Whisperer in Darkness's page

@Astral Wanderer: I applaud your disdain and effective Evil strategies and metagaming to avoid GM complications...
so you want advice on how to easily kill a NPC person... hmmm... normally you need to sign a contract in Cheliax for that kind of help. Good thing you're Chaotic Evil and the outer denizens can help like we really cared.

As you know most humans are kinda squishy. So hiring some thugs is sure to distract. Make sure you give them a disease or communicable cursed affliction before they engage the target. Give them a sealed letter addressed to the target with fake Explosive Runes and contact poison. Also give them a letter with the target's picture and reward for killing him and put the Explosive Runes on the bottom. heh, misdirection is a standard ploy. Observe how things go so you can learn his tactics.

It amuses me that you miss the obvious. Pull him into the water (where casting is far more difficult) and end your problem. Bestow Curse him with the inability to swim, then have your pool party. Some Skum would be helpful but a water elemental will do, otherwise contact your local Dagon or Cthulhu cult and see if they hove some free dismembers.... You could always get a scroll of Charm Monster and turn any GM "punishment" around to your advantage.

I'm sure your party will help you out with your scheme if you phrase it right. Diplomacy diplomacy and bluff... I hear tell that having matching t-shirt with "Murder Hobo's R Us" helps with morale bonuses

a longer term strategy would be to join the Aspis Consortium. Nothing works like old age and treachery so be sure to magically age yourself when you join.

see you in the outer darkness

So we have just defeated the monstrosity at Fox glove manner and we looked through his loot and found a stalkers mask. It does not give off an evil aura. The party is a bunch of people who are chaotic neutral and I am running a paladin. My question is this. Is it legal to keep and use the stalkers mask? It is a mask made from other human faces. I want the party to ditch it to proper authority because it evidence of a serial killer but talking with my Pathfinder friends and the DM, we can't figure out the actual legality of it. They want to keep it because it helps the human rogue.

Tldr: is the stalkers mask legal to have and use? It is made of other human face, but is illusion based and does not have an evil aura

From a RAW perspective - it's in published material so it's legal.

I'll ask - is there a boon or gold reward difference between soldier and champion level on the PFS chronicle? Historically there has not been a difference other than "I did it Hard mode!".

the way False Age is written, the bonuses are untyped. Stating the transmutation spell gives an enhancement bonus would help.

ahhh, I thought Ideas WERE the monsters...

may your dreamlands be filled with the sweet idylls of Gilbert & Sullivan featuring gugs and moonbeasts with a chorus of mi-go ... sweet little buttercup brain in a can, buzzes me softly from on her nightstand... sweet little buttercup, oh little buttercup...

Whisperer in Darkness wrote:

my suggestion is to just make Mystic Theurge its own class and solve the problem...

So, just the *link to Theurge*, then?

That's an idea.

ahhh, I thought Ideas WERE the monsters...

my suggestion is to just make Mystic Theurge its own class and solve the problem with access to two lists. Casting remains based on one ability score. It's simple and doesn't spam the low level spells. This also means casters can multiclass in and out of Mystic Theurge. There will have to be a trade off for access to two lists.

I'm glad that there's an independent listing of sensitive topics grouped by themes so that people who are concerned can find it and GMs with said players have a resource. Don't limit it to Scenarios. Avoid spoilers. Add DnD AL adventures to it.

In my years of GMming PFS I've had one person mention a phobia before we started and you handle it at the table in vita. The vast majority of comments are about following 'the rules' as a player perceives them. It's all part of a GM's job. I've experienced odder things in home game play.

For Paizo, a company, it's a bit more complex. They'd have to implement a strategy and policy then add it to their editing effort. PR and sales are going to have something to say about perceived negative topics on products. It's tricky as you can't protect everyone from everything AND you want to sell a lot of product.
Video game labels are probably a comparable industry standard.
Practically, I think cover art and product description text give you an idea of what's inside. Yeah, not foolproof or encompassing.
That's why GMs (a necessary evil in RPGs, lol) provide that service.

I would say douse them in a few sun orchid elixirs and then light them... the tears and gnashing of teeth as the flames light should create a black hole of drama. ;^0

okay - on a more serious note, a thread in 2013 discussed this topic somewhat...
I'd say Create Demiplane Plasma with dead magic trait should do the trick.
Maybe a Empowered (using Magical Lineage) Rain of Arrows using Flame Arrows(which is questionable if they'd stack) that are adamantine (one shot material component to get around DR).
Empowered (using Magical Lineage) and some Evoker special abilities Stormbolts changed to 1.5*((20d8)[fire] with extra damage to the die) might do the trick. Using permanency to create one shot magic items that all go *bang* together ups the total dice as separate but simultaneous(same round) attacks with the only limit being the cost.

this seems more of an Advice column than Rules question.

lol... the obvious is "GMP"
but I can see the public relations in achieving something. You could just call it reward points, award points, bounty, dividend, premium... points... Tips could be interesting.

Will it be okay to have a high Infamy? Obviously scenarios will have to account for that but rewards shouldn't be affected. I mean there's the expectation that the PC has had some issues but they still may be highly effective, just not diplomatic or maybe cooperative.

These data items are to be tracked on a character sheet for PFS2 (and SFS?).
My question is are they reported data items so they can be tracked per character online?
To reiterate they would be reported by Coordinators to the online play history. Currently date, event#, Player & GM PFS#, Char#, Faction code, & Prestige, and character death are reportable data items. This would add 6 items per character to report. XP & GP are currently assumed based on the game reported.

there are various adventures(scenarios) set in the underdark.

I would provide 3 guides with varying skill sets, attitudes, and alignments - let the PCs pick one. Of course competency and cost go together and lessens the risk of getting lost. A cleric or advocate of the old god might be one.

generally, light, food and water, and anything not made of unworked rock are scarce commodities in the underdark. Add 5-10 to survival check DCs.

derro checkpoints that PCs have to Bluff/Diplo/bride to get through.
vermin or rothé drives that cross their path.
vegepygmie tribes.
mongrelmen tribes.
you can smell troglodytes.
just look in the tables in the back of the bestiaries in underdark encounters for creatures that might negotiate rather than fight...

rather than rework encounters, just add to the CR on the hard path and figure out what extra monsters there are.
The easy path should have MORE diplo encounters than the hard path.

I believe the default for most ranged attacks is 10ft

Fey Form 2 is a 6th level spell for Wizards, so mid level. GM's may not have a lot of experience with the spell system and interactions at this level. While it's not the most complex spell some of the fey target creatures are not exactly well defined (unless you mean "in print").
When you get into corner cases or things that aren't well defined, you are in the GM's grey area. So it is best to run things by him before you do them in your home game.
PFS is a simple game for fun and follows RAW somewhat closely and GMs tend to say 'no' to anything not well defined.

Whisperer in Darkness wrote:

-3 on the limerick for form, meter, and rhyme.

No fair grading it as a limerick when it's clearly a quatrain.

nope, the form posted was AABC by meter or maayyybee AABB by rhyme, see Quatrain. balls(1) to overalls(3)... hmmm.... an extra line of A at the end would have made it a limerick which is where this seemed to be headed, thus a line short. Dats my critique fer tha day.

"Potato?! Potahto!" said she,
"And of course it's tomahto, you see.
But the square of ct
Minus x squared will be
Always something on which we agree." - Physics limericks, D.Morin circa 2004

-3 on the limerick for form, meter, and rhyme.

some crass provocation in the thread.
The most similar action is Retrieve an item which is a move action that provokes. The AoO is provoked before a standard|full|CM Dirty trick(standard) action is taken.

well - it's up to the online community at large to add to this... seems there's little interest.

well - it's up to the online community at large to add to this... seems there's little interest.

There are different styles and each is enjoyable in what it has to offer. I've done PBP and it's okay but you do need to have some patience and enjoy reading threads and some creative writing talent. As with most writing, the various reader's interpretations will vary <grin>. conundrum of joy and frustration: that's what you wrote, not necessarily what you meant. and alas, GMs have to hunt for the crunch in the fluff, heheheee, and that takes special blinders.

so if you go back and read the pre-PF1 release chat it's not kind on the whole. Thus I am prone to believe that with the time and expertise put in on the project PF2 won't be a klunker. However, PF1 really needed the APG. Thus time will tell and probably the first supplement will iron some things out.
I'd say roll with the tide. It is just a game and PF1 will be there as a safety net. GM stars will persist as will reporting AND GM stars are good on rerolls and GM boons. We know replays are going to go up on average as new content stops (that's only sensible).

Online games are easier to form up than brick&mortar hosted games. The format is not as engaging as it's just chat and a map (all the body language is gone). I'd start simple or play some until you are comfortable with the setup. And then there are scripts...

Shrink Item technically works on one object so a container is necessary. The example of a campfire clearly allows conceptual boundaries but some people have issues with that, thus the container simplifies the target to a single object.

IF the party has to escort/deliver the gold than clearly it is both a plot hook/task and safe as PCs tend to be the toughest group in an AP. The issue of safety probably means there are 'challenges' on the journey.
The entire flaw in this setup is you need men, not gold. So bringing in mercenaries seems a better overall plan. Ahh well...

At 8th caster level the fastest and safest method is to just wildshape or cast Phantom Steed and travel with the gold. The gold will fit into a handy haversack or backpack. Shrunken it with fit into a Pathfinder Pouch or anywhere... you could paint over the shrunken page or use Secret Page to disguise it.

IF the party has to come up with a method to do it but not do it themselves, Lsr PLanar Ally might be helpful (though expensive). Shrink item attached to a messenger bird seems practical. Putting the gold in lawn gnome statues and delivering those (aka smuggling) seems practical and doesn't involve any magic.

Have a 'dummy' chest crafted so there will be something to steal. Some metal slugs or rocks (or bear traps), and an illusion should make the ploy more believable and longer lasting.

you could use the adventure finder and sort by star count. Then time will be the test, I'd go for low page count.
Avg User Review yields(for 4th level, in descending order): 8-16, 7-05, 6-08, 4-19, 3-01, 3-21, 6-15, 6-18, ...

IMO 6-08 is too complex, 6-15 is cute but investigative and thus may run long, 6-18 is focused but icy conditions, 7-05 is cute and is probably a good match, 8-16 is in parts thus a good match. I'll add that 4-11 is good as the faction missions have been dropped simplifying it greatly AND it has a clear time limit (using M&Ms/skittles/jellybeans to represent total time and handing them to players as they use up their time can be a great tool).

...

I didn't mention the guideline explicitly as this is an open forum but it is clearly there, first and last paragraphs. Clearly I am checking for PFS legality and constrain my posts to that.

not publishing a guide and I address the existing ones.
Your last statement is false.

my recent response was caused by the hidden requirements of several suggestions. Finding they have unmentioned significant strings attached is aggravating. Had they been constrained to PFS legality those could have been avoided or at least become mentioned. I have clearly addressed that.

Debating the value of PFS in general isn't my goal nor will I address that issue. For this topic it serves as a publicly posted (somewhat peer) reviewed list of animal companions. Objecting to that is, well, not going to get any traction.

As this line of argument doesn't serve the goal of the thread I'm done posting on the topic. My concerns have been aired.

Whisperer in Darkness wrote:

most of the animals mentioned by others have special requirements and/or are not acceptable in PFS(and not on boons/chronicles) thus your home game GM should review them closely. Notable requirements; Dinosaur Druid archetype, the handler needs to be (or should be) an Orc or Goblin, etc.

Some familiars and possibly animal companions don't show on the lists in Archive of Nethys as their Bestiary listing backdoors them in as such. Soulbound doll (familiar) is one such entry (and is on a chronicle for PFS). I haven't finished running critters through my animal companion analysis and catching exceptions comes after basic analysis. It's likely I won't go looking for exceptions in animal companions.

Why should a home game GM even care what kind of Bad wrong fun PFS rules put in place, that's the whole reason its a home game and not a PFS game we don't have to follow the stupid PFS rules.

that is your opinion and the way in which you argue only strengthens the reason for the guideline. The original poster stated WHY he believed it to be a requirement for wide acceptance on this particular topic.

Making suggestions that have undisclosed(hidden) significant strings attached borders on bad advice.

you seem to have a strategic problem and a tactical one (aside from all of the party becoming wererats).
Obviously mithral, silvered, and weapon blanch will work to bypass DR on basic shapechangers. Most have in mind to do non-lethal at -4 to hit or via grappling. Grappling damage can be lethal or non-lethal without any penalty and regardless of class.

Probably the simplest tactics will prove themselves in combat through successful application of full damage to the target.

I'd agree that action economy makes this combat a foregone conclusion.

yaknow - if nobobdy in your party knows or totally believes that this condition has been eliminated then this is all a metagaming simulation. Otherwise simple chains or manacles could bypass the need for this combat entirely. Your cleric should have you on a tonic of anti-lycanthropy just in case bad things happen. At best you just spend several nights around the full moon in a sickened condition.

most of the animals mentioned by others have special requirements and/or are not acceptable in PFS(and not on boons/chronicles) thus your home game GM should review them closely. Notable requirements; Dinosaur Druid archetype, the handler needs to be (or should be) an Orc or Goblin, etc.

Some familiars and possibly animal companions don't show on the lists in Archive of Nethys as their Bestiary listing backdoors them in as such. Soulbound doll (familiar) is one such entry (and is on a chronicle for PFS). I haven't finished running critters through my animal companion analysis and catching exceptions comes after basic analysis. It's likely I won't go looking for exceptions in animal companions.

ya know, it's not a rules thread and you are free to make your argument there... The opening line under Druid Nature Bond and then under Animal Companion is all the guidance you get. The logical argument for using the monster data is the term "racial traits" in the second referenced quote and then the link between a racial trait and reach is tenuous at best. Feats, Spc Atks, Spc Qual, are not racial traits. I did mention inconsistencies in the game earlier...
GMs make their decisions at their tables and players rejoice or pout. Reach isn't critical or a game breaker either way. 10ft Reach on large critters does make the creatures tougher and from a balance perspective IMO they shouldn't be. But that's just my opinion. If you need reach use Share Spells and cast Long Arm (Wiz list).

I'd have to say that Reach is muddied and it's left to the GM to sort out, in a RAW world you get the animal companion block of data and that's it. Using the creature entry in a bestiary makes sense... alas, GM territory.

I'd remind people that an animal companion is an option in the Druid class under Nature Bond(Ex), and the options should be balanced. The other options are; 1)an extra domain spell per spell level (and I tend to think that's a better choice past 9th level), 2) animal companion, 3) Druidic Herbalism.

People tend to use the monster/creature entry rather than the animal companion entry and that's wrong. It is right if it is a purchased animal. So there's some built in confusion there. The fact that most of the bestiary entries are better than the corresponding animal companion entry doesn't help.
The racial benefits (which do apply to companions and are just referenced in the opening animal companion text) ARE in the monster/creature/bestiary entry. So that adds to the confusion. As I mentioned the more recent published material tends to hide the racial data under other headings which effectively deprives the animal companions of the minor boost. Yes, it takes a GM to adjust the creature entry.

As usual there's inconsistencies in the game. Simply reviewing the horse entries highlights the problem. Horse(animal companion), light riding horse, heavy war horse, shissah(horse). Adding Docile post 3.5 with text about combat training didn't help the situation. Does other training get rid of Docile?... 'nuff said.

well, I've noted that there's a lot of opinion and preference as to what animal is the "best". I pointed out that it is a stylistic choice and a melee strategy choice, so that will vary based on character play style and magic item purchases. Still, the point of my post was to winnow down the many choices to about 5 and leave the rest as options.
My analysis was based on a CR like calculation and honestly there's not a lot of difference between the excellent choices. Sadly there's a lot of average to poor choices(I only posted down to Faerie Mount as there were more but why post average or worse or similarly average choices, I'm also cognizant of other reviews). I didn't have time to run every choice through my spreadsheet so I expect I'd miss a few. Many had similar numbers but really it is about the top 10 or so. I'll check a few that others have posted and liked.

In play (as opposed to theory crafting) people tend to stick to the same companion and that is not a wise choice. People should change out their companion ever couple of levels through 9th and not worry to much if the companion dies.

by 7th level axe beaks are a poor choice and at 4th level there are better choices. It really is a level by level thing and streamlining your gear and magic item purchase improves their efficiency and impact in the game and lessens the paperwork.

I limited my review to PFS acceptable creatures. Why? It is a published set of 'close to core' choices which has been reviewed. It tends to allow poor or under-designed choices so those have to be identified separately.

there are various advice pages and posts out there. Most are older but offer some reasonable advice. I've read them and it seems to be somewhat of a mess so while I've come late to the party I'll add my advice.

1) replacing an animal companion has no cost it just takes some time, so it is really more about roleplaying continuity or being down a class benefit for the rest of an encounter or two. Nobody wants to put their old companion out to pasture, but hey, nature and game design are a cruel thing. So plan to replace your companion at 3rd or 4th, 7th, and maybe 9th. yeah...
This WILL impact costs as animal gear can be overly specific but it isn't anything daunting. The scrolls or potions you use on your creature will far exceed the gear cost. One thing to keep an eye on is body slots, especially in PFS. This is mainly about slotted magic items so if you want to get an odd form, make sure you can use the item during the companion's hiatus (the companion will change again in a few levels).

2) ask your GM about racial bonuses. Don't be surprised if your GM says your animal companion has none. The 'newer' animal stat blocks have been shying away from racial modifiers and putting them under Special Qualities and Feat descriptions where they are not accessible by companions. Mostly it is just 4-8 skill points that have an environmental restriction. So read the creature(monster) description closely.

3) don't forget about proficiencies and skills. Light armor training is almost mandatory. If the companion has scent he needs a rank in Survival. At 5th level make sure your companion has a rank in Fly skill.

4) Feats... so many options but it really comes down to basic needs and a melee strategy, aka Str or Dex based, pouncing or flying or a special attack.

5) The list of Tricks have expanded. This makes a Bridle of Tricks better (Deliver, Guard, Rescue) at 900gp. A PC has to roll Handle Animal with every command for a trick (unless the animal will do it naturally as the situation demands). So a PCs Handle Animal skill needs to get to +11 or better, so yes, Animal Companions are a drain on skill points.

6) that first ability point gain... +1 INT. This is for the ubiquitous meta-gaming that goes on in the game. PCs want their animal companions to act intelligently and expect it, so put your point where it will help the most in command and control. Your companion will understand common but won't be able to speak it (with a very few uncommon exceptions).

Lastly, realize that an animal companion is a moderately squishy combatant particularly when it comes to spells or complex situations. They are not a Paladin or Barbarian replacement (mostly).

Choices are somewhat stylistic but my ranking is below. It is top down(higher on the list is better).
I only considered small to large sizes as dungeon crawls are a thing AND I only list PFS acceptable creatures.

Pterosaur Quetzacoatlus sz:lrg level:9, fly is clumsy.
--- 7th level ---
Roc sz:lrg lev:7, fly-avg.
Dinosaur Velociraptor sz:med lev:7.
Big Cat (Tiger) sz:lrg lev:7 (and not bad at 3 either).
Dinosaur Tyrannosaurus sz:lrg lev:7.
Devil Monkey sz:lrg lev:7. Biped[hands] so can grasp AND has all slots.
Megafauna Megalocerous sz:lrg lev:7.
{not as good as the top 6}
Shissah Horse sz:lrg lev:7. This is for those with restricted mounts.
Yolubilis Heron sz:lrg lev:7, fly-avg.
Megafauna Baluchitherium sz:lrg lev:7.
Dire Bat sz:lrg lev:7, fly-gd.
Owl Great sz:lrg lev:7, fly-avg.
Ape sz:lrg lev:7. Biped[hands] so can grasp AND has all slots.
Megafauna Chalictherium sz:lrg lev:7, climb.
Lizard Monitor sz:med lev:7, swim.
Pterosaur Dimorphodon sz:med lev:7, fly-avg.
Mome Rath sz:med lvl:7, climb.
Faerie Mount dog sz:med lvl 7.
Lizard, Giant Chameleon sz:lrg lvl:7, climb.
{many others...}

--- 3-4th level ---
look at the above. In general 7th level advancers are better than the bulk of 4th level advancers. Options are;
Allosaurus sz:med
Ankylosaurus sz:med
Arsinoitherium sz:med
Deinonychus sz:sml
Diplodocus sz:med
Elasmosaurus sz:med
Elephant sz:med
Rhinoceros sz:med
Mantis, Giant sz:med

--- 1st level ---
Heavy War Horse sz:lrg lvl:1. Advanced template means it's better than most 1st and 2nd level animal companions, Surprise! Sure it's not a flier BUT equipment is plentiful and cheaper than exotic gear thus perfect for low level. At lev:3 it can become your mount and pick up a companion for fighting. So at level 1 & 2 your animal companion should be considered disposable and you should not spend any gold on their equipment. It sounds harsh but that 500gp can be spent elsewhere and to better effect. Choose a big cat or other highly rated animal and don't worry too much about it.
Dire Bat is sz:med but a good choice for smaller PCs who want a flier.
Dire Bat, riding, combat trained sz:lrg is a good purchase choice outside of PFS(which restricts the purchase of "dire" animals) at low level IF you are going to do Dire Bat at 3rd,4th or 7th lev. If your sensible GM follows CR restrictions on animal purchases you can't get this until lev:4.

I am just looking for what people have tried and done at the table as it takes some play to see how these things work out in actual play experience. I even referenced the existing Class Guides. The options seemed ho-hum. I don't really have a lot of experience playing fighter types unless I'm the GM as personally I design and play Wizards the vast majority of the time.
I also don't want to be a complainer, we have enough of those  =^..^=

Variant Multiclass(VMC) is a system introduced in Pathfinder Unchained p88-91.
>>> This is not a legal option for PFS, see my initial post. <<< I'd also consider this non-centric for many games aside from the fact that it is generally disadvantageous

A character trades away level advancement feats (3, 7, 11, 15, 19) and gains specific listed class features from his designated secondary class from Variant Multiclassing rules at those levels. Also, a Character cannot take levels in his designated secondary class!

Monk
A character who chooses monk as his secondary class gains the following secondary class features.
1st>> Armor: At 1st level, he loses all his secondary monk abilities when wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load.
3rd>> Unarmed Strike: At 3rd level, he gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat and the unarmed damage of a monk of his character level – 2.
7th>> Evasion: At 7th level, he gains evasion.
11th>> Ki Pool: At 11th level, he gains the ki pool class feature of a monk of his character level – 2, with a number of ki points equal to 1/2 his character level. He only ever gains ki pool(lawful) if he is of lawful alignment.
15th>> AC Bonus: At 15th level, he gains a +3 dodge bonus to AC.
19th>> Improved Evasion: At 19th level, he gains improved evasion.

I take it that "broken" means powerful in reference to Game Balance. A poor euphemism for a game term. I'd consider the Oozemorph probably the most broken (as in doesn't work due to its own restrictions). NPC classes are up there for "worst career choices".

an interesting statement but analysis of classes and power in game play has shown that Wizards are probably the most powerful class and cause the most problems for the average GM. I'll just refer you to Powerful Classes discussion on StackExchg which points back to Class Tiers on Paizo

there are a couple of things here;

1) title - there is no spell to summon a situation
2) summonings under PF RAW creates a generic creature of the type & race specified. It is intentionally unclear about the background process or details.
3) Mind Switch True is a 3.5 mechanic and does not exist in Pathfinder, thus wrong website/forum.
There is Mind Swap
If I had to make a ruling on Mind Switch True I'd tell the player I didn't know and to try some spell research and spend some cash. If the caster did it without testing the results, well, once the summoning spell expired it would likely be his last action as a living creature. The moral for the GM is don't give away information for free or answer technically detailed questions without the PC consulting a sage - everything is IN GAME. Avoid metagaming and always ask, "how does your character know that and what are his ranks in ____."
4) Nutritional value: it can be easily inferred by Create Water and the watering of plants that eating a summoned creature does provide nutrition so long as a)the summoned creature is killed by the digestion process and b) the duration of the summoning spell is longer than the 'death by ingestion'.

I'd review the two skills to see what is discovered.

Off the top of my head I'd say since it is a Disguise check the perception part of the ruse is uncovered along with the creature type(medium humanoid human). Most would assume a doppelganger or magical disguise. A Sense Motive check can be more nebulous as it means the creature isn't behaving/acting like Bob and is an imposter.
A simple Detect Magic would clue people in.
I'd say it would be time for the GM to pass a note to the player...

It is why I have used the spell to create cooperative casters (mini-mes) when I played FR using Red Wizard class Circle Magic. 6 doubles casting spells can be awesome assisters in combat surpassing leadership feat (Aka 7 fireballs)... also if creature type carries through then they are excellent targets for Magic Jar...

yep

you'll also need to understand the Concentration rules for spellcasting as the Magus is in combat often, so I'd write down his base bonus on the character sheet.

I'll note also that weight and price on kits for characters is usually rounded down slightly when compared to the weight if purchased piecemeal. This has been known for some time and is considered a benefit of buying the kit.

movement in the game has foibles. The game is just descriptive and inaccurate when it comes to the details of physics or reality. People have been confused about the corner cases(detailed specific cases with uncommon circumstances) for many years. It's best to realize it is a rough model that quantizes 'tactical movement' to 5ft cubes within a round.

One thing that helps is it takes a spell or feat to take a 5ft step in difficult terrain, otherwise not allowed.

The angular movement is a rough rounding based on the fact that the hypotenuse of a 10ft right triangle is 14.142ft rounded to 15ft. It makes a mess of things when tactical flying is involved, doubling for descending and halving for ascending... fly checks please...
The game models impeded movement as doubling or tripling movement costs, and if the target cannot "pay" that cost it doesn't access the next square (quantization of movement) within that round. That's why there's movement per hour or days to give long term progress where none or little could be made in a round.

There are lots of threads on movement so I'd say search for one that seems close to your specific case or read up in general and note that not every post is correct as it is an ongoing conversation.

From a Game Mechanics viewpoint material components have 2 functions; a general limiter on spellcasting as if you take a spellcaster's materials away he can't cast many spells, and a control via access or cost.
The game is rather general on many details leaving it up to your GM and group to decide what is fair.

In this specific case the material component is clearly used to limit the forms the caster can assume although cost has been deemed insignificant. So your GM can limit access to some creatures.
In my home game I use character level, CR, and rarity to limit access to specific creature parts. Imagine the in-game issues if a low level caster got a hold of some feathers from a solar and went around charading as that creature. Purveyors of magical things would realize that value and increase the price accordingly. It also means some unscrupulous sellers might sell counterfeits.
PFS takes another tact and doesn't limit forms but the campaign has other serious limitations and in general tries to stick close to RAW. In a similar access ruling, PFS has controlled access to Mounts using character level and the mount's CR except for horses which were deemed very common and available (an exception based on rarity). So in PFS the Charda is popular, it is a xenophobic creature that lives in an inaccessible locale underwater and is a rare to highly improbable encounter.

essentially you are in the GM's gray area.

Stunned A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a –2 penalty to AC, and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).

Attackers receive a +4 bonus on attack rolls to perform combat maneuvers against a stunned opponent.

Unconscious Unconscious creatures are knocked out and helpless. Unconsciousness can result from having negative hit points (but not more than the creature’s Constitution score), or from nonlethal damage in excess of current hit points.

given that text, Stunned does not make the creature Helpless and that would be a key difference.

I've posted a Campaign Clarification request so we'll see if they want to take it up otherwise it remains in the GM's gray area.
The original clarification caught the error in the published text that I mentioned above.

Request - A decision on how the spell Full Pouch interacts with an alchemical item that has been enhanced using a Hybridization Funnel may be needed.
The point being that the Funnel enhances an alchemical item with two effects and will the spell reproduce an item with just one effect or the enhanced effect or simply fail.

I'd have to say that the game is not uniformly consistent as it is a work of art and descriptive in nature. It's also rather complex as it gets added on to by different authors with different concepts about how things work. I can't comment on intent or why an author did this or that... who knows. Are you familiar with the history of the public iconic characters?

That NPC can not use countersong using oratory or storytelling, he has to use an instrument or sing (untrained). At times things are not optimal.
My advice is to change some of his skill points around and review his equipment and magical items(wands, scrolls, potions) for your home game.

ummm... it would be more effective and cost efficient to just leave the now scribed spell in your spell book and just not memorize it. Retraining for a spell is going to cost more than just ripping the spell out of your book, erasing it with Erase, or just plain ignoring it. You can always let others copy it for a small fee in a home game.
If your character is an Alchemist it's much the same. The Funnel is useful in many ways just the spell isn't what you want so it's 40gp{+20gp for NPC access} down the tubes but you still have the "formula". Hopefully you are not scribing from purchased scrolls! Read the Core Rulebook.

I don't know anything about ruined alchemical items or html updates... lol...

PFS runs on documentation; The Guide, Additional Resources, and Campaign Clarifications. Those do get updated on occasion. "GM Description", hmmm... I think you mean "table variation" or "Downtime".
Table variation is about the gray area of the rules under GM control. The gray area changes with your GM and that's normal. It just means you should stick to well understood elements of the game and tricky stuff may not work as you expect at different tables. That's the risk you take with things that rely on significant interpretation. There will always be table variation and that is a good thing.
Downtime is an unspecified period of time between games. Expenditures between games have to be approved at your next game by the GM.

For me the formula was quite clear and added weight to the game balance argument which many home game GMs consider. This is a public post for you and others to read. Remember to multiply before addition, A and B are the price of the two alchemical items using algebraic symbols.

I'll note that with Simulacrum the Sense Motive check of 20 is quite low as this 7th level spell becomes available at 13th level. At that level any character with some ranks (say 7ranks +1 Wis + 3 class skill = +11) in Sense Motive is going to make that DC on average.

This is a bit of a weird set of questions, but in this game I'm running it may just come up. I'd love some opinions.

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Simulacrum has an intentionally wide GM gray area. The only "safe" bet in play is to create duplicates of your PC or generic creatures, otherwise talk to your GM and hope for the best. It's a 7th level spell and the results will vary based on your GM's experience with the magic system and general style.

1) The spell effect is one duplicate creature, combined with the spell description of it being an illusory duplicate and partially real. I can see ruling that the creature type carries over to the duplicate as that is reasonable. Thus it depends on if the original is fleshy and the spell would work on the original. I'll note that incorporeal undead and constructs are creatures for the purpose of this spell. For me (home game) simulacrum are more akin to animated objects than living creatures as they are magically animated things that don't age or change, thus they are magical constructs.

2) it can only 'pretend' as directed. Imitation isn't actual.

3) one assumes (aka GM gray area) it has half the knowledge (general memories) of the original creature but nothing specific unless the caster knows that information and provides it to the simulacrum upon creation. So a simulacrum of Bob generally knows how to act as Bob but can be uncovered by someone who knew Bob and overcomes the Disguise check that originally created the simulacrum.

4) a snow cone would be more appropriate.

edited the original post.
If you've played in PFS then you know custom items aren't allowed. By custom they mean not specifically in a printed resource, allowances are made for numerical bonuses. That feeds right into the NO(very close to RAW) decision.
The spell should fail, but I'm a nice guy and don't want you to waste a spell and get nothing, so one is chosen and that is duplicated with the restrictions of the original. Game balance works both ways.

Technically your PC wouldn't know the result until he tried it and then identified the resulting item (if any). It's best to consult with your GM before you try this spontaneously at a game as the result may not be what you expect.