Vertexx69's page

GMs who allow the kind of exploits you are mentioning via lantern archon aid bombs can just as easily use these to ruin your day. Anyone who tried to pull something like this at my table would die so fast you would be shamed from my game forever. Every source of THP has a fairly short duration, max being an hour for VT. And as a DM with many years under my belt in both society and home games this falls under that "don't try and break the game" rule. If you walk into an encounter with 329 THP I guarantee you're not getting any xp since the encounter wasn't a challenge. aside from that rock it.

The Cruel weapon ability grants 5 THP for 5 minutes if you kill an enemy with at least 1/2 your HD, so if you kill a 2nd enemy that fits and still have some of the originals why is it bad if you have more than 5thp?

Having a problem with 329thp? Just paralyze that character, drag them to the water barrel at the corner of any building in town and drown them in 3 rounds... who cares?

Temporary HP stacking should not even be an issue, because they come and go.

Feats (for intelligent creatures),Saves*, Ability Increases* and Skill Ranks* (*by creature type) are effects related to number of Hit Dice, per beastiary pg 292-293.

In the CRB pg 82-83 (6th printing) it states:

Familiars do not gain feats of their own as they gain HD. An Eldritch Guardian's familiar just shares the combat feats its master has.

Then why are there feats like "Spell Sponge" & "Critical Conduit" that have the specific requirement of being a familiar? Their descriptions include the phrase "For Your Master". Feats are a function of hit dice for intelligent creatures, and since HD are always equal to the character level they just didn't include them in the familiar table.

Okay my Mauler build is for the grapplers out there.

Human w/Mauler King Crab Familiar
1 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior, Mauler's Endurance, Spirit's Gift, (Familiar Feat Improved Unarmed Strike)
2 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior
3 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior, (Familiar Feat Final Embrace), Precise Strike +1d6 SA
4 Carnivalist
5 Carnivalist, Shared +2d6 SA, Outflank, Combat Expertise RT (Familiar Feat Light Armor Proficiency)
6 Strangler, +3d6 SA while Grappling
7 Strangler, +4d6 SA While Grappling, Improved Grapple, Greater Grapple,(Familiar Feat Medium Armor Proficiency)
8 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior, Gang Up
9 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior, Power Attack, (Familiar Feat Heavy Armor Proficiency)
10 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior, Rapid Grappler
11 Eldritch Guardian/Martial Master/Mutation Warrior, Coordinated Charge

Did have a question about rogue/ninja talents though. If I use say Pressure Points or bleeding attack to augment my shared Sneak Attack dice, do the familiar's sneak attack dice get augmented too?

Lets see:

A swarm isn't a single creature, its hundreds of them.
Lightning lamp oil doesn't instantly kill a swarm, it does it a small amount of fire damage and then they eat you. You gain additional demerits for setting the Grand Lodge on fire.
Animating a bunch of dead rats will give you a lot of undead rats, not an undead rat swarm.
Swarms which are reduced to 0HP break up and disperse.
There is no such time as "the night before the scenario", if you want to do this you need to do it after the briefing/introduction.

If you try and use Blood Money at my table I expect to see a watermarked copy of the Rise Anniversary edition.

Okay, let's break this down:

Animate Dead states that it animates "Corpses" plural into skeletons or zombies, not just a single corpse, the only criteria being that the bodies be mostly intact and a single casting can only raise 2X CL HD of undead (4X in area of desecrate).

A swarm takes up 4 squares minimum, A square of lamp oil burns anything that enters it for up to 2 rounds of 1d3 fire dmg (this counts as AoE). So a swarm takes 4d3 X 1.5 Fire dmg per round of contact. Rat swarms only have 16 HP. If they move toward me to attack, they enter more flaming squares taking dmg faster, the same if they try to run away. My room is stone, therefore not being set on fire in the process.

The skeleton template states that creatures gaining the template keep their subtypes. If I was just killing a bunch of rats, they wouldn't start with the Swarm subtype. But since I'm killing Beastiary pg 232 Rat Swarms they do have a subtype, and therefore keep it when animated, don't they? Or are you saying that they cease being a swarm when reduced to 0HP and therefore can't be raised as one? Seem fairly RAI instead of RAW as all the rats are dead and therefore unable to disperse. (This whole idea was conceived with the swarm beheaded in mind)

Many scenario intros say something along the lines of "you get a summons to meet the VL/VC the next morning, etc..." I just stated it this way save in game time.

I play almost exclusively with the VC/VLs of my area, who all have all the books, and yes I have a real copy of the book as well.

Vertexx69 wrote:

In the beastiary 4, it says I can raise beheaded with animate dead, and if I follow that with a fly or air walk spell I can raise swarm beheaded. I have spent quite a bit of time on these labrynthine forums, but haven't found anything either way if this is legal in PFS.

Apparently you can animate long dead threads as well.

I see nothing in the Additional Resources that lets you create a Beheaded from Bestiary 4

Okay then, what if I kill and raise a rat swarm? The skeleton template says it keeps its subtype (swarm) which gives it the "swarm traits" defensive ability and the "distraction" special attack. then the template says it loses defensive abilities and special attacks, but the subtype gives them right back? Are they still a swarm at that point? I'm trying to use a combo of spells and items to make my heal-bot viable in combat and therefore interesting to play in PFS. I have the anniversary edition of RotRL for legal access to the 1st lvl spell Blood Money, and a Neutral 5/1/1 cleric/fighter/sorc w/ the magical knack trait for 7th caster lvl or 28HD of controlable undead.

Currently it looks like this: the night before the scenario Pious Pillsbury casts blood money/desecrate in his chambers that have convenient sewer access. He covers the floor in lamp oil and plays his "Pipes of the Sewers". When the rat swarms come in, he lights the oil killing them. then he casts blood money/Animate Dead and raises the swarms within his desecrated area. He casts lesser restoration to remove his strength damage and repeats until he has his max HD of empowered rat swarms and files them into his "handy haversack"/"bag of holding". In combat he simply commands them out of the bag to deal massive swarm damage to whatever is in his way. Any holes in this theory?

In the beastiary 4, it says I can raise beheaded with animate dead, and if I follow that with a fly or air walk spell I can raise swarm beheaded. I have spent quite a bit of time on these labrynthine forums, but haven't found anything either way if this is legal in PFS.

Ok, here is a question. Is the Mammoth Hide in this book supposed to replace the old version from Inner Sea Combat? Seems kind of silly to have 2 armors named exactly the same thing with almost the exact functionality. I think somebody missed that when editing.

Well since the ISC version is banned from PFS and this new version isn't, maybe its a bone to us chargers out there in TV land?

My group of 3 with Radillo/Kyra/Valeros crushed this in less than 10 turns, getting very lucky to have the wizard find two runes. We all happened to be spread over the remaining locations when the naga showed up, and really had no problems. Got a great selection of deck upgrades too, for our 1st deck 3 game! (and proceeded to run the rest of adventure 3 last week also with no problems, aside from not getting to actually FIGHT the bosses.)

This is what my group pulled on me with my WHW. Since your hair is occupied with the 1st grapple that you did on your 1st turn, you can't make AoOs with your hair while grappling with it because the only free action you can take on a turn other than yours is speaking. IE you can't "Let go" of the 1st target when its not your turn to attack the others, because dropping something is a free action. Also even if you aren't grappling something first, you can't grapple as part of an AoO because its a free action as well, and so can't be used on another target's turn.

Oh, I figured out the extra 1d6. you are saying that you get your armor spikes *and* demonspike pauldrons. But the demonspike pauldrons say "treat these as armor spikes, but if you wear these and armor spikes, treat the total damage as 1d8". You don't get to attack with the spikes and the pauldrons.

The lead blades make the armor spikes large category dmg, Demonspike Pauldrons increase the size of small armor spike dmg to 1d6, medium armor spikes to 1d8, large Armor spikes to 2d6. Lead bladed demonspike pauldrons And armor spikes make +3d6+2+1d2 Bleed dmg. This Bleed dmg is not a bleed effect, just bleed dmg that bypasses DR and doesn't carry over to the next round.

Example:
Boar Style - deal +2d6 Bleed DAMAGE when you hit with 2 or more unarmed strikes in a round.

Boar Shred - Deal 1d6 bleed EFFECT at the start of each turn after shredding with boar style.

Per the grapple rules when you make a grapple check, you move the target to an open adjacent square. It doesn't mean they have to stay there, especially with gravity on your side for a change. While the 3rd lvl sorc/wiz/witch spell "Strangling Hair" can't be used to take the Move or Pin Grapple actions, it still pulls the mob adjacent when it makes the check. Add to this close range spell Fly, and you have a Harlem Globe Trotters highlight reel of hilarity.

Lets say a Magus8 with spell blending magus arcana & the 2 spells in question, The Improved Unarmed Strike/Improved Grapple/Greater grapple Feat Combo is flying 45ft over the battlefield. He casts SH over a monster, grappling it, which yanks the mob into an open adjacent square, which happens to be the diagonal above the Magus in the air 50ft off the ground. This part happens automatically when the grapple check is made constricting for 1d6 whole dmg, but the Magus will be damned if he's going to hold it there. Gravity happens at this point dealing 5d6 as the mob plummets back to the ground trailing the 45ft of hair from the spell. Then as his move action the Magus Maintains the grapple once again yanking the mob 50ft into the air to deal his 2d6 for Grapple + Constrict and another dribble of 5d6 falling dmg. Then he concentrates as a standard and maintains as a move until the creature stops bouncing. :9

Would this work as a tactic, taking for granted making all the grapple checks?

Swarmsuits are both Adventuring Gear AND Clothing, just like a set of overalls. They are only mentioned in the gear section as opposed to both for economy of space in the book, and because they have utility that has to be described in detail. The Swarmsuit is a useless item unless you adventure in it at 1/2 speed, since it takes 1 minute to put on (like Light Armor). The Sleeves make it useful without slowing the party to a crawl, and I don't see a problem with that.

Went back and looked through Universal monster rules and found that its not constrict that has a size restriction, its grab (same size as creature making grab). The WHW doesn't get the Grab ability, they get White hair.

White Hair (Su): At 1st level, a white-haired witch gains the ability to use her hair as a weapon. This functions as a primary natural attack with a reach of 5 feet. The hair deals 1d4 points of damage (1d3 for a Small witch) plus the witch’s Intelligence modifier. In addition, whenever the
hair strikes a foe, the witch can attempt to grapple that foe with her hair as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity, using her Intelligence modifier in place of her Strength modifier when making the combat maneuver check. When a white-haired witch grapples a foe in this way, she does not gain the grappled condition.

This does not have a size restriction like grab. So I go back to grapple where it says you can start a grapple on a creature up to 1 size larger than you. So when enlarged a WHW can grapple up to huge sized beasties?

I don't think that actually works. It's a little unclear where your AoO ends and your turn begins. Also, Kensai say you get to pick a single martial or exotic weapon as your favored weapon. Does a natural attack count for that?

Natural Weapons count as Light weapons, and whether they are simple/martial/exotic (they have to count as one of them) the Kensai has it covered.

Also, you seem to be using something that lets you double your damage when you are within 5 feet?

Armor Spikes: You can have spikes added to your armor, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage (1d6) on a successful grapple attack.

which ability is that, and how are you using lead blades to take your hair from 1d3 to 2d6?

With Feral Combat Training (any effect that augments an unarmed strike can be applied to my hair)and the Monk's Robe, my hair gains the base dmg of a 4th lvl Monk (1d8), (and per Monk his unarmed strike is considered both natural and manufactured (ie Melee weapon) for spell effects.

Lead Blades Cast from a Cracked Purple Prism Ioune Stone, increases the dmg of all melee weapons on my person by one step. (ie the hair/armor spikes/demonspike pauldrons) raising them from 1d8/1d6/1d8+2+1d2 to 2d6/1d8/3d6

Round 1: (delay until they come within reach Provoking AoO)

AoO, Attack +14 for 2d6+11 when leaving space at 10' out
Free, Grapple +32
Swift, Constricting for 2d6+11 at 10' (see errata higher in this thread.)
Enemy is moved adjacent.

Except that I'm not using the WHW constrict (swift) at all, I'm using the Final Embrace Constrict, which is still not its own action but an (Ex) Special that's part of every grapple action, per universal monster rules (Beastiary pg298-299). So none of my constricts use the 1 swift action I get for the round.

And the way the the Core/Ult Equip describe my "Grapple Attack" in armor spikes/demonspike pauldrons, leads me to the conclusion that a CMB roll IS an attack roll and therefore gets the Weapon Focus and Enhancement bonuses to its modifier and is an automiss on a nat1 and auto hit on nat20.

I am trying to do this legally, so in true Order of Operation Methodology, it has to look like this?

During Round 1: (Ready until they move through my reach Provoking AoO)
They move up to swing provoking, which sets off my readied action.
Swift, Use Arcane Pool for +1 on hair
AoO, Attack +15 for 2d6+12 when leaving space at 10' out
Free, Grapple +33, pulling Adjacent & Constricting for 5d6+14+1d2 Bleed
Standard, Maintain Grapple +38 to Pin & Constrict for 5d6+14+1d2 Bleed

Pinning opponent precludes them using a melee attack on me at this point correct? And having readied, my initiative is now right after his yes?

During Round 2: (opponent is still pinned so no melee attack?)
Move, Maintain Grapple +38 to Dmg&Constrict for 10d6+28+2d2 Bleed
Swift, Spend Arcane Pool Point for max Base Hair Dmg (6d6+52+2d2 Bleed)
Standard, Maintain Grapple +38 to Pin & Constrict for 5d6+14+1d2 Bleed

I think using all the correct rules with the only tiny gray area using Kensai arcane pool on hair (which I think logically inferred correctly-again I know common sense has no place in pathfinder).

Is this how it would work properly?

Okay we are playing the Jade regent Path, and my Plumekith Zen Archer was splattered at 3rd lvl by a 9d6 Unholy Blight from the BBEG of the 1st book. So I come up with my WHW build for a replacement at lvl4. One of the 1st things we fight (at lvl 4) is a Shark Eating Crab with 15ft reach that dealt 85 dmg to the sylvan sorc's animal companion in 1 round, trifurcating it. So I decide to go heavy in order to survive.

Taking the note above into consideration, and using common sense (yes even though this is pathfinder) below is what I am now having changed Viscous Stomp to Weapon Finesse.

So Buffed, combat goes like this: (Using MA/Sh/LeadBlades)

Round 1: (delay until they come within reach Provoking AoO)
AoO, Attack +14 for 2d6+11 when leaving space at 10' out
Free, Grapple +32, Constricting for 2d6+11 at 10'
Swift, Use Arcane Pool for +1 on hair
Move, Maintain Grapple +38 to Pin, Constricting for 2d6+12 at 10'
Free, 5ft step Adjacent
Standard, Maintain Grapple +38 to Pin&Constrict for 4d6+14+1d2 Bleed

Round 2:
Move, Maintain Grapple +38 to Dmg&Constrict for 8d6+28+2d2 Bleed
Free, Spend Arcane Pool Point for max Base Hair Dmg (4d6+52+2d2 Bleed)
Standard, Maintain Grapple +38 to Pin&Constrict for 4d6+14+1d2 Bleed

I think it is a dangerous archetype to play.

You use str to hit. Then if you do grapple it gets placed next to you per grapple rules. So the creature can pound on you. So they should have stats in dex and con to take hits. The BAB on the witch is poor so you may miss a whole lot.

The issues I have are people playing it that do not know the rules. They allow int to hit the first attack, they also have the creature grapple where the attack hit instead of pulled next to the witch.

If this is the case then the Mancatcher weapon can't function since it has Reach correct? It can't move the grappled creature adjacent so the grapple automatically fails? The Core grapple rules were printed before there were ways for players to grapple at range like the WHW, mancatcher or strangling hair spell.

The WHW has its own rules for grappling, such as ignoring the size of the opponent when grabbing and constricting as opposed to only a size smaller like the way the grab & constrict abilities usually work. The WHW wouldn't get the Pull class ability if it automatically pulled the target adjacent when it grabbed at 10+ feet out. Giving a squishy caster a ranged grapple and then saying it has to pull its target adjacent is completely counter-intuitive to the archetype. The point of the archetype is to stick a foe in place where it can't get to you, while you squeeze the life out of it.

The (White Haired) Witch is the best class for this tree, and race doesn't even matter since they get the constrict ability as a class feature at 2nd lvl. My WHW4/Kensai Magus4/Brawler Fighter2 is fully spec'd as a grappler with IUS/IG/GG and Final Embrace. With the Feral Combat Training Feat, the Monk's Robes and Demonspike Pauldrons he deals 2d8+14 with his grapple. With enlarge person it goes like this:

Round 1:
Swift - Spend 1 Arcane pool point to enhance hair
Move - to enemy
Standard - Attack with hair (hitting @ +16) Gaining free Grapple & Trip
Free - Grapple with hair @ +33 for 4d6+26 constrict dmg (I'm not Grappled)
Free - Trip +17 and provokes AoO with Vicious Stomp
Free - AoO @ +20 for 2d6+12 & another free Grapple
Free - Grapple @ +37 for 4d6+26 constrict
Free - Spout Pun

Round 2:
Move - Maintain Grapple @ +42 for 100 dmg by spending Arcane Pool Point for max dmg with Perfect Strike Kensai Feature.
Standard - Grapple @ +42 for another 100 dmg...Finishing move

is the playtest just going to appear on the downloads page? Or are we going to have to search for it?

Of course, the first PbP PFS event would have to be the same weekend as SNAFUcon in Reno. I would love to play in this, but am already GMing 4 tables at the aforementioned Con. Have fun Folks.

I can't speak for PFS specifically, but I am confused by what exactly you are looking for. You want a ruling that specifically contradicts the thing he made up about having to "ready" an already drawn weapon? Does he concede that the weapon is already drawn by the player character?

He says it doesn't matter that my Fighter is walking through the dungeon with my two handed weapon drawn, and am resting it on the paldron of my full plate, or the ranger has an arrow notched as we wind our way through the crypt. Drawn is drawn as far as I've ever known, but he wants that extra action burned.

One of our local GMs, who happens to be our Venture Captain as well, is now saying that even when our weapon wielding party members are walking through dungeons, with our weapons in hand, we still have to use a move action to "Ready" them before attacking. His logic is that its this way because otherwise the Quickdraw feat is useless. I tried to tell him about the standard charge rules during surprise rounds, but he won't hear it. He says he'll do it this way until someone shows him an official ruling here on the forums, even though its completely counter-intuitive. My 25+ years of D&D and RPG experience means nothing to him, and even real world examples are falling on deaf ears. All he says beyond that is to take it up with the Venture Captain (Him).

So I need an "Official" Pathfinder Society ruling to get back the move actions for everyone who plays at his and his lieutenants' tables.

I could find nothing in the PFC rules about natural attacks counting as having the "Improved Unarmed Strike" feat to qualify for other feats, as they did in 3.5. There are now several optional racial features/class options for characters to get natural attacks including goblin/tengu/tiefling/sorcerer's dragon bloodline etc... and I think it needs to be clarified. The tengu's claw option specifically states that the claws qualify as having the "Improved Unarmed Strike" feat for the purpose of choosing feats that have IUS as a prerequisite. Why are the tengu special?

Since one approved race's natural attacks count as having the feat, I think they ALL should, including characters/mounts/companions/eidolons/familiars. They should all be considered to have IUS for the purpose of feat selection.

Cool beans, I haven't been using it. I just wanted to make sure I was maximizing my extra gold potential :D

As one of the myriad Summoners in the PFS I had a question about Day Jobs:

Since the Eidolon is for all intents and purposes a full character in their own rights, complete with stats, skill ranks,a hopefully fully formed personality, and are always with the summoner when they're conscious, I was wondering if it should be able to use the Aid Another action when the summoner is rolling their Day Job. I can understand why other players wouldn't be allowed to render Aid as, they have their own lives in between chronicles, but an eidolon is the main feature of the Summoner class.

Yeahs or nays?

so Having natural armor 3 and resist 5 to 2 elements is unbalanced, but having natural armor 2 and resist 5 to 3 elements right off the bat isn't?

That 2nd part doesn't make any sense. Improved damage totally stacks with improved natural attack. There is no rule that says your natural attack damage can only be increased by one size category. There IS however a rule that specifically states that natural armor bonuses from different sources don't stack. Which is why the wording of the Improved Natural Armor evolution is wrong in two ways as printed. As it is worded in the book no eidolon can EVER take it since natural armor bonuses don't stack, and all the base eidolon forms start with a +2 Natural armor. It needs to be written this way:

Sounds like a winner to me Sean! :D

Piazo should errata the feat to make it a viable with or without the alternate racial feature. All they have to do is change the wording to:

Armor of the Pit
Your fiendish traits take the form of a protective scaly skin.
Prerequisite: Tief ling.
Benefit: You gain a +2 natural armor bonus.
Special: If you have the scaled skin racial trait, you
gain resistance 5 to ONE of the following energy types that you
don’t have resistance to already: cold, electricity, and fire.

By removing the instead and lowering the special to one extra resistance, the feat becomes viable to tieflings both with and without the Scaled Skin racial feature. They can choose to have either natural armor 2 and resist 5 to 3 elements, OR natural armor 3 and resist 5 to 2 elements. This seems like a sound alternate racial feature to me this way instead of a useless junk feature as it stands now.

I have to say I totally go for the Capcom version of catfolk. Complete human faces but with slightly pronounced fangs, larger cat ears, relatively hairless human bodies but with tails, and then fur covered outer limbs (forearms, hands, elongated feet and lower legs) with exaggerated claws. Its an extreme anime version, but then I'm not a fan of the full furries. I think the mostly human face is important for the more standard races to see them as relatable people, as opposed to monsters or animals that can talk.

As soon as u accept me into the Obsidian Portal group I can create Oroku over there.

So I have a drawback on my preferred feeding method and my perception checks. In exchange I am starting play with natural weapons that deal aggravated dmg, that can't be found during a pat-down, and the ability to safely sleep just about anywhere. Its all about trade-offs :D

Might want to send Richard a message that the queen/sheriff has sent him some muscle, unless Oroku is going to be solo for a while.

I added a little of the Yui and Zoey stuff to Saki's Background.

Maybe I have to post 10 times before it will let me make one?

Ok my alias tab has no options at all in it, so I must be missing something site related that allows me to make aliases.

Howdy folks, I've submitted a character to G85 over on enworld for this game with just a couple final questions. So I might be able to join you soon.