Yondu's page

The combat system of D&D D20 like are a complete failure, removing all the momentum of the combat, increasing the difference between magic and mundane,magic overpower everything, the scaling saves increased the punition to non-caster characters.
Automatic spellcasting (without a dice roll), standard action spellcasting, quicken spellcasting, scalling saves DD, nailed the coffin of the mundane fighter or character relying on attack rolls..
Feats add the insult meaning that to perform a "special action", like striking harder but less precise (Power attack), disarming (Combat expertise + Improved disarm)..., you need a feat, but to cast any spells you only need a level....

As an old gamer, I a huge fan of dice rolling, it was the thrill of the rolling dices when i created my first character that gave me knack of RPG... I've seen the trend of point buy and it dissafisfies me a lot because it make all characters the same and are a huge trend to hyper optimization and make all characters boring for me...as a DM, when the group can be trusted, I tend to tell them build your character as they want with the abilities to build a character, it is more satifying for them and treating them as responsible adults create a good Roleplay, I only modify their ability if there is abuse, but it is almost never the case... it does not modifiy a lot the gaming and mastering, only an additionnal challenge for me and for them..

Play a Human Desna Fighter, SAD in Charisma to use Desna Fighting Technique, boost intelligence and you have a fighting face, quite efficient with Advanced Weapon Training (focused WPN), startoss style and ricochet toss, UMD user with dangerously curious, useful in combat and out of combat with wands...

Plain Vanilla Figther can be made with Player's Handbook but il will be somewhat weaker, but if you want a BSF, take a Large Bastard Sword, WF/WS, Power Attack to dish a maximum damage, some will be against Vital Strike, however if you want PH only, it could be a good idea to add a damage possibility in standard action, Lunge to add reach, and Critical line to use the increase threat of the Bastard Sword.
Step Up can also be a possibility to avoid fleeing wizards, and the Mage Killer Line to keep them from casting nasty spells (Disruptive, Spellbreaker).
It's up to you to see how you want your fighter...

The question is when you use X to replace Y for something did the same rules apply ?
If we use Charisma instead of Intelligence for a Wizard, do we have the bonus spells due to high Charisma ? As far I know, it is yes.
If the wording clearly say that you use Dexterity or Intelligence in lieu of Strength, the same rule applies : x1 for One Handed, x1.5 for Two Handed, x 0.5 for Off Handed.
If the wording does not clearly say it, then it as to be clarify thru a FAQ...

The answer is in the first feat of the Step Up line, you take an immediate action to follow the 5-stepping opponent and all is linked to this immediate action, and as VS is not an immediate action, you cannot VS (in a standard configuration, without specific feats or power..)

sorry, i didn't really understand what you meant originally before i post, i thought you meant something else, now its clearer with what you said. yeah you are right without that combo no VS on an AoO

No issue, John, maybe I was not enough explicit, English is not my native language..:-)

Yondu wrote:

The point is can you make a Vital Strike as part of a AoO ?

As written you cannot make a VS as a AoO, so you cannot use SuAS and VS together.
SuAS indicate clearly that it is a AoO and it is a Immediate Action, and VS use Attack Action, you cannot use VS.
A lot of No for something that could be usefull to Martial Characters... As we use to say "Martials never get good things"...

look at the divine feat Greatsword Battler it let you make a VS with one AoO only if you have make a VS before the AoO

''Initial Benefit(s): If you have the Vital Strike feat, you can apply its effect to an attack you make with a greatsword at the end of a charge. If you don’t have the Vital Strike feat, that attack deals 1 additional point of damage instead. The first time you make an attack of opportunity with a greatsword after using Vital Strike with a greatsword on your turn, you can apply Vital Strike to that attack of opportunity.''

Hi John,

The point is can you make a Vital Strike as part of a AoO ?
As written you cannot make a VS as a AoO, so you cannot use SuAS and VS together.
SuAS indicate clearly that it is a AoO and it is a Immediate Action, and VS use Attack Action, you cannot use VS.
A lot of No for something that could be usefull to Martial Characters... As we use to say "Martials never get good things"...

I am running a west marches game, which means the game can consist of anywhere between 12 and 20 players who alternate in and out of sessions. Despite getting a large number of people interested, I'm having issues convincing my female friends to sign up to play. I would really enjoy the diversity of gender because I think generally women tend to be more focused on character development and interparty politics which would be a good counterweight to the more masculine murder-hoboism method of playing (although I'm a feminist and recognize that women too can be murder hobos.) I think of myself as pretty good at managing any sort of weirdness that might arise concerning sexual harassment between people or characters.

That all being said, what could I be doing wrong in this department? Any ideas? It's not like I don't have any female friends who would be interested in D&D/Pathfinder, I just seemingly can't grab their attention for this game.

Women are interested in RPG, you only have to search around you, in your job, school or whatever environement you can have... Trying to convince them by showing how it is played at your table...

Straight fighter work well also, with weapon training, WF, WS and full BAB, you can almost hit everything using deadly aim and Rapid shot, strength is less relevant in this case, especially with clustered shots, you only lose 1 damage for strength and 1 damage in average for size, but you gain a + 1 to hit due to size and + 1 due to dext bonus, so a Halfling is pretty good...
a goblin archer is a halfling under P.E.D., with + 4 in dexterity, after it is up to you if you want to play a small gnashing pyromaniac guy...you can even make it mounted on dogs..

GM cheating is acceptable right up until someone stops having fun. Full stop.

Did your players have fun with the situation (and your cheaty modifications?) if yes, no problem. If no, keep that in mind for next time.

That's my opinion on the matter and from a GM known to occasionally rig dice one way or another.

Same as you, as long as everybody having fun around the table, you can cheat, but remenber one thing, you have a the power to kill everyone around the table, big power imply big responsability, if you kill someone by cheating or because you want to kill him, you're doing the wrong thing

Bard will be really fun to play and roleplay, It is a good idea to play one, you have a load of skills, songs, spells and with the right archetype a nice combat capacity, it'll be a bit of jake of all trades but interresting to play, if you want to play a dark sexy character, you can play a deadly dancer like a dervish or an arcane duellist, it is hard to be bored playing a bard...

How about my idea?

The player of the dead PC decided to not allow raise dead to his PC (the others has made a speak with dead spell), so he has made a new PC, I was planning to give them options for raising the PC but with this choice, they use their money on improvements.

Yondu wrote:

Thanks for you comment, I understand your point of view, making a powerfull melee opponent stealthier can be devastating especially in a natural surrounding. My view is that the sorceror could have been more efficient if the player, despite my advices, refuse to put some points in Perception, because with 6 ranks + Scent + Alertness from his familiar, his perception were at + 16, not many different from +17 (I advice him to go Dragon lineage to have Perception as a class skill with that we have a +19 in perception), he also forgot to hide the team from scrutiny during the time they were in the open...

Sure maybe the Mage could have built his character into 'Hawkeye' but if you're going to take creatures that are appropriate CR then adjust them making them MORE challenging, but justify it by saying "if they had built their character this specific way they would have a better chance" That's ridiculous. Maybe the Sorcerer DID do everything you recommended, and got a +19 perception. That still doesn't stop you from rolling a 18 on the cyclops' stealth check and a the player getting a 14 on the sorcerer's perception roll.

Same possibilities apply for Smilodan's comment. Sure PC's outnumber the cyclops, but if the cyclops rolls well then only a couple PC's might even have a chance at rolling a high enough perception.

The point isn't that there are no ways to mitigate what took place, the point is that you've made a change that on the surface seems trivial, but if you take a closer look (And if the d20 comes up high when stealth is rolled) you've added a whole new variable into the encounter. Had you just left it at changing the skill ranks it wouldn't have been as bad, then you would have had a significantly lower DC, but you also added an item to the character that made it's skill higher than any of the PC's opposing skill.

Again, I want this encounter a challenge for the players, as the cyclops are part of a invasion force, who want to take control of a part of the Shackles, and the PC will find interesting clues and treasures in Cyclops lair, It was not a cosmetic change on the wife, I want her to be a spy and a scout, not only I've changed the skills but also removed, the main combat feats (Cleave and Great Cleave) to replace it with skill focus, to make her less combat focused.

I have real fun creating a Face Desna Fighter, with Divine Fighting Technique / Startoss Line, max in Charisma, and boost intelligence for Diplomacy, Intimidation / Sense Motive, additionnal traits for class skill, it was really fun and still efficient in melee with AWT, she was a gipsy with her cart and warhorses, on the road for kicking Bandits ass (it was a Kingmaker campaign)...

I would say while it may not seem like much, changing the Cyclop's skill from intimidate to Stealth is a bigger difference than you might think when just considering that you're only moving some skill points around. You've traded a skill that can add a few negatives to a character to one that can allow this large powerful creature to go about completely unseen. And THEN you gave her an item to boost this ability.

You've allowed the Cyclops to get a free 1st shot at range to open combat, followed by swapping to the melee weapon so closing into melee would have to provoke. All while potentially preventing ranged characters from potentially getting to attack first (initiative's depending)

Maybe none of that would have made a big difference in the encounter, or maybe if everyone could had seen the Cyclops it would have gone totally different.

A +17 to Stealth with Players who have +13 Perception may not seem like much, but that means the creature stealthing is better at hiding than the players looking are. And I have a feeling that is NOT normal for something as large and powerful as a Cyclops.

Thanks for you comment, I understand your point of view, making a powerfull melee opponent stealthier can be devastating especially in a natural surrounding. My view is that the sorceror could have been more efficient if the player, despite my advices, refuse to put some points in Perception, because with 6 ranks + Scent + Alertness from his familiar, his perception were at + 16, not many different from +17 (I advice him to go Dragon lineage to have Perception as a class skill with that we have a +19 in perception), he also forgot to hide the team from scrutiny during the time they were in the open...

A critical hit with a large x3 weapon from a creature with a +5 strength bonus can make for a bad day...and you said there were two. If those crits did not happen, how do you think the results of the combat would have been? My guess is that the characters would have been fine.

I think the wife was a little too stealth focused. In looking over the monster's stats it looks like you would have had to max out the stealth in almost every way you could. Other than the PCs, what reason would she need to have a +17 Stealth bonus? A +27 by taking 10 to hunt feels a bit excessive. I don't think it mattered much in the end, but it's the only thing that bothers me (all be it a minor one).

However, you were open to having the Cyclops plans changed by it being called out by the barbarian, so I gotta give credit for that.

Otherwise, if your intention was to provide a challenging encounter, I think you did fine.

Thanks for your comments Bill and Red DogMT, it was clear that I want to give them a challenging encounter, I usually fudge the criticals on monster if I have the feeling that it will be unfair, but they were so bad during the session...

I guess your narrative of the encounter prompts a few questions from me:

Did you decide to add the second cyclops after they fought the first one?
Had they taken the time to recover (heal, etc) from the first one before you started the second cyclops encounter?

The reason I ask those two questions gets at the point of adding the second encounter. It reads like you were prepared for it ahead of time considering she was prepped with a stealthy magic item, but it also reads a bit like it was ad hoc after they made it through the first encounter. This matters a bit because if it had been in reaction to the first encounter, I'd have thought the second cyclops encounter to be a bit spiteful.

With respect to not fudging the dice because the PCs didn't engage in a lot of stealth while hunting the second cyclops, why didn't the druid/ranger's attempt to approach her stealthily (once she was flushed out with the taunt) count as an attempt at stealth? Worse, they were the PC actually killed in the action for the trouble they took to not rush in.

And then there's the issue of shooting the druid/ranger wildshaped into a bird. Did the cyclops know it wasn't just a regular bird? Because, frankly, wildshape really is a fantastic disguise...

I choose tham to face two cyclops at the beginning, one was a guard (Tougher)and the other the ranger (Stealthier), and due to the difficulty they had with the first one, I choose to let them fully recover health before launching the other one on their track, concerning the wildshapping druid, he change in the open as the cyclops was spying them...

You changed around skills, but were the cyclop's attack and damage bonuses the same as before?

Only changed skills and altered magics items, no change on attacks and damage bonus, just removed the Cleave line to skill focus, percetion and survival...

I currently GMing a highly customized Skulls and Shackles campain with 4 to 5 players.
The party is a Rogue / Slayer, a Tatooed sorceror, a Ubarbarian THF, and a Druid/Ranger with natural attacks, all level 6 or 7.
During the last session, they were on Ricketty Grove and investigating of the watcher disappearance.
They've already found the deceased watcher and slain a cyclops manhunter (as described on the Inner Sea Monster Codex).
It was a monster by the book, it was a difficult fight but they manage to get him without loosing a PC.
I've decided that there was a second Cyclop, wife of the one they have slain, and more linked to the Stealth than the previous one, so I've replaced the intimidation skill by stealth and gave her a Stealth Magic Item (+ 15 in stealth + Blur Effect on natural surrounding), that's gave her a +17 stealth, quite effective, and she start to hunt them, try to kill them with a big rock going down the mountain, shooting the druid transformed in a bird...
They've decided to track her but without taking any stealth option, or magic defence... They finaly arrived on a platform where the big Rock was lying and try to find tracks, without success (I've made a Survival opposed check because the Cyclop was a ranger also, and win to him by pips). The barbarian decided to taunt the Cyclops, made a great test and the cyclops who was hiding at a range, decided to attack the barbarian with his bow first, then switch to her two handed axe, the barbarian decided to charge, take a critical AoO, hit the Cyclops, and at her, action take two attacks and down the barbarian, the Druid/ranger decided to close stealthly to attack the next round, the cyclop had the initiative, spot him, close to attack him and put a critical on it, killing it on the spot.
Whith two PCs down in two round, the other two managed to heal the barbarian who put down the cyclops in one round.
The Cyclops is CR 7/ 8 (with the item they have recovered after the fight plus the items of the Cyclops for around 25000 GP of treasure), I've have had lucky throws and choose not to fudge the dice because they have so badly manage their hunt (no stealth, no invisibility,...).
Does my monster was too strong for them ?
Should I've fudge my dice because of player's bad play ?
I've had a heated argument after the game so I want a external point of view...
Thanks

The leader will be forgiving but the tribe will be angered by the lack of respect of the dwarf, maybe they could set an ambush, capture the dwarf and give him a serious beating for the insult, not killing him but leave him naked, tied to a tree with a panel around his neck, telling "kick me, I've no respect for nobody"...

You can also add Deadly Stroke in the intimidation line.
Do you plan to add the divine fighting techniques to the guide ?
Some of them are really nice (Gorum, Iomedae, my personal favorite Desna..)

For sure, it's way easier to have a complete guide that notes the PFS stuff.

I'm striking out the names of any option that is not legal in PFS, and if you notice something that should be noted please feel free to post itt or PM me.

I want a guide that appeals to everyone.

And you do, keep going, you're doing a great job...

He might be happy to hear about some of the new options for Fighters that give skill ranks based on BaB, and Item Masteries to get magic, including healing like lesser restoration, remove blindness/deafness and remove paralysis.

I love playing fighters and that's right with the new options brings a lot of possibilities, I enjoyed making a Desna Starknife fighter with 18 in Charisma and 14 in intelligence, a good social play, I'm still not the game-breaking character, but it open a lot of good way to RP and versatility to a class.

As long everybody around the table enjoy the game, I have no issue with highly specialized characters.
When they start to overpower the table, I adjust his opponents, but never build against him, If he is a damage dealer with a big weapon, a camouflaged opponent will reduce his effectiveness for example, a high DC mage, a golem will will cause him troubles, just keeping sometimes the basic monster, just adjust on that will force him to understand that he is powerless against some ennemies he may face, adjust his character evolution

Do you plan to add Intimidation Feats (Hurtful, Pile On, Shocking Bellow) from the Monster Codex ?
Hurtful is great in combination of Cornugon Smash, others are less interresting...

IMHO, if you want to bring the fighter to the light, a full attack sequence with iteratives as a standard action and a full attack at full BAB for all attacks as a complex action at level 6 will be a good point, 4 skills points, a better choice of skills, and at last, make spellcasting a full round action (no move, no swift) quicken spell make it a standard action.. "duck for cover...."

Nothing is wrong in the fighter class (except for skill points IMO), what is wrong is how the D20 system treat the combat system and class design.
Iteratives, Full attacks, movements, saves, feats, every thing that has been modified to impede the fighter class...
Where others martials can compensate these modifications ( Pounce for Barbarian, increased movement for Barbarian, no prerequisites for Ranger, Spellcasting for Ranger, Divine grace for paladin, spellcasting for paladins,...), the fighter has nothing to bypass these limits..
The last splatbooks made for fighter give somes patches but you still have to sacrifice something (Feat, Wpn Training, Armor Training..) where other classes have already this in their design.

Historically, the Jian was between a short sword and a arming sword, blade length varying from 20 to 30 inches, in the rules, for me, it is closer of the Aldori Duelling sword for the long version, more than the temple sword which is a khopesh like weapon in description.
You can use the ADS rules for it and keeping the shape of the Jian, making it Piecing and Slashing instead of Slashing only.
For the short version, a short sword basis is good, P/S...

Gauss wrote:

No, it isn't.

If what you are doing is taking a system which is designed for an 'average result' and then you are optimizing it so that you get an 'above average result' most of the time then you are trying to reduce the effect of dice or eliminate it entirely.

kyrt-ryder basically said as much when he said that he wants to take a (presumably normal) 45% success rate and turn it into an 80% success rate because he feels that 45% success rate means his character "really sucks" (rather than has a more or less average chance of success).

Some people want the illusion of dice rolling but they really just want to roflstomp anything they come into contact with. I guess that is fine, but why delude yourself with the illusion? Just get rid of the dice rolling, go to a diceless system, and then RP the roflstomping adventure without all the math.

Kyrt wanted an 80% success rate at "something he's supposed to be good at". Surely 45% is a bit of a low goal for such a thing?

I don't think that a chirugeon who supposed to be good at something will be happy to miss 55 of his operations, he is supposed to have a near perfect score in what he is trained for, so yes 45% is a low goal for something you should be an expert in...

A low strength in Ad&d 2 was less penalysing due to Strength Boosting Items gaves you a fixed strength (Gloves of Ogre Power 18/00, girdles from 19 to 24) so if you have the luck or the money and the opportunity to have one, it'll will increase survivability, I've played a lot of fighter and many of them had less than 18 in Strength and it was not an issue due to the system. In 3.x / PF, a low strength issue cannot be cancelled by strength boosting items, and does not allow you to take mandatory feats (Power Attack for example)

With Ricochet Toss, you can throw your weapon, recover it, take a 5 ft step to make melee attacks with the same weapon provided it is a ranged weapon and you have weapon training with, so you are in line with the TWF requirements and you can even use rapid shot to have additionnal attacks (with a hefty - 4 to your attack) but you can, according to the rules.

OK I've heard all what you said on 15 points buy, the balance, the challenge, how it is OP to have a 25 PB character.
Let's face the reality of figures :
I want to have a fighter in heavy armor making manoeuvers, I need 13 in intelligence so 3 points less, I have 12 points to add in physical attributes, I have two choices putting the remaining points in related characteritics, which make me a bad manoeuver fighter due to Strength or Dexterity of a Garden Snail...I want to make a monk, with meditation, so I need to have at least, 13 in wisdom, even more to more options, so the same issue to split my 12 points in other stats if I want Stunning Fist, I have to put more points in Dexterity...
If you are MAD with a 15 PB, you don't have many options on your character.
As PB encourage to have standarized characters, especially on MAD Classes, a 15 is even more a point as you are forced to dump to have something usable in play.

A Hero with 15 point-buy is for me uninterresting, really 15 points is 14 in three stats, a TWF cannot be made without dumping one or two stats, due to the high requirements of feats...
And on AP, you have NPC opponents with 30 PB (Caleb Voltario in Carrion Crown/WOW has 30 PB, Skreed Gorewillow in GiantSlayer BOBH has 28 PB ) and there are not bosses eveak peons you have to face are 15 PB (Cultits in the WOW have a 16 PB), 15 PB is considering the PC as peons, No they are heroes so they should have Heroes PB at least...

1 yes, you use whatever stat you use to wield the weapon. See clarification of Weapon finesse letting you use dex.

2 no, see weapon finesse clarification.

3) any and all attacks use charisma.

1: OK Thanks.

By playing RPGs, we are all roleplayers and rollplayers, at few exceptions, you cannot have one without the others (if you only roleplay, it is theatre, if you only rollplay, it is only tabletop game)
Telling somebody is more a rollplayer than a roleplayer is trying to categorize the player (I remember few years ago a woman telling the RPG players were Demonic Followers, Blood-Drinking Crazy People and RPGs were the instrument of Satan)and to be honest sometimes I enjoy more one than the other....so I'm both a roleplayer and a rollplayer.
Trying to oppose one to the other is denying the game by itself.
After optimization, powergaming, cheating are part of all games, optimization is be the best in his part, so playing a hero who is not efficient in what he normally be excellent is playing an Anti-hero and can be fun, but you can be a weight to the team, and one day or another people will tell you "OK you have fun characters but please build one useful in the party"...
Powergaming (we call it Gros Bill in French) is for me one of the worst way to play because it is optimization made in the wrong way and I will not speak of cheating because as a GM I cheat a lot, for good or bad reasons, in order to make sometimes the game interresting...

I've played D&D since nearly 30 years, and I've try a lot of differents ways to create a character, the less interresting was for me point buy because it helps SAD and penalyse MAD, striking badly martials due to high requirements to feats.
SAD Casters are nearly unaffected by low point buy, they can always manage to compensate.

I do not have a definite way to create characters on adventures I GM, it depends of the level of challenge I plan to put in front of my players ( I GM a Skulls and Shackles Campain with a 36 point buy for the 6 characters and adjust the CR of the opponents to match the high profile, most of the challenges they face makes them sweaty)

Hi I'm planning to make a fighter using Desna Shooting Star (Please don't ask why...), and I have few questions :
- Does CMB use Charisma modifier when I use the starKnife for manoeuvers ?
- Does It replace STR and Dex for all manoeuvers ?
- When I throw my StarKnife do I use Dext or Charisma (strange wording in the feat) ?
Thanks

Heavy Armor and some medium armors comes with gauntlets, so if the armor is made of special materials, the gauntlets as part of the armor are made of special materials, as nothing else is written against this...
Are they masterwork armor ? Yes
Are they masterwork weapon ? I'm not sure of it as they were build as armor not weapon ( shields are also the case of having a offense and defense function, and need separate "masterworking" to be a weapon and an armor)
Are they of special material ? Yes, as they are part of a special material armor.
So saying they are not because it's OP, it is not RAW but only interpretation.

Thanks Wraithstrike,I was also around these figures, but was not sure of the calculation of the CR of the improved Golem, Cleric, this means we should received 9920 xp instead of what we received....

I've trouble calculating a CR of an encounter and see if it is balanced :
The party :
All 9 character levels
An bomber alchemist, a halfling archer paladin, a TH fighter, a Unchained Rogue, a Figther Mage.
Facing the opposition :
A 9 level Cleric immune to critical hits and Sneak attacks
A Clay Golem with enhanced HP (160 - 170)
6 * 9th Level Clerics
6 * 3th level Thugs / 3 level Clerics.
We face them, manage to kill them all,earn 5700 Xp each and a truckload of +1 items.
I have a doubt concerning the rewards we have after this encounter due to CR calculation.
If someone can give me the total CR of this encounter..

Yondu wrote:

vhok wrote:

Yondu wrote:

Dervish Dance imply that the wielder is dancing like a dervish to used a scimitar with Finesse, meaning that he has to spin like a tornado keeping his balance and using his momentum to deliver quicks cuts to the opponents and having 5 lbs of steel on your arm can throw out of balance.

that's all just flavor assumptions and has no bearing on RAW

If you think that having two ranks in Perform Dance is just flavor to you, no issue with me, but it is not for me just flavor.

2 points in dance doesn't mean anything about bucklers strapped to a forearm. and maby you should go read dervish dance again because all it says is no WEAPONS OR SHIELDS in your offhand. you can carry around 100 pounds of scrap metal or whatever else you can possibly think of of any weight as long as its not a shield or weapon. if they gave 2 s$~~s about the weight of a buckler it would have a weight restriction for the offhand. that's called RAW.

My explaination was on the assumption of BigNortWOlf about the similarity of wording of Salshing Grace and Dervish Dance, and the fact one is allowing a buckler and the other no, I was explaining what is my point o f view on the difference and how if the effect is the same, the way to have Dext to damage are different, but if you go RAW, Dervish Dance allow no shield, a buckler is a shield so no buckler with dervish dance.

Yondu wrote:

Dervish Dance imply that the wielder is dancing like a dervish to used a scimitar with Finesse, meaning that he has to spin like a tornado keeping his balance and using his momentum to deliver quicks cuts to the opponents and having 5 lbs of steel on your arm can throw out of balance.

that's all just flavor assumptions and has no bearing on RAW

If you think that having two ranks in Perform Dance is just flavor to you, no issue with me, but it is not for me just flavor.

Yondu wrote:

Dervish Dance does not allow a buckler has been previously explained in one of my post.

Your explanation is lacking and you're not answering the problems with your reasoning or otherwise having a conversation at all.

Slashing grace apply to a slashing weapon that normally cannot be used with Finesse, a katana for example, and need that the wielder has a good level of training in the weapon (weapon focus), to instead on giving powerful blows (stength for damage), he deliver quick and precise cuts to the opponent (dexterity to damage), so having a 5 lbs of steel strapped on the arm does not bother you so much.

Dervish Dance imply that the wielder is dancing like a dervish to used a scimitar with Finesse, meaning that he has to spin like a tornado keeping his balance and using his momentum to deliver quicks cuts to the opponents and having 5 lbs of steel on your arm can throw out of balance.

We have the same effect but not in the same conditions.

My only issue concerning both is spellcasting, I cannot explain why one allow it and the other no.

Dervish Dance does not allow a buckler has been previously explained in one of my post, as it is necessary to have a training in Dancing which need fluidity, balance, and movement, and it is clearly indicated that a buckler impede the movement (penalty to attack), so if you are out of balance you cannot use the feat. I recommend you to check what is a Dervish in reality.

Yondu wrote:

It is written in a objective, black and white text in Dervish Dance, you cannot use a shield

No. There is not. Read the feat again. Read peoples posts again.

Dervish dance prevents you from using a shield carried in your off hand

From the description of a buckler it is strapped to your forearm.

From the other FAQ it does not "occupy" you hand in a metaphorical sense.

So if something is literally not in your hand, and metaphorically not occupying your hand, in what sense is a buckler in your off hand?

Quote:

a buckler is clearly a shield, so I cannot understand why is your point...

I don't think your english is up to the rules lawyering involved in the FAQ here.

You do not provide proof of the fact that a buckler is not a shield and does not prevent to apply dexterity to damage, even if it straped on forearm.. I read the feat in English and French, my language, it states clearly that you cannot have a shield in hand and apply Dext to damage with dervish dance and advancing that as the buckler in not "in hand" is bending the feat.

Yondu wrote:

CBDunkerson wrote:

If a buckler does not "occupy the hand" it is not "in" the hand and thus does not conflict with Dervish Dance.

You are trying to bend the feat by his wording, because a buckler has to be carry on a hand

Not according to the Core Rulebook;

"Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm."

If it is "strapped to your forearm" then you clearly aren't "carrying" it "in" your hand.

You just seem to rewrite the rules so that bucklers work differently / conflict with Dervish Dance. As actually written... they don't.

It is not carry "in" a hand but "on" a hand that I wrote. You seem to take in account the correct wording so do I.

Yondu wrote:

It is written in a objective, black and white text in Dervish Dance, you cannot use a shield

No, it says, "You cannot use this feat if you are carrying a weapon or shield in your off hand."

Nothing about "use" of a shield. Rather, "carrying" a shield "in" your hand.

And elsewhere we have a FAQ on a similar ability saying;

"...bucklers work because they don’t occupy the hand."

If a buckler does not "occupy the hand" it is not "in" the hand and thus does not conflict with Dervish Dance.

You are trying to bend the feat by his wording, because a buckler has to be carry on a hand, if you wear a buckler on the back, you do not add his AC bonus, the same for a weapon at your belt you cannot attack with it as an iterative attack even if you "Carry" it...

Yondu wrote:

When I say trying to circumvent is exactly what you are saying, let me clarify, it is just like saying a Bastard Sword is very similar with a longsword so why needing a exotic weapon feat to use it one handed...

No. It is note remotely the same thing. One is an objective, black and white text about what it takes and the other is an interpretation of the text. If you cannot understand the difference you are not ready to contribute to the conversation.

Quote:

One allow you to use any slashing weapon as a dext to damage weapon and allow buckler, the other one...

You cannot use your conclusion as evidence for your conclusion.

It is written in a objective, black and white text in Dervish Dance, you cannot use a shield, a buckler is clearly a shield, so I cannot understand why is your point... Your interpretation is a shield occupy a off-hand and a buckler not, why you cannot use a buckler like in Slashing Grace because they are similar in wording...