bookwormbabe29's page

Hi there!

So it's been a while since I played pathfinder. My pathfinder group broke up, my wife plays 5th edition, etc. Excuses, I know.

I've been asked to join a pathfinder game at 15th level, 25 Point buy, and 240,000 Gold Pieces worth of Gear to start our journey into high level/epic adventures. And well, I'm intimidated as all **** as this is not the level one, low magic games of pathfinder I typically played. I'm trying to remember how to do this, and I have TWO DAYS to get a sheet ready. It usually takes me longer than that to make a level one character lol. So yea, to say I'm open to suggestions is putting it mildly.

Making things even more fun, they hope to find a caster, so reading the dozens of spells around is taking me forever, trying to remember the changes in the system (Shield is AMAZING in 5th edition, not so much in pathfinder).

Anywho, the party is:

Hunter/witch/Arcane Archer
Bloodrager
Fighter
Paladin

So I'm thinking 'Wizard' is the ideal choice here. That's... as far I've come so far lol. I'm trying to read up on archtypes and specialist schools and prestige classes... and I'm getting overwhelmed. I haven't even LOOKED at races yet, nevermind gear.

I need to focus if I'm going to get this down in time, and I don't mind admitting I could use some help. If anyone has the time to spare, I'd love to hear your suggestions of what to look at, some build ideas that won't leave me the laughing stock of the party. Reading Treantmonk has given me some ideas for a summoning/buffer type, though with the last update being in 2009 (at least on the page google brings up) I thought it might be prudent to ask for a second opinion, that I'm not putting all my eggs into an out of date basket, as it were.

Thanks for reading this rambling mess of a topic. I appreciate your time, and your potential aid. Either way, I wish you well. Happy gaming out there ;)

Topic. I'm wondering if I can switch my clothing at will, couldn't I will my clothes to help my blend in with my surroundings? This seems like it would be a fun trick to try, and yet I can't find a ruling on it anywhere.

As a bonus question, does the illusion from sleeves of many garments include smell? Could you fake a 'freshly laundered' smell vs a 'i just **** my pants' to something like a perfumed scarf?

For an item so cheap, it seems like it has a lot of untapped potential.

Topic. Say I train a bird using the handle animal skill, and teach it the trick 'deliver.' I give it a message easy enough, but what's the range? Could I send it a few feet or a few miles? Line of sight or cross country? Thoughts?

Hi there! Thanks for stopping in.

Short Version: I'm trying to make a specialized spear warrior, someone with reach, enough power to kill things, and do the odd acrobatic stunt (pole vault over enemies).

Level 3, 25 point buy. How would you go about this?

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Longer version, where I ramble on about my own ideas to see if they work:

Starting off, would it be better to take one a longspear/ranseur for reach and toss normal spears as needed? If I want to do some acrobatic stunts, should I stick to medium armor or is that too light/heavy for this?

For actual combat, I've been reading up on Combat Reflexes, Combat Patrol, and Whirlwind attack. They seem good at first glance, but not sure how they measure up.

For example, I'm not sure if it's better to build this as a Fighter (possibly with Polearm master) or with a Ranger. Fighter's get more feats to be sure, but the bonus feats of ranger's can bypass typical feat requirements (such as Whirlwind attack in one of the faith based trees) not to mention the animal/spell stuff. A friend even suggested Unchained Monk for the flips and such, but I think that's a dip at best for this build (I do like my monks).

Thought 1:
Half-Orc Fighter
STR: 18 (16+2), DEX: 16, CON: 12, INT: 13, WIS: 12, CHA 8.

1: Combat Reflexes, Dodge
2. Mobility
3. Combat expertise
4. Spring Attack
5. Combat Patrol
6. Whirlwind Attack

Thought 2:
Half-Orc Ranger

STR: 18 (16+2), DEX: 16, CON: 14, INT: 10, WIS: 10, CHA: 10

1. Combat Reflexes
2. Improved Initiative
3. Mobility
5. Combat Patrol
6. Whirlwind Attack

If I'm doing my numbers right, the early levels are pretty similar (Half-orc isn't set in stone) for feat progression, but with the ranger getting spells and animal friends, too.

Of course, this assumes going for Whirlwind attack, and I'm not sure if it's worth the effort, or if something like Improved Trip would be a better investment.

And um, I should ask... is there any rule/feat that discuss stunts like the pole vaulting thing, or will I have to wing it?
----------------------------------------

Oy, I've rambled long enough. Any advice on how to make this work, preferably without driving me crazy? Er, crazier?

Topic. I one of the many who look at 20 different posts on 'how crafting works' and walks away more confused than I started, so I will be upfront when I say it's a subject I muddle through at best. Still, I want to make a go at an Elf Alchemist and I'm intrigued by crafting. I think it could be a big help in my game, as our GM tends to run low magic (finding a level one scroll is rare) but if can cast/make it, it's fine.

I have like, a million worries in my mind of how could all go wrong, being out of my element. I'm going to keep trying to learn this if it kills me... and that brings me here.

So at level 1, my Alchemist has a +12 to Craft: alchemy (Maxing that INT for +5, +4 from one rank as a class skill, +1 from being a level one alchemist, and +2 from a homebrew mechanic that takes up one of my traits). I want to make a vial of acid (100 silver, DC 15) and hitting my RNG, I roll a 26. I get all happy that it succeeds, but then notice that's my work for a whole week? One vial of acid? If I try by the day, I have to divide by 7 - result of 3? - and fail miserably. Am I understanding this right? A level 1 potion is made in two hours according to 'Brew Potion's text, yet a vial of acid takes a week? I have to believe there's something I'm missing here, otherwise how does this class even function? How could I ever use 'craft wondrous item' if I'm failing at the basics?

I'm sorry that this is probably one of the most asked questions, but most of the posts I've been reading (and reading and reading...) seem to assume I have a clue how to do this, and clearly I don't. I'd appreciate some help making sense of this, as I feel I took a wrong turn somewhere.

Hey there!

So long story short, my 8th level cleric is about to fight a highly overpowered opponent, with saves and AC far too high for me to reach normally. I think I can nail him with spells that target touch AC, so I'm trying to come up with some spells that could work. I can't get the spell filter I'm on to work with me though, so I'm hoping the kind folks here can suggest a few spells that could help debuff the boss long enough for the rest of the party to end this guy. Thank you for your time!

Title. If not clear, I mean change a spell from Transmutation to Abjuration, say. I thought there was something for this, but I can't find anything so I think I was wrong. Figure it can't hurt to double check though.

My end goal (for the curious) is trying to cast a personnel spell (paragon surge) onto a teammate. The half elf ranger is really behind the rest of the team, and I thought this spell from my cleric might make things interesting for her. I thought I had found a way with 'imbue with spell ability' but the school types don't work. I know some items could help (i think ring of storing is one, could be wrong on that) but it's a low money game so anything over 4,000 gold might as well be impossible. I keep looking for a way to make it work, but keep striking out I'm afraid.

Topic. So my cleric is level 7, and now mythic tier 1. Hierophant is the obvious choice for her, with mythic spell casting, faith's reach, and eventually enduring blessing. I'm wondering if dual path would be worth it to grab a few archmage abilities. Crafting mastery is drool worthy, but this game has never encouraged crafting so I'm weary trying to introduce it. Mirror dodge would be picked up if it were on my own path, but not sure if it's worth a mythic feat for dual path and the path ability to grab it, for example.

It would be foolish to not grab some mythic spells, and I'm tempted to grab mythic spell casting AND mythic spell lore to build my mythic spells up right (incidentally, I'm open to ideas here, but not the point). If I want dual path though, it has to picked now. No right ot wrong answers, just wondering if others feel it would be worth it. Thanks for your time!

Topic. Or you know, translated means 'what happens when using a whip with bodyguard?" I tried searching for this, thinking 'this has to be answered' only to find different answers. Yea for confusion!

Anywho, if not clear, whips have specific threaten rules, and bodyguard isn't clear on if this excludes whip builds with it. The DM I'm running this by has also asked if the whips rules for doing damage on armored opponents would affect the feat/aid another.

I'm fairly certain that I can use the whip without a problem, even with the threaten and damage rules for whips. Still, getting a seal of approval would be nice so I can show it to the DM. Thanks for your time!

Hey all!

So, title says it all. A dwarf cleric in need of an archtype and/or domains.

Details: This is a for A LOW money, LOW magic game. We rarely get wands/scrolls/potions/etc and those we do get are generally of the healing variety. As a rule of thumb, if we can't cast it ourselves, we don't have access to it. That said, party at the moment is level 7, and has a fighter, a ranger, and a life oracle who thinks he's a summoner (90% of the spells he casts are "summon monster"). Note the entire lack of arcane magic.

The fighter and ranger are sword and shield, so we've been entirely melee, only pulling back to let the oracle patch us up or channel. The oracle often tries to heal on the front lines, so the bad guys get an attack of opportunity for healing nearly every session, so...yea.

That said, I am torn between taking the 'merciful healer' archtype or domains to get some wizardly support. Merciful healer gives me only the healing domain, but takes attack of opportunities out of the picture (and the DM loves those as mentioned). Where if I grab a domain like travel, I get spells like 'fly' and 'teleport' which is sort of a big deal when you can't access them.

I'd like to think I could avoid most opportunity attacks, but seeing as how that's the biggest problem for our current healer, not having to worry about that ever is a nice feeling. (Incidentally, is there any other feat/class that does this, as this is the only instance I've found of this ability).

To muddy the matter further, the oracle's player has mentioned several times he'd rather be an arcane caster and is only an oracle as "we needed a healer." If I show up as a cleric, he's said he is quite likely to switch to an arcane class. That makes the arcane spells a little less drool worthy... but if I skip the big arcane spells for myself, and he doesn't grab them or doesn't switch over, it bites me in the rear.

So yea, hence I'm torn. Any suggestions or advice on you'd run it?

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by :)

Anywho, I'm trying to set up my first game of pathfinder as the DM. I've been the GM/DM of many, many games in other systems so I'm confident in my sandbox story telling, and world building. Still, I'm still fairly new to pathfinder (few months) and it will be the first game of the system for all of the players.

My biggest concern is in making the opposition balanced. I'm reading charts of CR, but I'm not sure how it pans out (my own GM was throwing dragons at us at level 4, and I don't see THAT anywhere yet). I don't want the wandering monsters to one shot the party (see: DRAGON) or the town guard being so inept you can do anything without them ever noticing, guaranteed. I need my porridge just right, to use the phrase.

I've yet to set a level for the game; I want to keep it low, and was thinking level 1. Still, from my initial talking to the prospective players, I'm looking at having a team with a Paladin and two wizards (this isn't set in stone yet, and a potential 4th member is still on fence). I know wizards become god (which will be it's own challenge later) but at level 1 they're a tad... well, squishy.

Bottom line is, I'm looking for ideas on how to make things 'level appropriate' and still fun for a new group. I trust the advice given on here, so I thought I'd try asking here, see what comes up.

Anywho, thanks for giving your time to read all this. Much appreciated!

Hey all! ;)

I'm trying to get a Magus running, and wanted to double check a few things, not being super familiar with magic.

1. Cantrips. I know all of my cantrips, but I can only prepare 3 a day at the start. I'd gain a few more with levels, but is there any other way to get more cantrips prepared per day? I've heard ideas from two world magic to orange ioun stones, but the wording sounds like I know more cantrips, not actually prepare more cantrips. Do these - or anything else - actually let me prepare more cantrips?

2. The shield spell. As a dervish dance Magus, I can't have a weapon or shield in my off hand. One of the players suggested I shouldn't be able to use a shield spell as it uses a hand... which it says absolutely no where I can see. Anyone back me up on this?

3. On Dervish dance's free hand, it says I can't use a weapon or shield in the off hand, so does that mean I can use a wand? The more I try to figure if a wand is a weapon, the more confused I get. Ideas?

Hey there! Thanks for stopping in :)

The set up: So some of you are likely groaning 'not THIS again' as it comes up a bit, and I've seen several threads of wizard/rogues, like how to best qualify for Arcane trickster among others.Still, most of what I've found searching are builds focusing on levels in wizard and as few dips into rogue as possible (Wizard 3/rogue 1/assassin 1 seemed popular in my readings).

The goal: I'd like to reverse that, be more focused on stealth, back stabbing with a sword, and having a few spells to fall back on.

The numbers: Right now, I'm a level 6 half-elf, levels being Rogue 5 / Shadow dancer 1. Stats are STR 7, Dex 20, CON 14, INT 14, WIS 14, CHA 7. 3.5 material isn't allowed, but retraining is, so I can change things around. The game likely won't go past level 12. Also of note, the game is VERY low magic, with no one having a magic weapon and a wand of cure light wounds is a big deal. For the curious, the party has myself, a sword and board Fighter, a sword and board Ranger, and a life oracle. Alignment is Chaotic Neutral at moment, and party is all good aligned, so going evil (aka Assassin) is not likely to fly with the DM.

The 1st build: Rogue 7 / Shadow dancer 4 / Magus 1

When trying to do arcane magic with melee, it's hard not to start with a magus. The mixing of multiple classes lowers BAB, and a magus using spell combat + true strike can lessen that pain, though it does eat up spell slots. Mixing the shadow dancer's hide in plain sight and shadow jump with a few spells from Magus (ghost sound alone is super helpful) while still wearing light armor and a blade (scimitar, of course). It gets the job done, but I feel like it could be better.

Idea 2: Rogue 3 / Magus 4 / Arcane Trickster 5

If Magus is the first thing that comes up, Arcane trickster is the second. The requirements are steep, and the results don't seem worth it to me. For sure, it gives far better casting abilities, but I feel it loses too much natural stealth, covering for it with more magical means. Not to mention losing the Shadow dancer powers, which really hurts in my mind. I could switch it to wizard 3 for another level of trickster, but again, this is even more magic focused and i'd likely have to give up weapon/armor altogether.

Idea 3: Frankly, it was terrible. I was mixing and matching odd things from master spy to guild agent, trying to find the right mix of stealth and spells. Maybe I missed the 'best' one out there, but thew few abilities that aided stealth were so specific as to never come up, and those with spells focused too much on spells. That's when I decided to check here.

Closing thoughts: In my attempts to make a stealthy/rogue character with a few spells, I'm looking at having three (or more) classes to do all I'd like to do. I feel like there has to be a better way of doing this, and I'm missing it somehow. I'm still surprised there was no Sorcerer/Rogue hybrid for this, but... I don't know. Can anyone suggest something better than Rogue/shadowdancer/Magus, or is that really the best around?

Thanks for your time!

Topic. I KNOW I've seen this rule somewhere, but 30 minutes of searching and I'm coming up empty.

To be specific, I have normal size human creature and all the normal magic slot items allowed to said human sized creature. By the power of magic, I now have six arms. Can I equip more magic rings?

Topic. Any and all books are viable, as our mythic, adding templates, becoming a monster, anything.

I thought I had it with 'servant of balance' mythic power, but re-reading it only protects from extra damage, not from the 'critical hit.'

I'm in a mythic game where anything goes, and we're hitting mythic tier ten. As the 'immortal' power says, "At 10th tier, you can be killed only by a coup de grace or critical hit made with an artifact." I'm trying to eliminate the critical hit part of that, but not sure how. Ideas?

Ok pun title aside, I was hoping to ask about an odd line in limited wish. I've been looking for a way to reduce the saves of an undead creature. They're immune to my usual options, and looking for new ideas I came across this line in limited wish:

"Produce any other effect whose power level is in line with the above effects, such as a single creature automatically hitting on its next attack or taking a -7 penalty on its next saving throw"

This seems a fairly interesting use of a 'limited' wish. One automatic hit, or a -7 to saves without a specific type. I have to wonder, if you had several people using 'limited' wish, could you wish for this -7 saves to be of a specific type, or is this supposed to be specified? Like could you wish for a -7 'age' penalty, a -7 curse, a -7 bad luck penalty, etc? It seems logical to think it's the same spell so it's the same source = no stacking, but can the wish circumvent that with some wordplay?

My other thought here is if a 'limited' wish can do this, what would a 'wish' spell do? If I wished to reduce an opponent's saves as much as possible, would it emulate limited wish for a -7, or would it be a higher bonus for a higher spell? If a limited wish = one automatic hit, would a wish = one critical, or maybe auto hits for a full round attack? Wish can clearly go a step above 'limited wish' as the spells it can emulate are of a higher level, so shouldn't these numbers increase? Yet there's no mention of it in the spell. I've tried looking for an answer in the faq, on google, and even bing, but I'm not finding anything. I refuse to believe I'm the first to ponder this, yet I can't find anything on this. If it's on here and I missed I'll be the first to apologize, but this is bugging me at the moment and clarification would be nice. Thank you for your time!

Title says it all. I could have SWORN I saw this in the faq earlier, but now I can't find it... not sure if i'm imagining things or not. If I'm being blind, I apologize.

Anywho, I have a vampire (technically a dread vampire, but should still be the same I think) with it's sunlight problem. I keep penumbra (level 0 cantrip) up at all times, and will bolster my defense with protective penumbra in a combat scenario. A player recently asked why I do so, since it wouldn't protect me from sunburst or light spells that call out vampires (I don't know of any others myself, but I'm sure they are out there). I would think protective penumbra would protect me as it has 'vulnerability' listed clearly in the spell... I mean, why make this advanced version of the 0 cantrip if it didn't add anything? Anywho, if there is a clear rule on this I'd appreciate the source to show my DM for extra proof. Thanks for your time!

Hi all!

I was toying with a monster/wizard theme build of reducing abilities, loving things like feeblemind which reduces INT and CHA down to 1. I started looking for a way to lower stats further, you know? There has to be ways of reducing stats below 0 or we wouldn't have rules for what happens... but I can't find out how to do it. Can anyone throw me a bone here?

Hey all! Thanks for stopping by :)

So I'm trying to make a high level wizard. I've picked Divination for my school, grabbed an (improved) familiar, and muddling my way through the remainder of choices to be made. Having never done an arcane user in pathfinder (or D&D for that matter) I had three questions I was hoping to spring on you fine folks.

The big issue I'm worrying over is the DC for saves and touch attacks. The game she'll be jumping into has saves of 30+, and I'm having a hard time finding ways to raise her DC's to compete. There's spell focus and greater spell focus, and...nothing else? Really? Touch AC is overly high in this game, so I'm not sure if spells targeting that are even viable. Still, I'm open to ideas.

The next question I wanted to ask: I know a wizard can learn new spells from copying them from spell books and the like. Is there a way to 'buy' access to a wizard's spell book or something to gain new spells? How would that work?

The last is easy to ask, impossible to answer. Like many before me, I find spell selection is especially intimidating. As one topic on the front page already asks, it's tricky finding low level spells that stay relevant at high level. Not that deciding between high spells is any easier... oy. I'm reading two guides for suggestions as is, and this is still pain. I'm open to ideas, but I'm not crazy as to ask for someone to pick every spell for me, if that makes sense. More like, if you have a 'top five' spells you never leave home without, I'd appreciate getting other opinions.

Thank you for your time!

Hey all!

So here's the sitch: my DM has upped the difficulty of our games to the point that nearly every attack has become a 'save or die.' And being the team's leader in DPS, I'm often the target of many, many attacks. I'm a mythic monk with things like Crane stlye/wing, and mythic mirror dodge at my disposal, but it's not enough. If I use crane wing to parry, I can't attack. If I use mirror dodge, I lose my swift action and with it my best attack options. Last game I was having to use both to stay alive, locked down to total defense. And while we won with my playing a shield (the rest of the team was free to whittle away at the enemy) it wasn't exactly thrilling to play a wall.

Does anyone have any ideas of feats/powers/abilities that could avoid attacks without me stuck being a decoration? I'm thinking of dipping into swashbuckler for it's 'Opportune Parry and Riposte' ability, but that's all I've been able to come up with so far. Is there anything I'm over looking that could help out?

Hey all!

So as the topic somewhat says, my DM is throwing us a hell of a curve ball. It's the highest level game I've been in, hitting level 20 for the first time, and the DM says he's going to bring in mythic rules and keep the game going 'until level 40 or so, so we should be prepared for that.'

I've never used mythic rules myself, and the more I read the more confused I get (rolls eyes). And from the sounds of it, playing past 20 is like a forced multi class, that I have my 20 levels of Monk and now I'm to add 20 levels or so off another class to my monk.

So as stated, we're level 20. I have a monk, and there is a fighter, a magus, and a sorcerer. No idea what the others will do with mythic and/or what classes the others will take levels in yet, but there is a lot of talk over how excited people are, how powerful they are getting, etc, and I'm still going 'huh?'

I'm a little over whelmed with this, to be honest. I mean, what combo's with monk? Best I can think of would be going into Barbarian, with it's full BAB and rage powers. The DM and other players were suggesting prestige classes and spell casters, but I have a hard time seeing those work. I'm the team's trap finder usually so rogue has been suggested too, but there are so few traps it seems a waste.

Anywho, I could just use some tips/hints/advice on how to make this work.

Thanks for your time!

So I have a level 14 character highly dependent on her magic items. I am to face a wizard who practically specializes in Greater Dispel. I wish to protect my items from Greater Dispel magic. The question is how?

As I understand, an area dispel won't target items. So it needs to targeted. I'm not clear if the wizard can target my character to dispel my magic items, or would he need to target the magic item directly. If he gets to target me, he gets to dispel 3-5 of my items at once, and I'm screwed.

I'm trying to come up with plan that protects me from this, and I think I have an idea with Ioun stones. Lavender and Green Ellipsoid Ioun stones absorb spells, right? I am led to believe Dispel can target Ioun stones and dispel even this power. But what if I combined it with the Western Star Ioun stone? It's power makes Ioun stones invisible, which should protect my Ioun stones from being 'targeted' by dispel... and if the Lavender and green can't be dispelled, it's effect should work. I'm even thinking of grabbing two Lavender and Green Ellipsoid to cover each other. If I'm right, this should shut down the mage and his Dispel magic.

Any ideas if this would work or not?

So in this one game I'm playing in, money is REALLY easy to come by. We're a decently leveled group (lv 13) but we were just given 300,000 GP for two really easy fights. On of the players knows this GM and says this is typical. So I'm looking at having a lot of money to play around with you know?

So I'm thinking of trying to find/craft items to give bonus' to put this money to use. I started with luck, as I took fate's fortuned as a trait to double my luck bonus'. So I look at the charts, and a +5 luck bonus is (5 squared = 25, x 1000 = 25,000 gold, or x 2000 for 50,000, or x2500 for 62,500 depending on what the bonus goes towards). I get the idea of making a lot of lucky stones (similar to the stone of good luck) toss them in a bag and I have a bag of luck. I think I would need four (weapon/damage, AC, saves, skill checks) for roughly 200,000, and I now have a +10 to everything. It seems well, TOO easy.

I then think what else could we do this with? If money is no object, could you make +5 morale items? Competence? Enhancement? Insight? Profane/Sacred? Even ignoring the more clearly 'should not be crafted' bonus' of size, racial, etc, there are a lot of bonus's to be used.

The other thing I see stopping this is money and time to craft them. I just picture someone using a 'wish' spell to try to cut down on even those restrictions, walking around with more bonus's any system ever intended anyone to have.

Does this really work, or did I miss something?

So in one of my games, someone asked about how to price out the cost to buy feats, how to buy more actions. His idea is that it's already possible in some places, so why not more?

We have things like the Quick Runner's shirt for another move action, and Ioun stones with wayfinders can give several feats, from Alertness to Weapon Focus.

I'm wondering what other items out there give more actions? What other items give you the effects of feats? And the scary thought, if we can buy some feats, why not buy others?

Your thoughts?

Ok, I know Monks have a bad reputation. Still, I want to try the class out myself so hopefully we can keep the 'monks are bad' and the 'play X instead' comments to a minimum, eh?

Level is 13, 25 point build, and starting gold is 150,000. I was thinking of running a human as feats are good. All of pathfinder (and likely most of 3.5) are on the table. DM has hinted there will be a number of demons in the game, for what it is worth. I am looking at mostly doing melee and not big on range.

I'm debating two archtypes at the moment: Master of many styles and Qinggong. It really comes down to how useful flurry of blows will really be.

Idea 1 is using fast movement to get up close, use Stunning fist to inflict staggered (which lasts several rounds, minimum of two) and flurry of blows with Medusa's wrath + ki point to beat an enemy into submission.

Idea 2 is with master of many styles. Give up flurry of blows, and take two styles. I'm liking Dragon Style and Snake Style (gives a nice reptile theme) as Dragon Style adds more STR damage, and Snake Style gives several nice benefits, including getting an attack of opportunity when an opponent misses me. My STR and AC are both look to be high, so in theory I could dodge quite a bit of blows, and strike back with increased power often.

I'd really love to blend the two styles together, but losing flurry of blows is just painful. At least, it feels that way. From what I read, most downplay Flurry of blows because you can't move and use it.

For those who don't hate monks, what do you feel is the better approach? What's worked for you? Ideas welcome!

As the title says, I have finally put together my cleric after spending WAY too much time reading up on everything I could get my hands on. It's my first time playing a character with spells in pathfinder, and starting at level 12 threw a LOT more option than I had expected lol.

Anywho, Campaign has us playing as powerful nobles trying to defend our land from invasion. To stress the 'powerful' part, the DM gave us a crazy 30 point buy, 120,000 Gold, and level 12. We also have leadership as a free feat. Crafting pre-game was approved.

That out of the way... I present Kytera!

Character name: Kytera Mesi
Race: Human (Medium Size)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Height: 5"5
Weight: 133 pounds
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
Class: Cleric, Evangelist
Level: 12
Deity: Tymora
Domain: Heroism

(DM has us using Forgotten Realms Gods, so I requested Tymora with Heroism domain, appealing to her portfolio of Adventurers).

HP 93
CASTER LEVEL: 12 INITIATIVE: 7
AC: 33 TOUCH: 17 FLAT: 27
FORT SAVE: 9 REFLEX SAVE: 10 WILL SAVE: 18
CMB: +7/2 CMD: 24 FLAT-CMD: 18
Melee: +4/-1 Ranged: +12/+7

STR: 7 -2
DEX: 22 +6
CON: 12 +1
INT: 14 +2
WIS: 29 +9
CHA: 13 +1

(Starting were STR 7, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 12, WIS 20 (with +2 racial), CHA 13. +6 DEX belt, +6 WIS headband, 3 level increases to wisdom, and +2 INT Ioun Stone).

Languages: Common, Celestial
Traits: Hedge Magician (5% off Crafting Costs)
Dangerously Curious: +1 Use Magic Device and it’s a class skill

Weapons: Masterwork Shuriken (10 of them)
Throwing Weapon, Range 10 Feet.
Criticals on a 20, deals x2 damage
Two attacks, attack roll bonus: +13/+8
Damage: 1d2+6 Piercing Damage

Armor: Celestial Full Plate
AC:12 DEX: 6
Check Penalty: -3
Cast: Overland Fly, once a day

Shield: Celestial Shield
AC:4 DEX: -
Check Penalty: -
Cast: Feather Fall, once a day

Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magical Weapons/Armor, Craft Rods, Scribe Scrolls, Extend Metamagic, Reach Metamagic, Quicken Metamagic, Leadership

Powers:
Evangelist: Spontaneous Casting, Sermonic Performance, Public Speaking
Domain: Touch of Glory, Aura of Heroism
Cleric: Channel Energy 4d6

Proficiency: Simple Weapons, Light Armor, Shuriken (Tymora's Weapon apparently)

Acrobatics: +3
Appraise: +2
Bluff: +2
Climb: -5
Craft: +2
Diplomacy: +17
*Disable Device: +3
Disguise: +1
Escape Artist: +3
Fly: +4
*Handle Animal: +1
Heal: +13
Intimidate: +1
Knowledge Arcana: +6
*Knowledge Dungeoneering: +2
*Knowledge Engineering: +2
*Knowledge Geography: +2
Knowledge History: +6
Knowledge Local: +3
*Knowledge Nature: +2
Knowledge Nobility: +6
Knowledge Planes: +6
Knowledge Religion: +6
*Linguistics: +2
Perception: +22
Perform Oratory: +5
Profession Smith: +13
Ride: +3
Sense Motive: +15
*Sleight of Hand: +3
Stealth: +18
Survival: +10
Swim: -5
Use Magic Device: +18

*Untrained Skills

Light Load: 26 (Ant: 69)
Medium: 46 (Ant: 138)
Max: 70 (Ant: 210)
Overhead: 70
Off-Ground: 140
Push/Drag: 350

Carried Weight: 56 (Use Ant Haul daily)
Coins: 123 Gold

Items: Weight:
Greater Reach Rod: 3x uses of Reach Metamagic 5
Quicken Rod: 3x uses of Quicken Metamagic 5
Belt of Incredible Dexterity: +6 DEX 1
Headband of Inspired Wisdom: +6 WIS 1
Cassock of the Clergy: 1
Boots of the Cat: 1
Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier: 3
Ring of Sustenance:
Sleeves of Many Garments: 1
Wayfinder w/Scarlet and Blue Sphere Ioun Stone 1

Handy Haversack: 5
In bag:
Wand of Cure Light Wounds: Heal 1d8+1, 50 Charges
Tymora Holy Symbol
10 Masterwork (+1) Shurikens

Ioun Stones:
Scarlet and Blue Sphere: +2 enhancement bonus to Intelligence (In Wayfinder, gives +1 Will Save)

Cracked Dusty Rose Prism: +1 competence bonus on initiative checks

Cracked Dark Blue Rhomboid: +1 competence bonus on Perception and Sense Motive checks

Cracked Pink & Green Sphere: +1 competence bonus to CHA skill; Use Magic Device

Cracked Mulberry Pentacle: +1 competence bonus to Diplomacy, Bluff

Cracked Scarlet and Blue Sphere: +1 competence bonus on one Intelligence-based skill; Spellcraft

Cracked Incandescent Blue Sphere: +1 competence bonus on one Wisdom skill; Survival

Cracked Orange Prism: Add one 0-level spell to user’s spells known or prepared

Dull Grey Prism of Heightened (Lv 4) Continual Flame: Ever lit torch, dispels most magical darkness

Spells:

Level 0: 6 spells (+2 from items. Orisons are unlimited use)

Read Magic
Detect Magic
Spark
Create Water
Mending
Guidance

Level 1: 7 Spells, 1 Domain Spell

Spontaneous Spell: Command
Domain Slot: Shield of Faith

Sanctuary
Obscuring Mist
Ant Haul
Air Bubble
Abundant Ammunition
Moment of Greatness
Touch of Truth Telling

Level 2: 6 Spells, 1 Domain Spell

Spontaneous Spell: Enthrall:
Domain Spell: Bless Weapon

Grace
Communal Protection from Evil
Silence
Shatter
Calm Emotions
Weapon of Awe

Level 3: 6 Spells, 1 Domain Spell

Spontaneous Spell: Tongues
Domain Spell: Heroism

Stone Shape
Communal Resist Energy
Dispel Magic
Bestow Insight
Bestow Curse
Create Food and Water

Level 4: 5 Spells, 1 Domain Spell

Spontaneous Spell: Suggestion
Domain Spell: Holy Smite

Freedom of Movement
Blessing of Fervor
Debilitating Portent
Restoration
Death Ward

Level 5: 5 Spells, 1 Domain Spell

Spontaneous Spell: Greater Command
Domain Spell: Righteous Might

Breath of Life
Fickle Winds
True Seeing
2x Summon Monster 5

Level 6: 3 Spells, 1 Domain Spell

Spontaneous Spell: Quest
Domain Spell: Greater Heroism

Greater Dispel Magic
2x Heal

Final Thoughts:
I ended up not going 'full defense' with Rings of Protection, Amulet of Natural protection, etc, as the other party members didn't seem to be doing so either. I don't know everyone's AC exactly, but someone mentioned having a 28 AC and everyone though that was good. I didn't want to have such a huge AC difference that it became an issue. The money I saved let me get a Quicken Metamagic rod, so I can't complain too much.

Right now, I'm trying to balance my spells between buff and 'be prepared for anything' as I don't know the DM's style yet. I worry I have too much of the later, not enough of the former.

I won't be doing much damage (if any, really) in battle, but I'm playing as she is a commander of troops, and doesn't get involved directly when possible. She stands back, throws out buffs, emergency heals, etc. Later on, I might try getting her a wand of some kind, or throw tanglefoot bags.

Oh, other party members are not all finished yet, but we have a Monk, a Magus-like class (said it was a modified spellsword from an older edition of D&D) and a Wizard (he seems to be doing some self-buff and attack with a sword build, but I'm not sure of the details). There are two other players who I've yet to talk with at this time.

My battle plan is to put down buffs fast, like:

Round 1:
Standard Action: Priority Buff spell (Blessings of Fervor?)
Move Action: Start Inspire Courage (Sermonic performance)
Quick Action: Aura of Courage (Acts as Heroism)

Round 2:
Standard Action: Summon Monster V
Quick Action: Buff and/or heal w/rod as needed (Communal Resist Energy, Communal protection from evil, Death Ward, Fickle Winds, Heal, etc)

From there, I can throw a few more buffs, a few debuffs (Dispel, Bestow Curse, Debilitating Portent), and generally trying to keep the team going. My reach rod lets me hit with Breath of Life and Heal up to 800 feet away, so that shouldn't be a problem for emergency healing; otherwise I'll channel after battle.

Then there's the long list of situation spells, from air bubble to calm emotions. On the rare occasion I need to do draw a weapon, I have Abundant ammunition to keep me stocked with Shuriken to throw.

Out of battle, Touch of Glory boots my CHA skills by 12, so my diplomacy will be +29. Add in the bonus' from Evangelist, and I can talk my way out of most anything.

Concerns:

1. I worry if I have too many situation specific spells, and not enough buff spells. Any suggestions for better support/buff spells?

2. Extend Metamagic. I took the feat as it seems a good idea in theory, but I'm not sure how to best use it. Most of the spells seems to last fairly long on their own. Any ideas how to use this, or should I replace it?

3. Alignment. I almost went with Lawful Good instead of Neutral good, but that seems such a harsh alignment to play. I'm traveling with a Paladin cohort and she's supposed to be a noble (meaning she likely makes some of the laws) so not sure if Lawful good would be better. Still Tymora is Chaotic good, so maybe Neutral good splits the difference?

I know this is long, but I tried to be detailed. Perhaps too detailed lol. Oh well. Thanks for reading all of this. Your time is much appreciated!

V

Hey there!

So I'm trying to learn the tricks to magic armor, getting a nice high AC, and a handy discount with crafting. I have a level 12 Cleric with plenty of gold, taking craft magic arms and armor, and I'm trying to figure out the best AC armor I can craft and/or afford. I've read the rules, but I'm still not clear on a few things.

1. Some specific armors are listed with a specific bonus, like Celestial full plate is a Full plate +3. Can you make/find a items that go over these listed numbers, like a celestial plate mail with a +5 bonus, or is that not allowed? How would you calculate the cost of such a thing if allowed?

2. In trying to figure out the highest AC (assuming all proficiency and high enough DEX for max benefit) I look at things like Celestial full plate vs mithral full plate +5. Mithral full plate +5 mail gives you your standard 9 AC for full plate, +5 enchantment, and allows 3 DEX for a total of 17. Celestial Full Plate is supposed to be a full plate +3... but it allows for 6 DEX. 9 for full plate, +3 enchantment, and this 6 DEX bonus and we get 18 AC. How does that work, mechanically? How does a set of full plate with a lower enchantment bonus give that much more DEX, and allow for a Fly spell as well?

3. If you have a set of Mithral Full Plate +5, and cast an enchantment spell like Magic Vestment, does it do anything? Both are enchantment effects if I'm reading this right, so I don't think they stack. It's one of those those things that confuses me, as the bonus from Magic Vestment can be dispelled, but the bonus from Mithral full plate +5 can't be dispelled to my knowledge. Or am I wrong?

So yea, clarification would be a huge help. Bottom line, I'm trying to figure out the system's top AC armor's and their cost, and not getting anywhere on my own research. Any help would be appreciated!

And ah, hopefully I am posting this in the right place. I didn't think it qualified for a 'rules question' but I could be wrong. If I am...sorry?

As always, thank you for your time.

As the topic says, I have all this money to go on shopping spree the likes I've never had. I've only played low level campaigns before where ANY magic item was a big deal. Now I've signed up for a new game, and my cleric has a bigger budget to start out with than any I'm used to having. It's a bit daunting, for even after spending most of the day looking up items I'm not even half way through.

I haven't finalized my build yet as I keep wondering if I can find some item to build something around. Like... I know I want a decent Wisdom, but I could give myself more balanced stats and buy a headband of inspired wisdom. Then I second guess myself, thinking what if lock myself out of some awesome must have item because I didn't know it existed?

Anywho, I feel I could nail down the character more if I could get a feel on magic items, and not feel I was screwing myself over. Right now, I know she's going to be a Good aligned human cleric traveling with a Paladin... and that's about it lol. If anyone could give advice on some of the better options for magic items, I'd appreciate the help. Thanks for your time!

Hey people!

I wanted to ask some more experienced players about crafting. In other systems I've played, they're either the best abilities, or the worst. I haven't tried them in pathfinder yet, and wanted your thoughts on the matter. Do you like the system, do you need to have a crafter in your parties, do you warn players against such feats?

Are any of the crafting feats better than others? Is there a 'must have' in your book?

I'm thinking of delving into crafting myself, and I like the sound of wands (though I don't get the 4th level spell limit. Is there really no way to craft higher level spells into wands or a wand like item?), and crafting magic weapons. Wondrous items and potions aren't too bad... but i admit I get lost trying to figure out Rods, Staves, and rings. I think i've stared at the screen too long, and nothing is making sense anymore. Still, before I call it a night, I wanted to ask for the opinions of you all here.

Thank you for your time,

V

Hey there!

As stated, I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, so my apologies in advance if I botch this up.

Anywho, despite having been gaming for 20 years now, I am just joining my first ever Pathfinder game. I've never played 3.5, or 3. anything really as my old group avoided D&D mostly. After hearing so much about this kind of system, I was super excited to make my first character and experience it all for myself. We have core/base classes and races only, with a preference for Core if possible. Being new I was fine with that, and decided on a Half-Elf Rogue. It's a level one game, and we have a Fighter, a Ranger, and a Cleric as my team.

I had two weeks to prepare for this, and I've spent most of that time trying to learn the various rules of the game, while spending some learning Rogue builds. From reading stuff from here and various guides online, I knew Rogue wasn't going to do as much damage per round as a Barbarian or anything, but I figured I'd be useful for a stealth role, find traps, deal some back stab damage. That would be niche, and I'll do it well. I tried some builds, and found a dex build with a feat called Dervish dance I thought could work for the most part.

The hiccup I'm run into is the half-elf 'multi talented' ability. I didn't want this ability to go to waste, and I've been looking into the other classes. And this has just been a depressing job, as it seems every class does my job better than I do. No matter how I build my rogue, it feels another class is better at my core skills than I am, like I'd be a better Rogue if I weren't actually a rogue.

The game starts up this week now, and I'm no closer to make a decent rogue than I was a week before. The 'best' build I had was a Rogue 1/Bard 1(Dervish of dawn)/ Rogue 3/ Shadow Dancer 2 mess of a build with a BAB so low I doubt I'd hurt anything. I love stealth/shadow stuff, and Arcane casting is a bonus so I thought to combine them all, and I'm so burnt out it looked good or a while. I've looked at so many builds on so many forums I feel my brain is fried. I'm not sure I can make the character work, and if I can't what I'd even play at this point.

In the end, I'm just really discouraged. Somehow I need to put something together for Tuesday, but I'm out of ideas. I could really use a bard song about now, maybe something like inspire confidence or something.