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Now, I know that armor bonuses don't stack, so lets get that right out of the way. However, if I were to wear Quilted Armor (from the APG) under heavier armor would I still get the benefit of the DR3 vs small ranged weapons?

I'm considering seeking out Enlarge Person on myself Permanently, since it's a buff that happens to my Barbarian almost every combat. At this point, the cost of the spell and casting itself is quite doable, just a matter of finding a 9th-level wizard willing to do the deed.

The question is though, do I need to also factor in the cost of replacing all my equipment with large-sized versions? Ordinarily when the buff is cast, all my stuff gets enlarged too. The trick is that if anything leaves my "possession it instantly returns to its normal size." So when I take my armor and weapons off to go to sleep in my big bed, I'm going to have problems.

Is there any arguement to be made that the Permanancy negates this part of the spell? That everything that is enlarged becomes permanently so, unless a Dispel Magic wrecks the whole thing?

Looking for 2-4 mature players for a biweekly Tuesday night game. Go here for more info: http://www.meetup.com/Scarborough-Pathfinder/

I've been idly working on a Fighter Crossbowman archetype build, and it got me thinking. The archetype gets a damage bonus (+1/2Dex, then +Dex) when making a Readied attack with a crossbow. This is great and all, especially when you're focusing on the enemy spellcaster, since they then get a chance to lose their spell. But what about other characters? If you're setting up a shot (with a crossbow or anything else for that matter), waiting for a specific opening, shouldn't you be rewarded if that exact opening comes to pass? The risk is that you don't get to act at all, and you've basically wasted a standard action, potentially your turn.

So, what do you all think? Is giving an additional reward to a ready-er, like applying a circumstance penalty to an attack roll or skill check on the victim, seem appropriate? Is it overpowered? How bad of a penalty should it be?

Forgive me if this question has been asked and answered, but I didn't find it on a quick search.

The Arcane Duelist archetype for Bards in the APG gain Penetrating Strike as a bonus feat at 14th level (and the Greater version at 18th). Normally this feat has a prerequistite of Weapon Focus, which I assume is waived as its granted as a bonus feat. However, the text of the feat specifies that its effects (ignoring some DR) only apply to the weapon that you have Weapon Focus in.

Does an Arcane Duelist need to take Weapon Focus to benefit from this feat? If not, how does it function for them?

The Righteous Might spell normally grants DR 5/Good or DR 5/Evil depending on whether you channel positive or negative energy, respectively. An Oracle of Battle gains Righteous Might as a bonus spell at 10th level, but doesn't channel energy. So by RAW they forfeit the DR. Is this an oversight, or intentional?

Note that Oracles do have to choose between having all "Cure" or "Inflict" spells on their list of spells known. This isn't restricted by alignment however, so I'm not sure how much it should count.

Okay, I did a search and all the previous threads I could find had to do with how to stack different types of DR, which doesn't quite answer my question.

I'm going to be playing a Monk soon, and I'm looking at using both the Drunken Master and Monk of the Sacred Mountain archetypes. However I just noticed that they both grant DR/- later in their progressions. Specifically:

Adamantine Monk (Ex): At 9th level a monk of the sacred mountain has muscles so strong and resilient that he gains DR 1/-. This DR increases by 1 for every three levels thereafter. As a swift action, the monk can spend 1 ki point to double his DR until the beginning of his next turn. This ability replaces improved evasion.

Drunken Resilience (Ex): At 13th level a drunken master gains DR 1/- as long as he has at least 1 point of drunken ki. At 16th level, the DR increases to 2/-. At 19th level, it increases to 3/-. This ability replaces diamond soul.

Now, I'm pretty sure these do not stack. Since Drunken Resilience comes later and doesn't scale quickly, it's basically useless. Am I wrong? Anything I'm missing here?

In the last session we had a situation that seemed a little odd. A Large-sized creature (also pretty strong) had grappled a Gnome. The expectation was that he could spend a Standard action to grab the little guy, and then move away. It was pointed out however that both the grappler and the grapplee gain the Grappled condition which prevents movement. The Large creature would have to wait until its next turn and spend a Standard action to make a successful Grapple check to move, and even then only up to half speed. Is this correct, despite the relative size differences?

One other wrinkle. What happens if the Grapplee is rendered unconscious?

A situation came up in our last game session where we were up against a number of Dretches. The DM was under the impression that the Dretches would be immune to their own Stinking Cloud spell-like ability. There's nothing that I know of that would provide that immunity in general however. The only thing that might apply as far as I know would be their immunity to Poison. Does that apply in this case? Is there anything else that I've missed that might allow them to avoid the effects of the Stinking Cloud (even the vision blocking)?

Can you use these new Combat Manuevers on allies to get them out of compromising positions? Specifically:

1. Can the ally forgo their Dex modifier to CMD if they are willing to be moved?

2. What if the ally is prone, staggered, paralyzed, or some other condition?

3. Most importantly, does the movement still not provoke an AoO?

The 3rd question is the big one. If this is possible it opens up all sorts of possibilities for getting teammates out of harm's way. Or just out of the way so that the meat shields can put themselves in their place.

Ok, so far I've only seen what's been posted on d20pfsrd for this Hex (don't worry, my preorder's already in), and it's certainly piqued my curiosity. Any discrepancies between what I know and the actual text in the PDF/book are therefore the result of d20pfsrd's work still being in-progress. That said, I have a few questions.

1) What action type (if any) is required to activate your hair? The ability description just says it's "instantly".

2) I think this is a no-brainer, but I just want to confirm. When the hair is 'active', I presume that it threatens the 10' area it can reach and can take attacks of opportunity?

3) Can the hair be used to deliver touch attacks?

4) Can the hair be used to make combat manuvers?

5) Can the hair be used with skill checks and if so, does the Witch's Intelligence modifier replace the appropriate attribute? Climb & Slight of Hand come to mind immediately, and perhaps Disable Device, Escape Artist and Swim too.

6) Is there any way to upgrade the hair's secondary attack status (via a feat or whatnot)? Or at least mitigate the -5 to attack and only 1/2 STR (well, INT) bonus to damage?

Spell Resistance (Ex): If the master is 11th level or higher, a familiar gains spell resistance equal to the master's level + 5. To affect the familiar with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the familiar's spell resistance.

Bolding Mine. I just noticed this for the first time. Does this mean that the Familiar's spell resistance doesn't apply to spells the master casts on (or shares with) it? I've always considered Spell Resistance to be a double-edged sword, but this would make it much more attractive.

When adventuring my witch generally carries her familiar (previously a Hawk, soon to be a Pseudodragon) on her shoulder. Like most familiars, it tends to be a little forgotten until actually needed, though I am careful to remember to roll saves for area effects when necessary. However, I could be using it to much greater effect, making Perception checks in addition to my own for instance. Since Familiars share the same skill ranks as the master, it could also be making second Knowledge or Spellcraft checks even. However, I usually forget about this, probably because it's just a bit of a pain to make two sets of rolls every time the DM calls for a check.

With my impending switch to a Psuedodragon however, I realized that many more skills are going to have at least a +9 in them now, what with the expanded list of class skills. I realized that I could just save myself a lot of time and trouble by assuming that if my familiar is with me, he's doing an Aid Another on skills that he can automatically hit a DC10. This grants my Witch a +2 to her check, and saves me the trouble of rolling twice. Does this seem reasonable?

Obviously it wouldn't apply to all skills, since even though the familiar's Fly and Stealth checks are through the roof, the Aid Another doesn't really seem to apply there.

When a creature deals damage from a Rend, does DR apply separately against that damage or does it get stacked on the damage from one of the attacks that allowed it in the first place? If the damage from the multiple attacks is of different types/materials, does the creature get to choose which type of damage the Rend is?

Had a situation come in our game last night fighting a couple of Hill Giants, and was surprised at exactly how difficult it was to determine what was supposed to happen. What it boils down to is that one Hill Giant was blinded and then the fighter attempted to close in to attack. Normally this would provoke an AoO due to the Giant's reach. How does the Giant being blind change things? I want to see what the community's thoughts are, unbiased by how we handled it. :)

Pretty much like the subject says. I never really looked at them closely because I've yet to play a character who'd want a bear.

It doesn't look like its a balance issue. Apes get Large at 4th level, gaining the same strength and attacks as a Grizzly Bear (not counting the companion bonuses). Wolves become Large at 7th level which, while undeniably awesome, makes even less sense. So why no Large bears??

I apologize ahead of time if I'm stirring up a hornet's nest. I've done a few searches for existing threads, but they all seem to date back to late 2008 and early 2009 when things were still gelling.

In my current group we have a Dwarf Cleric (don't recall the God, but I believe its home-brewed/import from FR) with domains of Glory and Liberation. Both the player and DM have expressed some concern that this Cleric in particular, and Clerics in general, are underpowered. Looking at the level chart, all you see is their Channel Energy damage going up. Their 2nd domain power kicks in at 8th level, but then that's about it. Sure, spellcasting is always great, but a lot of the Cleric staples (Divine Power, Righteous Might, and the various save-or-die/suck spells) have been toned back some. And of course there's the loss of Heavy Armor proficiency.

I haven't had the chance to play a PF Cleric as of yet, so I have no personal experience. My personal take is that they don't look bad at all, particularly with the right Domain choices. I also suspect the problem is more with the player's build (25 point-buy but nothing higher than a 16 in any one stat; too much spreading around, too little focus) than the class itself.

So, I'm looking for the opinions of the community at large here, to pass on to the DM. Does the Cleric need a bone tossed his way to keep up? Or does the player just need assistance with picking the proper spells and getting his stats focused?

I'm just looking into some spells, and Ghost Sound has got me thinking. You can create illusory sounds with a volume equivilent to a number of humans up to 4x your caster level (max 40 at level 10). The spell lasts for as long as you concentrate.

Beyond the obvious creative and playful things you can do with this spell, I was wondering if there were some more offensive tricks to be pulled. After all, 4 people shouting all at once, say in a small dungeon room, will make quite a racket. Not to mention 40. It makes me wonder, what would the mechanical effect of a constant, full-volume white noise be? Could you center that noise on an enemy caster to interfere with their verbal components and/or concentration checks? A bardic performance? Even someone simply making perception checks?

Thoughts?

So I was looking to make a Pathfinder reimagining of my Gnome Master Specialist Illusionist from 3.5 that I had a ton of fun with. Figured that a Sorcerer synergizes better with the Gnome now, and that the Fey bloodline fits the mold perfectly. As a bonus, the +2 DC to Complusion subschool spells lets me dual-specialize of a sort, with Enchantment and Illusion spell DCs. Lots of mindgames coming up. The 5th level Fey bloodline spell is Hideous Laughter, always a good one. However this little clause gives me a little bit of a pause:

A creature whose type is different from the caster's receives a +4 bonus on its saving throw, because humor doesn't "translate" well."

I just want to confirm a Gnome is Humanoid, with a (Gnome) subtype, correct? Therefore humans, elves, and all the other various Humanoid races don't get this bonus, but Orcs and Minotaurs and Dragons would. Right?

I've been having lots of fun with my Witch in the current campaign, but I've run into a bit of a stumbling block. The last major area we've dealt with was mostly undead, which made them immune to my biggest guns. Not only could I not use my Evil Eye and Misfortune hexes, most of my spells are mind-affecting or require a fortitude save (which Undead are therefore immune to). I soldiered on though, and found myself a pretty sweet staff as a result.

Now it's been strongly hinted however that the next major section is going to be composed of mostly plant creatures. Great, more things immune to my hexes. At least my fort-save spells will work, but it's still a bit of a pisser.

So, anyone got some advice on how to at least make the best of it?

Hey folks. In my current gaming group, some seem to think that the Alchemist in the party is overpowered. I helped build the character, but I have to admit I'm a little on the fence on the issue. I think perhaps the primary issue is that the other characters in the group are not living up to their full potential. The alchemist is not fully optimized, but I tend to think that the others in the group are optimized even less. The primary concern seems to be the bombs, what with them targeting touch AC, doing better (and more reliable) damage than the Rogue's sneak attack, and bypassing DR (since they're fire damage). Add that with the fact that, given a few rounds to self-buff, she can have an AC better than the Sword-and-board fighter in the party, I can somewhat understand where they're coming from.

The Alchemist in question is a Tiefling, level 6 (as is the rest of the party) with Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot and Craft Wonderous Items as her feats. Discoveries thus far are Feral Mutagen, Precise Bombs, and Explosive Bombs. Character was built with a 25-point buy (again, as was the rest of the party), so Dex and Int are both 18+ at this point. Her tentative plan is to go into the Master Chemist PrC at 8th (STR is currently 14, up to 18 with a STR-based mutagen). Gear is at or below level-appropriate, and she does use both Brew Potion and Craft Wondrous Items to make items for the party as a whole.

So I'd like to get some opinions thrown in here. Do you think the Alchemist in general, or this build specifically, is overpowered?

I'm working on an Arcane Duelist Bard build. One of the features of the archetype is that they gain the Arcane Bond wizard class feature. It's nice in that I have a weapon that I can enchant myself and allows me +1 spell per day. However since it's used for the somatic components of the spells it's not exactly subtle, particularly since I've decided to go with a flail.

For those occasions that I need to be subtle though, I thought that perhaps a Hat of Disguise would be handy, in conjunction with a Rod of Still Spell. Then I discover that no such Rod exists in the core book. Any idea why this is? Would it be unbalancing to allow such a metamagic rod, presumably at the same price points as a Silent Spell rod?

Going one step further of course, I couldn't help but think that it would be cool to have the rod built into, or actually be, the handle of my Arcane-bonded Flail? Again, I petition the crowd for their opinion. Unworkable? Overpowered? Or do I have a nifty idea?

We know it's a move action to open or close a door. Attempting to open a lock with Disable Device is a full round action. However, what if the key is already in the lock, or it's a simple deadbolt of some sort? Move action? Free? Swift?

My vote at the table tonight was that it was a Swift action. Not inherantly part of opening/closing the door, but not taking long enough to warrant a move action of its own. The rest of the players felt it would be a move action, the DM was unsure and wanted our opinions.

For what it's worth, the DM went with my interpretation for the moment, locked the majority of players out of the room with a move and swift action (to close and lock the door), took a 5' step and attacked my "defenseless" Witch. So it's not like my vote was exactly in my favor. :)

Thoughts?

I'm working on a build of Sor 1/Barb 4/Dragon Disciple 3 at the moment, and I'd like to be able to use the Dragon Bloodline claws & bite with my Rage. Currently I only get about 5 rounds of use out of the claws per day, and about 12 rounds of Rage. To allow the claws and bite to last as long as my Rage, would a Rage Power be a fair price, or should it be a full blown feat?

Forgive me for asking, perhaps I'm just not seeing something. What exactly is the point of the Alter Winds spell? One minute casting time, touch range, only 10' emanation from an immobile point in space, does not affect magical winds... and on top of that a Will save negates?

I suppose it's a little useful if you need to setup camp in a windstorm or something, since it does have an hour/level duration. Even then you can only reduce the windspeed by one step though.

I know it's only a 1st level spell, but I can't think of any reason why I'd want to prepare this, or even spend 25 GP on a scroll, much less choose it as a Sorcerer spell. Can someone enlighten me? What am I missing here?

Just looking for a bit of clarification on this new APG spell:

Choose a single touch range spell of 4th level or lower with a casting time of 1 standard action or less. As part of the action of casting spite, you cast the associated spell and bind it into a defensive ward in the form of a tattoo, birthmark, or wart somewhere upon your body.

1. Do you have to know the Touch spell being included as a part of this spell?

2. Do you have to have it prepared?

3. Can it be "cast" from a Spell Completion item?

4. Can it be "cast" from a Spell Trigger item?

5. Can another spellcaster provide the Touch spell?

I suspect the answers are yes to the first two questions. The others came to me as I was writing this, and I suspect the answers are no, but I really don't know. However, I had to read the spell description a couple of times to come to the initial conclusion, and I'd like to see if the masses concur.

When a Witch uses the Evil Eye hex, is it obvious? As a supernatural ability, there's no verbal or somatic components. Whether you make the saving throw or not, can you tell that odd woman over there with the fox in her lap is doing something to you, or is she just giving you the stink-eye?

I suppose this question applies to any Supernatural effect, unless their nature gives them obvious, perceptible effects (such as Fly) or use (such as Cackle).

From the APG, Half-elves have a new racial option:

•Arcane Training: Half-elves occasionally seek tutoring to help them master the magic in their blood. Half-elves with this racial trait have only one Favored Class and it must be an arcane spellcasting class. They can use spell trigger and spell completion items for their Favored Class as if 1 level higher (or as a 1st-level character if they have no levels in that class). This racial trait replaces the multitalented racial trait.

I'm pretty sure I understand this right, but I wanted to clarify. I can see a couple of ways to interpret this:

1) They treat the item being used as one level higher, so that level-dependant variables (such as, say, a fireball's damage) go up by one step.

2) They treat themselves as one level higher, thus reducing the chance of spell mishaps with scrolls, and increasing caster-dependant variables for staves. This would have no effect on wands as far as I can tell.

3) Both of the above.

I believe the intended effect is #2, though that's a little disappointing considering that scroll mishaps don't come up often and staves even less so (at least in my experience). Any one else care to chime in?

So I was working on a Witch character for the first time, and took a good look at the new spell Beguiling Gift. I added it to spells known thinking that it'd be a nice backup in case I ended up in melee against a big brute; "Here, have this, and drop that big scary looking sword, would you?"

After a while though I starting thinking more deviously. Can I make a potion of fireball? What about poisons marked as potions? Then I noticed that the spell description itself makes mention of cursed items. So I started looking at the cursed items handily provided right in the core rule book.

Potion of Poison: Well now this is interesting. DC14 fort save vs Con damage for 6 rounds you say? Not too shabby, and potentially cheaper (see below) than any equivilent poison out there. Safer too, you don't run the risk of poisoning yourself.

Necklace of Strangulation: Now we're talking. Oh, except I can't get it back when we're done, unless I carry a rotting body around for a month (or come back later).

Scarab of Death: That's the ticket. Gotta be careful when I'm carrying it myself, but otherwise it's a DC25 Reflex save vs. Death. Question is, if I offer a closed box with the scarab as the Beguiling Gift, does the spell compell the victim to open and put on the necklace, just open the box, or just accept the box? I would think that they'd at least open it since that's what you'd do with a gift. What if I offered the open box? If they make their save vs the spell, do I have time to close the box again before the scarab thinks I'm a meal?

There are other interesting cursed items of course, but these are the ones that jumped out at me as immediately useful in combat. Is this cheesy though? Overpowered (for a 1st level spell no less)? Also, how much do these cursed items cost? Presumably the same or less than the Magic Items that they were actually intended to be. On the other hand, it strikes me as a little off having an item like the Scarab of Death available for only 1,500 GP (cost of a Brooch of Shielding) or less. A Potion of Poison "accidentally" created from a 1st level potion gone awry would be 50 GP, less than half the cost of any immediate-effect CON poison, not to mention safer and faster to create.

Have I gone wrong anywhere here? Is this a legimate use for the spell, or am a horrible munchkin for even thinking of such a thing? :)

Anyone? Bueller?

In my current group we have a Ranger with Rapid Shot. Said Ranger also has Boots of Speed. If he uses both at the same time, does he get two extra attacks?

That's the main question. Of course, whatever is decided also has implications to TWF (and what happens if you have two Speed weapons?) and the Monk's Flurry of Blows (and don't forget his Ki extra attack), and anything else that I'm forgetting that provides extra attacks. How do these various things interact?

Obviously Speed weapons, Boots of Speed and the Haste spell don't stack because it's called out in the descriptions. What this boils down to is what constitutes a "similar effect"? One could argue that Rapid Shot isn't a similar effect as Haste because one is from training and completely non-magical, while the other is a spell that simply makes you move faster. On the other hand, they are both similar effects because they grant extra attacks.

This has been discussed in other threads, but they've all focused on one aspect or another, or been tangents to the main topic and thus buried in all the replies. So, what say all the rules gurus out there?

This ability has been puzzling me for a little while now.

First, what's the DC? As a spell-like ability, we need to know the equivilent spell level. Presumably it keys off of the Inquisitor's Wisdom? The spell itself is 4th level for an Inquisitor however, so it's probably a safe assumption that makes it DC14+WIS. Some confirmation would be nice though.

Second, the ability states it is an immediate action. Does this mean I can use it to determine the truth of a statement just as, or immediately after, the target speaks?

Hello folks. I've got a tentative group together, and I think I want to run the Council of Thieves AP for them. However the group wants to begin at 3rd or 4th level instead of slogging through the really low-level stuff. Having read the reviews of Bastards of Erebrus, I'm actually inclined to agree. However, is The Sixfold Trial suitable as a starting point, or will I be missing important background without the first book?

I think the subject line pretty much spells it out. Can you take 20 with the Sift spell?

My opinion is that since it's a cantrip and thus can be cast ad nauseum, there's nothing stopping you from doing so. The only difference between that and just using Perception to take-20 would be that it's a standard action to cast the spell, whereas using the skill is a move action. Thus it essentially doubles the time (from 1 minute to 2, since you can take two move actions per round and 10 rounds = 1 minute) required to check.

I was looking into the Two-Weapon Fighting and Double Weapon rules today to double check my work, and I noticed something that I hadn't before.

Two-Weapon Fighting

If you wield a second weapon in your off hand, you can get one extra attack per round with that weapon. You suffer a –6 penalty with your regular attack or attacks with your primary hand and a –10 penalty to the attack with your off hand when you fight this way. You can reduce these penalties in two ways. First, if your off-hand weapon is light, the penalties are reduced by 2 each. An unarmed strike is always considered light. Second, the Two-Weapon Fighting feat lessens the primary hand penalty by 2, and the off-hand penalty by 6.
...
Double Weapons: You can use a double weapon to make an extra attack with the off-hand end of the weapon as if you were fighting with two weapons. The penalties apply as if the off-hand end of the weapon was a light weapon.

Double Weapons: Dire flails, dwarven urgroshes, gnome hooked hammers, orc double axes, quarterstaves, and two-bladed swords are double weapons. A character can fight with both ends of a double weapon as if fighting with two weapons, but he incurs all the normal attack penalties associated with two-weapon combat, just as though the character were wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon.

...
Double: You can use a double weapon to fight as if fighting with two weapons, but if you do, you incur all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, just as if you were using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. A double weapon can be wielded as a one-handed weapon, but it cannot be used as a double weapon when wielded in this way—only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round.

Now, I was expecting to find that when using a double weapon (normally two-handed and thus granting 1.5xSTR damage) in a TWF full attack that one attack would be at 1xSTR damage and the other at 0.5xSTR damage. My logic was that the primary hand was treated as a one-handed weapon, and the off-hand as a light weapon. However, ALL of the language in the sections quoted above make direct mention of attack rolls only, and no mention of damage modifiers.

The d20 system is a set of general rules, narrowed by specific exceptions. Based on what I've read today, the general rule is that (for instance) a quarterstaff is a two-handed weapon. When used in TWF however, it is treated as a one-handed weapon and a light weapon for the purposes of penalties to attack rolls only. In other words, both primary and off-hand attacks get 1.5xSTR to the damage rolls because its still treated as a two-handed weapon for everything BUT attack roll penalties.

Is this interpretation incorrect? Is there language somewhere that I've missed?

I've got a halfling character that wants to masquerade as a human child. Let's assume that they're of adult age, and not trying to cross gender. Based on the Disguise skill description I'm looking at:

-2 for impersonating a different race
-2 for going from adult to younger-than-adult

Presumably human children can be considered Small size, so there's no penalty there. My issue here however is that the same modifiers above would apply to a Half-Orc trying to disguise themselves as a teenage Elf, for instance.

I think an arguement could be made that this is even a 'Minor Details Only' situation, giving a +5 to the check. Except that one is not flagged as stacking with the other modifiers (which makes sense since usually changing race, gender etc would not be minor). So what do all the bright minds out there think? How would you adjudicate this skill check?

Probably more of an oversight, but it should be addressed nonetheless. First off, we know that Eidolons gain 6+INT ranks per HD for their skills. Once these ranks are assigned, they cannot be changed, even if the form of the Eidolon changes. Ranks in Fly are wasted if you don't have wings anymore, ranks in Disable Device are probably useless without fingers, etc. No problem.

However, what happens if I spend evolution points to increase my Eidolon's INT by +2 for one or more levels? Presumably this would grant additional skill ranks, as per usual. What happens when I decide that those evolution points are better spent elsewhere though? INT drops, but according to the skill section, skill ranks cannot be changed once spent. Even if they could be, how do we determine which skill ranks should be removed? I see two potential solutions.

A) Eidolons do not get additional skill ranks from Intelligence gained through Evolution points (increases due to HD would work normally).

B) The Ability Increase (INT) Evolution should come with HD ranks in one or more predetermined skills, just like INT-boost magic items. The skill(s) would be specified at each level-up, just like any other Evolution.

Thoughts? I think A) is unnecessarily punitive, and B) makes much more sense since it uses an existing mechanic. Or am I seeing a problem that really isn't there?

I'm not a fan of how the Small Cat Companion is basically hard-wired as a Cheetah. Despite the description of the companion choice as (Cheetah, Leopard), the only thing it has in common with a Leopard is the base stats at 4th level (though don't ask me why a Cheetah is stronger). The Ranger in my group has a companion that he's described as a panther, and was shocked to discover that it couldn't even climb a tree.

So, I'd like to propose to the DM the following changes:

1st Level:
Speed: 30', Climb 20'
Attack: Bite (1d4) (Trip removed)

4th Level Advancement:
Special Qualities: None (Sprint removed)
Special Attacks: Grab, Pounce, Rake (1d3)

What does everyone think? Keep in mind that Grab only works on targets 1 size smaller than the creature. So most of the time the only time the Rake will come into effect is on a charge, with the Pounce ability. Plus it's only 1d3. Thoughts? Alternatives?

Anyone? Bueller?

From the Cleric's Luck Domain:

Good Fortune (Ex): At 6th level, you can reroll any one roll that you have just made before the results of the roll are revealed. You must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll. You can use this ability once per day at 6th level, and one additional time per day for every six cleric levels beyond 6th.

If the character rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll or saving throw, are they permitted to use this ability to reroll? Since a natural 1 in these cases are considered automatic failures, does that count as revealing the results of the roll?

I'm likely going to be playing a Diviner Wizard for the first time next week. I love the Forewarned power, but I do have some questions regarding its implications. For the purposes of this example, lets assume the following:

A) Enemies are in a standard ambush. They've hidden in bushes or other concealment/cover/whatever.

B) None have actual invisibility or other magical hiding methods. Just mundane Stealth checks. (and let's not have this devolve into a discussion of Stealth mechanics please)

C) All PCs in the party have missed their perception checks to notice them.

So as I understand it, when the ambushers decide to attack they would roll initiative. Even though the Diviner has not noticed them, he would also be permitted to roll initiative, though he'll still be flat-footed until he takes an action.

My question is, what can the Diviner do if he rolls higher initiative than the ambushers? Presumably this is kind of like a 'Spidey Sense'. He can't see any danger, but he knows something is up. With his Standard action in the surprise round he could presumably cast a defensive spell of some sort. Or use a Move action (in place of the Standard) to make another Perception check to try and see what the danger is. Can he shout a warning to his party (speaking being a free action), and if so, what mechanical benefit does that give?

Interesting question I just stumbled across. First, the description of Alchemical Silver states that "On a successful attack with a silvered slashing or piercing weapon, the wielder takes a -1 penalty on the damage roll..."

I had never noticed before that bludgeoning weapons were exempt from the damage penalty. So now this brings up the question, what about a Morningstar? It does both bludgeoning and piercing damage with each blow.

I'm leaning towards the penalty applying, since it is doing piercing damage, and that's one of the two possible conditions for the penalty. The fact that it also does bludgeoning damage is a nice benefit, but doesn't negate the piercing or the penalty that goes with it. Thoughts?

This situation occurred at the game table this past week. We were facing a mounted opponent and the Druid in the part cast Soften Earth & Stone to trap the opponent in deep mud. The DM rolled a reflex save for the mount, which subsequently failed and thus was "unable to move [or] attack" for one round.

A discussion subsequently ensued however about what the rider could or could not do. He had targets adjacent to him that he would normally be able to attack. It made sense to all of us that he personally wouldn't need to make a roll to avoid being stuck in the mud (he's on a horse after all). However, a horse doesn't really take up a full 10' square. It's an abstraction, designed to show how the horse needs that much room to manuver and wheel around in combat.

We ended up with a middle of the road solution, requiring a DC15 ride check (the same DC to use your mount as cover) in order for the rider to lean over and attack. Consequences of failure did not come up since he made the check. However, we're all curious as to what the community at large thinks. Should the rider be hindered at all by the mud? Should he be allowed to attack adjacent targets freely? Is the ride check a good solution, and if so is the DC appropriate and what should be the consequences for failure?

One of the players in my current group has, for whatever reason, declined to take either a Bonded Item or a Familiar. I believe this is because he feels the advantages don't outweigh the risks. Is this a valid option?

Now, the Arcane Bond description does state that "Once a wizard makes this choice, it is permanent and cannot be changed." The word "Once" could suggest that there is a time before the choice is made, but the character is still a wizard. I personally think it's a stretch though. Thoughts?

With Deafness being one of the possible Oracle curses available, this brings up the question of being able to communicate with the party and the rest of the world in general. Alas, there seems to be precious little RAW currently to facilitate anything more than written notes.

* Can the deaf character still speak intelligably? I know they would have functioning vocal chords, but is it assumed that they have had the specialized speech training required to speak when they can't hear themselves form the words?

* Can the deaf character read lips? If so, what skill is used and what is the DC? The description of the Zone of Silence drops a hint that a DC20 Linguistics check can be made to read lips, but that use of the skill is not noted in the skill itself. Nor is Linguistics ever allowed as an Oracle class skill, which makes it a crapshoot until 6th-7th level at best.

* Is there one or more sign languages that can be learned and/or taught to other party members? Would this require them to take it as a bonus language or learn with a rank in Linguistics?

* For either of the first two options above, are these skills automatic with each language known, or would they require additional training in those languages, i.e. a Linguistics skill rank?

Also note that the Deafened condition states that "characters who remain deafened for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them." Is this simulated by the Oracle being allowed to reduce their deafness penalties as they increase in level, or are these divine benefits on top of what anyone with deafness could potentially achieve?

Thoughts, opinions, rules? Anyone?

I have a question from my group regarding multiple spellcasters working together to create a magic item (in this case a wand). First, the relevant text from the top of the Creating Magic Items section:

...prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item's creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed).

While this text is contradicted in each of the specific sections for the different types of magic items, for the sake of this arguement please assume that it overrides those contradictions. That is, despite the Creating Wands section stating, "The creator must have prepared the spell to be stored (or must know the spell, in the case of a sorcerer or bard)," please assume that a character with the appropriate feat can create an item either by casting from one or more scrolls, or by having an assist from another character, as stated above.

Now, here's the twist. The character with the Craft Wand feat is a wizard. We would like to create a wand of Cure Light Wounds, and both cleric and paladin are more than happy to assist with the crafting. Question is, are you allowed to mix arcane and divine magics like this?

If not, please cite references or be clear you're stating an opinion and/or house rule.

Thanks!

Just something that occurred to me. What would the ramifications of classifing an Attack of Opportunity as an Immediate Action be? Something along the lines of:

Making an Attack of Opportunity: An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and is an Immediate Action. You don't have to make an attack of opportunity if you don't want to. You make your attack of opportunity at your normal attack bonus, even if you've already attacked in the round.

The bolded text is the only change made, replacing the text "most characters can only make one per round." The Combat Reflexes feat could stay as is, or perhaps add an additional sentence clarifing that the feat does not grant additional Immediate Actions for any other purpose.

The most obvious change is that if you make an AoO, then any other immediate action that round can't be taken. Only stuff that comes to mind though (in Pathfinder proper) is casting Feather Fall and using Mounted Combat to negate a hit.

Comments on why this is or isn't a good idea? I'm mostly just curious. It seems to me that the AoO pretty much matches the mechanic of acting outside of your turn, which is what Immediate Actions do. Why not combine the two and unify the system a little more?

Just out of curiosity...

Verbal (V): A verbal component is a spoken incantation. To provide a verbal component, you must be able to speak in a strong voice. A silence spell or a gag spoils the incantation (and thus the spell). A spellcaster who has been deafened has a 20% chance of spoiling any spell with a verbal component that he tries to cast.

Does anyone out there actually enforce this, or do you allow casters to mutter incantations under their breath, or try to do things quietly? Obviously Silent Spell makes the discussion moot, so let's leave that out. I'm just curious as to what the consenus is. How quietly can you cast a spell without applying Metamagic?

I'm angling my Rogue towards the Shadowdancer prestige class, and gave my DM the heads up on my intentions the other night. Not only did I want to make sure that taking the prestige class is acceptable (it is), I also wanted to make sure he was aware of the implications of the Summon Shadow ability. We both really like the flavor of having a spooky shadow thing that can slide up from the floor and drain the strength of my foes (not to mention provide flanking), but there are some concerns.

First, as an incorporeal creature it can move through most obstactles. As long as there's some point less than 5' thick that isn't a force effect, it's in. This makes scouting anything less than the most secure dungeons much simpler. Sure, spells available by approximately the same level like Clairvoyance, Arcane Eye and Scrying can do much the same thing, but spells are limited (or expensive) resources. My pet Shadow is always available.

While it's true that the Shadow is not infalliable and would need to make Stealth checks occasionally while scouting, that leads to the second problem. Much of the gaming session would be taken up by me playing the Shadow, moving it through the place, attempting to avoid detection while gathering as much intel as possible. Meanwhile the rest of the characters (and more importantly, their players) are sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

Lastly, the Summon Shadow does have it's one major drawback in that if it's killed I take a negative level and am then denied access to a major part of my class for 30 days. While this is on par with how similar abilities like Familiars, Animal Companions and Special Mounts used to work, these repercussions to a companion's death have largely been removed in Pathfinder with this one exception.

We had briefly discussed setting range limits on how far away the Shadow can travel from me, even with the shortest range it could still always check the next room ahead, potentially slip in and STR-drain one or more baddies ahead of time, etc. I also offered a 'gentleman's agreement' to simply not try to abuse the abilities. That seems far too meta-gamey though, and the rest of the party isn't stupid. They'd ask (in character) that if I've got this cool dude with me who can float through walls, why did they just have to get ambushed?

So, thoughts? Is the Shadow more trouble than it's worth from a gameplay perspective? Are there alternate abilities that anyone can suggest that would be shadow-themed but not so seemingly abuse-able? Should the comparatively-heavy penalty for the Shadow being dismissed/destroyed exist?

Just wondering if anyone has rules or suggestions for bigger and better alchemical items. Some of the Wizards splatbooks I've seen have more options but do little to expand on the standard stuff found in the PRD. Specifically i'm looking at increasing the damage dice, save DCs and/or duration of good ol' Alchemist's Fire, Tanglefoot Bags, Thunderstones, etc.

Suggestions for increased cost, Craft DCs, feats, etc, are all welcomed.

This feat grants two additional unarmed attacks at your highest base attack bonus when you make an unarmed strike (as part of a full attack action) against an opponent who is dazed, flat-footed, paralyzed, staggered, stunned or unconcious.

My question is, what happens if your target gains one of those conditions in the midst of a full attack. Easist example is if a Monk successfully uses Stunning Fist as part of a Flurry of Blows. Do you immediately gain two more attacks?