level: Enlarge, Sea Surge, Teeth to Terror
1st level: Aqueous Blast (I've removed the twins), Briny Bolt, Exchange Image, Grease, Kinetic Ram, Personal rain cloud (pre-cast on self, special version with salt water), Heal,
Cantrips: Daze, spout, Shield

The 1e dual mind ability is completely "Hidden," unless the players try mind-reading, which is now uncommon. "allowing it to fight with two weapons simultaneously without any penalties. It can also select two favored classes." None of this means anything now. I think I'm going to make Dual Mind be it has two turns with shared MAP, and two actions each.

The lure ability is also troublesome, as it's iconic, but also an action cost and probably incapacitation. I'm thinking it replicates a spell. The Spell could be Sleep (3rd level, once), Calm Emotions(3rd level, once) or Hideous Laughter (2nd level, reflavored, any number of times)

The Primitive Amphibian ability is mostly flavor, and I'm going to cover it with the Ceratioidi having a homebrew staff with Spout, Aqueous Blast, Personal (salty) rain cloud, Briny Bolt, and Sea Surge, and has a +1 rune. While wielding it, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to checks to Swim or navigate underwater. This is planned as a major piece of adventuring loot. It'll also have a spellbook as a wizard, despite being a priest. That's within the norm for Eberron. Everyone does magic a little differently.

On to Stats:
Ability scores for both 5th and 6th level creatures are High: +5, Moderate: +4, and Low: +2. I think giving low Dex and Cha, Moderate Con and Wis and High Strength and Intelligence is balanced, so
Str: +5, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +5, Wis +4, Cha +2
Perception: Original creature had high perception, But, it rolls twice with two actions each, so I'm going to say the Female has Moderate of +12 or +14, and the Male has terrible of +7 or +8.
Senses: I'm keeping Darkvision for ocean depths, but I don't think it'll matter much.
Skills: Athletics high: +13/+15, Priest of the Devourer, so Religion high +12/+14, They have moderate Arcana and Occult +12/+13. Moderate Intimidation +12/+13, and low deception +10/+11for this specific one.
AC is difficult, but as a spellcaster, I'm going with 20/22, halfway between low and moderate.
For Saves, the 1e version had Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +6. I've lowered dex, so I'm going with Fort Moderate +12/+14, Reflex Low +9/+11, and Will High +15/+17.
Moderate HP is 78/99 to 72/91
Immune to mental spells and effects. Resist mental damage 8. Weakness Freshwater 4/5 (all the Ceratioidi's spells are saltwater, so this is for very lucky mages or Thaumaturges)
Speed 25ft, Swim 25ft.
Strikes...Ummm...Attack Bonus (halfway between high and moderate) +14/+16 for Staff melee strikes, dealing Moderate 2d6+6/2d6+8, and dart throw, low +11/+12, for low 2d4+6/2d4+8.
The Male will have high Spell attack +14/+16 and High DC 22/24
As a Priest-Wizard, the male will be a prepared caster.
The 5th level version will have 2 3rd, 3 2nd, and 3 1st, While the 6th level version will have 3 of each level. Both have 5 cantrips.
Prepared spells: 3rd: Sea of Thought, crashing wave, and 6th level version also has heal.
2nd: Enlarge, Sea Surge, Teeth to Terror
1st: Grease, Kinetic Ram, Personal rain cloud (pre-cast on self, special version with salt water)
Cantrips: Daze, spout, Shield
Abilities: Dual Mind: The Certioidi takes two turns each round, with two actions each. The second turn has the MAP of the first. One turn is Female and cannot cast spells. The other turn is Male, and can cast spells, but can not use actions that require limbs. The Female and Male are telepathically linked.
Parry: The Female can use an action to hold its staff defensively, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of her next turn (not the male's turn)
Traits: Humanoid? Aquatic, TN, Medium, Tiny? ceratioidi

I'd appreciate feedback.

I’ve been thinking about how to make the Swashbuckler deliver on its class theme, and concluded I want a more flexible swashbuckler. The feats below allow and encourage swashbucklers who can use two styles. I also give Swashbuckler automatic increases in acrobatics at level 2, 7, and 15. I do worry that this makes the optimal swashbuckler Wit into Gymnast (maybe hobgoblin with braggard/gymnast), but I’m fine with that. Such a Swashbuckler could target Fort (shove/grapple), ref(trip/tumble), or will (bon mot/demoralize), which brings them closer to a spellcaster in flexibility.

I also added some clown feats for a humorous swashbuckler, and to address a problem with improvised weapons. I’d like to add more clown feats, but many of the possibilities are not worth a feat.

Advanced Swashbucklering Level 1

You gain access to the Aldori dueling Sword, Butterfly Sword, Chain Sword, Fen Huo Lun, Karabit, and Spiral Rapier. For the purpose of determining your proficiency, these weapons are martial weapons.

Clown Level 1

Prerequisite: Trained in Performance

You pretend to not even be fighting foes while you have panache. As long as you have panache, the damage die for your fist increases to 1d6, and you may choose to make lethal or nonlethal strikes with your fist without taking a -2 penalty. Also, you do not take the normal -2 penalty for improvised weapon attacks, and improvised or unarmed attacks made while you have panache always apply your precise strike damage.

MultiStyled level 2

Prerequisite: Trained in appropriate skill: performance for battledancer, Intimidation for Braggart, deception for Fencer, Athletics for Gymnast, Diplomacy for Wit.

Choose another swashbuckler style. You can gain panache and take other swashbuckler feats in that style. You do not automatically gain the exemplary finisher or any other feature of that style. (If your new style would grant a skill feat, you do not gain it automatically.)

Style Expert level 2

Prerequisite: trained in your style’s skill

Choose one style skill you are trained in, increase that proficiency to Expert and chose a skill feat associated with that skill or acrobatics. You gain that feat.

Clown Pocket level 4 [one action]

[Flourish]

Prerequisite: Clown

As a clown, you have pockets in strange places. You can spend ten minutes to hide an item of light or no bulk behind your ear. While you have panache, you may use a free hand to draw a potion or elixir from behind your ear and drink it as a single action, or you may draw and throw a bomb from behind your ear as a single action. Despite the number of ears you may have, only one item may be hidden in such a way at a time.

Style Master level 8

Prerequisite: Expert in your style’s skill

Choose one style skill you are an expert in, increase that style skill proficiency to Master and chose a skill feat associated with that skill or acrobatics. You gain that feat.

Exemplary Multistyled level 10

Prerequisite: Multistyled

Choose a style you took with multistyled. You gain that style’s exemplary finisher. You may choose either, but not both, exemplary finishers to use when a strike you make as part of a finisher hits a foe.

Style Legend level 16

Prerequisite: master in your style’s skill

Choose one style skill you are a master in, increase that style skill proficiency to Legendary and chose a skill feat associated with that skill or acrobatics. You gain that feat.

Multi-Exemplary Finishers level 18

Prerequisite: Exemplary Multistyled

When a strike you make as part of a finisher hits a foe, you may apply two exemplary finishers to the foe.

(This is tongue-in-cheek, statements exaggerated for comedic effect)

TL,DR: What Healer type fits this LE-ish party and Dark Sun’s lack of Gods? How can I find ways to enjoy Dark Sun when I don’t enjoy super-dark settings?

My GM and online party I’ve gamed since June 2020, with has Started GateWalkers in Dark Sun. We have a weird Shedule. The main GM works on a Cruise Ship with a 4-month on board with weak internet, 2-month off in Brazil or Florida. Our group formed while the Cruise industry was suspended for the Pandemic. He usually runs a Very strongly story-based Eberron 5e game. While he’s on the cruise, other players take turns running different games. Two weeks ago, we started GateWalkers, moved into the Dark Sun setting.

I am not a fan of Dark Sun. It seems to be trying to out-edge WH40k, which is another setting I dislike. Slavery is common, life is short, no clerics, magic drains the world of life, and most importantly, all the different ancestries hate each other with good reason. Also, I purchased a box set PDF for the 2e setting, and it was clear that everything important was done by NPCs in the book series. PCs should be the Heroes of an RPG setting. I expressed my hesitation to the GM, who assured me I could be a shining light in the darkness. Thinking of the desert setting, I suggested a gunslinger, while the other players asked about Psychic, Magus, and rogue. Seeing as there was no healer, no divine magic, and no guns, I was talked into moving my concept to a chirurgeon alchemist. This was my first mistake.

My second mistake was being Chaotic good, a shining Beacon of light. I build a CG Elf Alchemist, taking ancient elf into wizard. Her backstory involves falling for a Human and having a half-elf child. Her tribe banished her for such an act, and now that both are dead, she’s out to join them in a way that strikes back at the ones who make the world so harsh. Her missing moment was with her family and a glimpse of a better world. Wraith deviant ability

My party members:
Strat, a Tiefling Human magus, Targe. LN, bordering on LE. Loves gladiator combat. No deviant ability. Intelligence caster. Defiler, which means his magic withers plants and curses the land nigh-permanently.

Tik-Tak’Cha, a Thri-kreen (Kashrishi)) psychic, TN. Very inhuman. Refuses to wear armor. No Deviant ability. Intelligence caster.

Skreeh, a ratfolk (Ysoki) Rogue, NE. Filth-lover. No deviant ability. Spec’d for Intelligence.

There’s some problems here, right? I’m sticking with CG, but I change my deviant background to the new Runner background in Firebrands, which fits elves of dark sun. We have two 18 Intelligences, two 14’s, and little or no Wisdom or Charisma. Should be fun! Because Dark Sun only has a few languages, and we are so focused in intelligence, the GM lets us take extra lores instead of languages.

Session one, we are escorting a caravan to Nibel or something. We’ve known each other for a few weeks now in-game. Caravan is attacked by elves, who avoid attacking me, but refuse to talk. We kill them easily. I mix it up with bombs, arrows, and my corset knife. The Rogue and Magus flank, and the Psychic provides ranged artillery. Easy fight.

Outside the city, we met the guy who is working on investigating the gates, a big dwarf with a gem in his forehead and psychic powers. He wants us to use a big party to slip through another gate in the city center. Now, we need to get inside the city. A city which has banned elves, despite having an elf market deep within it. I suggest Star Trek IV’ing my ears, but that won’t work because none of us is trained in disguise. We spend half an hour discussing it. Strat will distract the guards with a conversation on gladiator lore, and I will cling to the underbelly of the cart. We get in.

Session two is two weeks later, since we are switching between LANCER and Dark Sun. We find lodgings in the city, as they are crap, we keep watch during the night. During my watch, I steal a fruit. On the next day we investigate the city. The Rogue makes contact with another ratfolk, who doesn’t trust him because he’s too clean. The psychic looks at two temples of psychic power. The Magus scouts gladiator combat. I fail. We take a look at the gate, which is right next to the slave market. We decide to stealthily rush the gate during the parade.

Night of the parade goes very well, until the parade is attacked by Raptors from the Black. I crit my recall knowledge, so I learn they are a mishmash of 2e and 4e and PF2 rules. They have teleport 120 feet and AoOs, and weakness to cold iron. The Raptors are attacking the parade members (mostly slave!), but are just out of ray of frost range, and the rest of the party doesn’t want to engage, so we run on in.

Passing through the gate, we see an eye of a strange creature, which “chooses” to send us to a hilltop a day’s march from the city. Remember the Lores instead of languages rule? The Magus took Lore (far ones) or (GOO’s) or something. He rolls a natural 19 on his check and he knows the name of the eye we saw. The GM says this could change the course of the adventure and that’s where we stop.

Can you apply a merciful balm to a bomb?
If it causes splash or persistent damage, is that nonlethal?
If the persistent damage is nonlethal, and I hit someone in the last round of the hour, is it still nonlethal next round?
If it's an alchemist fire and it sets a house on fire, is the fire nonlethal?

Thaumaturge: "You don't gain the benefit of implement's empowerment if you are holding anything in either hand other than a single one-handed weapon, other implements, or esoterica, and you must be holding at least one implement to gain the benefit."

1)Do you "hold" a Gantlet?
2)If a Thaumaturge wears heavy armor, does he have to remove the gantlets?

Even more complicated, the bow gantlet from TV has parry.
3) I assume you can't use the parry trait while the gantlet is holding something, but I can't find that written as a rule

However, the Thaumaturge can stow or retrieve his implement as a free action, so

4) Thaumaturge is holding an implement in the same hand as the bow gantlet. He stows the implement. Then, he parries. Then, he retrieves his implement. Does he still benefit from the parry?

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/james-gunn-unveils- dc-slate-batman-superman-1235314176/

Booster Gold and the Authority are near the top of my list. I'm very curious who is going to be on the authority team. Supergirl is another fantastic choice. I'm excited for Waller and creature commandos, too.

But ugh, Damien. Please no

So I'm playing a thaumaturge in PFS and we are fighting a group of foxes. The foxes have no weaknesses, so when I succeed on exploit vulnerablity, I pick a weakness that applies to one fox and just that fox, right?
I'm on the spot, so I say this fox is weak to rabbits. I pull a rabbit out of my bag (hat) and I beat the fox to death with the rabbit and my hatchet.
The whole table is in stitches, laughing about this. I decide the next one will be more serious. Next turn, I have another fox, so I roll exploit vulnerablity. This time it's weak to a piece of a henhouse, which no fox ever entered. The table laughs again.

Is this the proper way to play a serious member of the dark archive? What serious weakness would a fox have? Im not complaining, I'm curious what other thaumaturges would have done. Playing comedy characters is pretty common for me, and I'm glad to have the opportunity, but I don't believe this is how Paizo intended the class to be played.

The art of this in the book was flirty and funny. At least in the picture, this miniature has none of the energy of the artwork. I'm disappointed.

Wayselm Davrell (Description on page 71, image on page75) is a N female tiefling half-orc bounty hunter 2. She is one sexy lady and she's got a lovely singing voice. I want to play her. How do you get to be both a tiefling and a half-orc?

Just saw that Batgirl cast a trans woman as a trans character, and now I'm super hyped about this movie. Also, Brendan Fraser has been knocking it out of the park on Doom Patrol, so I'm excited to see him in a darker role as well.

So I'm playing as a Paladin/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple in Kingmaker, and I worried about falling out of Lawful Good. (spoilers unmarked below)

The first thing that really started to pull me away from lawful good was being anti-slavery. If you say slavery should be abolished, you're Chaotic? I didn't think that was how this worked! Even Abadar is anti-slavery, and he's LN. I'm astonished that my paladin can't be strongly anti-slavery.

The second thing that's been pushing me are the kingdom decisions. Often, there will be a NG choice and a LN choice and some other choices, but no LG choice. No matter what I pick, I'm losing ground on my LG alignment. Like most paladins I've met playing versions of D&D, my character prefers Good over Law when asked to choose. The result? I'm pushed more and more chaotic, without ever picking a chaotic choice.

The third thing that bothers me is a lot of the LG options are dumb or contrary to my goddess. The game allows me to make a LG paladin of the NG goddess Sarenrae, but not to play as one. Sarenrae is all about redemption, but the LG option is often to attack without talking to my enemies. Would it not be lawful to follow the rules of my goddess? Or LG to give all creatures equal standing under the law, and not blindly attack goblins?

My main questions are How worried should I be about falling? And is it the same in Wrath of the Righteous? I was planning on playing a paladin there, too, but if it's like this, I might pass.

Magic weapon is a first level spell that makes a weapon +1 striking. This lets players have a weapon 3 levels before they could normally buy it or enhance a backup weapon. I like the gameplay of a caster enchancing a main weapon for boss fights, so I want to allow heighting magic weapon to get access to higher levels of basic magic runes. I'm thinking:

The weapon glimmers with magic and energy. The target becomes a +1 striking weapon, gaining a +1 item bonus to attack rolls and increasing the number of weapon damage dice to two.
Heightened (6th): The target becomes a +2 greater striking weapon instead, gaining a +2 item bonus to attack rolls and and increasing the number of weapon damage dice to three.
Heightened (10th) The target becomes a +3 Major striking weapon instead, gaining a +3 item bonus to attack rolls and and increasing the number of weapon damage dice to four.

This makes resistances to weapon types and materials less effective against a well-prepared party, but I'm ok with that.

I'm building a spellblending wizard with the witch archtype. I'm trying to decide some things. I want to have a diversity of spells, so I'm looking at taking a patron with the occult, divine or primal spell list. Which is best? I certainly want some magical healing-is Soothe sufficient? Is occult still best even if my DCs and attacks are low? Should I be doubling up on the power of the arcane list instead?

Also, I was looking at playing an ancient elf or a sprite. As an ancient elf, I could take Enhanced Familiar at 2nd level. Is that a big power boost, or should I just forget about my familiar and focus on spells? Is there a better second level feat?

Tumble Through says "You can Tumble Through using Climb, Fly, Swim, or another action instead of Stride in the appropriate environment." I'm trying to climb five feet, then tumble through an enemy standing at the edge of this ledge. My DM ruled I need a climb speed to do this. They say climbing with without a climb speed isn't striding and therefore can't be combined with using tumble through. Is this correct?