Venturea Luminass's page

edxerox wrote:

Will it contain the various mounts as well as separate pawns?

Previous sets did not.

But a detailed list of what is inside should be shown somewhen in june. ;-)

Make that july, a pawn product delayed "no surprises here"

PLEASE NO MORE HILL GIANTS.
at this point I have more hill giants than goblins from the looks of it.

Thats what i want a mix between inner sea monsters and npcs

thank you Macabre Dragon! you are a hoss.

I dont really think the alchemy and poison use are good fits for how i imagine a investigator that being said the inspiration rules are golden and considering it will recharge in the same fashion as spell points why not just have the class draw more heavily off of that? even possibly allowing them to use inspiration points to cast certain spells of certain levels as sla's much like how the qinggong monk can use ki points to cast certain spells.
with more inspiration point options,a healthy list of investigator exclusive talents (not discoveries) and a few more options it would be a awesome class that feels different and fits the class name.

Also instead of sneak attack what if there was a class feature or talent that allowed the investigator to spend inspiration as a swift action to gain the sneak attack equivalent of a rogue of its level for a round?
And what if poison use and swift poison became investigator talents (swift poison requiring poison use).

i hate to be that guy, but i gotta ask...how does he fit on the ship after transforming?

His hybrid form is huge, as for sperm whale form he cant.

I'm curious...why exactly is the sentient ocean "punishing" this vile defiler of the sea by giving him all sorts of cool sea-faring abilities and super-powers that will make him a vastly stronger menace to all concerned?

The curse ravages his body and mind , the idea is that the more he acts like a beast the more beast like he will become till the man inside is lost .

there was a zoo-based shonen manga about that. the "sea world" setting equivalent's boss was pretty much exactly that, op.

i am completely unable to help with your conundrum and am basically taking up space in your thread with this post, but i thought it was worth mentioning.

it also has a dashing narwhal fencer.

That sounds awesome, whats the mangas name?

I Wrote up a npc in my homebrew setting that is a pirate captain and a were-sperm whale.

The setting assumes that the campaign is E6, and the npc is intended to be capable of taking on a party of 4+ lvl 6 characters.

I already have the animal form down pat.

https://sites.google.com/site/pathfinderogc/bestiary/monster-listings/anima ls/cetacean/whale

My main issue is the hybrid from and his bonuses in human form.

Hes a 6th lvl barbarian with the sea reaver archetype (im thinking the custom template would be a +4 cr rating for a total cr of 10).

The template is the result of a curse that he gained from the will of the sea (the sea itself is sentient , think old margreve) due to his immense cruelty towards all that fly over , sail on or swim under the blue.
He has 3 pirate fleets under his belt that he leads through fear and is a major antagonist in the region.

only problem is i havent quite yet made this template and i would like some advice / involvement in the process =).

I would love to see a factotum type base or alternate class (maybe a rogue alternate) that grants a pool similar to insight and gives sla's in addition to the ability to mimic class features at the cost of said points.
Alas i really doubt paizo wants to make another base class.

cartmanbeck wrote:

Any chance you could tell me if there will be any Nagaji pawns in this set? I'd LOVE one!

The NPC Codex uses only races and classes in the Core Rulebook... so, no.

Advanced race guide pawn set do it DOOOOOO IIIIIITTTTT =).

But i guess it all boils down to what you want really .
Why do you want to be a sword and board fighter?
If its to be a tank then your choice is a little misguided theres only a slight difference in survivability from a sword +shield fighter and a 2h fighter or a 2 wep fighter .
The main reason why people pick this build is due to early lvl crowd control (in the form of shield slam) and late game burst (in the form of bashing finish).

If you want to be a pure tank by dnd standards i would recommend the 2 weapon warrior build or oddly enough a archer build using snap shot + combat reflexes .
The best defense in pathfinder is a solid offense its better to play proactive than reactive and kill the sucker before it can even attempt to harm you.

Every attack that goes your way has a chance to crit , if it hits consumes a valuable resource and opens you up to a ton of variables .
Statistically the quicker you kill it the less harm you expose yourself to.

Of course your natural ability ups would go towards dex for twf

Might i recomend switching your stats a bit?

Str: 18
Dex: 16
Con: 14
Int: 11
Wis: 13
Cha: 8

As for Feats id recommend

1: Two Weapon Fighting , Imp Shield Bash
2: Weapon Focus Shield Bash
3: Iron Will
4: Weapon Specialization Shield Bash
5: Your Choice
6: Shield Slam
7: Improved two weapon fighting
8: Improved Critical Kukri
9: Your Choice
10: Your Choice
11: Shield Master
12: Bashing Finish
13: Greater Two weapon Fighting

Use the kukri as your off hand and wield your shield in your main hand so your attacking at the standard -2/-2 penalty for 2 wep fighting.

Assuming your wearing scale thats a starting ac of 20.
13 hp
+3 attack on both attacks
+5 attack if you arent full attacking
1d6+ 4 damage on the slam
1d4+2 damage with the kukri

Average Dpr at lvl 1 is 7 , 9 on the full attack.

Thats respectable take the archetype shielded fighter and this makes for some good times.

Why not play a drow ranger who dual wields scimitars it is forgotten realms afterall.

Create ways where the players learn temporary loop holes in the game, but also implement scenarios where there are glitches in the system, such as system lag, getting "stuck", or slipping underneath the landscape.

Like when a player realizes he can buy ladders from the shopkeep and break them off into 2 10 foot poles selling them for a net profit?

Sounds like SAO to me hey i'd play it i love the anime.

As to how to deal with it improtant questions like is it just the pcs trapped and if not is there any way to tell the difference between people and computer controlled characters.

You can obviously simplify and speed up skills such as crafting and profession to account for the it's an mmo feel and the interface could be used as a masterwork tool for knowledge/crafting skills.

Instant messages having little impact in the main parts of the game can be mostly hand waved with a "As a standard action you can seen a message of xx words to annother player or player group. Reading a recived message can be done as a move action or as part of a move action but if done in conjuntion with a move action imposes a -2 to all other actions by the reader untill his next turn."
That way you maintain the utility of it with the limits of doing it in a fight is bad. (Also you could message a player in combat with something really important to see if he will read it or pay attention to the fight :D.)

Story wise instant messages will play a large part i imagine from accepting friend invites to joining or merging parties .

Ill admit i got alot of inspiration from dot hack lol.

Ive been writing a campaign where the players play as characters in a virtual world how would you guys do this?
The setting is a simple one it takes place on earth and the year is 2032.
The players are playing as people who are trapped in the mmo unable to log out or forcibly remove the vr machine (or else it will microwave their brain) in addition if their character dies they will also die (once again the hardware will malfunction and zap their brain).

How would you guys implement some of the functions common to a mmo, like Instant messages a basic user interface and the like?

As for certain skills i was thinking of tying in a panel above monsters that would reveal detailed information on a successful knowledge check or a personal interface panel that would appear infront of the player (a pokedex type deal).

Dwarf isnt too terrible a option.

18 dex
16 int
14 str
13(15) con
8(10) Wis
7(5) Cha

The reason being the +2 wis and the hardy racial trait.

Sure it may not have the same Ab/Ac or int of the elf or tiefling.

But you are looking at a +4 will difference (2 from wis 2 from hardy).
Will saves are the biggest weakness ive seen in alot of these dex builds.

Also your other saves will be increased as well not to mention you will be more survivable due to the high con (that i would increase at 4).

For most items, I, as a player would hate getting a glowing item.

Especially weapons and armor.

Aye the beauty of a light spell or a torch is that it provides illumination in a controlled condition at any point you can quash that light source .

Good luck sneaking up on that ogre with your glowing kukri.

I would think most people ( gm's ) ignore it... or else they get players asking every 2 mins , or whenever they find ANYTHING, "Does it glow?"

? if every 2 mins the gm drops a magic item he has more problems to worry about than giving a simple yes or no.

Wizard if your going to teach her how to play teach her to play the best =).

Defensive chracters are just fine. not every monster is smart enough to avoid you in combat. Not every smart enemy should know you are so hard to hit (unless the DM constantly metagame). And if you want enemis not to ass you just take stand still.

Now having high defense should never means to ignore the offensive. Take weapon focus, power attack, weapon especialization and the like. At high levels critical feats(only if you have a 18-20 weapon if not ignore thies) and dazzing assault for the win.

And do not forget to take iron will and maybe lighting reflexes at some point in your carrer. It does not matter how high is our ac or your DR if a single spell take you out of the fight.

Well in a game like pathfinder the entire notion of a tank falls through its not metagaming to say that the intelligent foe will notice the unarmored unarmed casters in the backline wreaking havoc and simply side step the brute of a dwarf (5 foot step) and then charge the caster.

Stasiscell wrote:

ugg slipped my mind your right it isnt crb.

Still though archer is a very strong option as is being a crit monkey via a falchion .

Archer's are a strong option to be sure, but I'm not terribly fond of crit builds reliance on not being unlucky. 15-20 is a 25% chance to crit, and if the dice are unkind, then there is nothing you can do about it.

Only a smidgeon of damage comes from dice.

Might i suggest for feats, Ironwill, Power Attack , Combat expertise, Combat reflexes, Dodge , Mobility, Spring Attack, Lunge, Whirlwind attack

Its pretty bare bones but its versatile and makes for a good mook weed whacker .

Also if you can justify having a permanent spell cast on you as part of your gear then grab enlarge person.

Mobility, spring attack, combat reflexes and dodge are feat taxes but they arent useless. and even combat expertise can find a use.

As for gear id recomend a +1 keen falchion ,Mundane platemail , Belt of giant strength +2 , Permanent enlarge person.
you still have alot of gold left so go nuts and get whatever strikes your fancy.

ugg slipped my mind your right it isnt crb.
Still though archer is a very strong option as is being a crit monkey via a falchion .

I would have Made a Archer Fighter.

Str: 15 (16 with lvl 4 bonus)
Dex: 18 ( 20 with human racial)
Con: 14
Int: 11
Wis: 13
Cha: 10

Gear wise id get a + 1 composite 3 longbow, +1 breast plate, Gloves of the duelist , + 1 cloak of resistance .

Also dont forget archers and gunslingers make the best tanks of all with the snap shot line.
15 foot threat and sky high dex for combat reflexes.
Just get in the thick of things and make pincushions out of anything capable of movement.
Something wants to run by you its taking at minimum 2 aoos .

Misunderstanding then on my part I think I got fixated with the "Because you arent a threat."

Oh and we do agree on the fact that it does require more thinking.

Twf Shield spec can do good damage i just took his stats + feat selections into the mix and figured he may be a little too late in the running to spec out into the twf shield spec.

Being able to shield slam at lvl 2 is awesome.

You can be a threat to enemies without two handing a weapon. Especially with fighter because you can afford for the nice things such as step up chain, lunge snd that sort of stuff, that is more being a road block though. Granted THW are the more optimal choice no denying that but saying that sword and board is not viable choice is going pretty damn far.

Not doing enough damage to be ignored is not a problem. D10 weapon(at this level it still counts for something) +4 from str and +2 from power attack means average damage from a hit is 11.5 that is still around 1/3 of the HP of most CR 3 critters on more than few cases much more than that, Crits will have a very high chance of downing someone from full HP. With +7 to hit when power attacking has pretty good chances of hitting the things too.

Now granted as levels rise you do need to jump trough some hoops to keep the damage relevant, but with some tinkering it should never come it that creatures will ignore you because you are not doing enough damage, if they do target someone else it will most likely be because they are more vulnerable and can with relative ease do it.

I never said sword and board wasnt a viable choice i was just stating what i thought would be a better choice For pfs.

Stasiscell wrote:

When you get the chance retrain the weapon focus dwarven waraxe into falchion or Nodachi [...] If you are deadset on roleplaying the whole dwarf thing and dont want to use a falchion keep the war axe but drop the shield and use it 2h wep .

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

That is possibly the worst advice I've been given so far, thank you. While I don't mind dealing some damage, I want to tank, not be a striker. Urist is strictly sword-and-board. Period. End of line.

Dealing mediocre damage each round isnt being a tank.

Or heck lets say it does target you.

Your ac is a grand total +2 higher and you are dealing less than half damage (not even factoring if this enemy has dr).

The Enemy will live longer it will attack more often .
In that period of time you may very well get hit and your opening yourself up to more damage than the 2h build.

You are asking for advice on how to be a threat and contribute to your party as a melee combatant i am giving that advice based on experience.

You wanted to multiclass barbarian? for the rage? thats a -2 ac right there with fatigue that alone would negate your shields benefit and leave you still doing less than the 2h build.

As a 2hander you can have a solid AC and a high HP pool.
But you get the added benefit of being able to kill something before it is able to do its damage or run amok.
At anypoint a enemy can roll a nat 20.
Every round that enemy lives he can hit you and he might be able to crit you.

When you get the chance retrain the weapon focus dwarven waraxe into falchion or Nodachi , In pathfinder the notion of a tank is different from a tank in videogames you cant just waddle in and "get aggro" .
You tank by being able to deal as much damage as possible yet being within a respectable hit range so most gms who are using intelligent creatures or who may indeed be metagaming dont simply run the critters by you in favor of that tasty wizard .
So 2h is probably the best bet .
The reason why i suggested falchion or nodachi is the 18-20 crit range , Grab a keen wep or the improved critical feat and you will do some crazy damage in addition to applying nasty conditions via the crit feats.
Also abandon multiclass like a leper , favored class bonus + class features are much better than multiclassing.
As for a archetype id recomend the 2handed fighter archetype .

Mobility will be a big thing for those "smart" critters and having a 2hander is a great boon because you wont be penalized by moving and taking a standard action to attack (well comparatively speaking).

If you are deadset on roleplaying the whole dwarf thing and dont want to use a falchion keep the war axe but drop the shield and use it 2h wep .
Soo far the trade off is 3 damage for 2 ac but as you progress the trade off just gets better and better.

Especially with the 2handed fighter archetype being able to double your strength bonus is amazing.

Lets Say your 4th lvl so a +6 from power attack, Lets say you get a +2 strength From gear For a total of 20 = +5 , then Double that str mod for a grand total of 10 , +1 from magic wep .

That Equals Wep Damage + 17 that is a tank because it cant be ignored and if it is ignored then the creature ignoring it dies.
As for third lvl feats Furious focus is a boring choice but it works and iron will is always a staple.

Strix, They have a cool native american vibe to them (their land was taken their peoples slaughtered) that and they make damn good musketmasters +2 dex , flight 60 (Average), Dark vision.

Downside is you will need minimum 12 int so you can speak common that being said dump cha (scary detached dark skinned bird man), Keep str at arround 10 or so and the rest should be golden.

I made a thread to clarify.

if it turns out that bodily fluids last indefinately on a serious note id stock up on the dc 28 giant tarantula venom (2 from augment summoning 2 from spider summoner).

Craft rod is a good 9th lvl feat to cut down on rod costs and double up the ammount of rods you have for character wealth.

Also you dont need the metamagic feat to craft the rod you just take a penalty to the craft check.

This is a good way to load up on cheap utility rods.

Reach (1500g) , Extended (1500g) , Enlarge (1500g) , Merciful (750g) , Ectoplasmic (1500g).

Thats also why i recommend craft wondrous as a 3rd lvl feat.

These 2 feats save you and your party soo much money it isnt even funny .

I once had a party that consisted of a wizard with craft rod and wondrous (me) , a bladebound magus and a barbarian we had soo much extra gold it wasnt even funny all our characters were decked out .

Gear is power and alot of times gold = gear not to mention that if a gm is stingy with drops and dosent allow magic mart in his campaign then you can craft the 2 most important items for your wizard, wondrous items and rods.

On Magical Lineage it very much depends on how long your campaign is likely to run. Choosing higher level spells essentially means losing one of your traits for much of the game. However if you think you will hit higher level then it may be worth it given it allows you to apply metamagic spells to more effects.

If you will get to high levels I would be inclined to choose a level 6 spell as you can then quicken it. This goes double if your GM allows Spell Perfection.

If you are more likely to end around 12th level then I would be looking at level 3-5 spells. Any of your preferred save or suck spells are good choices as getting Persistent Spell for +1 is very strong.

If you want to target Will then Suggestion, Charm Monster, Dominate Person and Mass Suggestion are all good options. Targetting Fortitude then you want Stinking Cloud, Baleful Polymorph or Flesh to Stone. If you are looking to target Reflex then you are probably blasting with Dazing Spell so Fireball and Fire Snake are good option. A level 5 spell slot Dazing Fireball creates a 20'r blast which denies opponenets actions for 3 whole rounds. Thats pretty much death to many encounters.

A persistent dazing fireball can axe soo many encounters its not funny.

Dazing Spell + Nuke of somesort (fireball is the prime offender).
Heighten spell + Dazing spell + snap dragon fireworks = a daze every turn
Persistent spell and any save or suck/save or die .
Rime spell is nice if you are a admixture evoker.
Once again for admixture evokers intensify spell / empowered spell / maximize is good because if a creature has any elemental vulnerabilities you are hitting it.

Preferred spell fireball for a admixture evoker is pretty darn spiffy as well as magical lineage fireball.

With spell perfection + intensify spell + maximize spell + Intense spells , you will be dealing 97 damage at lvl 15 for a third lvl spell slot dosent seem like much but its not a bad thing to fall back on and against a critter with a elemental vulnerability you deal 137 .

Just imagine later on the party fighter milking a Ogre Spider.

Drow master summoners giving their party members nightmares one spider at a time.

I should have said i was playing as a master summoner with the 1 min / lvl duration .

The question is how long would the process take, how many arrowheads could be poisoned within said time .

Its a parlor trick i thought up for a ambush to get a small edge.

Technically the viper is capable of this tactic as well but i prefer the crab spider for the 14 dc.

Also could i use it as splash weapon (tossing the jar against the floor targetting ac5) against certain creatures?

Certain creatures whose insides are on the outside should be effected by venoms as if they were contact poisons .

Could i summon a giant crab spider via the spider summoner racial feat.
And then milk it for its venom (using a jar with a bit of canvas stretched over the top) to be used by the party Archer-fighter (whos also a drow) .

A wizard quite honestly while the pallies saves will be sky high chances are a good wizard builds dc will be a great deal higher.

A persistent slow (requiring everyone being hit by it to make 2 saves) brings a great deal to the table.

A good wizard should allways be going first via high initiative and thats all that matters pop a persistent icy prison at him or a dazing fireball nailing him first then going after other members of the party.
both of these target reflex his weakest save and take him out of the fight .

instead of playing a black dragon disciple why not just play as a sorcerer from 1-20 with the draconic bloodline (black dragon).

It would be stronger in my opinion and go with the idea that a bit of your power is resurfacing each lvl (considering dragons cast spells as a sorc).

the abilities you get from the blood line have that dragon vibe too.

A duo of Magi who were ostracized and eventually exiled for their dabbling in the arcane arts.

alot of synergy in a party of magi ( plural for magus).

heres a good 15 point buy for them.

Str: 14
Dex: 12(14)
Con: 12 (14)
Int: 16
Cha: 7
Wis: 10

Garb them in some studded leather and give them a scimitar each with some javelins and your ready to rock and roll.

a good feat to grab for both is improved initiative along with the reactive trait ( for +8 initiative) .

as for spell selection at first level both should just straight up max out castings of color spray .

the synergies are obvious flank buddies , 4 castings of color spray (best 1st-2nd lvl control spell) , both have high initiative so they can usually get their licks in before anyone else.

Id recommend taking perception as a shared skill sure its not a class skill but its damn important.

Ganryu wrote:

houstonderek wrote:

Ganryu wrote:

The core problem here, and I've discussed this with several other people, isn't the powergamers. The problem is that DnD/Pathfinder et all premiere combat as the main form of conflict.

Oh, wow, that is sooooooo bizarre. A game that sprang from tabletop wargaming features combat as the main method of conflict resolution? A game based on Conan and Elric and the like features swordplay and combat magic?

The horror.

It would be like me being frustrated because community theater doesn't allow me to resolve conflict by stabbing the director in the face.

There is no "problem". Just people trying to use a feather duster to drive nails. Wrong tool for the goal.

Take that attitude elsewhere please.

Why? He's totally right.

Ganryu appears to not like conflicting opinions on a open forum so Imperator has to be silent or word what hes going to say in a fashion that would make himself look foolish .

Make sure to start using the pit spells with your bad guys as often as possible. Once they see how annoying it is, you may be able to engage them in pit-free detente.

Terrible advice never attack players with a "well you did that to my npcs so see how it feels mentality" that will just make them game harder and things will continue to escalate.

Players will almost always enter a arms race before they ever have the zen like understanding you expect.

plus it just screams sore and whiny gm.

my best advice is dont give the wizard a 15 minute work day.
Instead of running 4-5 encounters by cr run 8-12 a few lvls below it with a big encounter at the end = to cr.
This will give the other players a chance to shine (the wizard wont be soo keen to expend all his spells on "trash mobs").

Another bit of advice is to play the monsters a bit more tactically whats stopping your big bads from using scry and die? any arch mage type character should be able to scry and teleport when he pleases (with a contingent spell for if he is incapacitated so a sos into a melee kill wont be the outcome) have the monster harry them and hound them like a wolf pack. not letting them sleep and always striking at their worst moments (thats a good use for a lich imo , heck maybe make it so they unwittingly looted his phylactery so now hes hell bent to get it back).

Also cr is just a recommendation if you feel they are stronger than their suggested lvl dont be afraid to up the stakes throwing 7+ equal cr encounters at em and a big fight 2-4 cr over em.

if they complain just tell them the area they are currently in is a hellish place that eats adventurers and craps them out.

sorry fleet footed only grants +2 initiative my bad.

besides that will give the other players a chance to make fun of the player who bit off a little bit more than he could chew ( i mean chances are the dragon wouldent have died from the bolt and did the same thing anyways) as they cart his bony butt around until his ass wakes up.

why would the dragon care for examining him? it sounds like you just dont want to kill the character because of player stupidity (whats he doing tossing non metamagic lightning bolts arround with a sense of bluster anyways?).

why not make it so the dragon slammed raistlin into the ground and instead of outright killing him he went into coma land for a bit.
That seems more thematically appropriate and badass in my opinion as a gm you dont have to explain why he isnt dead just that the fall was enough to kill him but didnt (lucky falling position etc).

Well first of all while the traits , feats and arcana chosen are well and good for 3rd level they are a great deal redundant later on.

if you allow him a free mulligan/rebuild due to lack of knowledge id recommend taking the traits reactionary and magical lineage (shocking grasp) as well as making cha a dump stat and not bothering with umd.

As for other things the fleetfooted alternate racial trait is brutal you trade off the redundant weapon training and keen senses for a +4 to initiative and the run feat.

Toughness/imp initiative should have been the first lvl feat , going first or the extra hit points is worth more than the bonus to conc checks.

the weaponcrafting skill is also a bit redundant and id take up perception regardless of it not being a class skill (it gets rolled soo damn much).

the pool strike arcana is a trap it looks nice but is a waste of pool points i mean at 4th you get spell recall and a shocking grasp will do more damage than pool strike without wasting a arcana selection , familiar is what id grab with either toad or green sting scorpion (another +1hp/level or +4 initiative).
at 7th lvl id take the intensified spell feat (to extend the use of shocking grasp), 5th lvl id take heightened spell + preferred spell , heightened spell is kind of a dead feat but the ability to make shocking grasp spontaneous is amazing .

a few things of note critters with electrical immunity will be annoying but you are still a magus capable of hasting and full attacking so you wont ever be truly useless against such foes.

If you go preferred spell route your spell per day list will be devoid of shocking grasp and full of utility spells and versatile spells such as invisibility, fly, dispel magic etc under the premise that you can spontaneously switch them out for a metamagic shocking grasp at a moments notice in combination with spell recall you will be pretty useful outside a fight being able to cast these spells x ammount of times a day without worrying about having a touch spell for spell combat/spell strike.

this makes for a thematic potent character Shaldleara the levinquick a elf known for her speed grace and reaction time who specializes in delivering a maelstrom of electrical attacks in brutal melee.

i assume that a 25 point buy was used if so try this stat allocation
Str: 16
Dex: 14 (16)
Con: 16(14)
Int: 14(16)
Wis: 9
Cha: 7

a 7 cha dosent mean shes ugly just that shes aloof or vulgar. a neat idea is that she would be soo quick to react that she would be rude cuttig people off mid sentence or changing conversations halfway into a argument , arrogance can allways contribute to the low cha.