For those who don’t know me, I’m a soon-to-be-published author who has been playing DnD and Pathfinder for over 20 years now, and writing for even longer.
I recently had an idea for a VERY long series of early young adult fantasy novellas within the frame of Pathfinder and DnD. In the books, there will be hundreds of opportunities to introduce unique characters and locales. As a way to thank this amazing community that has given me so much, I want those characters and locations to be your creations.
If you’d like your character to be featured in my series, please tell me a little bit about them (race, class, age, etc), with an emphasis on their personality (how you roleplay them is a good start).
Any race/class/alignment is fair game, even third party or DnD content.
If you’d like a place you’ve created to make the cut, please tell me all about it and what makes it special.
For those who don’t know me, I’m a soon-to-be-published author who has been playing DnD and Pathfinder for over 20 years now, and writing for even longer.
I recently had an idea for a VERY long series of early young adult fantasy novellas within the frame of Pathfinder and DnD. In the books, there will be hundreds of opportunities to introduce unique characters and locales. As a way to thank this amazing community that has given me so much, I want those characters and locations to be your creations.
If you’d like your character to be featured in my series, please tell me a little bit about them (race, class, age, etc), with an emphasis on their personality (how you roleplay them is a good start).
Any race/class/alignment is fair game, even third party or DnD content.
If you’d like a place you’ve created to make the cut, please tell me all about it and what makes it special.
Reclusive: You are reclusive and paranoid to the point that your allies cannot easily help you in times of stress or unease. Whenever you are in combat, your allies must succeed at a melee touch attack to affect you with touch spells, and you must attempt saving throws to resist all spells cast by anyone other than yourself, even those cast by allies. Instantaneous spells you cast only on yourself affect you as though your caster level were 1 higher. At 5th level, any spells you cast only on yourself affect you as if they were modified by the Extend Spell feat. This does not increase their level or casting time. At 10th level, you are immune to charm spells and spell-like abilities. At 15th level, you gain spell resistance equal to 10 + your oracle level.
So I was doing some reading and I came across this curse. It's a cool one, to be sure, but it opened up some very interesting questions for me.
The main one deals with the phrasing of this sentence: ...and you must attempt saving throws to resist all spells cast by anyone other than yourself, even those cast by allies...
The wording seems (at least to me) that the Oracle must make saving throws for all spells, from any source--both enemies and allies.
So the questions are:
1. Does this mean that the Oracle MUST make a saving throw against all spells, including harmful ones that don't normally allow a saving throw?
2. Is that what the Devs intended?
3. Does this revelation apply to Spell-Like Abilities?
So hypothetically if there’s more than one bard in a party (or any other class that can give static bonuses). If both have inspire competence running, do others receive the benefits of both?
What if the bards are two separate, distinct archetypes, and both give competence bonuses (which stack)?
If I’m an Alchemist with the Infusion Discovery, but I’m also a Ghost, can others still benefit from my extracts? Normally, a ghost of a Wizard could still cast spells on others, provided his spellbook wasn’t looted from his original body, but it seems to me that the extracts would be incorporeal, even though they are essentially spells. Is this correct?
If so, is there a way to make it work? Some kind of ghost touch gloves or something that can allow corporeal creatures to benefit from them?
I wanted to create a Magus that can cast 9th level spells and this is what I came up with so far. Could use any advice anyone's got on how to make it more Magus-y without sacrificing power. The feats are just placeholders for now with an included list of possible feat choices. I'm thinking a Shocking Grasp focus, but a Frostbite focus could still be viable, too.
I teach Theater to High-Schoolers who somehow found out that this is a hobby of mine and asked me to GM for them. 3 people turned into 4, 4 to 6, and 6 to 8, with the possibility of another 9th player. I'm expecting to have at least 6 be able to make it every session.
Because there are so many of them, I was planning on setting up sessions as one-shots from an Adventurer's Guild, with the overall plot leading from level 1 to a supreme BBEG, most likely at 20th level.
I'm also considering banning Summoners and the Leadership feat, as I can foresee the numbers going atomic.
I'm worried about encounters not being challenging enough for them, as well as wealth distribution and encounters taking too long. I'm also nervous about boredom and schisms in the party due to having so many opinions present.
Ultimately, I want them to have a fun time (Only two of them have played RPGs before, and only one of those has played Pathfinder) while still keeping everything balanced and exciting.
Are there any guides, threads, or just general ideas you have for running a campaign with a big group?
What are the biggest challenges I as a GM would (be likely to) face?
So I'm starting a campaign with a group that have never played an RPG before, let alone Pathfinder. I want to set up some friendly, non-threatening challenges to help introduce them to the game and the gaming experience during their first session. The adventure begins with a big festival and a tournament.
What I have so far:
1. They will be entered into the tournament which will be designed as a team brawl. This will showcase how (melee) combat works.
2. Spellcasting. This could be like a talent show or similar, but I don't like that idea too much because it's clunky and feels a bit rail-roady.
3. An archery contest. This will deal with ranged combat, concealment, and cover.
But that's pretty much it. I want to have the following areas covered: Stealth and sneaking, Divine Spellcasting, and maybe even like a dating-game type of event that deals with role-playing scenarios. There could also be something involving money or gambling...?
Any advice on any of these subjects or anything akin to them would be awesome! Thanks, guys!
Maybe it's because it's so late, but I actually have been looking for a direct answer for this for a few hours now and haven't found anything. Thanks in advance.
As an example, most powerful creatures have some sort of SLA labeled under 'Constant'. (Like a Solar, who has detect evil, detect snares and pits, discern lies, and true seeing all listed as constant). Spellcasting Contract says that it functions like Imbue with Spell Ability, but that the receiver may have more than one use of the SLA determined by the arrangements made when the spell is cast.
So I recently stumbled onto the spell Death Knell Aura, which says it functions exactly like Vanilla Death Knell, but I'm having trouble wrapping my head around what it's supposed to do.
I know multiple castings of Vanilla Death Knell won't stack, but this is a persistent aura that one has around them, that gives the benefits of a death knell spell every time a creature dies within its radius. It seems intentional that the temporary (untyped) bonus to hit points and Caster Level (but not the enhancement bonus to STR) would stack. Am I reading this wrong?
As per the Magic Jar spell description, one can steal the body of an Undead creature, as long as they are sentient, which the Grim Reaper is. The confusion of this ability comes from the phrases "The body retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, hit points, natural abilities, and automatic abilities" and "You can't choose to activate the body's extraordinary or supernatural abilities."
1. What are the Grim Reaper's Automatic and Natural Abilities?
2. According to RAW, one cannot choose to activate the Ex and Su abilities of the Grim Reaper. But what if they don't seem to need an activation? Are they, therefore, Automatic and/or Natural abilities? Was the intent of this clause that no one who uses Magic Jar or Parasitic Soul can benefit from *any* of the Ex or Su abilities of any creature they cast it on?
3. Because The Grim Reaper does not have a Constitution Score, would the creature that cast Magic Jar inherit its CHA score, or would they simply use their own in place of the CON score? I'm inclined to think the latter.
Bonus (not a Magic Jar question): The Grim Reaper does not have the incorporeal subtype, and it definitely has a strength score, but in its description, it says the following:
SRD wrote:
While grim reapers are the most feared of their kind, they are not alone. The towering, ghost-like grim reapers are served by minor reapers, corporeal servitors that enact their master’s dreadful will and meet out death’s unrelenting touch. A grim reaper is 15 feet tall and, as an incorporeal creature, has no physical weight except for its equipment.
These are directly contradictory to each other. So is it Incorporeal or not?
We know that an Eldritch Archer has to give up (melee) Spell Combat for Ranged Spell Combat at 1st level. But it says nothing about Improved or Greater Spell Combat.
The SRD says this:
Archetype "Stacking" wrote:
If an archetype replaces a class feature that is part of a series of improvements or additions to a base ability (such as a fighter's weapon training or a ranger's favored enemy), the next time the character would gain that ability, it counts as the lower-level ability that was replaced by the archetype.
Emphasis Mine.
This is in a similar vein to this, which was exclusively deemed a yes.
Based on that, I would rule that an Eldritch Archer would, in fact, get (melee) Spell Combat at level 8, and then (melee) Improved Spell Combat at Level 14, and would never benefit from (ranged) Improved and/or (ranged) Greater SC.
However, I am constantly being burned by erratas, so I don't know if there has been an official ruling on this before.
For those of you who have joined me before, welcome back. Almost a year ago, I started this little mental exercise and introduced this character as a contender for The Beastmass. With the birth of my son, my schooling, work, etc., I haven't had a lot of time to devote to this. But, I promised that I would set up another thread someday and finally, that day has come.
Now, here's how this is gonna work. I have some new rules for the Beastmass that are super important for you to read (See the UPDATED RULES section, below). Also, I have given extensive breakdowns of the fights between The Witchborn and the Beastmass critters, and I truly feel that I have done everything in my power to be fair and unbiased. If you think that you have a better option for any of the Beasties, or if I made any mistakes on anything please feel free to let me know. I really do want to see how well he can stand up to the Beastmass critters. I only ask that you fully read the entries before posting.
As far as other builds taking on the Witchborn, I'm open to it, as long as they have successfully taken on the Beastmass before. Please link their attempt in your post. I'm sure there will be many that will absolutely trounce him, just as I'm sure there are others that will be beaten by him and those with whom it will come down to initiative. Either way, this is all in good fun, and definitely not a competition of any kind.
Ultimately the purpose of me posting this is to provide an extensive character that people can then use or emulate, or just base their own builds off of. Also, I love the backstory and the fluff of this character as well, and from a RP perspective, he is a blast to play. And of course, the purpose of all of this is to have fun. So sit back and enjoy.
The Witchborn CG Male Elf Hexcrafter 19/Crossblooded Sorcerer (Orc/Blue Dragon) 1
1’ 6”, 25 lbs.
19- H18: Hex Arcana: Summon Spirit; Bonus Arcana: Hex Arcana: Eternal Slumber; Improved Initiative (In other builds, can also be Dazing Spell.)
20- H19: +1 INT; Greater Spell Access
Favored Class: Hexcrafter Magus. All Bonuses go to new Magus Arcana, except for +1 HP at Level 20.
BUILD NOTES:
Traits & Drawbacks: Every GM I’ve ever played with has let me take a drawback for an extra trait, which is perfectly within the rules, so, I allowed it.
Leadership: Even though leadership is allowed, I didn't feel it would accurately depict what The Witchborn could do in combat if there was someone fighting alongside him. So, I made his cohort and followers be crafters (also see the Summon Spirit section below). This is why he has 1/2 price items. It was either that, or some cheesy version of this. His cohort is a Level 18 Wizard (who I could have given this to, but I chose not to, to further avoid cheese).
Knowledge Pool: As outlined here, Knowledge Pool essentially means that, with time and effort, The Witchborn has any and all Magus Spells in his Spellbook.
Reflection: As an immediate action, The Witchborn can spend Arcane pool points up to the level of any spell or spell-like ability targeting him to immediately reflect it back at the caster at full force. Keep in mind that if he uses this during his opponent's turn, he can't use his next swift action.
Greater Spell Access: The Witchborn chose the following spells for GSA.
0- Touch of Fatigue, Mending
1- Touch of Gracelessness, Touch of Blindness
2- Resist Energy, Hideous Laughter
3- Call the Void, Greater Stunning Barrier
4- Calcific Touch, Enervation
5- Echolocation, Feeblemind
6- Contingency, Cold Ice Strike
Summon Spirit: Please refer to this in regards to Summon Spirit. Due to the natural GM fiat this ability usually calls for, I decided not to exploit it, as with it, The Witchborn could (with a little time and creativity) have any and all magic items, unlimited cohorts and followers, unlimited money, crafters, services, kingdoms, and essentially, unlimited power. That, and he could have up to 19 18HD incorporeal party members (of any build!) following him around (the “one task” as outlined by Greater Planar Ally could be to help him through the Beastmass). So, the only thing he has been using this for is summoning crafting spellcasters to aid his cohort/followers. If needs be, he will summon other spellcasters when not fighting to cast spells for him (such as restoration), as needed. I don’t feel this is unreasonable, as it severely limits the cheese factor of this ability.
As far as bargaining for their services, I just haven’t been convinced (and probably never will be) that ghosts need money or anything similar to it. And I’mnot alone.
From a roleplaying perspective, The Witchborn uses this ability frequently just to have interesting humanoids to talk to/learn from/train with. Also, he feels it is a personal responsibility to use it to do good (helping resurrect children who died before their time, etc.).
To Hit: (Assuming his Scabbard of Vigor bonus will always be +3 for 3 rounds) +41 (+44 with Shocking Grasp if the enemy is wearing or holding metal) (14 BAB, 5 Enhancement (+3 Scabbard, +2 Bane), 2 Luck, 4 Ioun, 2 Size, 13 Dex, 1 Haste). Full Attack: 39 (42)/39 (42)/39/39/34/29= Quickened Spellstrike (If wearing or holding Metal)/Spellstrike (Same)/Haste/3 Base Attacks, all at a -2 for Spell Combat.
Damage: See the various fight sections below for stats on damage.
All of the following reflect the +6 from the Ioun stones and Luckstone.
Acrobatics 29
Appraise 28
Bluff 17
Climb 14
Craft 28
Diplomacy 16
Disable Device 24
Disguise 14
Escape Artist 39
Fly 42
Handle Animal 19
Heal 12
Intimidate 32
Knowledge (Arcana) 33
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 33
Knowledge (Engineering) 30
Knowledge (Geography) 30
Knowledge (History) 30
Knowledge (Local) 30
Knowledge (Nature) 30
Knowledge (Nobility) 30
Knowledge (Planes) 33
Knowledge (Religion) 30
Linguistics 40
Perception 40
Perform 11
Profession 15
Ride 24
Sense Motive 35
Sleight of Hand 24
Spellcraft 43
Stealth 39
Survival 15
Swim 14
Use Magic Device 32
SPECIAL QUALITIES AND IMMUNITIES:
Immune to Sleep and Flanking.
Freedom of Movement, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge
Blindsight 40 ft. (via Echolocation Spell), Darkvision 60 ft., Low-light Vision, True Seeing (when he casts the spell on himself), Permanent See Invisibility, Permanent Arcane Sight
Negates 1st Critical Hit or Sneak attack rolled against him 1/day
Maze 1/day
+2 Vs. Enchantment
+2 Disarm, +2 Feint, +2 vs. disarm, +2 CMB vs. feint
Rolls twice vs. Evil mind-affecting effects
Doesn’t need to eat, drink, or breathe. Can survive underwater pressure and in a vacuum
Under constant effects of the Endure Elements spell
Constant 20% miss chance (via Blur Spell)
Resist Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Sonic 30
SR 31
BASIC INFORMATION NOTES:
Courageous Weapon Bonus: The Witchborn has the Courageous property on his rapier. Since the weapon’s enhancement bonus is almost constantly +5, I have factored the extra +2 into the calculations for the Flawed Pale Green Prism Ioun Stone.
Spell Resistance: His Spell Resistance comes from the spell Ward Shield.
WEALTH AND ITEMS:
The Witchborn pays ½ price for items. See Leadership and Summon Spirit sections under Build Notes.
The Hexblade: 33500
Masterwork Backpack: 50
Bracers of Armor +8 32000: +8 Armor bonus to AC
Jingasa of The Fortunate Soldier 2500: +1 Luck bonus to AC; 1/day immediate action to negate crit or sneak attack
Wayfinder: 250
Clear Spindle Ioun Stone (Implanted) 2000: Sustains creature without food or water
Orange Prism Ioun Stone (Implanted) 15000: +1 Caster Level
Flawed Pale Green Prism Ioun stone (Implanted) 14000: +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks
Pale Green Prism Ioun stone (Implanted) 15000: +1 competence bonus on attack rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks
Iridescent Spindle (In Wayfinder) 9000: Sustains creature without air; In Wayfinder: Endure Elements, as the spell, protection vs. vacuum and underwater pressure
Cracked Dusty Rose Prism (Implanted) 500: +1 competence bonus to initiative
Dusty Rose Prism (Implanted) 2500: +1 Insight Bonus to AC
Western Star Ioun Stone (Implanted) 2000: Standard Action Disguise Self
Ring of Deflection +5 25000: +5 Deflection bonus to AC
Ring of Freedom of Movement 20000: Grants Freedom of Movement
Amulet of Natural Armor +5 25000: +5 Natural Armor Bonus
Headband of Mental Superiority +6 77000: +6 Enhancement bonus to all Mental Stats
Belt of Physical Perfection +6 77000: +6 Enhancement Bonus to all Physical stats
Otherworldly Kimono 38000: (+5 Resistance Bonus on Saves) +4 on CL checks, 1/day Maze (no save) (Increases Saves and CL check +2)
Luckstone 10000: +1 luck bonus on saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks
Dragonbane Divination Sticks 6400: +3 luck bonus on one type of saving throw (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will), determined randomly each day.
Boots of Speed 6000: 10 rounds of Haste/day (free action)
The Hexblade: The Witchborn has a +1 Dueling Impervious Agile Vicious Spell-Storing Courageous Rapier. He stores it in one of his six Scabbards of Vigor, which he always uses to give the weapon a +3 bonus (overlaps the +1). He also uses his Arcane Pool to enchant it with Keen, along with the Devoted and Bane Blade Arcanas, as needed.
Wyroot Weapon: He has a non-magical Wyroot club that can hold 3 life points. He uses this weapon to regain Arcane Pool Points after a battle. For any who say that the coup-de-grace would only negate the extra damage from a critical, and not the whole attack, I refer once again to this, and would ask them to ponder what the word ‘unharmed’ means. Because of the Eternal Slumber hex, he has the unconscious body of a rat in his backpack at all times.
Dragonbane Divination Sticks: The parentheses notated after the Saves in the Basic Information section above show what the individual saves would be if the bonus were to fall on them. Only one save will benefit from the Dragonbane Divination Sticks any given day. I will roll a d3 for each three-encounter period of The Beastmass. Also, because of the Fate's Favored trait, instead of +3, it will grant him a +4. This +4 overlaps (does not stack with) the +2 from his luckstone.
Spell-Storing Weapon: Please refer to this in regards to spell-storing and Spell Perfection. Also, I'm treating spell-storing weapons as not needing to roll an attack, but also never being able to score a critical hit. Spell stored changes based on encounter.
Spell-Storing Buckler: Spell stored changes based on encounter. Also, when The Witchborn casts a spell, he loses his shield bonus to AC for one round.
Otherworldly Kimono: Using the Item creation rules, I bumped up the resistance bonus to saves from +4 to +5.
Wishes: The Witchborn used his Summon Spirit ability (see Build Notes section, above) to get his wishes.
SPELLCASTING:
0 (5 Slots, DC 24)-Brand (Hexcrafter Archetype), Read Magic, Prestidigitation, Touch of Fatigue (Greater Spell Access), Spark
1 (9 Slots, DC 25)-True Strike*2, Touch of Gracelessness (GSA), Protection from Evil, Frostbite*2, Snowball, Chill Touch*2
6 (7 Slots, DC 30)-Beast Shape IV, Dispel Magic (Greater), Disintegrate, Contingency (GSA), Major Curse (Hexcrafter Archetype)*3
SPELLCASTING NOTES:
As a rule, The Witchborn spends at least 5 minutes between encounters refreshing his spells and Arcane Pool using Spell Recall and his Wyroot weapon.
Because of Knowledge Pool, he has all Magus spells available to him.
Because of Preferred Spell, his Shocking Grasps are all Spontaneous.
He is constantly using Beast Shape IV (assuming the form of a Coral Capuchin).
He is also constantly under the effects of: Tongues (Cast by Cohort), Mirror Image (8 images: 2 average, 6 level), Blur, Disguise Self (ironically, to look like himself again; through Western Star Ioun Stone), Permanent See Invisibility, Permanent Telepathic Bond (With Cohort), Read Magic, Resist Energy (30, All), Endure Elements (through Iridescent Spindle Ioun stone resonant power), Invisibility, Protection from Evil, Echolocation, and Overland Flight. He does this by casting these spells on himself before or directly after they fade away, then using Spell Recall to get them back and using his Wyroot club to regain Arcane Pool points. All of these spells have a duration of at least 1 min/level.
Before Combat, if he gets a chance to buff himself, and as-needed, he will cast Greater Invisibility, Displacement, Greater Stunning Barrier, True Sight, and Stoneskin on himself.
Originally, I created The Witchborn to take on the Bestiary CR 1/8-->CR 30. Then, I decided to put him through this Beastmass first, then I decided to put him through Shasf’s Updated Beastmass Challenge, solo. As such, many of his tactics and abilities, including most of his spellcasting and many of his items might seem unnecessary.
UPDATED RULES!!! SUPER IMPORTANT!!! MUST READ!!!:
I will be using a variant of the original Beastmass dice-rolling rules. The d20 rules will be the same, except for the following changes. Instead of a cumulative 60% for a critical, it will become 100%. Also, there will no longer be automatic critical hits upon reaching 100%, but will instead be a critical threat. In order to actually score a critical hit, all combatants would have to be able to hit the AC of their opponent with the roll and the modifiers that allowed the critical hit.
For example, The Witchborn full-attacks at 39/39/39/39/34/29, and with his keen rapier, he threatens roughly a 30% critical hit chance. Following the 10-11-9; 10-9-11 roll scheme, his fourth attack (the first of his straight BAB attacks) would threaten a critical hit with a roll of 10+39=49. If 49 doesn’t hit the AC of his opponent, then he has not confirmed a critical hit.
I think this more accurately depicts how combat really works, as any time a critical threat is rolled, at least the attack hits, regardless of AC and the critical confirmation roll. This will allow the Beasties to be a little more dangerous as well, as I'm not sure that Porpentine knew what he was actually doing when he said this:
Porpentine wrote:
Fight Rules : no one flees for good - the pride of monkdom and the Bestiary are at stake. Single d20s always result in 10, multiple d20s (like full attacks) go 10-11-9, 10-9-11, and repeat. Threats kick in when the percentages from hits (not misses) build up to 60% within or over rounds (eg. 12 basic /20x2 hits would offer one threat and confirmation). Strictly mathematically speaking, multiple 20x2 threats don’t produce exact 5% threat chances, apparently, but for a game guide I reckon a flat 5% per pip will do. If there’s a decisive close call I’ll flag it. Rough but simple...
Emphasis mine.
What this did was disallowed the Beastmass Monsters to hit any AC over a certain number, even with critical hits. So, for anyone to be safe from critical hits during The Beastmass, all they would have to do is have a high enough AC, which One had. But I digress.
Also, critical threat chances are cumulative over the course of the encounters. If, for example, The Gold Dragon gets the critical percentage up to 40%, this number carries over to the fight with the Solar, and the Solar begins the fight with a 40% critical threat build-up. The same goes for the Witchborn.
These percentages will not be known by either competing party, nor will they be factored into the analyses made by each of the intelligent beings in either party of their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
As for other dice rolls, they will take average rolls, then move slowly outwards. For example, if a d8 is required, the rolls will go like this: 4, 5, 3, 6, 2, 7, 1, 8. d% will be treated as a d10.
Damage rolls will be average.
*A note about Surprise Rounds. I will do my best to give The Beasties surprise rounds. By the rules, they shouldn’t have any, as The Witchborn’s perception is really high (that, and he’s almost twice as intelligent as the brainiest of them) but I don’t want this to come down to initiative, so I’ll do my best.
Say I pull something into it-something that isn't intelligent enough to think its way out, like a cow. But before the 10 minutes are up, I want it to come out, reasons unimportant. Can I force the creature out by myself? Or do I have to wait the full 10 minutes?
Just heard that there was an Errata for the Magus with regards to Precise Strike but I'm not seeing any direct link. Anyone know where I could find it?
STR 10: Pretty Average. Stronger lower body and abs than in arms, though.
DEX 15: Pretty good reflexes, flexibility etc.
CON 8: I get sick slightly more often than most but I usually recover pretty quickly. I get winded pretty easily, too.
INT 17: Without bragging, I'm pretty booksmart and I'm a fast learner. No genius by any means, but I did well on tests and the like in school.
WIS 16: Pretty knowledgeable about the world and pretty experienced.
CHA 18: I usually know what to say and how to make friends. I'm reasonably attractive.
So the story I have for her so far is that her patron is the Demon Lord Orcus. She sold her twin children to him in exchange for his favor. As such, all (or most) of her hexes, spells and feats are going to be geared towards necromancy and undeath. She is the BBEG at the end of a nearly year-long campaign.
A few necessities:
1. She has to be an elf.
2. She needs to have the Slumber, Ice Tomb and Eternal Slumber hexes. Summon Spirit is a plus.
3. As far as the possession, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a Balor who will fluff- and crunch-wise be undead themed. As such, his SLA's probably would be as well. My players won't know she is possessed, so just as they kill her, he pops out and summons his Glabrezus.
A note about her hex DC: I don't necessarily want it bumped up too much since she's already getting +4 to Int from being possessed, and she'll likely have a headband of Int or similar.
What feats, spells, hexes, etc. should I be looking at? I want her to be pretty beastly. My players all like optimizing. Thanks guys!
So I've been working on a build for a long time, and I feel like he's pretty powerful. He's got an amazing AC, great saves, a killer initiative, really high to-hit and spectacular special abilities, including a powerful, sustainable Nova. I'm planning on taking him through the entire Bestiary to see just how good he really is, 1-20, but before that, I want to take him through The Beastmass.
So, my challenge to you is, please find ways to kill him using the monsters from the Beastmass. I want to see any and all weaknesses he has. I'm really looking for spells or effects that could bring him down, especially those duplicated by Miracle and Wish, but any and all tactics that could do the trick would work. Then, if you’d like, add in ways to counter it. Thanks guys!
To Hit: Assuming his Scabbard of Vigor bonus will always be +3 for 3 rounds: +37 (+40 with Shocking Grasp if the enemy is wearing or holding metal) (14 BAB, 5 Enhancement (+3 Scabbard, +2 Bane), 2 Luck, 2 Ioun, 2 Size, 11 Dex, 1 Haste). Full Attack: 35 (38)/35 (38)/35/35/30/25= Quickened Spellstrike (If wearing or holding Metal)/Spellstrike (Same)/Haste/3 Base Attacks, all at a -2 for Spell Combat.
Speed Base 30 ft, Fly 40, Climb 30, Swim 30
Languages All listed here (except secret), Thassilonian
Skills All of the following reflect the +4 from the Ioun stones and Luckstone. (All Dex-based -1)
Acrobatics 26, Appraise 21, Bluff 13, Climb 13, Craft 21, Diplomacy 8, Disable Device 21, Disguise 12, Escape Artist 36, Fly 39, Handle Animal 17, Heal 11, Intimidate 30, Knowledge (Arcana) 30, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 30, Knowledge (Engineering) 27, Knowledge (Geography) 27, Knowledge (History) 27, Knowledge (Local) 27, Knowledge (Nature) 27, Knowledge (Nobility) 27, Knowledge (Planes) 30, Knowledge (Religion) 27, Linguistics 37, Perception 33, Perform 8, Profession 14, Ride 20, Sense Motive 30, Sleight of Hand 21, Spellcraft 40, Stealth 36, Survival 15, Swim 13, Use Magic Device 30
Special Qualities and Immunities: Immune to Sleep and Flanking. Freedom of Movement. Truesight, Darkvision, and Low-light Vision. Negates 1st Critical Hit or Sneak attack rolled against him 1/day. DR 5/Piercing. Resist Acid 30, Resist Cold 30, Resist Electricity 30, Resist Fire 30, Resist Sonic 30. Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge. +2 Vs. Enchantment. +2 Disarm, +2 Feint, +2 vs. disarm, +2 CMB vs. feint. Rolls twice vs. Evil mind-affecting effects. Also, his feet rarely touch the ground, if ever. He always prefers flight to any other form of movement. Constant 20% miss chance. 8 Mirror Images (2 average, 6 levels).
Important Misc. Stuff Traits & Drawbacks: Every GM I’ve ever played with has let me take a drawback for an extra trait, which is perfectly within the rules, so, I allowed it. If you feel this is against The Beastmass rules, then treat him as if he doesn’t have Pride and Reactionary.
Run-> Improved Initiative: As far as I can tell, Run can be retrained, because it's a bonus feat, even though it came from an alternate Racial trait.
Precise Strike: It comes down to this. Either, A) you feel it doesn't work because Magi don't specifically have Panache points, or, B) you feel that The Developers weren't intentionally trying to troll the entire paizo community by giving Magi something they wouldn't be able to use, and must have intended that it would work the way we all know it should.
Leadership: Even though leadership is allowed, I didn't feel it would accurately depict what The Hexborn could do in combat. So, I made his cohort and followers be crafters. This is why he has 1/2 price items. It was either that, or this.
Knowledge Pool: As outlined here, Knowledge Pool essentially means that, with time and effort, The Hexborn has any and all Magus Spells in his Spellbook.
Reflection: As an immediate action, The Hexborn can spend Arcane pool points up to the level of any spell or spell-like ability targeting him to immediately reflect it back at the caster at full force. This is one of his signature moves. Keep in mind that if he uses this during his opponent's turn, he can't use his next swift action.
Wealth & Items He pays half-price for items due to Leadership (See ‘Leadership’ Section, above) Retrain lvl 1 feat 50gp, Handy Haversack 1000, +1 Dueling Transformative Impervious Agile Vicious Spell-Storing Merciful Rapier 38500; Bracers of Armor +8 32000; Jingasa of The Fortunate Soldier 2500; Wayfinder 250; Clear Spindle Ioun Stone (In Wayfinder) 2000; Flawed Pale Green Prism Ioun stone 14000; Pale Green Prism Ioun stone 15000; Iridescent Spindle 9000; Cracked Dusty Rose Prism 500; Dusty Rose Prism 2500; Ring of Deflection +5 25000; Ring of Freedom of Movement 20000; Amulet of Natural Armor +5 25000; Headband of Mental Superiority +6 77000; Belt of Physical Perfection +6 77000; Otherworldly Kimono 38000; Luckstone 10000; Dragonbane Divination Sticks 6400; Celestial Shield (+5) 20085; Boots of Speed 6000; +5 Wish (Dex) 125000; +5 Wish (Int) 125000; +2 Wish (Wis) 50000; +2 Wish (Con) 50000; Nacreous Gray Sphere 5000; Permanent Reduce Person 2500; Permanent Darkvision 5000, Wyroot Battleaxe (3 life points) 2005; Truesight Goggles 92400
Total: 878690
Important Item stuff Celestial Shield: The Witchborn uses a Celestial Shield, which has no Armor Check Penalty or Arcane Spell Failure Chance. Hence, no negatives to hit due to lack of proficiency and no chance to lose spells.
Wyroot Weapon: He has a non-magical Wyroot Battleaxe that can hold 3 life points at any given time. He uses this weapon to regain Arcane Pool Points after a battle. For any who say that the coup-de-grace would only negate the extra damage from a critical, and not the whole attack, I refer once again to this, and would ask them to ponder what the word ‘unharmed’ means. With an ability like Eternal Slumber, and as powerful as The Hexborn is, it’s safe to say that he has an unconscious body nearby at all times that he can coup-de-grace with this weapon to regain arcane points. He keeps it in his handy haversack. (It’s a tiny creature, probably a rat or similar.)
Dragonbane Divination Sticks: Roll a d3 randomly for each day of The Beastmass, or if you're just going to show one specific example, roll for that example. Also, because of Fate's Favored, instead of +3, it will grant him a +4.
Spell-Storing Weapon: Please refer to this in regards to spell-storing and Spell Perfection. Also, I'm treating spell-storing weapons as not needing to roll an attack, but also never being able to crit. If I'm mistaken, please let me know.
Spells Prepared
0 (5)-Brand (Hexcrafter Archetype), Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Touch of Fatigue (Greater Spell Access)
1 (9 Slots)-Color Spray, Grease, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, True Strike, Vanish, Silent Image, Touch of Gracelessness *2 (GSA)
2 (8 Slots)-Frigid Touch *2, Glitterdust, Alter Self, Mirror Image, Blur, Web, Resist Energy (GSA)
3 (8 Slots)-Ray of Exhaustion *2, Slow, Vampiric Touch, Haste, Call The Void (GSA), Resinous Skin (GSA), Force Hook Charge
4 (8 Slots)- Dimension Door, Monstrous Physique II, Keen Edge, Ebervate (GSA), Calcific Touch (GSA)
5 (8 Slots)-Cloudkill, Cone of Cold *2, Overland Flight, Wall of Force, Teleport, Feeblemind (GSA), Hold Monster (GSA)
6 (6 Slots)-Undead Anatomy III, Chain Lightning *2, Dispel Magic (Greater), Disintegrate, Summon Monster VI (GSA)
Important Stuff about Spells: Because of Knowledge Pool, he has all Magus spells available to him. Because of Preferred Spell, his Shocking Grasps are all Spontaneous. In addition, he is under the effects of a permanent Reduce Person. He is also constantly using Alter Self (Halfling), Monstrous Physique II (assuming the form of a Coral Capuchin), Mirror Image, Blur, Resinous Skin, Resist Energy (30, All) and Overland Flight. He does this by casting these spells on himself the moment they fade away, then using Spell Recall to get them back and then using his Wyroot weapon to regain Arcane Pool points.
Combat Offense: The Hexborn has a huge number of special attacks and abilities, requiring a great deal of actions, but, if done correctly, He can end the fight with one turn. If he knows he’s going to have to hit you with his sword, he will take a round to close the distance while simultaneously pulling out his sword (Move Action), which triggers his scabbard of vigor (Free Action), which he will enchant with a +3 for 3 rounds. He will then enchant it with his Arcane Pool Abilities (Usually Keen, Bane and some sort of Aligned weapon) (A Swift action), then use his Standard Action to cast a hex (most likely Evil Eye, Slumber or Ice Tomb) or a buffing spell (most likely True Strike). The next round will consist of him clicking his heels together as a free action to trigger haste (though this can be done in the previous round if he needs it to close the distance), using another Move Action if he has to, then casting a Spontaneous Quickened Intensified Empowered Shocking Grasp (Level 3) (Sometimes Elemental (Level 4)), then Spellstrike with it, hit, then unleash his stored spell (usually an Intensified Empowered Dazing or Maximized Shocking Grasp), then use an immediate action to add 13 Bleed damage with Arcane Edge, then cast an Intensified Empowered Maximized Dazing Shocking Grasp (Level 6) with his Standard Action and Spellstrike with it as well. Usually, even without criticals, he takes down most foes with just these few attacks, doing 2d3+59d6+296 (Average 476 damage), as he bypasses all damage reduction, bar epic (Elemental resistances still apply, of course). When full attacking with Spell Combat (Quickened Spellstrike/Spellstrike/Extra attack from Haste/3 base attacks/Stored Spell and Arcane Edge), and assuming all of his attacks hit, he does roughly 6d3+87d6+420 (Avg. 687) before criticals. Because his Shocking Grasps are spontaneous, he can keep this going for quite a while before he runs out of ammo. Then, when he’s all done, he uses his Wyroot weapon in conjunction with Spell Recall to replenish all his spells and Arcane Pool Points.
When facing squishy foes, he usually prefers to use his move action to get within range, then use Slumber (30 ft), Ice Tomb (We’ll say 60 ft.) and/or Eternal Slumber (Touch) to end the fight without it really even beginning. If his opponent's save is within 1 step of his Hex DC, he will use Evil Eye to reduce his saves, then use one of these others the next round.
Defense: (See also ‘Special Qualities and Immunities’ section above) The Hexborn has a massive AC, a competitive CMD and Touch AC, impressive saves, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, along with his coup-d’états: Reflection. So, essentially, there are only a handful of Attacks, Spells, and SLA’s that can touch him. This is where I need the most help. I want to find out which spells and abilities can get to him, especially those duplicated by a Miracle or Wish, as this would be what The Pit Fiend and the Solar in the Beastmass would use to bring him down. I’m sure there are a great deal of spells that Wish can reproduce, but I need to know specifically which ones and how to use them.
Remember, because of his Wyroot weapon, treat The Hexborn as always having a full complement of Arcane Pool Points and as having a fully-prepared spell list. Also, he can’t be caught flat-footed, and any spell that targets him can (and most likely will) be reflected back at the original caster at full force. Essentially, if he beats you at initiative, there’s a very likely chance that he will end the fight in the first round with his hexes. If not, then you have 2 rounds max to take him down, though if you don’t have good saves, it could be over after just 1.
Rules:
I'm going to use Porpentine’s original Beastmass rules with a few changes. Because The Hexborn has a keen rapier, which provides roughly a 30% chance of a critical hit, a cumulative 60% critical threat would make the weapon function more like it has a 50% critical threat. So, instead of 60%, I’m going to say that every 3rd every 4th hit he makes will be a critical. (Every 3rd is too powerful and too frequent, IMO) Also, every cumulative 20th d20 roll will result in automatic failure, as if the character rolled a 1, regardless of who rolls it. All other rules are standard.
As far as Surprise Rounds go, When I go through the Beastmass, I will do so 3 times: Once with surprise rounds for The Hexborn, once with no surprise round at all, and once with surprise rounds for the monsters. Choose your poison.
What I have so far...
So I've already come up with one way that the Beastmass guys could kill him, but of course, I need to know as many as possible.
-Gold Dragon, Pit Fiend, and Solar (Through Wish). Cast Anti-Magic Field, then close the distance and ground and pound. Fairly straight-forward, but especially effective for the Dragon.
Once again, I’m specifically looking for ways to kill him using the original Beatmass characters. I will eventually make sister posts about his journey through the Bestiary, and even about him taking on other characters who have beaten it…but that's a story for another time. Thanks again everybody, and happy hunting!
Could I cast it on the same subject the next round and have them take 2d6 fire and 2d6 electricity/round?. Just curious. Didn't see yes, didn't see no.
How would these things work together? Take for example Shocking Grasp for a Magus. He wants to put an Intensified Empowered Shocking Grasp into his weapon (which he can cast/has the feats for). He also has Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp). From what I've read, Spell-Storing weapons use the spell as cast by the Caster who put it there. I take this to mean the CL of the spell, overcoming SR, and the power of the spell itself.
Spell Perfection says that anytime the Magus casts his chosen spell, he can add any single metamagic feat he has to it, without increasing the level or casting time.
My personal thoughts:
Caster Level 10
Shocking Grasp (Level 1) + Intensify Spell (1) + Magical Lineage (-1) + Empowered (Free from Spell Perfection) = Level 1 Spell, 15d6 damage. I could see Magical Lineage not working with it, but still, it would only increase the level to 2.
Here's another scenario. If Magical Lineage does work, then it could look something like this:
Say that I want to summon the ghost of a crafting wizard who would then cast spells and craft magic items for me.
Summon Spirit says that it functions just as if I had cast Greater Planar Ally, so an offering worth 2500 gp is required. However, it also says that I have to pay additionally for the services rendered.
I was looking at the Goods and Services rules and I only saw a few hirelings who would do that, which I'm sure an 18th-level ghost wouldn't be too happy being paid a few gp/day.
Also, do ghosts take gold? What use does a dead guy have with it?
So the questions come: What do you pay a Ghost? What amount should I give it? Would that be the cost of Spellcasting, or something else, since he would be doing the crafting, too?
Daze Spell says that it's mind-affecting, and I can't find anywhere where it says that standard Chromatic and/or Metallic Dragons are immune to mind-affecting effects. Anyone have any clarification on this?
On a related note, what about the effects of the metamagic feat Dazing Spell?
So I know it's possible to go above a +5 enhancement bonus with epic weapons and various abilities and spells (Bane and Scabbard of Vigor come to mind), but what's the highest weapon enhancement possible?
So Rich Parents gets a pretty bad rap. But, I think I might have found some other ways of making it not suck as bad. Please add to this list if you know of any other ways.
1- Buy better gear. And no, I'm not talking about Arms/Armor. I mean actually good/cool adventuring gear. Like a Hippogriff Egg (200gp), or a Combat-Trained Dire Riding Bat (450gp).
2- Use it to buy a level 1 wand at Character Creation (Cure light Wounds, Magic Weapon, Color Spray, Grease all come to mind), or some other magical gear, like a buttload of scrolls you can inscribe into a spellbook.
3- Using the retraining rules, if you have a high intelligence score, you can spend 200-800 gp to learn an additional 1-4 languages right off the bat, without having to actually spend the time doing so. Of course, if Linguistics isn't your thing...
Working on a Hexcrafter/Sorc based on Walter's Guide to the Magus& STR Ranger’s/Mathwei ApNiall’s Hexcrafter Guide, but with a twist. Wondering if I'm missing anything or if there’s a better way of doing things. Any input is welcome. Thanks!
CN M Elf Hexcrafter/Crossblooded (Orc/Blue Dragon) Tattoo Sorc 20
Traits: Rich Parents/Spark of Creation
If GM allows a drawback for an extra trait: Pride/Wayang Spell Hunter (Fireball) though I'm also considering: Gifted Adept (Shocking Grasp, Frostbite or Chill Touch) and/or Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp).
If I want to craft a weapon with a continuous 1st-level Frostbite, the item creation rules say it would be 2000 gp, the exact price of a +1 enhancement bonus. Would that count as a +1 enhancement bonus towards the +10 total, or would it be it's own thing?
If I have the Merciful property on a weapon that I'm spellstriking with, does it make my spell damage non-lethal, too? My initial thought was no, but I guess it wouldn't really matter either way.
So I'm making an Eldritch Scion and I want to become a Dragon Disciple. So far, I have a CN Pitborn Tiefling with the Magical Knack and Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp) traits, and I want to really focus on doing a ton of damage. I'm thinking I might invest a feat into falcata and eventually go for critical feats, but I'm not sure if that's the best road to go.
What type of Dragon should I go for? I'm thinking his/her family's been tainted by a lot of Evil, so Blue, Red, or Black comes to mind, but he could also have some good in him/her (Hence the Chaotic Neutral), so maybe Bronze (where he might have gotten his Magical Lineage trait from), Gold, or Silver...?
What Magus Arcana should I go with at each available level?
What feats should I be considering (short- and/or long-term)? I'm thinking that I might try Tenebrous Spell and get a handy 0-th level Shocking Grasp right off the bat, but I'm also considering Spell Focus: Evocation and eventually going for Intensify Spell and Spell Specialization. Power Attack is always in my mind, too.
Anything else I should be looking at/that I'm missing?
So I want to make a Cavalier/Magus build and I just wanted to get some thoughts on how to make it work. Not necessarily trying to min/max, but I think that Spell Combat mixed with a lance charge could be pretty nasty...
1. I'm gonna be level 13. How many levels should I take with Magus and how many I should take with Cavalier in order to really get the most from charge bonuses/spell combat/etc.? I want to be able to cast in Medium Armor.
2. EDIT: Don't worry about stats: We're doing something else.
3. What feats would be best to take?
4. What race should I be? (all Races available)
5. Any other thoughts on traits, feats, order, or which spells to choose, etc.?
I recently had the idea of having a character really focus on utilizing UMD and buying wands (At early levels, of course) rods and even staves, and have that be one of the main things (s)he does, but I'm not sure how to make that happen. What would be the best race to start out with? What about Traits? Feats? Stats? Class? I was thinking of straight fighter, since they get a lot of feats (Some of which could be item creation?), and/or eventually taking Leadership to get a crafter wizard by my side, but I wanted some other opinions. This is in no way an optimization request, just wanted some other thoughts. Cheers.
Ok, I'm not one for beating a dead horse, but I've given Celestial Armor a lot of thought, and I have to say, I'm not seeing any evidence that says that Celestial Armor is already made of Mithral.
My thoughts are these:
1. Yeah, Celestial Armor has a lot of the same properties as armor made from Mithral, but it doesn't actually say it's made out of it. In fact, it doesn't mention that it's made of anything special at all, as most specific shields and armors are inclined to do.
2. Nowhere does it say that those properties are exclusive to Mithral. In fact, there are a ton of other materials that grant similar bonuses (Darkleaf Cloth comes to mind).
3. If Celestial Armor is already made of Mithral, why isn't it included in the price to craft?
Celestial (Plate) Armor has a +3 Enhancement Bonus (9000gp standard) AND it lets you cast fly on command 1/day (Spell level (3) x Caster level (We'll say 5) x 1,800gp= 27,000gp), for a combined total of 36,000gp. If you were to create normal armor with these two properties, it would cost you 36,000gp (Plus the cost of the actual materials) ALONE.
And this total isn't even including the reduced Armor Check Penalty, Total Weight, and Arcane Spell Failure Chance, or the increased Maximum Dexterity Bonus or the fact that IT FUNCTIONS LIKE IT'S ONE ARMOR CLASS LOWER THAN IT IS! (Side note: I was unable to find formulae to determine crafting costs for any of these bonuses)
Celestial Armor costs 11,350 gp to craft. Celestial Plate costs 12,500. Even if they WERE made of Mithral (+4000gp for medium armor, +9000 for Heavy) the other bonuses wouldn't be worth only 7,350gp and 3,500gp, respectively. Which leads me to:
4. I don't feel that Mithral Celestial (Plate) is a game-breaking armor-it's just grossly underpriced/underrated. Their CL's are 5th and 8th, respectively, though they function closer to 15th and 18th. I think this is why so many people are opposed to allowing Celestial Armor to be made of Mithral, because of their rampant availability to anyone with Craft Magic Arms and Armor and a few thousand gold pieces.
As a final thought, I acknowledge that this is a game, and that all of the above is based on abstract rules that are moot if a GM says they are. It's possible that a GM could rule that the total cost will be doubled, or even tripled, or that this type of armor simply doesn't exist and never has nor ever will, or that when you try to craft it, a Balor Lord with an entire demonic host appears before you and, after laughing at your feeble attempt to emulate his enemy's armaments, casts implosion on you while his Glabrezu attack*.
*Don't do this.
In conclusion, as far as I'm concerned, it's perfectly within the rules to make Mithral Celestial Armor. I just think that it requires a special touch. One that I'm sure GMs can come up with, but that's a post for another time...
Has anyone ever run a campaign through the Test of the Starstone? What led the party to it? What level were you? What happened? What did you face? Did anyone emerge a God?
I'm looking for highest AC build for Wizard/Sorcerer. This is including Spells, Transmutations, Items, Feats, etc. Feel free to use Armor if you can guarantee a 0% ASF.
This shield is made of bone and ivory, but has been imbued with magic to function as a +2 mithral heavy steel shield (though it is not considered to be made of metal). The shield has stylized animal claws encircling its outer rim. If the wearer is grappled, pinned, or swallowed whole, as a standard action he can cause the claws to animate and make a single melee attack dealing 1d8 points of damage + the wielder's Strength modifier (1d6 + his Strength modifier for a Small wielder) without requiring a successful combat maneuver check to do so. This is considered a weapon attack with a one-handed weapon the wielder is proficient with, not a shield bash.
Additionally, the claws can animate to perform the somatic components of a spell as long as the arm holding the shield would be able to provide these components if it weren't carrying a shield. As a result, the shield has no arcane spell failure chance.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Cost 4,158 gp
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, summon nature's ally I
So right there it states that The Clawhand shield has no Arcane Spell Failure. This makes sense, since it's performing the somatic components of arcane spells. However, upon looking up Somatic Components, this is what I found:
From the SRD:
Somatic (S)
A somatic component is a measured and precise movement of the hand. You must have at least one hand free to provide a somatic component.
Fair enough. You have to have one hand free to provide the somatic component. But, this shield is pretty cool, as it performs the component for you, as if it was your hand.
My question is this: If the shield is able to perform these components for you (seemingly requiring no move, standard, swift, immediate or even free action), is it safe to assume that any ASF resulting from other armor one might be wearing is negated?
Simply: Does the Clawhand Shield negate ASF entirely?
