Veldan Rath's page

Well, they are crushing everything.

Warpriest 6 (Archer build)
Cleric 6 (Buff focus, aux melee)
Paladin 6
Cleric/Wizard 3/3 next level is MT
Cleric 3/Rogue 3

So far, very rarely are they surprised, out class most opponents with their AC, and 2 major damage dealers.

The Cleric/Rogue has insane diplomacy, so all of the non-combatant encounters go their way. Wood Giant and Treant are friendly. Even managed to convince Veld to join the refugees.

They are almost done with Fort Nunder’s vault section, and then will be on their way to Trevelay.

The only tough encounter for them was the final battle with the trogs.

Well, they will never suffer from a lack of healing, buffing, damage mitigation, negative condition repair, etc.

Warpriest (archer build) and Paladin (sword and board) leads to damage dealing and tanking,

Mystic Thurge, while slow, has incredible flexibility, and brings the blast.

This theme is not giving me the same level of angst as the Viking party is giving the DM for Shattered Star, but the first two sessions is escaping the village, they were never concerned. They had healing to spare.

I’m not familiar with slot zero?

So...as a group when a new AP is about to start, the players all get together to plan a theme for the party to give the DM fits.

For example: In Shattered Star, we made a party of Vikings. Skald, Fighter (Combat stamina is bloody brutal), Bloodrager, Rogue/Arcanist, and Blight Druid.

Notice no primary healer type.

In this one, I’m the DM.

My evil friends came to plot and plan the following:

Level 1
Half Elf Warpriest of Milani
Half Elf Cleric of Milani
Asimar Cleric of Milani
Human Paladin of Freedom (of Milani)
Elven Cleric of Sarane

Now they are in the forest
Level 2
Warpriest 2
Cleric 2
Cleric/Rogue 1/1
Paladin 2
Cleric/Wizard 1/1...Aiming at Mystic Thurge.

Apparently my warnings on how brutal the campaign is was taken to heart...

The evil grins on their faces..I’m still laughing.

Oh and they all took Ironfang Survivor...

I can report that Warrior Spirit has saved my bacon 3 times so far and have even reached Level 6 yet.

I’m happy with my choice! Thanks for the advice!

I would suggest looking far back in time.

Tome of Magic from AD&D 2nd Edition. Specialty Priests and Spheres of Magic.

Best time I had with divine casters and a pantheon.

Well, Close Weapon Group works with my shield as well. I was planning on getting that later...

What is your CHA? Does Armed Bravery do anything for you that Improved Bravery (Ultimate Intrigue) does not?

I dumped CHR. I had to focus on STR, DEX, and CON.

AND...I just can not play a dumb fighter...I allotted points to INT.

Already built, human fighter.

DM hates me already, he can’t hit me and I do enough damage that I cannot be ignored.

Too keep up with the Bloodrager, I think I’ll take Mystic Warrior.

Going full offense DOES fit the Viking theme we are going for.

My party is playing a Viking themed party we were all from the same clan.

So I’m playing a fighter in the Shattered Star campaign and I have to make a choice at 5th level if I’m going to take armed bravery or mystic warrior.

The options that my character has currently includes the stamina pool and I am playing a ax and shield style fighter with improve she’ll bash the ass having a great AC and being able to shout modest damage for the next few levels.

The party make up is a skald, a blight druid, a rogue, a bloodrager, and myself.

As you can tell, we are light on divine and arcane power, but very effective in melee.

So what does everyone here suggest I do at fifth level? Do I go for better combat effectiveness in being aggressive or enhance my will savings right to keep me from being taken out in one shot spells?

And yes I am saving my gold to buy duelist gloves as soon as possible.

Completed
Shackled City
Savage Tide
Age of Worms
Rise of the Runelords
Council of Thieves

Currently working on
Skull and Shackles
Reign of Winter
Mummy's Mask

About to start
Shattered Star

Out of the 6 of us, 5 of us run as DM.

Veldan - what I was thinking about was making bravery give you +1 per 2 levels to saves vs fear and your stamina pool, with an option to spend up to that number of stamina points as an immediate action to get the same bonus to any save, basically either a last-minute frantic action or soldiering on through the pain.

The second bonus is powerful, but even at higher levels it consumes a fair bit of stamina and an immediate action. Plus, I fighters as the combat stamina specialist class, so I am hoping they could get some tricks with it.

That could work too.

I'm pretty sure a cap on the bonus to the will save would be in order, +5 or so.

Meh, I'm going through multiple builds...and this is what I am seeing:

I love the stamina mechanic, but the fighter does not get enough points fast enough. Fighters should get 2/level, not one.

Advanced Weapon Training, while great at 5th level, 4th for Weapon Master, the only once every 5 levels is too slow for fighters. I think it should be 2 or 3 level, you are spending a feat for it and this is what fighters do.

Better skill list and 4/level. At least Perception should be on the list.

Will Save...icky...something else aside from Bravery...just don't know how to address aside from making it a good save. Maybe allowing to use stamina pool to add Con mod to power through?

Dot

Dang, missed that.

I may be a bit of a hardass, but where could they safely sleep? There is one dopple running around that is aware of their escape (where does she eventually go anyway?)who would let the other two in on the escape. There aren't a lot of places to hide.

Also, back to my main point, one of these baddies is a real tough cookie for a 1st level group.

I feel like I am missing something here.

The characters start ready to go, and most likely will have a scrape or two from the rats and zoog before coming across the survivor encampment.

Who wont let them in. Unless they prove themselves by dispatching...

3 Doppelgangers. At 1st level???

AC 18, 26 HP for 2 of them and a leveled one with spells and more hp.

This seems unlikely.

Again, what am I missing?

Yay, thank you! I just got one by happenstance, as I am the party's "face".

Extra bonus for me!

The feat allows you to use CHR instead of DEX for initiative. The item grants +3 to CHR checks...

Does this combo work?

Spellcasters with touch of idiocy ruin my day when I dump CHR.

Dumping stats always scares me. I've had the fortune of whenever I dump a stat, I always run across a critter that does damage to said stat...and this is in AP's!

Sounds good!

As part of my homebrew, I'm adding The Hive as an adversary.

I've stated most of them out, but I'm torn on what their base type should be.

Aberration

Outsider

Monstrous Humanoid

I can see all three as possibilities. Any ideas?

My character is a 17 charisma oracle, I was looking to ramp up my saves to make sure I don't get taken out by effects, so I can protect my teammates. I'll have an 18 by level 4. With Battlefield Clairity, I hope to be close to unassailable mentally.

Steadfast Personality & Divine Protection.

SP provides an insight bonus to Will save = CHR mod against mind effect.

DP provides an untyped bonus to ALL saves = CHR mod.

Sounds a bit cheesey...but RAW.

Does using HL automatically fall under one of those categories?

Just like most of the gamers here, I have most of the books. I also have HL.

I have not joined PFS, and while if I did, I would abide by all the rules to the best of my ability, but if someone objects to me using HL as a character management tool,because of some Luddite bias, I can spend my time elsewhere, and word of mouth can be just as bad as it is beneficial.

Is this what my fellow gamers have for issues?

Reminds me of one the older bits of advice from long ago, possibly Skip Williams: Only game with people you like...which means people you know, which makes PFS even less attractive.

Can't find it anywhere...has it been announced?

Thank you all!

Trying to build with a 20 pt buy, using the Viking Archtype.

I'm having fun with it making a 2 weapon fighter (using improved shield bash), but the ability scores are giving me trouble. Any suggestions?

I was hoping for some favored class bonuses for the Android race.

Otherwise, I am very excited for this AP.

Thank you all!

I don't need optimization, but I am looking at a 20 pt buy for Shattered Star, and my theme is a melee guy that is competent with throwing weapons to soften up the baddies.

I can use all Paizo sources...Core, APG, UC, UM, UR and their splat books for Pathfinder.

That aside...

No eldritch glaive?

I rocked with that in Age of Worms, with my Eldritch Disciple long long ago.

The doc has the blast as not subject to SR or the globe spells...was that intended? That's pretty umm...good for the Warlock...and bad for the baddies.

PS Love your work!

Wow, I love this community! Thanks!

Would love to see some Vanara mini's...especially a monk!

I'm looking at 10 new classes...which means 10 new Iconics? Which mean more Iconic Minis?????!!?? :)

The need of rings to get past the field in the last book, do you need them once you get past it or is it omnipresent in all of the spires?

My players are struggling with the last bit of RotRL and the issues of the altitude (except for the guy with a Necklace of Adaption).

Elixir of the Peaks is great, but a bit pricey and only last 8 hours.

Are there any spells that can counter this effect? I don't want to drag this out too much. I do like the realism that reminds them they are in dangerous place just due to the altitude, but I would have thought that they could use some spell resources to cover this.

However, I want to make sure what I am thinking is correct with the Archetype in this combo.

Here is what I am seeing.

The ranged attack is neat. Does the discharge mean the damage will be equal to the Unarmed attack of my monk level?

I can add cool features to my unarmed strikes with the Enhanced Strikes feature.

The Empowered Strikes wont increase my damage as the Monk starts with d6. (aside from Psychic Strike) But being able to bypass magic will be nice.

Anything I'm missing or have wrong above?

A nerve wracking read...my paranoid players will find this adventure fitting to their sensibilities.

Return to the Tomb of Horrors was a blast...converting that for Pathfinder would be awesome.

I'm a fan of just starting with d10 and full BAB.

It's a martial class, with stealth options.

I don't think it's cheese - cheese for me is abusing the letter of the rules or using combinations that where never intended or don't make sense. This makes sense for the in-game _characters_; Getting to a plane where times flows slower would make sense for a high-level spellcaster aiming to do something time-requiring (or for anyone, really).

The fact that changing time flow is part of the Create Greater Demiplane shows that it's an _intended_ part of the rules, and it also isn't anti-thematic.

That said, yes it changes the power dynamic and makes crafting even stronger, and the DM should be aware of it (or even limit/disallow it, for example by houseruling out the time-changing part from create demiplane), but it's there and intended and has been part of the game for very long.

We rarely play at those high levels, though we have a bit of planar travel and our players have occacionally used such spaces, but since we keep to pretty low levels I as a DM can have control over their access to it.

And players had best be ready for what is good for them will be good for the gander...this just leads to silly escalation.

Veldan Rath wrote:

I have yet to play an AP that gives you unlimited time at that high a level to craft a 100k plus item. And at that level, wizards are owning the place anyway.

Once planar travel gets going, it might be possible for the party to get to somewhere in for example the plane of time where time slows down enough to allow for large periods of down-time without passing time on the material plane. A summoner or full caster could also use create lesser demiplane, then buy a scroll of greater demiplane and use that to halt the time in their plane to half.

Wow, that's extra cheese, and the DM may want to not allow that, as that just ratchets up Wizards/Clerics even more.

I have yet to play an AP that gives you unlimited time at that high a level to craft a 100k plus item. And at that level, wizards are owning the place anyway.

Anything in particular that could be created early/cheaper that worries you?

Veldan Rath wrote:

But that kind of dump can get you killed, I did 10's for my STR, DEX, and CON, and almost didn't make it to 2nd level. The 11-15 hp your Eidolon has can go FAST, leaving you a crippled spellcaster that is most likely based by something mean.

Kinda what things liker mage armor and protection from evil are for.

Then at level 5, magical flight lol

???

If the baddie can hit me with Eidolon Suit + Shield + Mage Armor, wouldn't you think the baddie can whack me a bit easier when it is just Dex 10 + Mage Armor + Shield?

Fly is nice, but you wont always have it up, and the power of the Synth is melee, not ranged, so fly is not all that great in combat aside being able to get around. And if you are based when the 'suit' goes bye bye, your best bet it withdraw...and start summoning...and until you get up there in levels (Summon IV), Summon Monster is not all that hot.

Also, yo don't get Fly till 7th.

Now if you are talking evolutions...yeah cool, but does you no good when yer 'suit' it gone.