11- Horizon Walker 5 – feat: Extra Discovery (investigator talent – rogue talent: Terrain Mastery x2); favored terrain: Plane of Air (13th), favored terrain (alchemist): Astral Plane (14th), Plane of Fire (15th)
Magical Items of Note: Boots of Friendly Terrain
Party Role at low levels (1-4): typical ranged combatant, with some decent scouting and sneaking ability (with the new Wild Shadow trait, it’s like a poor man’s hide in plain sight). Bullseye Shot will offset the penalty for not having precise shot for the first couple of levels. He’s not doing a lot of damage, but his attacks hit pretty well. With some extracts via Alchemy, it gives him a bit of versatility and options (like true strike or monkey fish). If he runs into DR, he can pull out a few bombs or alchemical items for the combat. At 4th level, I’m still unsure if Urban or Underground is better suited to the Emerald Spire – it’s a structure, so you would think Urban...but how much of it is underground?
Party Role at mid levels (5-8): His skills dramatically ramp up at this point. The key here is the Inspired Alchemist – when they can take a discovery, they can take two investigator talents in its place, which allows him to take the rogue talent Terrain Mastery. By spending his feats on Extra Discovery, he can pick up a lot of terrains. You can only USE the newer favored terrain while being affected by the inspiring cognatogen – although that doesn’t matter as much here, since just having the favored terrain still raises the bonuses to the only one that matters – Urban. Just at 5th level, his bonuses in the tower from terrain mastery are already at +12 with the low-cost Boots of Friendly Terrain. By 8th level, +20. He’s still not doing a lot of damage, though...which will hurt during this period (DR much more frequent). Still, with a magic sling and some different type of ammunition, I may be able to mitigate that.
Party Role at high levels (9-11+): Although I can keep playing the spire past 11th, I’ve only planned out that far ahead, since standard retirement in PFS is at 12th. At this tier, his combat contribution suddenly swings into overdrive. This is due to a few factors. One, due to Terrain Dominance, he can now add +24 to hit and damage to all his attacks vs humanoids (urban races). Two, due to his 4th level of Divine Marksman, he gets +12 to hit and damage against everything ELSE. Three, using his Companion Bond, he can give everyone else in the party +12/+12 to hit/damage vs a single humanoid foe (or +6/+6 vs something non-humanoid). By 11th level, it’s up to +32 (and +16 and +8 respectively).
I could change the PC a bit – make him a human for the bonus feat, leave him with a bow, then retrain out 3 feats at 9th level (Point Blank, Precise, and his human bonus) into 6 more terrain masteries. That’s the better combat option…but I also like the idea of all this damage output being done by flinging pebbles into the bad guy’s forehead.
So...thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? I haven’t gone into magical items too much, and I’m not sold on the build (still debating internally). Still, I liked the idea of a Horizon Walker, when we’ll know for most of this adventure what the terrain is going to be.
I am looking over the rules regarding using the Ranged Study feat, and using the studied target Investigator ability, then applying riders/conditions using the various Studied Target Investigator Talents. I thought I’d bounce this off the rules community to make sure I’m thinking this out correctly.
On Sickening Offensive, not only does it appear to work without issue, but the PC doesn’t even need to have the Ranged Study feat (although you’re not getting the benefits of Studied Combat or Studied Strike without the feat). Just study the target, at any range, and hit them with a ranged attack (or just damage them in any way, really) to sicken them for 1 round.
On Slowing Strike, you need to have the feat and be within 30 feet (since you have to do damage with Studied Strike). Otherwise, this works.
On the rest of the ‘maneuver’ rider talents, first the rule ‘specific overrides general’ would seem to apply at first – while normally performing combat maneuvers can only be done in melee combat (general), using these abilities appears to allow you to do them in ranged combat, using the feat (specific). However, all these abilities allow you to do is make a separate maneuver check – which, itself, still has the melee requirements. So, theoretically, I could use them with a ranged attack, but then use the free granted maneuver – which would still need to be in melee.
Not to mention stealing at range through non-magical means is just strange.
So…
Sickening Offensive (works)
Slowing Strike (works)
Various ‘Maneuver’ Strikes (do not work)
I think I’ve covered all my bases. Am I looking at this correctly?
It’s our second year for this convention, held in the Indianapolis area. We are focused on running PFS-sanctioned modules during this three-day convention. Among the modules/adventure paths in the line-up:
[Skulls and Shackles 1] The Wormwood Mutiny (lvl 2-4)
Feast of Ravenmoor (lvl 2-4)
The Midnight Mirror (lvl 3-5)
City of Golden Death (lvl 4-6)
Cult of the Ebon Destroyers (lvl 7-9)
Doom Comes to Dustpawn (lvl 8-10)
Along with these scenarios/quests:
Quest "Phantom Phenomena" (lvl 1)
0-04 "The Frozen Fingers of Midnight" (lvl 1-5)
6-99 "True Dragons of Absalom" (lvl 4)
7-05 "School of Spirits" (lvl 1-5)
7-10 "The Consortium Compact" (lvl 1)
7-11 "Ancients’ Anguish" (lvl 7-11)
7-12 "The Twisted Circle" (lvl 1-5)
7-13 "Captive in Crystal" (lvl 5-9)
7-15 "The Slave Master's Mirror" (lvl 3-7)
A question about access from this boon in the Core campaign. First, the relevant stuff from the boon...
Spoiler:
Year 6 Boon #9 wrote:
You have studied some of the techniques, traditions, and theories taught at the legendary Magaambyan, Nantambu's school of magic in the Mwangi Expanse. Whether you are on your way to becoming a true Magaambyan arcanist or simply dabbling in its mysteries, you have learned how to tap into arcane and druidic spellcasting secrets.
You may use this boon to "lose" any one prepared spell(or spell slot for a spellcaster who can cast spell spontaneously) in order to cast one of the following spells of the same level or lower. You may cast this spell even if it would not normally appear on your spell list. When you use the boon in this way, cross the entire boon off your Chronicle sheet.
...<list of spells removed>...
Alternatively, you may cross this boon off your Chronicle sheet to retrain one feat into either Scholar or Spell Mastery for free.
While it appears the boon gives you access to the Scholar feat, can you also get access to the Magaambyan Arcanist P-class? My initial thoughts are no, but I thought I'd ping the group to get your opinion. It talks about the class in the boon, but since the class already is accessible in the regular campaign, the boon didn't need to give additional access.
This is the first year for a new convention in the Indianapolis area (West Side!). We are focusing on running PFS-sanctioned modules during this one-day convention. Among the modules in the line-up:
The Midnight Mirror (lvl 3-5)
Fangwood Keep (lvl 3-5)
From Shore to Sea (lvl 5-7)
The Harrowing (lvl 8-10)
Doom Comes to Dustpawn (lvl 8-10)
Along with these scenarios:
6-04 "Beacon Below" (lvl 7-11)
6-05 "Slave Ships of Absalom" (lvl 1-5)
6-06 "Hall of the Flesh Eaters" (lvl 1-5)
6-07 "Vally of Veiled Flame" (lvl 5-9)
6-11 "The Slave Master's Mirror" (lvl 3-7)
I’m curious about general DM opinion in PFS play for variant channeling rules. While it is easy enough to just say ‘expect table variation’ on some of this, I thought I’d do a quick poll of the PFS forum.
Now, per RAW, you look at the ‘portfolio’ of gods to decide what variant channeling options a cleric has. Do you only look at their ‘areas of concern/influence’? What about their domains?
1. Would you allow a god that grants the Madness domain access to the Madness variant channeling rules, even if madness/insanity is not listed in their ‘areas of concern’?
What about more interpretive options, such as...
2. A deity of famine granting the harming channel version of farming?
3. A god granting the Nobility domain access to the rulership variant?
4. Pain variant to a god of ‘suffering’?
5. A deity granting the Liberation domain access to the freedom variant?
I had a list of teamwork feats that a group of friends and I are considering for a 'team'. Among the list is a feat that I had listed (and remembered finding) called 'Collective Recollection' (at least, that's what I have written down). It's a teamwork feat that allows all other allies within 30' who have the same feat to make an aid another action as a free action when making a knowledge check.
Now, for the life of me, I can't find the feat. I originally found it in the SRD site, but I remember having problems finding it via the search engine originally - I originally found it through some indirect links, not using the search engine on the SRD site for a simple search of the feat name.
Now, I can't find it. I would at LEAST like to find it so I can figure out what book it came from. I plan on searching for the book and buying it, so if we take the feat - we can use it in PFS, and need the actual book or PDF of the source.
Can anyone help? Perhaps locate the page link on the SRD site? Or at least list the resource it is from?
Benefit: When you and an ally with this feat have grappled the same creature, you may attempt to damage the opponent on your turn (whether you were the one who first initiated the grapple or were assisting your ally in doing so). You and the ally are treated as aiding each other in the grapple (+2 bonus on your grapple combat maneuver) as long as you both decide to maintain the grapple.
Normal: When multiple creatures grapple one target, the creature that first initiates the grapple is the only one that makes a check to damage a grappled opponent, with a +2 bonus for each creature that assists the grapple using the Aid Another action.
I'm playing a verminous hunter using this feat with his companion. My question...
When a foe tries to break out of the grapple, how does he do it? Under the normal rules, one grappler is the 'primary' grappler, and the others are just assisting. With this feat, both attackers attackers are grappling, and they are aiding one another. Does the target have to take separate actions to break out of each grapple (ie: two standard actions)? If not, which CMD does the foe use for purposes of breaking out of the grapple?
With my first read of things, it doesn't look like the feat changes the original rules for 'multiple grapplers', in the sense that there is still a 'primary grappler', with the others just using the 'aid another' action. However, the feat allows the aider to not only gain the benefits of 'aid' from the primary attacker, but he deals damage with his aid action.
Later, I got into a debate with a friend, and he suggested the feat is much more powerful than I previously thought (ie: attacker must use two standard actions to break out, since there are two primary grapplers). I disagree...but I thought I'd ping the rules group here, to see what y'all thought.
So I took part of my day off the other day to sit down and look over two characters that I had in mind for retraining.
One, an oracle/sorcerer that I've decided to lose my sorcerer level, as well as retrain into a new archetype. It'll cost about a 1000 gold and 20 prestige - expensive, but manageable.
The other one - a bard 'street performer' archetype that built when I saw that Pageant of the Peacock was PFS legal. I designed the character around that build...feats, skill points, traits, giving up Inspire Courage due to the archetype, etc. (note: this is not a complaint about the loss of that particular masterpiece - it's now banned, so now I'm trying to figure out how to salvage the character). At 5th level, I just don't have the Prestige for this retraining. I simply can't afford it, even if I just retrain into a normal bard with less focus on Bluff.
Is there some post I'm missing about a rebuild on this particular PFS rules change. I'm fine with burning all of my existing prestige, if that's what I need to do - but with the PFS-specific rules, I can't afford it.
Reckless Rage...Benefit: When you use Power Attack while raging or while using raging song, you take an additional –1 penalty on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks, and you gain an additional +2 bonus on melee damage rolls. Modify this damage bonus appropriately based on the type of weapon you are using, as normal for Power Attack.
When I first read this feat, I discounted it and moved on. Now, I've found my way back to it...and I'm starting to doubt myself and my original reading.
When I first read this, I assumed that this feat doesn't scale as Power Attack does (ie: For a 2-handed weapon, it does an additional -1 to hit/+3 to damage on top of normal Power Attack...and while at 4th level, Power Attack increases to -2/+6, Reckless Rage does not increase as well, which leaves you a net -3/+9). When I went back and read it again, I stopped for a moment and looked at the last line of the feat.
It only says that you modify the benefits/penalties based on the type of weapon you're using. It says nothing about what your BAB is - please, someone reassure me that I'm reading this right. The only possible benefits of this feat are -1/+2 or -1/+3, period...correct?
The abilities in the Occultist Archetype for the Arcanist are listed as spell-like abilities. However, to use them, you 'cast' them (at least, that's the term used in the archetype). This leaves a bit of a question for me.
1. Does it benefit from Augmented Summoning (as the Summoner's summoning ability does)?
2. Does it require components? Normally, spell-like doesn't...so then, no gestures for summoning a creature...and no spell component cost for the augury ability.
I have a character idea I'm tossing around that wields scissors as a weapon. This is a PFS-specific question dealing with rules on item enhancement in the campaign.
In the Inner Sea Gods book, there are magical scissors called 'Fate's Shears' (pg 263). They have some minor magical properties, but they also list the following:
"If used in combat, the Shears function as a masterwork dagger."
My question - in PFS, could I use the normal item enhancement rules to upgrade this to a +1 weapon (spending 2000gp)?
Disrupting Counter (Ex): At 3rd level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against her, she can spend 1 panache point to make an attack of opportunity against the attacking foe. This attack of opportunity can be made with either a dagger or a starknife. If the attack hits, the opponent takes a –4 penalty on all attack rolls until the end of its turn. This deed replaces kip-up.
SRD wrote:
Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex): At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature's result, the creature's attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach.
Can these both be used vs one attack (assuming the PC has the available AoOs and panache)? Normally, you can only make one Attack of Opportunity vs one provoking action. However, these don't specifically call out the attack as 'provoking an AoO'. On the first, you, "...make an AoO...", while the second, you, "...expend a use of an AoO to attempt to parry the attack."
"...anytime the wearer gives or receives a numeric bonus from a teamwork feat or the aid another action, that bonus increases by +1."
So a fighter and a rogue stand side-by-side. The rogue aid's the fighter's to-hit roll against a foe. They both are wearing two rings of tactical precision. Assuming the rogue is successful in his aid attempt, does the fighter get a bonus to his attack roll of:
A. +3 (just one ring, pick one)
B. +4 (one ring [rogue], one ring [fighter])
C. +6 (both rings [rogue], both rings [fighter])
...and why?
The same question could apply to bonuses from tactical feats, such as Outflank, but let's just go with this to make it simple.
A few general questions either not dedicated to one specific class …
1. Is the idea eventually that you can take an archetype of one of the original classes, as long as the abilities that get replaced are still in existence, and at the same level (such as the Bloodrager’s Uncanny Dodge - so for example, could a person take the Mounted Fury archetype of Barbarian)? I'm sure you don't want us to worry about this during the playtest, but I was curious.
2. Which of the existing ‘Extra...’ feats work? Below is what I THINK is correct based on feat and current class wording:
- Extra Rogue Talent for Inquisitor/Slayer (I assume ‘no’ – not rogue talent),
- Extra Performance for Skalds (I assume ‘no’ – not bardic performance),
- Extra Hex for Shamans (I assume ‘yes’, but do they cover the ‘travelling spirit’ hex options?),
- Extra Rage for Bloodragers/Skalds ( I assume ‘yes’/’no’ [Skalds don’t have rage power]),
- Extra Rage Power for Skalds (I assume ‘no’ – Skalds don’t have rage power),
The new Tactical Reposition feat allows a target to be repositioned into a 'trap or other hazardous area', such as a pit. Do y'all see any issues RAW with repositioning a foe into the air with this feat?
There have been numerous threads about the use of the Toppling Spell Metamagic Feat. What I haven't seen is much elaboration of how other tripping-linked feats/items/class abilities interact with it.
Glancing through the rules, this is what I see, and my thoughts on them. Tell me if I'm looking at these rules correctly.
Feats...
First, the obvious. Improved and Greater Trip - add +2/+4 to the check. Easy enough, although you won't get the attack of opportunity from Greater Trip without threatening the target.
Ki Throw - it's not an 'unarmed' trip check (whether you have a weapon in your hand or not), so this wouldn't come into play.
Binding Throw - again, not unarmed as Ki Throw.
Vicious Stomp - Similar to Greater Trip, you will only get the unarmed AoO if the target of your spell is adjacent to you.
Fury's Fall - although you're making a trip check, you are not using your CMB, so adding your Dex to your CMB doesn't really do anything.
Tandem Trip - this should work, but your ally still has to threaten the target of the spell (and you BOTH have to have the teamwork feat). Interestingly, you don't have to threaten the target for this feat to work (although for your ally to benefit from YOU having the feat on HIS trip checks, you'll need to be threatening).
Twin Thunders Flurry - you get the +2 vs giant, but I don't believe Toppling Spell has a target size limit, so this feat has limited use.
Dimensional Maneuvers - since this is only usable with a full attack action (per Dimensional Dervish), this can't be used.
Riptide Attack - this is the most interesting one. RAW, it should work...but one could argue that you have to be threatening the target to get the drag combat maneuver (since you're not using the spell to DRAG the target - you'd need to be using the drag maneuver from another source, such as a weapon attack).
Items...
Gauntlets of the Skilled Maneuver - should work, if 'tuned' to trip checks.
Polarity Hammer - unsure on this one. I believe the intent is that you are using the hammer for the trip attack, but looking at it RAW, it looks like you might be able to push or pull the target of a trip check using Toppling spell, if you're wielding the hammer at the same time as you're casting the spell.
Class features...
Monk Maneuver Master - the 4th and 5th level archetype abilities that amp up your trip check should be usable with a multi-classed spell caster.
Fighter Lore Warden - while the trip check is a Combat Maneuver check, you are not using your CMB, so the Maneuver Mastery ability of this fighter archetype would not benefit a multi-classed spellcaster.
One thing I've noticed in digging through this (and correct me if I'm wrong), but bonuses to CMB don't get you anything with Toppling Spell, but bonuses to your Combat Maneuver check do. This is primarily because you are not using your CMB to make the combat maneuver using the metamagic feat.
Does anyone see a rules problem with purposefully failing a check. I started thinking of the 'casting defensively' action, but I suppose it falls in line with purposefully failing a skill check, attack roll, saving throw, etc. You wouldn't normally want to do that, but there are certain situations where it might help (such as with Bluff checks "Come on, guys - we can't let this guy escape!" <miss>).
Mechanically, it came up while working on this thought:
Destined Sorcerer with the Karmic (Wildblooded) variant.
Sorcerer steps up beside the two-handed fighter ally, who is facing off against an orc bad guy. The sorcerer casts a cantrip spell defensively, purposefully failing the check. Due to the Bloodline Arcana of Karmic, the orc triggers an attack of opportunity from the fighter.
I've tossed around the idea of making a Poisoner specialist in PFS. I've read the FAQ listing the poisons you can buy (assuming you pick the appropriate class with Poison Use). My question, though, deals with races that can produce their own poison.
Off the top of my head, you can possibly manage the following races with 'poison production' as a possibility:
...both of which require the appropriate campaign access to run (certain boons, mostly). There's also the Vishkanya, but I don't think any of the boons have covered them yet.
So the question - can, say, an alchemist, craft poisons using his own natural poisons? If so, is there a gp cost?
Poisoners have some inherent problems (such as all the creatures that are immune to poisons, the basic non-scaling DC of most poisons, etc). My biggest problem, though, is the cost involved. If I am going to be regularly using poisons, the cost becomes prohibitive (and the PC gradually falls behind on the comparative GP vs other PCs).
I've considered the possibility of pulling poisons from your own body as a way to have some 'free' poisons available - although you'd still have to work at it (or 'craft' it) to preserve the poison beyond a certain point. Still, I'm not seeing any way in the PFS campaign to pull this off. I figured I'd post this idea - see if someone knows of something I'm missing.
Many of the druid archetypes gain wild shape, but at a reduced level (say, level -2 or level -4), but give access to other shapes in return. If you take shaping focus, would you get access to those shapes earlier?
For example, a mountain druid gets access to change into giant forms at 12th level, but he wild shapes at -2 levels. Would a mountain druid 9/fighter 1 with the shaping focus feat get access to the giant shape at 10th level?
Using the rod of absorption is listed as 'requires no action on the part of the user' when it absorbs. Can the PC choose not to absorb a spell? Such as a beneficial spell, or a minor spell? Or would the PC need to put away the rod for the chosen spell to affect him?
The same goes for an ioun stone that absorbs spells as a rod (whether it is in orbit around the PC's head, or in a wayfinder).
I could have sworn there was a flurry of Advanced Race Guide questions that might have addressed this, but digging around for it now, I didn't find it with a search.
Is casting paragon surge multiple times on the same target useful? I realize the enhancement bonus doesn't stack...but each time you cast it, could a different feat be given? Similar to multiple resist energy spells (with each to a different element)? So, for example, as long as the target has the stat requirements met, could one casting of the spell give him power attack...and a second casting give him cleave?
I don't have my ARG in front of me, but I believe the spell name in question was paragon surge (forgive me if my memory is off).
It appears that Metamagic feats can be applied to cantrips, since cantrips are a type of spell that can be cast at will. The question is, if a wizard heightens a cantrip (and it takes up a higher level spell slot), is it still cast at will? Or would it take up the one spell slot, and once cast, it is gone? Does the cantrip stop being a cantrip once it occupies a higher than 0-level 'spell slot'? Is the nature of being able to cast the spells at will because they're 0 level, or because they're 'cantrips'?
Example: A wizard memorizes a maximized Acid Splash spell, which would take up a 3rd level slot. Once he's cast it, is it gone from memory? Or being a cantrip, can it be cast again and again?
Note: Yes, I know that a maximized Acid Splash seems like a waste...but the question is how the rules work on Metamagic Feats and cantrips.
The Heighten Spell feat, the way it is worded, seems to change everything to a higher level, not just save DCs of a spell. Is that correct?
Example: The Wizard subschool of Necromancy - "Life" - allows the wizard to heal targets of his or her spells hit points equal to the level of the spell. So if, say, a haste spell is heightened to 5th level, would it heal 5 hit points of damage rather than 3?
