grudgekeyper's page

You could fit the curve to an appropriate polynomial equation however the numbers don't seem to follow a straight forward equation given the difference doesn't increase steadily as seen between values list in 2-5th level

2-3 diff: 700
3-4 diff: 1000
4-5 diff: 700

Based on batteries from the tech guide I suspect that batteries are used to refill a devices internal charges and are not slotted into the device when used.

This session it actually occurred when villain ran away the first time during Lanterns of the Bone Fields (Adventure 5 of Mummy's Mask) with a 6 player party and have been fairly adamant about banishing basics when we encountered them.

Can you use user your ability scores at less then their full potential for an action?

Examples
1: High strength fighter attacking without using full strength modifier in an attack
2: Wizard attempting to cast a spell voluntarily lowering the save DC.

My assumption is that you can't lower your score below which is required to perform an action (i.e can't lower DC past 13 for a 2nd level spell and you can't power attack if you don't use your strength modifier at all)

The reason this came up is that our wizard wanted to cast glitter dust to reveal an invisible foe but had to cast it in area with party members so want to cast it with a minimal save DC.

See the Limited Resources sidebar (MM p.25): "If you’re required to do something with a certain number of things and there aren’t that many things available, use as many as there are." In case B, that makes the game more difficult, so you probably want to avoid that.

But I think that both circumstances are theoretical. Have you actually had either one happen?

If the villain ran away a second time in a recent scenario we would have had less blessings than required fortunately we didn't encounter the villain a second time so this didn't become relevant.

What happens if you remove enough basic blessings from the game that you don't have enough blessings
A: in the box when the villian escapes?
or
B: to build the locations and the blessings deck?

He seems to be a cleric of Pharasma given the heraldry on his shield so why don't clerics have the trait of their god?

grudgekeyper wrote:

After looking at the rules if I wanted to kill the Tarrasque i'd just suffocate it.

Regeneration doesn't work on suffocation (or starvation/thirst) and the Tarrasque has no immunity and it's special entry on regeneration doesn't apply as it isn't being suppress or dying from a failed save that kills it instantly (especially with slow suffocation that doesn't involve a save).

Hibernation wrote:

If a spawn is forced into an environment where it cannot breathe and would suffocate, it goes into hibernation until conditions are right for it to reawaken.

Where is the hibernation entry? I didn't see it in the bestiary

The ring in the end allows for continuous control undead as they are forced to obey and are no limitations on how long you can use the shadows outside of the ring.

Continuous Control Undead (CL13 * SL7 * 2000) = 182,000
Modifier Incorporeal Undead Only & Chance to escape Lets say 25% = -45,500
So minimum cost would be 136,500.

With the ability to store and release with a command word I would probably increase the cost back to typically Control Undead but that's a judgement call depending on what you base it on. (Extra-dimensional spaces start at rope trick and go up)

After looking at the rules if I wanted to kill the Tarrasque i'd just suffocate it.

Regeneration doesn't work on suffocation (or starvation/thirst) and the Tarrasque has no immunity and it's special entry on regeneration doesn't apply as it isn't being suppress or dying from a failed save that kills it instantly (especially with slow suffocation that doesn't involve a save).

Regeneration (Ex) No form of attack can suppress the tarrasque's regeneration—it regenerates even if disintegrated or slain by a death effect. If the tarrasque fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 hit point if no further damage is inflicted upon its remains. It can be banished or otherwise transported as a means to save a region, but the method to truly kill it has yet to be discovered.

Every round, any creature within 50 feet of a memitim that has –1 or fewer hit points but is stable must succeed at a DC 23 Will saving throw or be affected by the spell bleed. Any dying creature within range of this aura does not receive a Constitution check to stabilize, but can still be healed as normal–though it may be affected by bleed in subsequent rounds if it is not restored to 0 or more hit points. Any creatures with fast healing or regeneration must also succeed at a DC 23 Will save every round or that ability does not function for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Notice the wording on the tarrasque's regeneration. It actually does state it works if the tarrasque' is killed. Considering the Terminal Aura has a saving throw and you are using it to kill the tarrasque it comes back 3 rounds latter with 1 HP.

Key words that would kill it instantly. So if it failed it's save and then was reduced to negative con from an attack it didn't die as a result of a failed save that would kill it instantly.

(This argument assumes that Terminal Aura can suppress the Regeneration power which is not a given)

Looking forward to them. Any idea when we can expect pawn sets that include the PACG characters since Mummy's Mask?

My group prefers using the pawns over tokens to indicate player location and we're disappointed when we couldn't find half of the Mummy's Mask characters in any of the pawn sets.

(PACG was the biggest reason we were excited to get the pathfinder society pawn set when it came out as it had all of the PACG characters to the date of it's release)

What is the best way to get the Core book or PDF in time to create characters prior to the first session of Starfinder Society at GenCon 8:00AM Thursday?

To bad illusions don't count as objects. Think of the fun you could have entering the chain of image illusion spells

Correct

Purpose built ninth level spells can do things that wish or miracle can't. Not even a wish can stop time. Which is why it might be permissible.

But you are correct. If that is something any ninth level divination spell can do is definitely up to the gm (or paizo if they ever publish a second ninth level divination spell)

The reason it would have to be ninth is otherwise wish or miracle could reproduce it which they explicitly can't

Outside of the raw restriction.

If a wizard wanted to get around mind blank a 9th level divination spell created with that purpose should probably work. (In our home game it was True Seeing, Greater)

Assuming you are okay with the metamagics sharing the same pool of 3/day you could get the cost down to

32500 (+2 metamagic rod) + 32500 * 0.75 (Second similar ability same charge pool) + 1.5 * 2500 (+5 to skill) + 1.5 * 2500 (+5 to second skill) = 57625

on a weapon it would be 86062.5 (or 73875 if the second similar didn't need to be multipled by 1.5)

PS There is a Control Construct spell but it's not particularly good

Snowlilly wrote:

Nicos wrote:

CBDunkerson wrote:

Quote:

Which would mean that metamagic rods operated off the new slot level of the spell with metamagic applied. As an example, a fireball (level 3) modified by the Quicken Spell feat (+4 levels) would require a greater rod of metamagic, empower, to empower, instead of a lesser rod as before. Is this what you intended?

No. That's not what they intended.

Why not? it seems exactly as intended.

Read the quoted rule above.

Meta-magic rods do not alter spell slot.

The Quicken Spell feat does, though.

What if you apply the quicken feat with spell perfection so you use still use a 3rd level slot, could you use a lesser rod then?

We don't do many APs that go to level 20 because the pagecount we have available combined with the time we have to produce them on a monthly bases combined with the fact that we really want to do 2 a year to keep folks engaged means that we're pretty much at the limit of how many encounters and story we can fit into 6 volumes. Due to the way XP was designed (it didn't have an AP progression in mind, alas, when we built Pathfinder), that more or less limits us to APs that go from 1st to 16th-17th or so. AKA: The rules of time and space, combined with choices we made during the game's design, limit us to what we've been doing.

Is there any reason APs have to start at level 1?

I personally would prefer adventure paths that go from from 4th/5th to 20th over the typical range

I'd keep in mind that some archetype features are more powerful and balanced by other features in the same archetype. I'd recommend just creating custom archetypes on a case-by-case basis for players that do want to mix-n-match

@grudgekeyper

The rod allow you to add the metamagic to the spell when it is cast.
So you cast the spell in the armor. But then the effect of the rod end. It don't persist when the spell is cast again. The armor cast a new spell, not the one on which you used the rod.

Based on my read of how metamagic rods work they are an instantaneous effect that changes the spell. However being instantaneous doesn't mean that the spell loses the metamagic immediately after being cast.

This armor allows a spellcaster to store a single touch spell of

up to 3rd level in it. Anytime a creature hits the wearer with
a melee attack or melee touch attack, the armor can cast the
spell on that creature as a swift action if the wearer desires.

And from my read of spell storing the armor is casting THE spell that was cast into it which to me would indicate a duplicate of the original spell (except with a new DC as indicted by the saving throws against magic item powers in the Core book pg 459, and using the caster level of the armor pg 460). I don't see anything that would indicated it cares if the spellcaster cast empowered shocking grasp from a 3rd level prepared slot of by using a 1st level slot and a rod of empower.

By the way anyone else think that spell storing is ridiculously cheap given that it allows a 5th level wizard to store a CL12 3rd level spell?

And what about metamagic rods? Can I use them this way?

No. the rod effect is applied when the spell is cast. If you store it the rod effect isn't applied when the spell is cast out of the armor.

Spell Storing: A spell storing weapon allows a spellcaster to store a single targeted spell of up to 3rd level in the weapon. (The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action.) Anytime the weapon strikes a creature and the creature takes damage from it, the weapon can immediately cast the spell on that creature as a free action if the wielder desires. (This special ability is an exception to the general rule that casting a spell from an item takes at least as long as casting that spell normally.) Once the spell has been cast from the weapon, a spellcaster can cast any other targeted spell of up to 3rd level into it. The weapon magically imparts to the wielder the name of the spell currently stored within it. A randomly rolled spell storing weapon has a 50% chance to have a spell stored in it already.

Based on how the spell storing armor/weapon is charged I would rule that a metamagic rod can be used by the spellcaster casting the spell into the armor/weapon

[i]4) Spell perfection or magical lineage: can I use them to store a spell with total number of "virtual" levels higher, than 3d level?

You aren't the caster, whatever ability you have that change spell levels don't apply to the armor. You put the spell in at whatever level you have memorized it but then your abilities don't apply to it anymore and it "expands2 to the appropriate level.

I can understand the reasoning but I can find no rules to support it. Could you indicate where that is in the rules.

Slithery D wrote:

grudgekeyper wrote:

Claxon wrote:

4) No. While spell perfection and magical lineage reduce the spell slot you use to actually cast the spell, the don't reduce the effective spell level the spell has for the purposes of spell storing. And I'm basing that on this FAQ.

I don't see how that faq addresses this question. In fact based on my read of the faq it would work because those abilities from the line

Quote:

The spell counts as the level of the spell slot necessary to cast it.

Could you explain your reasoning a bit further on your answer?

Probably this line: "In general, use the (normal, lower) spell level or the (higher) spell slot level, whichever is more of a disadvantage for the caster."

Yes, that would be my reasoning. The FAQ sets a precedent of "do whatever is worse for the caster".

By my reading magical lineage, spell perfection (and metamagic rods "In this case, only the feats possessed by the wielder adjust the spell slot of the spell being cast") are applying metamagics without increasing the spell slot level and none of them affect the normal spell level so it would seem that the FAQ does not apply to the effects as written.

Now I would like to be wrong about the RAW but my reading of the FAQ and relevant abilities don't seem to indicate such.

4) No. While spell perfection and magical lineage reduce the spell slot you use to actually cast the spell, the don't reduce the effective spell level the spell has for the purposes of spell storing. And I'm basing that on this FAQ.

I don't see how that faq addresses this question. In fact based on my read of the faq it would work because those abilities from the line

The spell counts as the level of the spell slot necessary to cast it.

Could you explain your reasoning a bit further on your answer?

I would make the weakness to Curses a stronger problem, if you're counting it as a balancing effect. They take a -4 to saves against curses, and any attempt to remove a curse on them takes a -4 to the caster level check.

Curses are fairly rare, and usually not particularly difficult to remove after combat. This means you have a really good chance of being affected by a curse even with your will save being decent, and it might eat a few spell slots to remove it later. A real inconvenience when they happen, since they happen rarely enough.

I agree that increase the curse weakness makes sense and I will increase it as suggested. Although as curses can also target Fort saves (Mummy Rot, Blindness/Deafness) I wasn't counting on my Will saves preventing curses from affecting the character

You could turn it into more of a Crossblooded deal: -2 to will saves in general.

I choose to change that into the dual-cursed with a curse penalty because I thought it would be more thematic.

Also consider giving some other sort of penalty, such as -2 or -4 to the effective Oracle level, because access to multiple revelation lists is very strong.

I'm assuming you are looking at penalty would apply to the effect of revelation, if that's the case I'm not the biggest fan as it would have a highly variable effect based on the revelations chosen and some of the stronger revelations aren't level dependent (Sidestep Secret) while it makes other options nearly worthless (Channel).

Instead of double curses, perhaps you just make it compatible with the Dual Cursed archetype?

Unfortunately Oracle Archetypes are not generally compatible with each other and there would be no way to make this compatible with the Dual Cursed archetype as Dual Cursed affects spells/skills and revelations all of which this archetype has to address. While I could have rewrote the Dual Cursed archetype to only change the oracle curse so that it would be compatible with more archetypes I thought that twice-blessed, twice-cursed worked fairly thematically.

I wanted to create a oracle that has access to multiple mysteries and this is what I came up with. It is heavily based on the crossblooded sorcerer with a bit of dual-cursed oracle thrown in.

A twice-blessed oracle combines the powers of two distinct mysteries.

A twice-blessed oracle sorcerer selects two different mysteries. The oracle may gain access to the skills, spells, revelations she is bless with, but with extra blessings comes extra curses and less choice in her spells.

Oracle’s Curse

A twice-blessed oracle must choose two curses at 1st level. One of these curses (oracle’s choice) never changes its abilities as the oracle gains levels; for example, an oracle with clouded vision never gains darkvision 60 feet, blindsense, or blindsight. The other curse comes with its normal benefits.

Class Skill

A twice-blessed oracle receives the bonus class skill from both of her mysteries. If these are the same skill, this does not grant any additional benefit.

Bonus Spells

A twice-blessed oracle may select her bonus spells from either of her mysteries. The oracle also has the choice to learn a lower-level bonus spell she did not choose in place of the higher-level bonus spell she would normally gain. Lower-level bonus spells learned this way always use the spell level that they would be if the oracle had learned them with the appropriate bonus spell.

Revelations

When a twice-blessed oracle gains a new revelation she can choose to gain a revelation from either of her mysteries.

Final Revelation

Upon achieving 20th level. You gain the final revelation of both of your mysteries. If your mysteries final revelations are incompatible choose one final revelation to gain and gain a bonus revelation from your other mystery.

The twice-blessed oracle loses the revelation gained at 19th level in preparation for their final revelation

Drawbacks

A twice-blessed oracle has one fewer spell known at each level (including orisons) than is presented on Table: Oracle Spells Known.

Furthermore, the conflicting blessings and curses level the twice-blessed oracle with less ability to resist additional curses. A twice-blessed oracle always takes -2 penalty on saves against curse effects.

Recommended Mysteries: Any.

Notes:
Not as concerned with final revelation int terms of game balance as games rarely get to 19th/20th level but want to do something beside choose one of the two final revelations. But if someone has an alternative that works better I would be interested.

I am a bit concerned that the crossblooded drawback isn't as significant for an oracle due to gaining two spells known automatically when they gain a spell level in addition to the spells known table. Where a sorcerer would only be able to use the spell slots for meta-magic until they gained another level. My other thought for a drawback was to remove cure/inflict and mystery bonus spells but add the mystery spells to the oracles class list.

I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.