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I had this idea for the BBEG to set out a fog at night, that lasts about 6h, which instils the idea of "everything's fine, just stay indoors" among the citizens. I.e. it should tell them to stay indoors, and "don't worry too much about it, your brother is probably just visiting someone -- why would he be missing?" So the fog makes them agreeable to somewhat reasonable suggestions and requests.

The town has roughly 500 citizens, and is quite small. But the fog would have to cover quite a bit of ground nonetheless, as most people are farmers living on the outskirts of town.

Bonus points if it can be set of by a mook using a wand, or something else that means the BBEG doesn't even have to be there to make it manifest every night.


Does anyone have a set of sensible house rules for making sword & board more effective? If you can offer a mini-treatise on why you don't think this is necessary, that would be acceptable too. :)


Help me identify underpowered classes, and suggest house rules to mitigate them a bit.

Note that I am using the Core Rulebook only.

In my experience as a player, Fighter and Rogue are the most underpowered, followed by Monk and Barbarian. This experience is obviously subjective and limited by which classes I have played myself, and how other people at the table have played others, so I accept that it might be wrong. Correct me if that's the case.

Good house rules are typically simple to understand, and not too extreme in their implications. One that I frequently use is to give the Fighter 4 skill ranks per level instead of 2.

P.S.
Feel free to post suggestions for mitigating overpowered classes too.


TL;DR suggest what kind of material I should buy to run my first campaign -- see the bottom bullet points for some notes

Hi! I'm going to be a GM for the first time. I am planning on running through the Beginner Box, since my players will be unfamiliar with PnP RPGs (but familiar with MMORPGs and CRPGs). I will probably also go through the supplemental adventures for the Beginner box.

Then I'm going to start a new, full campaign. I only have some vague ideas at this point, which I will list below.

My question is: what kind of material should I buy for my campaign?

Two notes:
- I would like to buy as few things as possible (obviously!), so if suggestions are made to work without e.g. without Advanced Player Guide, Ultimate *, etc., that's useful.
- Specialisation > generalisation -- to give a specific example, I would rather buy Bestiary 1 with the pawn box, than buy Bestiary 1 and 2 without pawn boxes, as it is easy enough to expand later on. Hopefully you get the idea.

I only own the core rulebook and the Beginner Box. Should I buy a setting? Some adventures? Is there a combined thing where you can get a setting and some adventures to get going, and then roll your own once you're more experienced? Etc. Any help would be much appreciated!

Lastly, here are my few assorted ideas for the campaign, so please bear them in mind when suggesting settings/modules/etc.:

-Next to no mandatory combat -- I want players to be able to solve everything non-violently.
-Fleshed out social lives of NPCs and a general preference to social adventures.
-Low fantasy -- sparse resources, few treasures, little money, underpowered (relative to regular Pathfinder) characters, etc.
-Low magic -- but high-tech would be welcome; even preferable!
-If there are some huge wars going on, that would be great.
-Preferably the core races should live somewhat isolate, with racial or political tensions, or other reasons for fighting with each other.
-Primarily urban setting.
-Science fiction/horror influences very welcome.


WITHOUT level dipping, what are some ways of gettng detect magic as a barbarian? the best I have found really is picking one of those traits that give you one orizon/cantrip once per day.

NOTE: for my particular use -- "detect castie" woud be fine as well.


STR 19 (2 from racial) (+4 while raging)
DEX 16 (1 from level 4)
CON 15 (+4 while raging)
INT 7
WIS 7
CHA 7
(it's 15p buy)

Human
Bonus Feat: Power Attack
Heart of the Fields (ignore effect that would cause fatigue or exhaustion once per day)
Favoured bonus: Add +1/3 to superstitious rage power

(two starter) Traits: open for suggestions

Skills: open for suggestions

Gear:
+1 Furious Greatsword- 8,350gp
Mithral Breastplate +1 - 5,050gp
+3 Composite Bow 400gp
Cloak of Resistance +1 2,000gp
Remaining wealth: 200gp

Saves:
FOR 8
REF 5
WIL 0 (+2 while raging, and +4 to resisting spells and supernatural/spell-like abilities while raging)

AC 20 (-2 while raging, -2 Reckless Abandon)
CMB 10 (+8 while raging)
CMD 23 (+2 while raging)

Intiative: 3

To hit (greatsword): 6 + 4 STR (6 while raging) + 1 magic (+ 2 Furious while raging)

Damage: 2d6 + 6 STR (9 while raging) + 6 Power Attack + 1 magic (+ 2 Furious while raging)

Class: Barbarian
Archetype: Invulnerable Ranger

Level 1:
Class: Fast Movement, Rage
Feat: Improved Sunder

Level 2:
Class: DR1/-
Rage Power: Lesser Beast Totem

Level 3:
Class: Extreme Endurance fire
Feat: Extra Rage Power: Superstition

Level 4:
Class: DR2/-
Rage Power: Strength Surge

Level 5:
Feat: Combat Reflexes

Level 6:
Class: DR3/-, Fire Resistance 1
Rage Power: Beast Totem
Feat: Extra Rage Power: Reckless Abandon

Suggestions for improvement? Hopefully superstitious, some trait and rage bonus to will saves will make up for 7 WIS. Having only one skill point per level is pretty LOL, but fits the type of character I want to play (dumb power-hungry brute). My main concern is dying really fast, which is something I'd like to avoid. Actually hitting things would also be nice. I will get Witch Hunter and Spell Sunder ASAP, for the record.

Any tips are very much welcome. The intention of the build is obviously to make a character that does a lot of damage. :-)


any ideas on doing something in the vein of this 3E build for NWN? note that I think up to level 20 would be more than enough. also note that I don't think we need to use the exact same classes at all. I just want to see an archer build that focuses on not being hit and seen. the build quoted below is meant more as an insipiration than something that should be converted to PF.

I would prefer *not* a sneak attack build, as I did make a sniper build some time ago that had like 70 in stealth and did 22d6 sneak attack on each attack with sap master and so on. I imagine more of a wizard/bard/ranger mixed with shadowdancer type situation.

sorry for not being very specific. I guess I don't really know what I want, and would like to see what this forum comes up with. but to sum up: archer that doesn't get hit nor seen and that doesn't rely on sneak attack/sniping.

here's the original build:

Quote:

This is another build for Imp Invis/Epic Dodge, which thanks to syrath I now love, and prefer quite a bit to SC V not only because it saves tons of feats, but because it gives you other buffs including death immunity spells, which I don’t like to leave home without.

I didn’t see anything similar to this in the epic builds, except of course for the bard/aa/sd builds. The main difference here is lower ab in exchange for higher level spells, more slots, and most importantly to me, immunity to death magic. In fact I took 15 wizard instead of 13 just to squeeze out some extended shadow shields. If you prefer the extra 1ab/1damage, go for it, and remember you only need to end up with 17 int in this case.
Since this is only my second time using Epic Dodge (or SD, for that matter) in a build, any suggestions would be appreciated. The same would be true of my Quicksliver [working] build. Incidentally i'd like to know how to make links in this forum. It said my link had too many characters without a space.
Race: Elf
Starting Stats (Ending Stats)
STR 12
DEX 18 (28)
CON 12
WIS 8
INT 16 (18)
CHA 8

1 Wizard-(illusionist) Point Blank Shot
2 Wizard-
3 Wizard-Weapon Focus Longbow
4 Wizard-
5 Wizard-Extend Spell
6 Wizard-Rapid Shot
7 Wizard-
8 Wizard-
9 Wizard-Toughness
10 Wizard-Combat Casting (or if you prefer, empower spell/max spell)
11 Wizard-
12 Wizard-Dodge
13 Arcane Archer-
14 Arcane Archer-
15 Arcane Archer-Improved Critical: Longbow
16 Arcane Archer-
17 Arcane Archer-
18 Arcane Archer-Mobility
19 Arcane Archer-
20 Arcane Archer-
21 Arcane Archer-Epic Weapon Focus: Longbow
22 Arcane Archer-
23 Arcane Archer-
24 Shadow Dancer-Armor Skin
25 Shadow Dancer-
26 Shadow Dancer-
27 Shadow Dancer-Epic Fortitude
28 Shadow Dancer-
29 Shadow Dancer-
30 Shadow Dancer-Great Intelligence I
31 Shadow Dancer-
32 Shadow Dancer-
33 Shadow Dancer- Epic Dodge
34 Arcane Archer-
35 Arcane Archer-
36 Arcane Archer-Epic Prowess, Epic Will
37 Arcane Archer-
38 Wizard-
39 Wizard-Epic Skill Focus: Discipline
40 Wizard-Great Intelligence II
You get a good number of skills, which I suggest using as follows (with 35 leftover):
35 Tumble
40 Hide
40 Move Silently
43 Concentration
21 Discipline

Final stats:
HP: 340 [15*4 (wizard) + 15*8 (arcane archer) + 10*8 (shadowdancer) + 40 (toughness) + 40 (con bonus)]
28 AC Naked, Unspelled
With a mundane longbow, AB: +44/+39/+34, dmg: 1-8 + 8 (19-20 x3)
Fortitude: 25 (+8 against spells)
Reflex: 31 (+8 against spells, plus improved evasion)
Will: 23 (+8 against spells, plus slippery mind)
Epic Dodge
32 Discipline... Good thing you won’t be getting hit too often.
HIPS

With shield, shadow shield, magic vestment, improved invisibility, lesser mind blank, haste and true seeing, as well as minimal bull’s strength, endurance and cat’s grace:

With all spells, a mundane robe and a mundane longbow, you get:
AC: 44
AB: 45/45/40/35 (43/43/43/38/33 with rapid shot)
Damage: 1-8+9 (if you can get a mighty bow +2, you get 2 more damage because of 14 str.)
Immune:
Mind Spells
Necromancy Spells
Death Effects

And you have 50% Concealment, Epic Dodge and True Seeing.

You also have shadow evade, but I’m not entirely positive on the stats for that, or how long it lasts (the server I was testing this build on doesn’t allow SD, and I’ve never done an SD before).

You can also cast reciprocal damage spells that, if extended, will last 30 rounds. Of course with epic dodge and 50% conceal, you really won’t be getting hit enough for these to be very useful. Another useful spell is spell breach or lesser spell breach, which are like mini-mordekainens (including the no save or SR, which is nice when you only have 15 caster levels and 18 int).

Pros:
50% Conceal and Epic Dodge.
High naked AC.
Solid AB, though low for an archer.
Nice reflex save.
Improved Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Defensive Roll.
Immunity to Death Magic and Mind Spells.
HIPS and high hide/ms.
Ranged attacks.

Cons:
HP is pretty low (380 with min. endurance) and can’t heal.
Only 5 attacks per round at most... 3 base. 24 BAB.
Fort/Will saves aren’t too hot, but at least you have immunity to death/mind spells. The +8 from spellcraft is always a big help too.
Moderate damage output, and can’t use fire weapon on a non-melee, which sucks. This build would have a lot of trouble against high DR, especially that which can’t be eaten away at like that of a DwD. The triple crits help a little bit at least.

If you wanted to, you could drop one of the epic feats in favor of blinding speed. I happen to dislike short-term effects.


I'm starting a 15 point buy campaign and thought I'd give the samurai (no archetype) a go. never played one before, and they fit with the RP I've got in mind. however, I'm not sure I can make one that's actually any useful in a fight.

I was contemplating doing two-handed katana fighting, getting improved critical at level 8 (if we ever get that far). but we only start at level 3, and with 3000gp, so I can't afford keen weapons either.

so I'm basically looking for any hints on making a two-handed katana samurai that's somewhat efficient. I don't mind him being a one-sided fighting machine. he should also be self-reliant, and have a good-ish wis score. he needs a bunch of str for damage, but then he needs a bunch in both dex (two weapon fighting). and is using two-weapons even worth it prior to getting that feat, given all the penalties?

... any tips? both in terms of feats, how to spend skill points, how to spend ability points, gear, and everything else.


when you Charge, do you move up to the target's adjacent square? and if I cast Enlarge Person to get 10ft reach, and then Charge, may I then Charge so that I am two squares away from the target?

furthermore, with Pounce, which grants me a Full-Attack Action, may I then do Flurry of Blows, and then 5-Foot Step away from the target? the rules for Charge dictate that you can't 5-Foot Step, but the rules for Full-Attack Actions specify that you may do a 5-foot step as part of this action, which I interpret as overruling the Charge rule due to the Pounce being a Special Ability, and thus a specific exception to the Charge rules (which also firmly states that you only get one attack).

lastly, if I am able to 5-Foot Step, placing me 15ft away from my target, does this mean that if it has to charge me to attack me, I get an Attack of Opportunity at 10ft?


I will be a part of a gestalt campaign in a few weeks, and am looking at concepts for my character. one of which I am thinking of is making a character optimised for speed and acrobatics. high movement speed, be great at tumbling, insane jump checks, etc. [so, uh... a monk? LOL]

I'm curious to see just how ridiculous jump checks can be managed, haha. I want a highily mobile attack-of-opportunity-maniac that leaps at his/her enemies (doesn't leap attack exist in PF? haven't found that in either of the books), really. any tips are welcome! [edit: as for weapons, I was thinking a bit about some form of spear, and making the character slightly inspired by Freya from Final Fantasy IX.]

INFO ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN SETTING:

we are starting as low as level two, but with a somewhat fast-ish level progression (we'll adjust it on-the-fly), so the tips needn't be restricted for level two, as that would be quite boring, obviously.

some the gestalt rules/restrictions that I am aware of right now are:
- only stuff from core, advanced, and ultimate * is allowed
- the races available are: dwarf, human, elf, gnome, orc (minus two on all mental stats and +4 on all physical stats), and halfbreeds that you may design yourself and try to get approved if they don't already exist in the books (i.e. half-elf & half-orc)
- some point buy system... probably 20?
- archetyping is only allowed for one of the classes
- you can't gestalt two spellcasters of the same type of magic
- you can't gestalt opposing classes (e.g. Anti-paladin and Paladin)


with an attack roll bonus of 14, my current damage output is:
1d6 (Short Bow, Composite) + 2 (STR) + 1d6 (Vital Strike) + 4d6 (Sneak Attack) + 4 bleed for 4 rounds (Bleeding Attack).

this is a minimum damage output of 12 when I first hit someone who isn't bleeding, and then minimum 8 per attack. the maximum is nice enough, but the minimum stinks.

this is at level 8. I am a Sniper, so I only get one attack action when sniping. if I'm not sniping, I get two attacks, so that's a bit better, but I aim to be sniping all of the time.

any tips on how I can increase my minimum damage output?


I'm getting 8,000gp. is that right? I am a newbie, and don't really have a proper overview on the creation of magical items.

100 for quilted cloth
150 for masterwork
4,000 for magic +2
3,750 for shadow
= 8,000gp

furthermore, any tips on armour a character with 7 in DEX mod (and increasing) that might be a better idea and isn't more expensive than ~8.5K are welcome.

also - with enchantment bonuses, you only get the highest one, right? i.e. if I had this armour and a Cloak of Elvenkind, only the armour would count?


are there any feats/whatever that can make an alcoholic fun to play? my character has been reincarnated, and from a RP-perspective, alcoholism is a nice direction. (he's not too pleased.)

however, I can't seem to justify it game-mechanically. it will just ruin my game sessions... so there is no point in doing it, apart from RP.

any tips? I won't do Drunken Master or otherwise change classes (I assume reincarnation doesn't let you re-choose favoured class). my current classes are Barbarian & Ranger (both are favoured).

I am also considering becoming reborn, so deities pro alcoholism are something I would love. my character has gone through A LOT of torture (enough to get the Diehard feat for free, actually), so this is a nice time to find God... and the bottle...


so. I have three levels of Barbarian, one of Ranger. my guy was a Half-Elf, and used a magic masterwork scythe. all was well. then I died. then my party opted for Reincarnation. I am now - and I kid not - a female Goblin. this makes my scythe useless, and takes 4 points(!!!) off of my STR. my new abilities:

STR 16 +3
DEX 17 +3
CON 18 +4
INT 10 0
WIS 16 +3
CHA 4 -3

and no, the CHA isn't a typo...

now - what weapon(s) do I use? I was 100% all out no tactics melee, who just swung his scythe. but now, my STR isn't 20 any more, and I'm a freaking small sized creature!

as a Ranger, I get the weapon specialisation thing (don't remember its exact name, but you know what I mean), so I need to decide what I want to do with that, and what weapons to use in general.

I was initially thinking ranged into melee. Goblins get +4 Stealth, so I was thinking stealth -> composite shortbow -> melee. but IDK. tips?

NOT a sniper, as I'm making one for this very DnD group, since we're doing a two campaigns that eventually meet up into one big campaign thing.


any tips on how to simply make my character more fun to play, without just sabotaging or doing unambiguously stupid stuff? welp... I might actually sort of guilty of that already, but OK.

my char has three levels in barbarian, and I'm now going to get three in ranger, then head back to barbarian (if we ever play that long, heh). also, I'm a half-elf, so both are favoured classes.

my "story" thus far: 2x fleet and wearing light armour, so I have a base speed of 50. I use a magical masterwork scythe, and when money finds its way in my direction I'm going to add something funky to that. I also have skill focus intimidate. (he's always picking a fight, and my DM lets me use STR on intimidate instead of CHA.)

abilities:
20 STR
13 DEX
18 CON
10 INT
15 WIS <--- planning on increasing this with my first ranger level
6 CHA

3 skill ranks in Climb, Intimidate, Knowledge (Nature), Perception & Survival. planning on getting 2 in Acrobatics with my first ranger level, and increase the others to 4.

I also have the Intimidating Glare rage power.

so basically I want tips for facepalm or laugh out loud feats (and other fun things) I can do. obscure third party stuff is allowed if it's not overpowered.


hi! I'm making a halfling sniper rogue that uses the shortbow. I essentially want a rogue that will talk its way out of battle if possible. but if not - she can shoot, stealth, shoot, stealth, shoot, stealth... and so on. my halfling gets -10 in the stealth penalty after sniping (via swift as shadows instead of sure-footed), and I aim to take the advanced rogue trait that further eliminates the remaining 10. so... the goal is to never be hit.

the character is level 6. we might use level 8. if we do I'll of course be getting the sniper goggles.

while my group are playing for RP & fun, so I'm obviously not going 100% all out optimal - ANY tips and hints on how to improve would be greatly appreciated! and keep in mind, I'm a real newbie to Pathfinder and DnD in general. so feel free to swap out feats and rogue talents, recommend armour, whatever!

so here is some of what I've come up with (no gear or weapons, but I will use a composite shortbow, and I will pick up the sniper goggles if we start out at level 8) thus far:

abilities after levelling and adding racial modifiers
(rolling system is 4 d6, re-roll 1s)
STR: 14
DEX: 21
CON: 6 (LOL)
INT: 18
WIS: 13
CHA: 20

feats:
dodge
skill focus stealth
point-blank shot

rogue talents:
bleeding attack
sniper's eyes
surprise attack

fort: 1
reflex: 11
will: 4
CMD: 20
CMB: 5

I suppose posting skill is a bit unnecessary, especially considering most choices are due to RP, but, here's the ones I put my ranks in (6 in all of them - skill point instead of hp from favoured class):
acrobatics
bluff
diplomacy
disable device
disguise
escape artist
geography
history
nature
linguistics (I speak 12 languages, LOL)
perception
perform oratory
stealth (21 in total there, without gear of any kind)

thanks to everyone who read this far! :-)