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Is it possible to buy or make Handwraps of Might blows without a rune? Since Handwraps say you can transfer or upgrade as though it were a weapon, can you transfer off the basic Potency rune, leaving... Just cloth wraps? Do the empty wraps have a cost or crafting recipe?

Apart from Mnemonic Editors (which only undo 2 levels), are there any retraining options in Starfinder Society at all? I have a player with a character who would like to take advantage of some of the new options in the Tech Revolution, but those choices were made at level 1, which a mnemonic editor won't help with.

I've had a couple of skims through Planetfall now, and read a few sections in detail, and I have some questions.

1. Food - do the PC's actually need to provide food for themselves when staying in their charter's Settlement? Are there really no food production facilities or stocks at all?
2. Items - Step 6 of the Charter Creation rules, on page 43, mentions the maximum item level the charter can provide is 4. What exactly does this mean?? Is this the maximum level of item producable by the charter? Maximum item level purchasable at the charter? Maximum item level importable from the Patron? Something else? Also, there doesn't appear to be any mechanism for ever changing this maximum? What about contacting or using other charters?
3. The Burnished Dawn - is this ship specific to the PC charter, or is it carrying other charter members?

If a character has a persistent Bleed damage condition, they can take a 2 action activity to give an extra flat check to end the condition. The First Aid activity of Medicine can also provide an additional flat check to end the condition, but only by rolling a DC15 check first. So, this means using the Medicine skill is actually less reliable than using the built-in Persistent Damage condition fix. Can anyone explain why, or why you would choose to use the medicine activity in this case?

Anyone know why there is currently no visible button for registering characters for PFS2?

I'm comparing the description of an emenation, on p457, with the diagram on the previous page, and seeing a discrepancy. The description specifically says

An emanation issues forth from each side of your space,

extending out to a specified number of feet in all directions.
For instance, the bless spell’s emanation radiates 5 or more
feet outward from the caster

So...is this intended to include the caster in the area, or not? The diagram shows the caster's spaces as included...but the example description specifically says outward, which would mean away from each edge of the cater's space.

This is a PF1 rules question, but is pretty specific to PFS (since I don't know of any standard way of this happening outside PFS).

My witch has a familiar that is a true wyrmling dragon (available from a chronicle). If my witch was to cast the Threefold Aspect spell, and share it to the familiar via Share Spells, would the familiar gain any other effects than ability score changes?

The description of the spell itself says it changes the caster to an 'idealised version' of herself. It says the ability score changes for aging get replaced by those in the spell. However, a true dragon changes much more than ability scores when aging. Size changes, and just about everything else the dragon does changes based on the size.

The spell is a Transmutation spell, rather than an Illusion spell, so the form can actually change.

Does the answer change for other aging spells, such as Sands of Time or False Age?

One of our local PFS players has been having fun with a Shield Champion, which seems capable of doing massive amounts of damage, by combining a few tricks. I've posted these elsewhere, and had someone say the combination may not work, but not why. So, can someone please tell me if they see actual, documented reasons why this does or does not work, and let me know, please?

The key components are the Bashing enchantment, and the Close Weapon Mastery ability (which arrives at level 5), combined with a Spiked Shield.

A Spiked Shield is treated as a shield bash, with damage one size higher. Close Weapon Mastery sets that base damage to the Brawler Unarmed Strike damage for 4 levels lower. The Bashing enchantment allows shield bashes as if the weapon were two size categories larger.

Putting this together in a concrete example, normally a medium-sized Heavy shield, which normally does 1d4, becomes 1d6 with a spike. Adding Bashing to this pushes the damage to 2d6, or equivalent to a great sword. In the hands of, say, a level 8 Shield Champion, the base damage gets set to the Unarmed Strike damage of a level 4 Brawler, which is 1d8. Bashing increases this two categories to 3d6, equivalent to a large greatsword. In the hands of a level 12 Shield Champion, the base damage gets set to 1d10, which then gets increased to 3d8 for the Bashing enchantment.

Any errors here?

Spoilers ahoy, for anyone playing!

I've been having a good run, and enjoying Strange Aeons so far. My group have finally arrived at Iris Hill, and are making there way through the mansion. However, I've discovered a small flaw in the design of the mansion denizens...specifically, the two undead inhabitants of the mansion are major parts of the threat, but they are only active threats at night. My group of amnesiacs have, of course, entered the mansion first thing in the morning. They are currently undertaking an 8 hour rest inside one of the bedrooms of the mansion, with the doors barricaded.

Clearly, the leadership won't be happy upon discovering this, but...during the day, their capabilities are quite weak! Anyone have any suggestions on how they might deal with this situation?

What is the DC for using a medpatch to Treat Deadly Wounds?

The Medical Expert feat says 'You can use the Medicine skill in conjunction with a medpatch or sprayflesh to treat deadly wounds as a full action.' Medicine skill says 'You can use Medicine to restore Hit Points to a living, wounded creature. This takes 1 minute, and the DC is based on the medical equipment used.' Medpatch says 'A medpatch allows you to attempt a Medicine check untrained with a +10 circumstance bonus, but only for the first aid, long-term stability, treat disease, and treat drugs or poison tasks.'

I thought I understood how Archetypes work, since they're relatively simple in concept - if you take an archetype, you replace some class abilities with new ones, and this seems to hold up fine for Envoy, Mechanic, operative, Soldier and Solarian, even the Technomancer.

However, I found a strange one in the Mystic replaced class features. According to the list on p127, if an Archetype has a feature at 9th Level, then the Mystic either loses a feat or healing touch. Losing the feat is fairly easy - you can probably just lose the 9th level feat, if you are single-classing. But how does the lost Healing Touch work? Do you have Healing Touch for levels 1-8 as a Phrenic Mystic, and then suddenly lose it at level 9? Do you never get Healing touch at all? What if you only ever progress to level 8 as a Phrenic Mystic - do you then get to keep Healing Touch?

Going back and thinking about the replaced feat option...what if you aren't single-classing as a Phrenic Mystic, and so actually take Phrenic Mystic level 9 as your 10th character level? Do you give up your NEXT feat? Do you have to give up a feat at some point before hitting level 9, in the hopes that you will eventually get there? Do you drop an already learned feat when you get that feature?

The Starfinder Forerunner archetype doesn't replace anything at level 9, so a Mystic Starfinder Forerunner doesn't raise this question.

Is the bulk listed for cartridge ammunition for each individual round, each clip, or for the entire number of rounds? i.e. Small Arm Rounds come in 30-round lots - is it Bulk L for 30 rounds, or Bulk L for each semi-auto clip of 9 rounds, or Bulk L per round?

As the title alludes - if I pay for a spellcasting service with Prestige Points, is the caster level automatically the maximum possible (i.e. 20)? Or is it set at some other value? Can I pay more PP to increase it?

If you pay cash for spellcasting, you can pay for whatever caster level you wish (p20 of the Guide), but then it costs you more gold. Prestige services have a fixed cost. For the majority of spells, it doesn't matter what the caster level is. But, for Dispels, and Remove Curse/Disease, and Make Whole, it can make quite a bit of difference.

Can somebody please point me to an official answer to the following questions? Or at least point out RAW? Basically, I'm not interested in any opinions, just facts.

These questions are all about Ioun Torches and Everburning torches in PFS play. Both Ioun and Everburning torches are described as being items with a Continual Flame cast on them.

1. Do the items count against the limit of one Continual Flame per character? i.e. you can't have both of these items in your possession. Or, are they considered manufactured items, and therefore don't count against that limit? Or is the answer different for each item?
2. Is there any official spell level for the Continual Flame? Do you assume it is cast by a wizard, similar to potions, scrolls and wands, or do you specify when you buy it as one or the other? Does the price change if you want a higher level version?
3. Is the spell level different between the two items? Does the increased cost of the Everburning Torch indicate a higher level of spell, and therefore a higher caster level?

A question came up recently about the Energy Shield exploit of the Arcanist. What exactly are the energy types an Energy Shield can protect against? Specifically, can it protect against Positive or Negative energy?

For background, spells such as Resist Energy and Protection from Energy list a specific set of energy types you can pick from, which usually just include the common elemental types plus sonic. Pathfinder doesn't have a globally-defined set of energy types, as far as I know. Energy Shield doesn't specify any restrictions - it just say to pick an energy type.

Quick question I haven't been able to find an answer to via research. I have a PFS character who was built as a summoner. I built the character long before the Unchained book was released. I do not own a copy of Unchained, nor do I intend to purchase one. However, I understand that the Unchained Summoner is now the only version legal for PFS. Not owning a copy of the book, I am not permitted to use material from it, meaning I don't seem to be able to play my Summoner any more. Is this the case, or am I missing something? If this is the case, am I able to in some way change the character to something playable? Do I need to use retraining rules from Ultimate Campaign to rebuild or something?

As far as I can tell, the PFS guide only covers what happens if something changes for Feats, or ability scores, not what happens if an entire class becomes unavailable.

The Crypt Breaker and Trap Breaker archetypes for the Alchemist do not modify any of the same class abilities, and so could both be taken by the same character. Interestingly, both archetypes provide an ability called 'Trapfinding', which basically acts the same as the Rogue Trapfinding ability, with the Cryptbreaker version kicking in at 1st level and also applying to locks, and counting his alchemist levels as rogue levels, and the Trapbreaker kicking in at 2nd level and adding the bonus by alchemist level. If I combine both archetypes, do I get double the bonus?

I have seen occasions before of abilities provided by different classes that have the same name, and therefore being considered different abilities. In this case, the ability has the same name, gives the same bonus, but has slightly different mechanics. Does this make them stackable?

Had an unusual situation come up on the weekend, and it was less well covered in the rules than I expected, so was looking for guidance for next time. Our GM informed us that there was a rainstorm going on as we reached our destination, and told us the effects would be the same as a Rain effect from the Weather section of the Core book. That Rain effect notes that 'It has the same effect on flames, ranged weapon attacks, and Perception checks as severe wind.' Severe Wind says ' In addition to automatically extinguishing any unprotected flames, winds of this magnitude cause protected flames (such as those of lanterns) to dance wildly and have a 50% chance of extinguishing these lights.'

Should this condition have any effect on fire-based magical effects? The specific examples in this case were Scorching Ray and Fireball spells, but I can imagine there might be interactions with things like Flameblade and Produce Flame.

Our GM basically ruled that these spells were totally ineffective in the rain, which did hamper a couple of characters. This seemed a little more effective than I would have expected. Anyone else able to shed any RAW light on this one?

I have a PFS character who I would like to end up taking levels in Hellknight Signifer. Looking at the class, one of the pre-reqs is killing a devil in front of another Hellknight...how on earth do I qualify for that in PFS? Is there some way to handwave it, perhaps with Prestige being spent? Can I just go find a Hellknight when in Cheliax, then cast a Monster Summoning of a Devil? Do I have to wait for a scenario featuring a devil, and ask the GM to note it on the chronicle?

Spoilers abound - ye be warned!

I'm prepping the above mod, and noticed the level 4 and 7 versions of Ruovarn, on p11, has a couple of errors in it. The earlier version of Ruorvan seem ok, as do his crew.

At level 7, he has a BAB of 5 (for level 7 Rogue), but has the feat Vital Strike, which requires BAB 6. This could easily be corrected by him taking a single level in Fighter, but that would of course have other effects, such as his Sneak Attack and skill ranks.

Also at level 7, his attack bonus with his scimitar is calculated wrongly. It is listed as +9. It should be +10 - 5 (BAB) + 3 (Dex, finesse) + 1 (magic) +1 (Weapon Focus)

The level 4 version seems to have the same problem - his bonus is listed as +7, but it should be +8 - 3 (BAB) + 3 (Dex, finesse) +1 (mwk) + 1 (Weapon Focus)

Level 1 seems ok.

I'm currently prepping a scenario to run on the weekend, and I've noticed a few mechanical errors with one of the NPC statblocks (attack bonus is one short, and the guy has a feat he doesn't qualify for) - do I just run with it, or should I try and fix it? Is there a spot for collected known errors?

Animal Archive spells out the available item slots for various types of animal companion. A Treesinger Druid can select various types of Plants as his companion. What items slots do they have available? Serpentine might be appropriate for a Crawling Vine, but what about a Carnivorous Flower? Treant? Puffball??

Anyone know of a way to have a Griffon as an Animal Companion or Mount? Preferably in PFS?

I've been having some issues lately with misfires on my Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger, since he doesn't have the Quick Clear deed. This means I always need an hour to fix a gun after a misfire. So, I've been looking into other options (as well as carrying a spare...)

Misfire says 'When a firearm misfires, it gains the broken condition.'

Mending says 'This spell repairs damaged objects, restoring 1d4 hit points to the object. If the object has the broken condition, this condition is removed if the object is restored to at least half its original hit points.'

Make Whole says 'This spell functions as mending, except that it repairs 1d6 points of damage per level'

So, am I correct in believing that when a firearm misfires, it actually still has full hit points, even though it has the broken condition? If this is true, then does this mean that ANY application of Mending/Make Whole will actually remove the broken condition, since it will always be above half hit points?

I ran a quick search, and there have been a few similar discussion about this, but no real landing point. This situation was a little more likely to come up in play, as well.

We had a situation on the weekend where a BBEG had been knocked out by a Witch's Slumber Hex. Wihtout going into detail, we still needed to move and treat the BBEG, so we wanted to more-permanently incapacitate him.

My Divine Hunter/Gunslinger was also present, and has the capability of making his Musket Merciful, which converts all of the damage of the weapon to non-lethal. If I was to do so, and then perform a Coup de Grace on the helpless victim, what is the outcome? Given that the damage is nonlethal, does the victim still need to make a save to avoid death? Is the DC of the save actually modified by the nonlethal damage? Can you even Coup de Grace with a nonlethal weapon? What if the nonlethal damage was high enough to cause lethal damage as well (which is likely with a d12 x 4 crit weapon) - does this change the answer?

If you can at all, please reference actual rules for this, rather than just give your opinion.

I had a conversation on the weekend that had me challenging some assumptions, and I can't find anything conclusive, either in the rules, or in the forums. I managed to find a 2010 thread, but it didn't really have anything conclusive. So, let's try again.

Channel Energy, the Cleric Class Feature, says -

Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric.

The rules for Area, in the Magic chapter, say -

The point of origin of a spell is always a grid intersection.When determining whether a given creature is within the area of a spell, count out the distance from the point of origin in squares just as you do when moving a character or when determining the range for a ranged attack. The only difference is that instead of counting from the center of one square to the center of the next, you count from intersection to intersection.

and

If the far edge of a square is within the spell's area, anything within that square is within the spell's area. If the spell's area only touches the near edge of a square, however, anything within that square is unaffected by the spell.

Channel Energy is not a spell, nor is it a spell-like ability. It is a Supernatural ability. So, does Channel follow the rules for a Burst, from the Magic chapter, or not? Does it have to be centered on a grid intersection, despite the description saying it is centered on the caster? Is it in actual fact still centered on the cleric, meaning that a potential target at exactly 6 squares straight out from the cleric is NOT in the area of effect?

If you would like to answer me, please back up your answer with page references or quotes. I'm not really interested in unsubstantiated opinions. I have plenty of those already.

I seem to recall that under 3.5, Acid had an escape clause that allowed it to ignore hardness. I have not seen any such rule in Pathfinder. Anyone know of something like this that I've missed?

Simple question - when paralyzed, a character can take purely mental actions. Is Channelling Positive Energy purely mental?

Does the answer change if your holy symbol is worn on an item, like a Wayfinder, or on a shield?

The Magus Arcana Pool Strike is a Supernatural ability that allows a Magus to make a touch attack to deal some elemental damage (type chosen on activation). If the touch attack misses, the Magus can hold the charge for a minute, much like a touch spell.

When using a touch spell, if the caster is holding the charge, and casts another spell of any sort, the touch spell being held dissipates. Does this apply to Pool Strike? i.e. if I cast Shocking Grasp, then activate Pool Strike, can I attack with both? Does the answer change if I use Pool Strike first?

In Pathfinder Society play, what, if any, of the Adventure Paths are considered canon? Are any events from APs referenced in PFS scenarios?

Bear in mind that, up until now, I've only played Season 0 and 1 scenarios, and some modules.

I did a quick search of the forums and FAQ, and can't find an answer. So...does drinking an Alchemist's extract provoke an AoO?

I'm about to start playing my first Catfolk, and I'm trying to figure out how the Sprinter racial trait interacts with other speed modifiers. Mainly, armour.

Does the Sprinter bonus get added before or after modifying the speed for armour? If before, how does armour affect the speed of a character with a speed over 30'?

After DMing for a Paladin a few times recently, I had some questions about the specifics of the Detect Evil abillity.

1. Is Detect Evil a Standard Action by default?
2. The paladin can focus on a single subject as a move action - does this require the paladin to have activated the unfocussed version of the abillity first? i.e. Is focussing on one subject actually a full round action in total?
3. To focus on one target, does the Paladin have to be able to see the target?
4. If the above is a no, does the Paladin need to know where an invisible or unseen target is to be able to focus on it? i.e. if the target has moved from where it was last seen, and successfully made a stealth check, can the Paladin still focus on it?

This came up in a game over the weekend. I was reasonably confident in how I handled it, but the player was also adamant that it could work.

If a Wizard casts the spell Silent Image to imitate a damaging spell (in this case, Lightning Bolt, but could be anything visual) targeting a creature, and the creature fails to disbelieve, what is the effect?

Silent Image is a figment, and the description of figment spells in the Magic chapter specifically says they cannot cause damage. But can they make a creature believe it is taking damage? Could it cause a creature to fall unconscious, even though no actual damage was being dealt? Or is it just a hologram?

I've been running Second Darkness for a group for a few weeks now. In case anyone's interested, I have an Obsidian Portal site dedicated to it here

Beware of spoilers in the Adventure Log!

I've been trying to clarify this one, but can't find anything conclusive.

If I activate a wand that contains a touch spell (e.g. Shocking Grasp or Inflict Light Wounds), do I still get the free touch attack the spell would normally grant? If so, do I need an empty hand to do it, or can I touch with either the wand or the hand holding the wand? For a Wizard or Sorceror, this won't often matter, but a Cleric is often holding a shield in the off-hand.

Can answerers please provide references as well?

I understand that when purchasing items with gold, you are limited to the always-available list, plus whatever you have on chronicles. But what about when you purchase an item with Prestige Points? Do you follow the same limitations, or can you purchase anything (bearing in mind the 750gp limit)?

Specifically, I'm looking at wands of 1st level spells here, which cost 750gp.

I'm running the first campaign I've run in roughly half a decade, using the Second Darkness AP. I'm pretty much sticking with the as-written version of the scenario, but using Pathfinder-converted stats. I've run plenty of Living campaign games over the years, both 4e LFR, 3 and 3.5e LG, and recently some PFS.

We kicked off the AP with the Set-piece from Shadow In the Sky, with the hook being Lymnas Smeed hiring the party through an intermediary. The group wiped out the Splithog Paupers with little trouble.

The second session was this weekend just gone, and we went through roughly the first Act of Shadow in the Sky, up to the encounter with Lymas Smeed (trying not to include spoilers here). And I have to say - what a great adventure! Not only did the party have a great time, the link with Lymas Smeed from the Set-piece actually worked to help the plot along, and keep the players following the desired path. I'm really looking forward to playing the rest of the first part of the AP.

I've read ahead, and I like the look of Children of the Void, but I'm really not sure the party will want to leave Riddleport afterwards! We'll have to see how that goes.