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Empower Spell + External Bonuses

Hi

I'm building a level 12 Gathlain Bard with "Dawnflower Dervish" archetype, which uses "Flame Blade" spell in melee.

Flame Blade:
aonprd wrote:

A 3-foot-long, blazing beam of red-hot fire springs forth from your hand. You wield this blade-like beam as if it were a scimitar. Attacks with the flame blade are melee touch attacks. The blade deals 1d8 points of fire damage + 1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10). Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage. A flame blade can ignite combustible materials such as parchment, straw, dry sticks, and cloth.

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Planning on using "Empower Spell" to increase the effectiveness of the blade

Empower Spell:
aonprd wrote:

Benefit: All variable, numeric effects of an empowered spell are increased by half including bonuses to those dice rolls.

Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected, nor are spells without random variables. An empowered spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell's actual level.

---

i was wondering if:

1) Bonuses granted by Bardic Performance (Inspire Courage) or buff spells (Good Hopes, for example) should be multiplied by the metamagic effect once they are added to the spell's damage: for example getting +6 due to "Battle dance" would net a +9 to the spell's damage

2) The Charisma added to "Flame Blade" attacks due to "Flame Blade Dervish" feat should be multiplied

Flame Blade Dervish:
aonprd wrote:

When you cast flame blade, you gain a +10 enhancement bonus to your base speed as long as the spell persists, along with a +4 competence bonus on all Acrobatics checks. You add your Charisma modifier to damage rolls with your flame blade, and ignore the first 10 points of fire resistance possessed by a creature you hit with the flame blade for the purposes of determining the damage dealt by the flame blade. Against undead foes, you ignore the first 30 points of fire resistance. Immunity to fire still completely protects against damage from your flame blade.

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For example, with a base spell damage of 1d8+6, it should be calculated as (rounded where needed):

1) (1d8+6+charisma+inspire_courage)*1.5

2) ((1d8+6)*1.5 )+charisma+inspire_courage

3) ((1d8+6+charisma)*1.5)+inspire_courage

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P.s: i already assumed the (1d8+(CL/2)) gets multiplied anyway due to the FAQ:

Quote:

Empower Spell: If I use Empower Spell on a spell that has a die roll with a numerical bonus (such as cure moderate wounds), does the feat affect the numerical bonus?

Yes. For example, if you empower cure moderate wounds, the +50% from the feat applies to the 2d8 and to the level-based bonus.

Magic Trick (Shield) + Force Equipment (Equipment Trick [shield])

Was planning on making a Fighter with the "Child of Acavna and Amaznen" (Aonprd) archetype, based on the Shield spell.

Shield spell:

...
Shield creates an invisible shield of force that hovers in front of you. It negates magic missile attacks directed at you. The disk also provides a +4 shield bonus to AC. This bonus applies against incorporeal touch attacks, since it is a force effect. The shield has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance.
...

Magic Trick (Shield) makes so that shield spell could be used as a thrown improvised shield by having Equipment trick (Shield) as a prerequisite.

Magic trick(shield):

...
Force Bash (Improved Bull Rush, Improved Shield Bash): While the shield spell is active, as a standard action you can cause your shield to fly toward a target within 30 feet and attempt to bash it. On a successful ranged attack roll, the spell deals 1d8 points of force damage plus 1 point per 3 caster levels (maximum +5 at 15th level). If it deals damage, you can also attempt a bull rush combat maneuver with the shield as a free action. The shield has an attack bonus equal to your caster level plus your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier, whichever is highest. Using the shield in this way consumes 1 minute of the spell’s duration. Spell resistance applies against this ability.
Force Equipment (Equipment Trick [shield]): You can use your shield spell with the Equipment Trick (shield) feat for the following tricks: Break Ground, Hurl Shield, Little Wall, Ricochet Shield, Shield Gag.
...

Equipment trick(shield):

...
Hurl Shield (Throw Anything): You can throw your shield as a ranged improvised weapon. You must be holding (not wearing) your shield to perform this trick. If you are using a throwing shield, there is no reason to use this trick.
...

There is something not really clear:

1)The Damage dice that should be used to calculate the resulting attack damage (Was tempted to use the Force Bash base damage (1d8) , but surely is not RAW...).
Should it be considered as a light (1d3) or heavy (1d4) shield peraphs ?

2)"Hurl Shield" explicitly declares that the shield should be held... but the spell makes it "hover in front of the character", how would you rule it?

3)Does the shield "return" to the owner after a throw ? (Reading the spell description, it might be assumed, but still not RAW...)

4)Since it counts as an improvised weapon, i suppose it could benefit of the Shikigami Style chain, am i right?

5)Bonus: if i cast with "Toppling spell" metamagic (if i can, to begin with...), will i be able to attempt a trip check on every iterative ? (assuming it returns to owner, quick draw etc etc)
Sensei Monk: Insightful strike and melee touch attacks hit modifier

Indeed, the thing that made me doubt about that distinction is the rule found in the "attack" section from Aonprd in the "“Armed” Unarmed Attacks" paragraph, where it seems like the "touch attack" (in this case) is indeed a type of unarmed attack.

Unless "unarmed attack" is different from "unarmed strike" by the rules... not sure about that (maybe the "strike" parts takes into account the fact that the attack itself might deal damage?)

Edit: re-reading the section, understood that "u.strike" and "melee touch attacks" are indeed distinct types of "unarmed attacks".
Thanks for the example, Phoebus.
Sensei Monk: Insightful strike and melee touch attacks hit modifier

Making a Wildblooded Sorcerer (Empyreal) multiclassed with a Sensei Monk, i was wondering if the 2nd level Sensei class feature

Quote:

Insightful Strike (Ex)

At 2nd level, a sensei may use his Wisdom bonus in lieu of his Strength or Dexterity on attack rolls and combat maneuver checks with unarmed strikes or monk weapons. This ability replaces evasion and the bonus feat gained at 2nd level.

From Aonprd.

also applies to melee touch attacks used to deliver spells (as part of the casting itself), are these considered (or rather, can these be considered in some circumstances) as "attack rolls with unarmed strikes"?

Mad Monkeys spell - Nauseated condition duration

Indeed, i have always felt like assuming a 1 minute "nauseated lock" is a potential session/campaign breaker, especially at lower levels. (DC 14, at least it doesn't scale with the conjurer level...)

Once, in a session where i was a player (in a one-shot, where it was assumed nauseated would last for 1 minute), the spell's swarm effectively locked out of combat 3 players easily... was really unfunny.
Mad Monkeys spell - Nauseated condition duration

Reading the Mad Monkeys spell entry, i have always had a doubt about what should be the correct interpretation of the Nauseated condition duration, as applyed by the Distraction ability of the conjured swarm.

Mad Monkeys:

Quote:

Source Ultimate Magic pg. 227

School conjuration (summoning); Level arcanist 3, bard 3, druid 3, hunter 3, skald 3, sorcerer 3, summoner 3, summoner (unchained) 3, wizard 3
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, DF
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect swarm of monkeys
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You summon a swarm of screeching, mischievous monkeys. The swarm understands and obeys your commands and has the statistics of a monkey swarm. Creatures failing a saving throw against the mad monkeys’ distraction attack are deafened for 1 minute as well as nauseated. The monkeys attempt one disarm or steal combat maneuver each turn as a free action against any creature that begins its turn in the swarm, using your caster level plus your casting ability score bonus (Intelligence for wizards; Wisdom for druids and oracles; Charisma for bards, sorcerers, and summoners) for its CMB. Recovering an item from the monkeys requires a successful disarm or steal attempt against that CMB + 10. An object stolen by the monkeys takes swarm damage each round the swarm is in possession of the object.

From AonPRD

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Now... the distraction ability referenced in Monkey Swarm entry (AonPRD):

Distraction (EX):

Quote:

Source Bestiary 6 pg. 292, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 299, Bestiary 2 pg. 296, Bestiary 3 pg. 294, Bestiary 4 pg. 293, Bestiary 5 pg. 292

A creature with this ability can nauseate creatures it damages. Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 creature’s HD + creature’s Constitution modifier) negates the effect.

Format: distraction (DC 14)
Location: Special Attacks.

From AonPRD

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Reading both makes me assume that the outgoing effect of the modified Distraction ability is:

1 minute deafened (effect added by spell) | 1 round nauseated (effect inherited from standard "Distraction")

(The "as well as" makes me think that way)

By the way, in the groups where i played, there has always been the lingering doubt that the duration of nauseated would instead be 1 minute.
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Am i interpreting this correctly ?