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I never played the monks to full extent, not in pathfinder. I was just comparing both classes, the Core Monk and the Unchained Monk. At first sight i liked the Unchained Monk, then i was reviewing it... and i started to like it less and less, and finally i don't like it more than the Core Monk. It is not better, maybe easier, but not a better Monk.

Its weakest side is they moved some of the core abilities and made them ki powers, but the ki pool is too limited to really compare those powers with the original abilities that could be used with no limit! In that aspect the Core Monk is more powerful, cause they can use those abilities constantly.

The second weakest aspect is a poor will save. It is the most important aspect of a monk, its willpower! I can even imagine a weak fortitude save, but not a weak will save! This is not a monk thing!

For me, this no longer looks like a monk but a martial artist student. It looks more like a Chuck Norris or Van Dame character than a shaolin monk.

Am i wrong on this one?

Some say it reverts, but some other say the creature keeps trapped in the other form and cannot change back while in the antimagic field; even some fantasy books depict that in that way.

What do rules say?

The new rules for faerie fire and darkness prevent that classic combo to work for spell-like abilities. How can we make it works again for drows?

The far i went is the old 3.5E notes saying low level drows cast darkness, and deeper darkness, with a lower CL. But i don't know how low CL would work for that. Anyway, it makes me think high level drows, above level 5th, just cannot use that combo anymore, cause their darkness spells "become" more powerful.

How do spell-like abilities spells are affected when cast by a creature that has a caster level below the level the real spell requires?

E.g., Deeper Darkness (requires CL 5th+) casted by a Drow Noble with just one ranger class level (CL 1st).

It must be the change shape supernatural ability and not just the polymorph spell or spell-like ability, because change shape allows the creature to retain its ability scores and other abilities in the new form and keep the form indefinitely.

It should allow creatures as big as giants, dragons or alike to become humanoids.

It could be via an item, template, etc.

At will is desirable, but a fair amount of times/day should suffice.

How can a monster get iterative attacks with a Natural Weapon from high BAB? Feral Combat Training? other feat?

Getting class levels and feats would work? what classes and feats?

I'm asking in dragon form, if it isn't obvious. I already know the polymorphed into humanoids and alike answer.

Can a dragon hire a bunch of kobolds or order his gnome slaves to make him some weapons in order to face another dragon who's messing with him?

That dragon killed a giant and now the most valuable piece of her treasure is that giant masterwork sword and she is now dying to know how does it feel to swing that thing.

And so on...

And maybe how do other Monk abilities work too...

EDIT: I think it should purchase Feral Combat Training and as FoB works like TWF i got more confused, cause i don't know how TWF works for Monsters.

EDIT 2: I think if it an adult red dragon gets Feral Combat Training (bite) and one monk level, its attack could be:
bite +23 (2d8+12), 2 claws +22 (2d6+8), 2 wings +20 (1d8+4), tail slap +20 (2d6+12)
or
bite +21/+21/+16/+11/+6 (2d8+12)...
or is it
bite +21/+21 (2d8+12), 2 claws +20 (2d6+8), 2 wings +18 (1d8+4), tail slap +18 (2d6+12)???

And if the answer is yes... how does it work?

What are your opinions, suggestions, advice on this spell?

Here's the link to the most recent version of the spell: Dazing Blast. I'll be updating it as long as you provide feedbak. I'll be posting the last version on the thread just to keep here another copy of the updates.

EDIT: The idea behind this spell is to create a spell that just stop creatures in a close range, preventing them to take actions, for more than one round, but cause no additional penalties and deal no damage.

It could be a spell, item, potion, maneuver, whatever.

I was searching for it, but cannot find what i want. The closest thing is the thunderstone. But it is too aggressive for my purpose.

The why of this question is i made an NPC who's iconic weapons are two "guns" that shoots cones of energy/effect able to daze characters for 1d4 rounds. He does not use them for nasty purposes, he instead is a kind of mediator and use his weapons when he needs to forcefully stop people of fighting/acting for enough time to put things in order.

I can just leave them as they are now, devices that can shoot 5 times before needing to be recharged and calibrated, something that cannot be done in battle, DC 15 Fortitude save, and consume a thunderbolt to fuel 5 shoots.

But i still want to compare to other abilities/spells/devices to know how under/over powered or balanced those weapons are.

EDIT: I's like to find a way for the guy to power it consuming his spell slots or using alchemical things... just because thunderstones are expensive! xD No, really just because he has magic power but just to power things with it.

I have in mind a girl who is part of the aristocracy, has access to resources (money, contacts, materials, facilities) and have pretty good hand-to-hand combat skills. She is wealthy, well educated and charming but capricious, has a wealthy family behind of non royal/noble origin, merchants/patrons in this case rather than industrialists.

I think i can use monk, a monk archetype or another unarmed combat class for the martial artist skills.

But i wonder how to make the aristocrat part of her and the rules to limit/control the access to resources. This is the harder part of her.

The guy is good at clockworks and other steam-punk-like inventions, he uses magic through little gadgets and he must spend the time a wizard must use studying his spells book but in recharging/re-calibrating his gadgets and maybe reading his blueprints or making a lot of complex engineering tasks. The source of magic for those gadgets could be anything, maybe the user's spell slot or a battery able to hold magic power, anything. Not all gadgets are magic powered, like his fire-guns or his swiss-army knife.

What would be his stats and abilities?

I guess he'd have the half-celestial template, somehow tweaked cause he actually didn't use magic and had no auras. I also wonder about his scores when starting his journey; Str 30, 40 50? Con 20, 30, 40?; i think he has decent enough Dex, Int, Wis and Cha stats, cause he solved some oh his labors using his mind rather than his raw Str.

What would you suggest to make an Hercules clone, a son of one of the gods, with no class levels?

If i find an error in a product not addressed yet by the current erratas or in the online PRD, where should i report them?

I'm looking for an aristocrat/noble class for PCs rather than NPCs.

I want it to be OGL/OGC or compatible, e.g., Public Domain or Creative Commons.

the text on auras says something like "a silver dragon can suppress or activate this aura at will as a free action", but there's no such lines on the chromatic dragons... Is that on purpose or is it an error requiring errata?

One of my players is asking for a Dwarf with a Str of 40~50. I can curse him in exchange, place penalties, he is accepting whatever to get that Str. He wants to make a character able to lift and handle a maze bigger than himself.

I thought it was overkill, until i see some races like the Flind, from ToHC, with such insane score adjustments. So some humanoids with Str scores of 25~30 are possible, even as characters...

I still think Str 50 is a no! Except allowing him to make a dwarf... machine buried and embedded inside a dwarf factory.

Str 30 is a lot, but not impossible comparing it to monsters like the flind. So it is not going to be a special Str... And 40, dunno, i still think it is TOO much.

any advice? any suggestion?

Edit:

To add details to the question:

• Race: Dwarf
  
• Level: low level 1~4 lvl; i can add CR or "lvl adjustment" if required
  
• Class: Paladin
  
• Usage of that Str: At will; well i have a penalty in mind and it is if he is using Str above certain threshold chances are his curse triggers something really undesirable.
  
• Additional: He is already cursed by his enemy deity.
  

I think the spell must be rewritten according to the answer or an errata must be added: No, this is not difficult terrain or yes, it is then movement costs double, instead of your speed is halved.

According to other discussions, a fully unarmed monk is not a good build compared to a monk with some monk weapons.

Am i right or not? And if that's the case... how can we build a pure unarmed monk more even with a monk with some monk weapons?

Yup, that question.

How can a pure monk, by the rules, get any non-monk weapon and use it with her monk abilities and not losing those abilities and use her abilities (flurry, ki) with it?

If not any sword at least the jian, the chinese sword.

How can she use it as a monk weapon and be able to use her features, like flurry of blows with it?

Proposing the jian.

The Jian is the chinese sword. It is thin, light, and very maneuverable. You don't get the most of a jian by the use of strength but dexterity.

Jian:

The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China.

The weight of an average sword of 70-centimetre (28-inch) blade-length would be in a range of approximately 700 to 900 grams (1.5 to 2 pounds).

Benefit: You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a jian sized for you, even though it isn't a light weapon.

Drawback: You can't benefit of the use the Weapon Finesse feat with a jian in two hands, but if you have the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency (jian, two-handed-jian), you can.

Weapon Feature(s): Finesse.

Cost: 20 gp
Dmg(S): 1d4
Dmg(M): 1d6
Critical: 18–20/×2
Type: Slashing
Weight: 1.5~2 lb.

Two-handed Jian:

There are larger two-handed versions of the jian used for training by many styles of Chinese martial arts.

Benefit: You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a two-handed jian sized for you, even though it isn't a light weapon.

Drawback: You can't benefit of the use the Weapon Finesse feat with a two-handed jian in one hand, but if you have the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency (jian, two-handed-jian), you can. If jians are not common in the setting, then the two-handed jian becomes an exotic weapon, at DM's discretion.

Weapon Feature(s): Finesse.

Cost: 40 gp
Dmg(S): 2d3
Dmg(M): 2d4
Critical: 18–20/×2
Type: Slashing
Weight: 2~2.5 lb.

There's no information on the rules... and a very old doppelganger would be a nice thing to have in a campaign. Someone who managed to survive through ages living many lives... How old they can become before dying of old age?

I wanted to create characters like those for some campaigns, but the tasks seems complicated, because they are mostly martial characters that don't need the use of armor and accomplish some awesome tasks not available for common fighters.

This is the far as i went:

I think Li Mu Bai is a monk (with some fighter levels?). But i don't know how he seems to use the sword for a flurry of blows or to defend himself from almost a hundred darts with the sword.

Jade Fox could be a rogue, assassin, with a few monk levels (cause she was learning the Wudang techniques), a few witch levels, maybe just one.

Jen clearly have a few aristocrat levels, rogue levels, some monk levels (as she surpassed Jade Fox in the study of the same techniques). But again, still lost as how she uses no armor at all.

Yu Shu Lien is easier, she is a weapon master, a master of arms, and i just need to find a way to allow her to not to need the armor. Maybe she has one or two monk levels. Is she maybe a balanced mixture of fighter and monk?

I was planning to create a character like him, and my actual build for it is a mixture of bard and sohei (stripping the Monastic Mount stuff away) or maybe a youxia monk.

What are your ideas?

Just that simple question... are there psionic dragons in the OGC wild?

I've been playing and DMing for some years with some friends. Many characters came and go, many villains and alike. At some point we planned to start making a comic telling our game sessions' tales but we got stuck with the "can we legally depict some creatures, spells and other things avoiding copyright issues?"

We were analyzing the whole issue this way:

1. Home rules, home creations: No problem here; their intellectual property belong to us.

2. Public Domain, Creative Commons, open source, open content and similar licenses: No problem there; those licenses allow us to do what we want as long as we abide to them... well we must be very aware of the "share-alike" licenses or viral things like the GPL.

3. The PI: We know we have just two options: 1) to "rewrite the story" and place something else instead of "what really happened" in game, something legal of course; or 2) to ask the creator of that PI for permission to use it on the comic.

4. The OGC: we ignore if we can go further... or not. Our project is not a game, but game related material; people reading the comic will get an idea of how the things work in the game. What can we do here? Does adding the OGL to the comic work? We can explicitly say in a part of the published comic what in the comic is under the OGL. Is it enough? If we increase the comic with a section talking about RPG, explaining, in game rules terms, what happened in the comic, like why someone seemed to have additional moves or there were no surprise round, the stats of the foes, etc, how the character gained a new ability, etc. would it fit for a fair usage of the OGL?

I saw them on the d20pfsrd, but it just have the stats, no text to explain us what are those dragons.

What is their origin? Are they psionic dragons? Do they behave different?

When reading how to interpret the monsters descriptions the text says.

"Creatures with NPC class levels have stats in the standard array (13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8), while creatures with character class levels have the elite array (15, 14, 12, 11, 10, 8); in both cases, the creature's ability score modifiers are listed at the end of its description."

That "the creature's ability score modifiers are listed at the end of its description" is.. where? No monster i've seen in the Reference Document have those modifiers.

Also it seems that is not really true. The doppelganger stats are too high to being based on the standard array, but the doppelganger is not provided with PC or NPC class levels...

Anyway. Can i just assume that any humanoid creature (including monstrous humanoid and alike) uses the elite array and the other creatures don't? Or maybe it does mean that any creature able to acquire PC class levels is created using the elite array?

Is there any official place about skipping checks for certain fly maneuvers?

For example, the hover maneuver or fly at less than half the speed for creatures like fairies and hummingbirds. It'll be a pain to keep rolling for those creatures every time they move. Also for the fly spell... it seems just an advanced form of levitate, so it should not have a check for slow speed or hover. Those things in such creatures and that spell should be just automatic... the same for ghosts, right?

What's the official position about those things?