Was it JJ or SKR that had the famous "Duck Analogy" for situations similar to this? The premise that things that do EXACTLY THE SAME THING should work EXACTLY THE SAME is a pretty easy one to work with, right?
Also, off topic: Anytime a person mentions a PFS ruling, someone is bound to say "oh, that's just house rules" or something to that effect really irritates me. EVERYONE uses house rules. Even if the rule is "Everything is exactly by the book, no exceptions!" There are still questionable calls and semi(or very)ambiguous rules to interpret, thus two different groups with similar composition (party structure, using the same AP, players make similar decisions, etc.) running "by the book" rulesets can have drastic differences. I mean, really, just look at how many FAQs have been issued, with a staggering amount left to go (and more every day). Perhaps my above assertion isn't so easy to work with after all :/
Either way, Both Magical Lineage and Wayang Spellhunter are fantastic traits. Even if you can't abuse them quite as heavily as you may have first thought, any caster who has a signature spell that craves metamagic would be higly advised to consider one or both traits.
Perhaps I've missed an FAQ or Blog post, but how exactly does Slashing Grace prohibit full Dex damage on off-hand attacks?
Also, the whole "all Dex-to-damage options preclude 1.5x on THF!" argument is pretty bogus, since ALL of the feats that allow it deny ANY Dex-to-damage on THF. The only other way that I'm aware of is the Agile weapon property, which specifically states that THF gets 1x dex.
So, the only precedent for getting Dex-to-damage AT ALL with THF is the Agile weapon property from the Pathfinder Society Field Guide. That's a pretty flimsy basis.
The real question that we should be asking is why on Golarion would they bother to take up extra word count in Fencing Grace by including the line "when wielding a rapier one handed..."
Who THFs with a rapier?
I prefer "save or lose" to mean what Inigo Montoya Kobold Cleaver uses "save or suck" for.
"Save or suck" is least bad (weakest) of the "save or ____" line.
There are typically 4 save types:
Save or die (actual death! Phantasmal Killer is the earliest this really becomes a term.)
Save or lose (this happens from level 1, as previously mentioned Sleep, Color Spray, etc.)
Save or suck (again, level 1 entry)
Finally, save for half (This one has no special "save or ____" entry. It's usually just elemental damage.)
Wait, wait, wait....the Slayer has a problem? Seriously? Is it a case of "too much buffet, not enough plates..."???
For [insert deity of your choice here]'s sake, they won't let the NINJA get the Unchained goodies, why would they possibly hand them out to an entirely separate class?
If you want your Slayer to have the Unchained Rogue's Finesse stuff, then just take 3 levels in Unchained Rogue! Welcome to multiclassing!
My 1e/2e lv.3 Paladin does not agree. The rogue is happily wheeling and dealing hundreds of gold (NOT electrum) at a shot, meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how the hell I'm going to pay for the inn tonight.
62.)Odd numbers in stats actually mean something other than "oh, that's what I'll bump at lv. 4"
This notoriously chaste paladin's most famous adventure involved a group of his fellow knights on a quest given by his deity to recover a legendary artifact, said to hold the power of life itself.
It seems a relatively thankless job that you've got there. I for one really like the way that y'all are handling the FAQ process, and just wanted you to know that there are many of us, silent though we may often be, who do appreciate all that you and the PDT do to keep this game going as smoothly as possible. Thank you for doing what you do!
So, on the topic of "hot button" issues in the FAQueue, is there any way for the public to know which issues are at or near the top of the list?
* Off topic
My buddy in PFS has a serpentine form Eidolon named Snickers. In one scenario
I believe it was:
6-06 Hall of the Flesh Eaters
, the BBEGhoul at the end was dealt with diplomatically....He told us we were free to traverse his realm if we offered a living sacrifice. The summoner immediately agrees, offering up his Eidolon as a snack. Since the Eidolon just gets banished and returns the next day at 1/2 HP (Tastes great! Less filling!), everyone got what they wanted. Snickers REALLY satisfied that day!
Human Cleric of Erastil
Domains: Plant (Growth), Community
Traits: Fate's Favored, Reactionary
Stats:
Str 16
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 7
Wis 12
Cha 12
point buy: 10,5,5,-4,2,2
Feats: Fey Foundling (lv.1) Extra Channel (Human)
Equipment: Cold Iron Morningstar, Dagger, Javelin x10, Heavy Shield, Scale Armor
You've got all the healing you'll ever need, a decent attack in melee and at range, and 20 AC. You're making it to level 2. Also, just about any PFS table will be glad to have you.
Also, this guy is pretty similar, but has a few differences you may appreciate
Let's see....Level 2...I've got a level of Maneuver Master Monk, so that's IUS and Imp. Trip....Then I'm a Human, so I'll take Imp. Grapple and Ki Throw...I think I'll have Binding Throw with a level of Fighter, then...Well, I think we can all see where this is going....First, I trip them, which triggers Binding Throw, so free Grapple check, then I'll take my additional maneuver....I think I'll take another Grapple, thank you...Oh, look, that's Pinned right there. Next round maybe I'll tie them up and take a full attack...Like, maybe tripping any enemy within 5 feet....
You've got your lame April Fools Day thread over here, and I've got my straw(man) that reaches from another thread ALLLLLLLLLLLthe way over here. I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT ALL UP!
well, at a 6 STR, you'd have a carrying capacity of 15 lbs, so....I'd probably up it to 10, i.e. go with the second stat array.
If you're only taking Paladin to lv.2, I'd take the Divine Hunter archetype. The free Precise Shot is nice, and all you'll give up is Heavy Armor Prof, which you'll never use anyway.
The Bard I'm guessing is just plain vanilla?
Of course, if you're going to be dervish dancing while a bard, you might consider the Dawnflower Dervish (or Dervish of Dawn on the srd) archetype, since they get the feat for free at lv.1 and their battle dance is activated as a move action with double potency... The only compromise here is that you be a worshiper of Sarenrae (although I don't think it's unreasonable to say that you devote yourself to both deities, as they share the same alignment, though PFS can be weird about that sort of thing.)
Also consider the taking the Fate's Favored trait, since, as a Paladin, you have access to wands of Divine Favor (+1 luck bonus to attack and damage), which is a pretty decent buff that lasts for 1 minute.
So, if you did both take Dawnflower Dervish and use a wand of Divine Favor, you could, as a single round of buffing, get +4 to attack and damage. Not bad.
Seriously, look at the dagger example. It does SLASHING damage (when I so choose, which is always for the sake of this argument) and is still subject to DR, as it is a small piercing weapon.
So, if I throw a dagger that I call out as doing slashing damage for this attack, it still does not bypass the DR. Whereas you are saying that the bullets, which do 100% piercing damage (in addition to the 100% bludgeoning damage), will bypass the DR. Is this accurate? If so, there's some faulty logic at play.
You all know that the Quilted Cloth armor specifically calls out that it works against daggers right? You know, daggers, the small, piercing, SLASHING weapons commonly wielded by everyone ever.
If it stops a slashing weapon that is also a small piercing weapon, why wouldn't it do the same for a bludgeoning weapon that is also a small piercing weapon?
...Kind of. Basically, you have to shift alignments, and one way is more restrictive than the other. Going from Monk to Barbarian means going from Lawful to Neutral or Chaotic. The consequences are that you can no longer gain levels in monk, and.... That's really it. HOWEVER, going from Barbarian to Monk means shifting from Chaotic or Neutral to Lawful, which is indeed (L)AWFUL, because you lose the ability to rage and cannot gain more levels in barbarian.
The biggest hurdle really is the RP reason for the alignment shift. However, in this case, it's one of the easiest things to do. Once that level of sorcerer hits, the change starts to happen...reality starts to unhinge for the monastic character, and primal urges and powers start to manifest. Hidden depths of the bloodlines, kept dormant for years suddenly rise to the surface.... It's especially thematic as the OP states that he's going crossblooded Abyssal/Draconic. I know that if I started having Demonic/Dragon blood surge through my veins, I might start to get a bit freaked...
Red mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons as well as light armor and shields (but not tower shields). A red mage can cast arcane spells while wearing light armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a red mage wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass red mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
Spells
A red mage casts arcane spells drawn from the witch spell list. A red mage casts divine spells drawn from the druid spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a red mage must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a red mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the red mage's Charisma modifier. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score.
A red mage's selection of spells is extremely limited. A red mage begins play knowing two 0-level divine spells and two 0-level arcane spells, as well as one 1st-level spell of each divine and arcane. At each new red mage spellcasting level level, she gains one additional divine and arcane spell of any level she is capable of casting.
Arcane Strike
At 4th level, a red mage gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat
Divine Bond
At 8th level, a red mage gains a Divine Bond, as the paladin class feature. Her effective paladin (or druid, if she selects a mount) level is equal to her red mage level -3.
Armored Arcana
At 12th level, a red mage gains proficiency with medium armor, and may cast arcane spells in medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. A red mage wearing heavy armor counts as having the Arcane Armor Mastery feat.
Divine Resilience
At 16th level, whenever the red mage succeeds on a saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, she instead avoids the effect entirely, or takes no damage.
Divine Arcana
At 20th level, a red mage gains the ability to cast a single 8th level spell. This spell may be from either the druid spell list or the witch spell list, and may be cast using spell slots that total 8. (e.g. you could spend two 4th level slots to cast this spell once, or two 3rd level slots and one 2nd level slot)
Every day when the red mage regains her spell slots, she may exchange her single 8th level spell for any other valid choice for that day. She may cast this spell up to 3 times per day.
Being a two-handed weapon is not any sort of advantage. A one-handed weapon can be wielded in two hands for 1.5x str damage and 3-for-1 on power attack.
A level dip into wizard can get the Evocation Admixture subschool which allows on-the-fly elemental damage type changing 3+ int times per day.
It seems that there are at least one or two spells for every level other than 3rd that are perfect for this theme. Ray of frost, chill touch (not cold, but come on, it's called chill touch!), frostbite, elemental touch, frigid touch, dragon's breath, ice storm, wall of ice, cone of cold, freezing sphere. If you're still hurting for other options, the samsarans can get other spells added to their spell list via the mystic past life alt. racial trait.
So, wait, you're saying that when I hold my, let's say...greatsword in one hand, it's intrinsically different than holding my morningstar with my light shield hand? I can pass my morningstar from hand to hand, and even have one of those hands specifically unable to wield a weapon, then pass it back, and still be "wielding" my morningstar, BUT if I take one hand off of my greatsword, putting my other hand back on is a move action?
Basically SKR and James Jacobs seem to imply that changing your grip on a weapon (1 hand to 2, 2 to 1, whatever) is a free action. And NOT one of those "A GM has authority to regulate the amount of free actions that can reasonably be taken" kind of free action, either. You just do it.
The way that I interpret the phrase "interrupts the normal flow..." to mean that it is not anymore in the initiative/turn order. When the AoO goes off, it is no one's turn. Like Gauss said, the only things that can happen at that point are immediate actions and a few select feats (such as the panther style chain). Resolution of the AoO (and/or relevant immediate actions/feat initializations, etc.) occurs. Finally, the turn order is re-initialized, with priority given to the interrupted combatant.
But that's just me, and I could be wrong. But I think I'm right...
Hey, does Spell Specialization help with a Toppling Magic Missile? I mean, at low levels, I know that it grants an extra missile, but since it boosts CL by 2, does that mean my trip attempts are at +2 as well?
@ CrackedOzy
Now, to be clear, when you say "full attack", that's really just one attack until lv. 8. Of course, spellstrike makes it 2, but still, that really doesn't seem overpowered compared to a generic melee TWF build. Plus the fact that the magus spell list is pretty limited (although they DO get some really good ones), and the fact that, especially at lower levels, casting defensively isn't exactly automatic. Not to mention the fact that they only have so many spell slots.
That being said, I do think that they are a very powerful class, and I can't wait to play one.
Just a quick reminder: Spellstrike is immaterial when talking about a monk, as ANY touch spell can regularly be delivered via an unarmed strike. Spell Combat on the other hand...
Oh, if it came up at my table, I would allow the Sohei to flurry in any kind of armor, whether he is proficient in it or not, since armor proficiency has little to nothing to do with the question at hand. I'm more of a "what is not forbidden is allowed" kind of guy, albeit, sometimes to my detriment, but really, if a player is really, really intent on wearing armor and making a flurry of blows, I'll allow it, since I don't see it as really affecting the balance of power or any other aspect of gameplay. Besides, that player wfould need some sort of pick-me-up after all of the other players stopped laughing at him ;P
Extra perform = wasted feat.
Lingering performance = WIN.
Lingering Perform is like the Ron Pepeil oven - just set it and forget it. Especially at later levels, the bard will usually have a move (or swift) action to burn within the next few rounds. Extra perform looks good to begin, but quickly gets surpassed by the natural progression of the class. However, if you find yourself running out of performance AFTER taking lingering perform, it might be worthwhile.
AFAIK, the scorpion whip is treated exactly the same as a whip, the only difference being the fact that it deals 1d4 lethal damage. However, if you plan on taking whip mastery, it kind of loses it's appeal, as the regular whip becomes more versatile, as you can freely choose to deal lethal or nonlethal. Keep in mind that neither the scorpion or regular varieties threaten, so no AoOs. Also, they both PROVOKE AoOs, unless you have the whip mastery feat.
Most of that looks pretty tasty. The only thing that I can see that should be changed is taking weapon finesse at 1st level, rather than 13th. You don't even need agile maneuvers, as finesse allows you to use dex for all attacks with the whip, and trip is a type of attack.
another option to consider is taking the spring attack tree to get whirlwind attack. 3 trips is nice, but I'd rather trip EVERYONE!
Also, I am not sure whether or not Fury's fall would stack with already using your dex bonus for CMB.
You're absolutely right, accuracy is vastly more powerful than damage.
As to the weapon being gimmicky and unnecessary, I don't really see what you mean. I mean "necessity" is a relative term... but I think I get your point, just not the specifics of the delivery. But that's not really crucial, is it?
So, while I agree with your points, I did specifically state that this was for application in HOMEBREW. With that in mind, it's really not that silly.
In regards to the application of creating a magic weapon with different bonuses to attack and damage, I would think that a +3/+1 would be more expensive than a +2 weapon, but not as expensive as a full +3 weapon. Sure, perhaps this is a little bit on the cheap side (but not by all that much). I mean, let's take the extreme example of a +10/+1 weapon. It's 101,000. A standard +7 weapon is only 98,000. Perhaps a splitting the difference fee could apply. A revised formula:
cost = (1000 x attack bonus squared) + (1000 x dmg bonus squard) + (1000 x [difference between attack and damage bonus] squared)
It makes that +3/+1 sword a total cost of 14,000. In the extreme example, the +10/+1 weapon would cost 182,000. Of course at the point of getting to the extreme example, it's kind of ludicrous to split the difference that much, seeing as how a +10/+5 weapon would end up with a final cost of only 150,000. And a +10/+9 weapon would be exactly the same cost as the +10/+1 weapon.
I'm just trying to offer a solution that wouldn't be terribly unbalanced, and I think that my revised formula would accomplish that nicely. Of course, the most bang for the buck is at only a -1 difference, but this would always give the option. I'm not suggesting that this is a perfect solution, merely an idea for the OP to base a homebrew option off of.
I think that a 2 level dip into the fighter archetype Lore Warden might be appropriate, as you get the 2 bonus fighter feats, but also combat expertise as a bonus feat. Taking Dodge is not a problem, as that paves the way for Mobility, Spring Attack, and, of course, Whirlwind attack. I like the idea of a trip vs. everyone within 15 feet. Get Enlarge Person cast on you for a range of 30 feet!
Plus I think that the Lore Warden's flavor fits nicely with the bard. Of course, the 2-level dip is kind of rough on spells and music.
