evolved's page

I'm curious about how the following interact:

Forbidden Rites: A separatist selects one domain from her deity's domain list, and a second domain that is not on her deity's domain list. This second domain cannot be an alignment domain that doesn't match the cleric's or her deity's alignment. For example, a lawful good separatist cleric of a neutral good deity cannot choose the Chaos or Evil domain with this ability, but can select the Lawful domain even though her deity isn't lawful.

Granted powers from the cleric's second domain function as if the cleric's level, Wisdom, and Charisma were 2 lower than normal (minimum level 1) in terms of effect, DC, and uses per day. This also means the separatist doesn't gain the domain's higher-level ability until 2 levels later than normal. If the second domain grants additional class skills, the separatist gains these as normal. In all other respects, this ability works like and replaces the standard cleric's domain ability.

Magical Knack: You were raised, either wholly or in part, by a magical creature, either after it found you abandoned in the woods or because your parents often left you in the care of a magical minion. This constant exposure to magic has made its mysteries easy for you to understand, even when you turn your mind to other devotions and tasks. Pick a class when you gain this trait—your caster level in that class gains a +2 trait bonus as long as this bonus doesn't raise your caster level above your current Hit Dice.

Would magical knack bring your caster level for the given domain back up to your level?

I understand the wisdom/charisma penalty would still apply, but unless I am mistaken it seems that magical knack might help mitigate the caster level drawback of the seperatist archtype. I admit I am not certain on this, which is why I felt compelled to ask here.

Good day all,

Recently my friends and I were adventuring in the lovely layers of the Abyss and we were beset upon by some Pathfinder-adapted beholders. I guess for copyright reasons we'll call them Insane Large Eye'd Roundlings.

For all 2 of you that aren't familiar with them, they have a large central eye that is basically an anti-magic cone, and bazillions of eye-stalks that shoot blazing death in various forms: disintegrate, charm, sleep, stone to flesh, etc (supernatural ability). On top of this they are 'naturally boyant' (read: naturally cheesy) so they float as an (EX) ability.

My question is about how the spell "Baleful Polymorph" works in general, and then following into the specifics.

Baleful polymorph begins with "as Beast Shape III" (which is a polymorph spell)
Beast shape, as a polymorph class spell, basically removes all of the abilities of the base creature that relied on its old form.
Baleful polymorph however has a second save (will) that allows it to keep its (EX), (SU), (SP) abilities and its ability to cast spells.

So this is a case of the specific save of baleful polymorph allowing things to 'come through' the beast shape 3 spell, and then allow a save? Or does it mean that if the base form had any (SU),(SP),(EX)+casting ability in its beast shape form, that THOSE are allowed to come through on a save? It seems worded to basically allow the former, so that baleful polymorph isn't effectively a save or die, but more of a Save-and-Save-or-die

(Apologies for the long post)

An Insane-Large-Eye'd-Roundling was hit with a baleful polymorph and it failed it's initial save. The druid decided a turtle was a good new animal addition to the environment and the legally-different-than-a-beholder became a turtle, however it made its next save.
Since the spell specifically says it keeps all of its base (EX),(SU),(SP)+casting abilities by making the save, the DM ruled that the turtle somehow floated in the air (EX bouyancy) and continued to shoot rays out from its eyes (SU eye stalks) and it could use its anti-magic cone central-eye (SU) somehow during this just like before. In the end it seemed that the only thing the baleful polymorph did was make the bad guy's AC go up and give it a better to-hit with its rays with the DEX buff.

Does this seem correct?

And if so, it seems that baleful polymorph wouldnt stop a dragon that was turned into a dove from roasting the party with its dragon's breath, or a water-elemental turned into a monkey from dripping through a grate?

Hello all,

During my last gameplay session I summoned a crocodile and there were some questions about what appears to be a somewhat poorly worded ability called death roll.

Here's the text from the PRD version of the ability:

Death Roll (Ex) When grappling a foe of its size or smaller, a crocodile can perform a death roll upon making a successful grapple check. As it clings to its foe, it tucks in its legs and rolls rapidly, twisting and wrenching its victim. The crocodile inflicts its bite damage and knocks the creature prone. If successful, the crocodile maintains its grapple.

I've searched the forum, and although there were a few posts that were related to the ability none of them questioned the wording of it. Can someone give me a brief overview of how this ability is intended to work? I am familiar with the flavored intent of the ability, ie, how a crocodile uses a death roll to pull limbs and flesh off of its meal.

But how does that apply when using the ability, and what is the 'If successful' clause of this ability referring to, the knocking the target prone? The successful grapple? A successful bite?

The text 'knocks the target prone', does that mean I make a free trip attack, or is the trip attack automatically successful?

Thanks in advance for your help.