Feats:
H - Point Blank Shot
1 - Covering Fire (could retrain at 4th for Arcane Strike)
3 - Precise Shot (could retrain when +16 attack is reached)
5 - Collective Recollection
7 - Combat Expertise
9 - Harrying Partners
11 - Swift Aid
Other tricks:
Song of the People's Revolt - Masterpiece that shares a teamwork feat (Covering Fire)
Coordinated Effort - Spell that effectively shares a teamwork feat (Harrying Partners)
Gear:
Gloves of Arcane Striking (bumps Aid Another bonuses)
Benevolent Armor (bumps Aid Another bonuses)
+X Bow (to increase hit)
How it all works:
Covering Fire allows for aid another to be used at range. It also bestows the bonus to anyone with the teamwork feat. This can be accomplished by sharing it via Song of the People's Revolt. Coordinated Effort shares Harrying Partners withe the party, which makes every aid another performed count for an entire round, not just the first attack.
The bonuses for Aid Another can get rather high. 4 base from Helpful, +1-5 from the Gloves of Arcane Strike, +1-5 from Benevolent Armor and +3 from Aid Allies.
At first level, you aid one person against an attack and offer a +4 AC bump. By 4th level, you aid the entire party and can afford a +1 Benevolent Armor (+5 AC total). At 9th level, you can dump +7 AC (or more with Arcane Strike) on the whole party for the entire round.
Effectively, when you do Aid Another against an enemy, they are unable to hit with an attack that round. Aid Another should work against touch AC as well, so many of the particularly nasty effects are diminished.
What I am looking to gain here:
Advice on spells for a Bard. I'm not looking to dump out damage or control the battlefield, but I do like the idea of solving problems and buffing the party.
I'd like to sneak in buffs to my allies' saves. I do like the idea of Saving Finale, but I feel like it only works if I can get Lingering Performance into the build.
Let me begin with an explanation of the character concept. Wayang (small sized) with a 1st level dip in Fighter (Titan Fighter) to wield oversized 2-handed weapons. As a druid, he will shift to become Large/Huge sized Giants. His weapon, then, would be Huge/Gargantuan sized.
1. Just to make sure. I am small size, I hold a medium size Earthbreaker, and I cast Enlarge Person on myself. I become medium sized and my Earthbreaker becomes Large. Is this correct?
Enlarge Person text:
This spell causes instant growth of a humanoid creature, doubling its height and multiplying its weight by 8. This increase changes the creature's size category to the next larger one. The target gains a +2 size bonus to Strength, a -2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), and a -1 penalty on attack rolls and AC due to its increased size.
A humanoid creature whose size increases to Large has a space of 10 feet and a natural reach of 10 feet. This spell does not change the target's speed.
If insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature attains the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using its increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If it fails, it is constrained without harm by the materials enclosing it--the spell cannot be used to crush a creature by increasing its size.
All equipment worn or carried by a creature is similarly enlarged by the spell. Melee weapons affected by this spell deal more damage (see Table: Medium/Large Weapon Damage). Other magical properties are not affected by this spell. Any enlarged item that leaves an enlarged creature's possession (including a projectile or thrown weapon) instantly returns to its normal size. This means that thrown and projectile weapons deal their normal damage. Magical properties of enlarged items are not increased by this spell.
Multiple magical effects that increase size do not stack.
2a. At 6th level, the Goliath Druid allows for Wild Shaping into Large sized humanoids w/ the Giant subtype. It uses the mechanics of Alter Self, instead of the normal Beast Shape spell. What size does my weapon become when I shift? It started as Medium, one category larger than I was.
2b. If I had simply been dragging a Huge sized weapon, could I drop this weapon, shift and pick it up? If so, what size is it when I wield it? This is specifically if 2a results in only wielding a Large weapon.
Polymorph Rules, an incredible wall of text:
Polymorph: a polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature. Each polymorph spell allows you to assume the form of a creature of a specific type, granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead. Your base speed changes to match that of the form you assume. If the form grants a swim or burrow speed, you maintain the ability to breathe if you are swimming or burrowing. The DC for any of these abilities equals your DC for the polymorph spell used to change you into that form.
In addition to these benefits, you gain any of the natural attacks of the base creature, including proficiency in those attacks. These attacks are based on your base attack bonus, modified by your Strength or Dexterity as appropriate, and use your Strength modifier for determining damage bonuses.
If a polymorph spell causes you to change size, apply the size modifiers appropriately, changing your armor class, attack bonus, Combat Maneuver Bonus, and Stealth skill modifiers. Your ability scores are not modified by this change unless noted by the spell.
Unless otherwise noted, polymorph spells cannot be used to change into specific individuals. Although many of the fine details can be controlled, your appearance is always that of a generic member of that creature's type. Polymorph spells cannot be used to assume the form of a creature with a template or an advanced version of a creature.
When you cast a polymorph spell that changes you into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type, all of your gear melds into your body. Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form. While in such a form, you cannot cast any spells that require material components (unless you have the Eschew Materials or Natural Spell feat), and can only cast spells with somatic or verbal components if the form you choose has the capability to make such movements or speak, such as a dragon. Other polymorph spells might be subject to this restriction as well, if they change you into a form that is unlike your original form (subject to GM discretion). If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size.
While under the effects of a polymorph spell, you lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form. You also lose any class features that depend upon form, but those that allow you to add features (such as sorcerers that can grow claws) still function. While most of these should be obvious, the GM is the final arbiter of what abilities depend on form and are lost when a new form is assumed. Your new form might restore a number of these abilities if they are possessed by the new form.
You can only be affected by one polymorph spell at a time. If a new polymorph spell is cast on you (or you activate a polymorph effect, such as wild shape), you can decide whether or not to allow it to affect you, taking the place of the old spell. In addition, other spells that change your size have no effect on you while you are under the effects of a polymorph spell.
If a polymorph spell is cast on a creature that is smaller than Small or larger than Medium, first adjust its ability scores to one of these two sizes using the following table before applying the bonuses granted by the polymorph spell.
Okay, guys, as the story goes, I had wanted to roll up a "confused" gnome for PFS. The little fella thought he was destined to become a dragon rider, but he was more akin to Don Quixote than Hiccup (or whatever actual dragon riding character you care to slot in). He runs around with a peacock *swearing* its a dragon and assuring everyone that when it grows up, he'll get to ride it around. Obviously, no one believes him... until it grows up and he flies around on it.
Mechanically, I had wanted to run this fellow as a Bloodrager, using the options for bloodline familiar option. I'd grab a Brawler familiar of a Peacock and use Improved Familiar to eventually get a Brawler Faerie Dragon and this lil guys' dreams would come true. Of course... that doesn't work. Improved Familiars don't get to speak to animals of their own kind and so they don't get the Brawler archtype. Bummer.
So now I'd like to resurrect this bizarre gnome idea. I have thought of using the (new) Summoner to build him. Likely take a Protean Eidolon with the Serpentine base, add a pair of legs, flight, breath weapon (maybe), mount, go.
But does anyone have a better way to make this happen? Or something more fun?
Also, any tips and tricks on flying mounts would be helpful. I am planning on going ye olde lance route, but it's not something I have built before.
Okay, folks, I need a few more pairs of eyes to gauge how this feat interacts with other things.
1 - Since this is an aid another action, does the +2 bonus get modified by: A) Helpful trait? B) Aid Allies from Order of the Dragon Cavalier? C) Benevolent Armor?
2 - Can Swift Aid be used in conjunction with it?
3 - It's a teamwork feat, so how would it interact with Ring of Tactical Precision?
4 - If multiple instances of Covering Fire are placed on the same target, do they stack?
Legitimately, a small sized creature could wield a tiny 2-handed weapon as a one-handed weapon. This much is certain. Now, assuming that this chosen 2-hander was a longspear, what happens?
- Does Swashbuckler's Finesse come into play?
- Does the Small creature gain reach to 10'?
Extra question... If this small creature were to cast reduce person on himself, how would this affect the reach aspect?
If one were so inclined to make a Halfling get smaller, how could we best do it?
I've been exploring options to pair with Swashbuckler's Mouser archetype. Getting to tiny size either quickly or for a long duration is critical to moving into opponents' squares.
I've got the easy ones already checked off. Reduce Person via wands, potions, casting it myself, etc. Wild Shape. Beast Shape II via wands, potions, etc... But is there anything I am missing?
I think I have the concept correct, but I'm not 100% on it. The idea is this: I have the Bodyguard feat and would like to defend my party with it. I ready an action to say "When a party member is attacked, I will move to be adjacent to them." Now, it's obvious that I can do this. A character can move as a standard action. My questions are as follows:
1. Does the Bodyguard feat still trigger? Can I now aid another to that ally and buff his AC?
2. If I have multiple allies, can I pass on this trigger and await another to go interrupt?
Please, don't bog down this thread with Bodyguard and adjacent rules. Those I understand and I know how my GM will handle them. I am just asking about those two things.
I know there is Redcaps Corner, in University City. They're awesome. Hat tip to Redcaps for being the best spot in Philly for gaming.
That said, are they really the *only* spot in Philly for Pathfinder Society? There seems to be a few spots far off in the burbs, but nothing in South Philly. Is there a game that anyone knows of? Is there an pathfinder activity at all?
Any help on finding additional games or groups within the Center City and South Philadelphia areas would be appreciated!
