The Nite Owl's page

As already noted, a two-handed sword would increase your base weapon damage and your power attack bonus, but it would mean losing your shield.

At 7th level, with your charisma bonus to spells, you could take Litany of Righteousness. This doubles your damage against an evil creature - but it's only for 1 round - so best saved for tough opponents.

Your character seems pretty well optimised. If the gunslinger is outdamaging you, I wouldn't be too worried - it's his only trick. Let the baby have his dummy. A paladin can swift heal himself in combat, has the best saves in the game and with skill points in Diplomacy be an effective party face too.

For future characters, you might be better using the point buy system, or make a rule that ability scores have to be rolled in front of witnesses to avoid the bs stats.

You only get your human bonus feat once, at level 1 in your first class.

The campaign I'm putting together involves 10 different AP volumes (RotRL x6, SS x3, CotCT x1), between 6 and 8 PFS scenarios (mostly from season 4)

Ooh this sounds like an epic - you've got me curious now Wiggz.

If it's not too much trouble can tell us know which RotRL, SS and CotCT adventures you are using? What is the story that you are using to link them?

Healer's Way lets you heal 1d6 hit points for every 2 oracle levels, so you would need a 2 level dip. You would get more benefit from Lay on Hands sticking with Paladin.

For anyone that can use it - a breath of life scroll.

Good for DM's who dont allow a spring sheath to hold a scroll.

Draw the scroll as a swift, move action to go to the recently-deceased character and cast as a standard action.

An Inspired Blade swashbuckler gives you Weapon Finesse (rapier) and Weapon Focus (rapier) feats for free. Take the feat fencing grace and you have dex to hit and damage at first level. Seems like a good start.

The URL doesn't match the link text

Forgot to make it public in the sharing settings. I'm obviously too stoopid to figure out Google Docs lol.

Thanks for posting a proper link.

Here

I have a lv1 build that would have a +10 to hit for 1d12+15

How do you get these hit and damage bonuses at 1st level?

I will second Cattleman's Hospitaler (damn you Cattleman for beating me to it). In a game where magical healing is going to be scarce and probably unaffordable, having a character who can act as a frontline fighter, a healer and even a party face is win win win.

You needn't play a half orc, dual-classed human can get +2 to STR and CHA. Aasimars are good too. Fey foundling feat is good for increasing the healing you get from lay on hands and channel.

Tieflings have an insane FCB for Paladins - +1 per level added to your lay on hands if you use it on yourself.

It's probably a good idea to save as many lay on hands for yourself in any case, since it can be used in combat as a swift action. You should have plenty of channels for the other PC's.

I don't know whether Sean FitzSimon is actively updating his guide

He hasn't posted for just over 3 years, I wouldn't hold your breath for an update.

max out UMD

This... and lots of wands.

Get a weapon with a crit range of 18-20 and the feat Improved Critical. Then you get crits on anything 16 and up

Improved critical on a 18-20 weapon will give you a crit range of 15-20.

Inspired Blade is a good 1 level dip. It does suffer from only regaining panache on a crit though. Might I suggest Plume of Panache

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/m-p/plume -of-panache/

as a good magical item for you. 1000gp for +1 panache. Not a top priority item for you, but something to consider.

I have heard about people buying multiple plumes and switching them out during the day, after they are expended. Seems a bit cheesy to me, but it is certainly effective.

Let me second the comment that if you are going to take the luck trait, play as a halfling.

Use the halflings alternate luck racial trait. Umd divine favor.

It's good and bad news with adaptable luck.

Fate's favored will increase the adaptable luck bonus to +3 before or +2 after the roll, since adaptable luck is a luck bonus.

It will not increase Halfling Luck, as this is a racial bonus.

One drawback is that adaptable luck can only be used 3 times per day (but it can be used on ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks).

Another drawback is that adaptable luck will not stack with an ongoing Archaeologist's luck (both are luck bonuses), whereas Halfling luck will stack with Archaeologist's luck (a racial bonus and a luck bonus).

If you choose to go that way, a good use of adaptable luck is if you are ambushed or beaten on initiative by a spellcaster before you can use a swift action to start up your Archaeologist's luck, you can still use adaptable luck on your saving throws, since it is not an action. It gives a greater bonus than halfling luck.

If you want to make your 3 uses of adaptable luck last, mainly use it after the roll (for a +2 bonus), when you think you failed, but think you were within 2 points of success.

Low and early mid levels are the sweet spot for martial characters, when they can dominate the game a bit.

As you reach higher levels, you will see your cleric and sorceror increase in power greatly and the paladin will probably not 'hog the limelight' quite as much.

*Ponders*

Good to know. Does that work in general for all swift actions? Can they all be downgraded, where appropriate?

I think we've already house ruled this, but if it's also RAW that's good to know :P

Quick study is an investigator talent, and it would mean missing out on one of the other juicy talents to be able to do this.

I think I would go for Gladius rather than Rapier. Yes, it's less cool. But that P or S damage means zombies don't eat you. And it uses shortsword proficiency, so I think you're fine.

Inspired Blade has to use a rapier. The trade-off is that you get the Weapon Focus (Rapier) and Weapon Finesse (Rapier) feats for free.

And if you'd left it as it was, you'd probably have studied combat activated, but be standing alone, out of reach of your enemy and unable to move. You just can't win sometimes.

The Swashtigator is quite a popular build too. Never played anything with investigator levels myself.

Isn't studied combat a move action though?

Yeah - the Swashbuckler is a poorly-designed class. You shouldn't have to wonder if riposting this round might prevent you from using charmed life on the next round.

My house rule is to leave parry/riposte as is, but charmed life is a free action, not an immediate action. What is it exactly that you are doing with charmed life that burns up time anyway? Does anyone else's saving throws cost them an immediate action?

Also, by RAW, you can't use charmed life if you are flat-footed, which can be embarassing (and when I say embarassing, I mean deadly).

The DM of - These are great arguments for the pro-ruler faction to espouse. This stops it becoming a simple good vs evil struggle and it becomes much more layered and complicated than that.

I would still be against this king though, and my 11th level Paladin of Iomedae (oath of vengeance) would definitely have a thing or two to say about it.

Imagine my victorious Paladin at the end of the resulting bitter civil war, as he looks around at the battlefield of corpses, the divided kingdom, the king-to-be who is still a child, and the neighbouring countries who have sensed weakness and are preparing to invade. He wanted to leave the Kingdom a better place and, in many ways, he has failed.

Parrying misses annoys me too, but you haven't totally wasted a point of panache, since you can then riposte 'for free' (providing you have that all-important point of panache left).

Parrying a miss is easier than parrying a hit too, since you have a lower roll to beat on your parry roll, so you have a larger chance of riposting.

What's bad about this guy you ask?

Welllll he's sorta been taking over people's bodies for millennia. Not giving any of them a chance to live their lives in order to extend his. I think it's safe to say that's an evil dude right there.

That doesn't necessarily make him an unsuccessful ruler. It would be interesting if a group of people supported him, even when the truth is discovered, either for financial reasons or because they liked his style of rulership.

I think a haunt at the crypt is a great atmospheric way of giving a clue. The haunt should just reveal enough to tantalise the players before fading away...

After this other clues could include:

Relatives of the new King/Queen noticing an abrupt personality change in the new ruler. Older members of the Royal family or courtiers will know this always seems to happen shortly after the coronation.

A visiting mage sensing some evil magic about the crown. He consults the party mage for advice. Shortly afterwards, the mage is found murdered.

Notes in an ancient historical tome that an evil artifact (the magic jar gem) had been seized in a war between two kingdoms. it was now kept in the possession of your big baddie for 'safekeeping'. Make it an unusual-looking gem, which can now be seen in the Royal Crown. This gem allows the magic jar duration to last for days or weeks meaning that the possession can occur at the coronation.

Your big baddie (and all of the rulers after him) could have a hobby - riding, hunting, falconry or be interested in magical tomes. Shortly after the coronation, the new King/Queen seems to show the same interests/skills, despite never having been interested in these things before.

Recently, many Kings/Queens have died when their next-in-line reaches about 20 years old. They are found dead, without a mark on them. The death is usually ascribed to a weak heart(Your big baddie has come to like the feel of youth, and hate the feel of aging, even to middle age). An elderly court physician has started to wonder about this however...

According to a book about your big baddie(or any of the subsequent rulers), he had a nervous tic or twitch, mannerism or saying that all of his predecessors seem to have shared. (It's a bit cheesy, but it really gets that bodyswap thing over to the players).

Since Archaeologist’s luck is treated as bardic performance for the purposes of feats that affect bardic performance, this makes the feat lingering performance a must have.

At the moment you only have 6 rounds of Archaeologist’s luck, but you could increase it to 18 rounds with this feat.

Simply activate the luck with a swift action on round 1 for a single round only. Lingering performance will extend it through the next 2 rounds without costing any uses of luck, or any actions. At the start of round 4 you could take another swift to activate the luck again for another single round, if necessary, which would again be extended for a further two rounds by lingering performance.

A +2 luck bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for an extra 12 rounds for the cost of 1 feat is too good to pass up.

Agreed Sir Thugsalot. Time for some new DPR beasts.

...Or the feat Extra Rage for 6 extra rounds of rage.

If your 6 rounds of rage seem a bit low, you could consider taking the feat 'additional traits'. This gives you 2 traits instead of a feat.

The feat Berserker of the Society would increase your rounds of rage by 3. You could pick something nice for your second trait.

Tell you what, when the rest of the party all agree to take Darkvision and Stealth and not clank around in full plate making my abilities completely useless, I'll be happy to stick with them all the time. ;-)

Scouting ahead is a special case. It makes tactical sense to do that. I think most of us are considering a real split in the party, like where half the party goes left and half goes right.

Yup - the party either hangs together, or they hang seperately.

Plus. it's a pain DMing a couple of groups, so make 'em pay if they keep doing it :)

An excellent guide Kurald. I've never played a magus, but using your guide I'm soon going to.

+1 asking for more ideas please angry wiggles (or anyone else).

For this dip I would also recommend the trait Vagabond Child (urban) which gives disable device as a class skill and adds +1 to it.

You can be a wand using, spell casting, trap disarming, lock picking swashy. With your wand of CLW, you'll never be short of friends, and you can look after the dedicated party healer if they go down.

With Dex 18, and points in stealth and you can fill the Rogue roll.

With Cha 16, and points in Diplomacy and you'll be a pretty good face too.

You'll never be short of things to do with this build.

Thanks for that BretI - I thought it was pretty powerful for a 1st level spell!

Still there are plenty of other 1st level Bard spells to choose from.

I think Archaeologist Bard is a super 1st level dip for a future Swashy.

YOU LOSE: -1 BAB and -1 dam. You will obviously gain your Swashbuckler features a little later. Your Iterative attacks will be 1 level behind too.

YOU GAIN: cantrips and 1st Level spells (Grease anyone? Windy Escape?)
+2 to your Will saves (addressing a real weakness of the Swashbuckler here)
The ability to use many wands – including the eternally useful wand of CLW
Bardic Knowledge
2 extra skill points

And best of all - Archaeologist's Luck: As a swift action, an archaeologist can call on fortune’s favor, giving him a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier.

Combine Archaeologist's Luck with Fate's Favored trait (to increase the luck bonus to +2 on attack rolls, saving throws, damage rolls and skill checks) and the Lingering Performance feat and you can cycle your luck.

Archeologist's Luck continues for 2 rounds after it is discontinued. This basically triples the number of rounds if it is cycled in 3 round increments. It only costs a swift action to activate Archaeologist's Luck, nothing to discontinue it or to make it linger for another 2 rounds.

With a 16 Cha, you would have 21 rounds of luck!

Incidentally, not sure if this 'Luck cycling' is PFS legal. Can anyone advise? If it isn't it surely would be good for most regular games, as it is within the written rules.

Consider trading the halfling luck trait for adaptable luck. Your halfling luck will not stack with Archaeologist's Luck, which you would presumably have active in combat most of the time. So, just in case you get ambushed and do not have Archaeologist's Luck activated, adaptable luck will give you:

3 times/day gain +3 (with Fate's Favored) on an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, if used before the roll or +2 (with Fate's Favored) on the same if used afterwards. This does not cost an action. Being able to use that +2 after the roll on attack rolls and skill checks (once Charmed Life comes online to cover your saves) is just great!

Incidentally, if you really want Piranha Strike for your rapier, you can have it with a magical item called Effortless Lace. (Sorry newbie poster - I can't do links yet)

Full disclosure and credit here - this build is heavily influenced by Zoli Tileani's profile (again sorry I couldn't do a link here).