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Hey all,

I'm trying to figure out which game product this is in, so I can determine if it's allowed in the campaign I'm going to be playing in. According to D20PFSRD, it's in Paizo product PZ09466, but I can't seem to find what product that actually is. Could anyone help me out with this info?

Many thanks!

I could swear I've read somewhere about a trait/feat/something that allows a dwarf to use Wisdom instead of Charisma for his casting stat, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. I think it had 'Sage' in the title. I've tried some searching here, but I'm rather pressed for time. Does anyone know/remember what I'm talking about, and help me find it in the rules?

Many thanks!

Alain Germande, Third Son of the House Germande, is the iconic cavalier, but I don't know how to pronounce his name (never got around to taking French in high school).

I've found thread's or sources giving pronunciations for virtually all of the other iconic classes, but I can't find anything for Alain. So if there's any kind of official word on this, I'd really appreciate it I someone could share it. And if not, could we get an official word on how to produce this guy's name?

Many thanks!

Basically, can you create a Metamagic staff, instead of a rod? If yes, how would it be priced?

If no, why not?

I can't find anything stating what effect, if any, a thunderstone has on bardic performance. Since the stone causes deafness (20% failure on spells with a somatic component), I would think it should impact the performance in some way.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Need to name a halfling bard. Grew up in Magnimar, now in Sandpoint (running RotRL).

The player wants the name to be an anagram of the phrase I'm so adorable - prefer a first & last name, but will consider other suggestions. The apostrophe may be used, but isn't required.

I've never been good at anagrams, so any/all help would be appreciated.

Building a combination blockbuster/god wizard for our RotRL campaign. Need help deciding between the following options:

* Magical Lineage/Reactionary: Currently has +7 Initiative (+3 Dex, Compsagnathus familiar). Lineage would go on Fireball.

* Metamagic Master/Arcane Temper: Temper would give smaller boosts, but to two useful abilities instead of one (Initiative + Concentration). Metamagic Master would also go on Fireball.

I use D20PFSRD (Paizo only) for what is allowed in the game. Metamamgic Master was originally Wayang Spellhunter, but since it doesn't list as such on the site, I don't generally nitpick about it. Also considered Arcane Graduate/Magical Lineage, but I felt like concentration checks shouldn't be as big a deal if the character is smart enough to stay out of melee. Speaking of which, any thoughts on putting Spell Specialization on either Burning Hands or Magic Missile? Currently, we're going with BH, but MM was very tempting due to range & no miss chance...

The character's concept is based off the Outlander (Loreseeker) campaign trait, but decided we could roleplay it without needing to take the trait.

Any advice would be appreciated. If any extra info is needed to clarify, please let me know. Thank you in advance!

Benefit You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks, and Knowledge (arcana) is a class skill for you. If you cast arcane spells, pick three spells on your spell list. You are particularly adept at casting these spells, so they function at +1 caster level when you cast them, and their save DCs (if any) gain a +1 bonus.

My question is what spell list should be used here? If it refers to the spells in the wizard's spellbook, it only affects a handful of 1st level & all of the 0-level spells - nice enough for a trait, but not nearly as interesting; if it's referring to the main list of available wizard's spells, it becomes waay cooler...

Caphorite Dust: This small leather pouch is filled with a faintly radioactive ore called caphorite, with a small percentage of reactants that activate the dust. When used, caphorite dust must be sprinkled in a 5-foot square, which then becomes the center of the dust's effect. All bright or normal light within 30 feet of the activated dust is reduced to dim light, and any creature attempting to cast a spell with the light descriptor in this area must succeed at a DC 15 caster level check or have spell's effect be negated. If caphorite is exposed to sunlight, it immediately becomes permanently inert. Each pouch contains enough dust for two applications. Crafting this item requires a successful DC 25 Craft -(alchemy) check.

It's called Dimmer Dust on D20PFSRD, but regardless, my ninja pc is interested in buying some. However, I have a couple of rules questions that I'm not sure how to handle...

First, how long does this effect last? Given the cost, I wouldn't think it would be more than a round or two at most.

Second, it states the dust is permanently inert if exposed to sunlight - I assume this doesn't pertain to sprinkling to apply it? That would seem to negate a major use/purpose of the item.

Some help please?! (and thank you, in advance!)

Actually, it's my son's ninja for my RotRL campaign. I'll put some of the basic stat info in the spoiler below. The character is going to be a Sandpoint native, working as a salesclerk in the display room of the Glassworks as he secretly trains to be a ninja. As far as his role in the party, with an invulnerable rager barbarian & a reach-combat inquisitor, he's planning on being the flanker/precision-damage guy. The bard is going to be the party face, & the zen-archer monk will handle primary ranged combat.

Everything has been going smooth so far, but we're needing help with the equipment.

*Clothing: There doesn't seem to be anything I can find for ninja outfits or other eastern wear. Unless something else is discovered, he'll probably have to go with a pickpocket's outfit.

*Armor: The pc will be wearing a standard ninja-type outfit, so my son wants to keep the armor light enough to wear under his outfit. At this point, we're looking mostly at a haramaki, with the idea of moving up to a mithral chain shirt or a dark leaf hide shirt later on (which is partly why the choice of Dodge).

*Weapons: My son has decided to start with a wakizashi, with the intent of moving to TWF @ 3rd level - although there was some debate about going with TWF right @ 1st level. Regardless, the big question is what direction to go for ranged; the primary options being considered are shuriken, a short bow & a light crossbow (in that order).

*General: Ideas/suggestions for fun little ninja stuff - smoke pellets come to mind as a good example.

Keep in mind the character will have average starting wealth. But any advice/suggestions/random thoughts would be welcome & appreciated.

Continuing to create our group for my RotRL campaign. Working on a human female inquisitor of Shelyn for my son's fiancé. Opted for a reach build, similar to KBrewer's guide for clerics - use standard action for spellcasting (or whatever other action necessary), then use AoO's to deal melee damage with reach weapon (in this case, a glaive).

Other relevant stats:

Here are the traits we've narrowed down to so far;

We also need the bonus human feat - top candidates include Power Attack, Toughness, Improved Initiative & Judgment Surge.

Any thoughts/opinions/advice on any of these greatly appreciated, as always.

So as I mentioned in a previous thread, my 11yr old son is going to play a cat-folk barbarian, using Ajani Goldmane for his character. I created an alternate racial trait to represent the larger predatory felines, subbing +2STR for the +2DEX. He wants to go Invulnerable Rager, along with the Superstition anti-magic line - with a healthy dose of Beast Totem, Intimidation and Come & Get Me thrown in for good measure (ambitious, isn't he? lol)

The character is going to come from the area around the Curchain Hills in Varisia, as we'll be running the RotRL campaign. The character has decided to go out & see the world, & winds up in Sandpoint just in time for the Swallowtail Festival. My son doesn't want the character to follow any particular religion (more of a free spirit), & to be more neutral in alignment.

Here's the relevant stats so far (not a lot to a basic barbarian, after all):

We've narrowed his traits selection down to 4 final options, & I was hoping to get the community's thoughts/advice/input on which ones you'd go with (& why). I think they're all solid choices.

Bloody-Minded (combat): +1 Initiative, +1 Intimidate skill checks

Highlander (regional): +1 Stealth skill checks (class skill); increases to +2 in hilly/rocky areas

Light Sleeper (regional): 4hrs of sleep counts as a full nights' rest (recover 1HP/level); still need 24hrs to count as full days' rest

Zest for Battle (racial - yes, I know it's for dwarves, but I feel several of the racial traits can have similar variants for other races): +1 weapon damage whenever a morale bonus to attack is in effect

I think Zest for Battle & Highlander are my two favorites, with Bloody-Minded a close third. What do all of you think?

Alright, so my son is wanting to play a barbarian character using the image of Ajani Goldmane (Ajani-Vengeant image, IIRC). I've created an alternate racial trait for catfolk to mimic the larger feline races, subbing a +2 STR for the +2 DEX. Everything else is falling into place pretty nicely.

The only stumbling block I'm running into is how to stat the weapon Ajani is holding in the image - it looks similar to an axe, but with more of a pendulum-looking head. I've discovered the weapon is supposed to be double-ended, but the image I have doesn't show that, which I'm fine with. Going thru the D20PSFRD, I don't really see anything that looks like a proper match for the weapon - the closest options are either a standard battle/great axe, or an exotic hooked axe (which gives the trip & disarm special qualities).

You can go to Ajani-Vengeant to see the image, if you're not familiar with it.

Does anybody have any thoughts/advice on how they would stat this? Thanks...

Have a player making a half-elf ZAM, & we're down to the last trait selection. First, the character so far:

So, at this point, we have one more trait to select. Our final choices are below. A couple points of note; the rest of the group consists of a human ninja (striker), a halfling bard (party face/support), a human inquisitor of Shelyn (reach build), an elven wizard (mix god/blockbuster build) and a catfolk barbarian (BSF, alternate house-rule for more lion-like build). Also, we'll be running the RotRL adventure path.

Second trait options:
Life of Toil (social): +1 Fortitude saves. You have lived a physically taxing life, working long hours for a master or to support a trade. Hard physical labor has toughened your body and mind.

Ambush Training (combat): +1 initiative, and +1 to weapon damage rolls in surprise round in which you act. You've learned that taking an enemy by surprise can end a combat before it begins.

Caretaker (faith): +1 Heal checks, class skill. As the child of an herbalist or an assistant in a temple infirmary, you often had to assist in tending to the sick and wounded.

Martial Manuscript (faith): +2 confirm crit hits with monk weapons, unarmed strikes and (house-rule) long/short bows. You either carry or have memorized a sacred text from your school, temple, or monastery, and its wisdom gives you insight that makes your attacks more devastating.

* Caretaker is appealing because we are limited on our healing options, with only a bard & an inquisitor in the party.

We are looking for a trait that will give a good balance of utility and flavor - we're not really huge on optimization, but we do like to be capable. Advice/thoughts on these options, as well as any traits we may have overlooked is very much appreciated. Please include reasoning for why you support a particular trait.

Thanks!

I know I've seen this somewhere, but I can't seem to find it when I need it (of course)-

Can a half-breed take racial traits (half-feat variety) or feats that have a specific race as a requirement? Example- can a half-elf take the Elven Accuracy feat?

Thanks in advance

Would the Martial Manuscript trait apply to the bow of a ZAM? I would tend to think so, due to the wording of the trait:

Ultimate Campaign wrote:

Benefit: You gain a +2 trait bonus on rolls to confirm critical hits when you're using an unarmed strike or monk weapon.

Thanks in advance!

OK, so it looks like I'm going to pick up another player for my RotRL campaign. For those who haven't been keeping score, here's where I'm at so far:

• A catfolk barbarian, using a home-brew alternate racial trait subbing STR for DEX to create more of a 'lion'-themed character than the usual 'housecat' type. Going to go with Invulnerable Rager, & take the Beast Totem line of rage powers.
  
• A halfling bard. Pretty standard party face/buffer role.
  
• An elf wizard, taking the Admixture school to go with a combination Blockbuster/God wizard build (referencing Treantmonk's & KBrewer's guides).
  
• A human female ranger, switch-hitter build (again, referencing Treantmonk's guide).
  
• And finally, a half-elf female zen archer monk.

It seems to me, the group needs something in the way of a divine spellcaster - someone who can help with healing (even if mostly using wand of CLW), along with some additional battlefield control/utility magic. After talking to the player, he thinks an oracle sounds interesting. He typically prefers to play arcane casters, but one of the rules for this campaign that everyone agreed to was to try playing something they normally wouldn't. The idea of a character who was given divine powers without a choice, as well as rp'ing the curse piqued his curiosity.

I also suggested an inquisitor, as he'd be far less restricted than a normal cleric. Using a reach build with a longspear, he would also be able to stay back a bit to help protect the other casters, as well as serve as backup melee. If we went that route, I think I would highly recommend Desna or Cayden Cailean. Desna in particular would really fit the storyline well

I'm certainly not opposed to the oracle, but I don't know much about the class, as we've never used it before. I've been reading posts on the boards that have given great suggestions for game mechanics, but the biggest issue I'm having is helping him come up with a good backstory for the character. Given the player doesn't want to play an overly religious character, I thought something along the lines of Alahazra's background would work nicely (PathFinder's iconic oracle). Having the player growing up in Rahadoum (the Kingdom of Man - all religion banned) & then have to flee when his powers mainfested would really suit the player, I think.

As far as mysteries go, I plan on figuring that out once we've got the storyline figured out, so any ideas/suggestions/advice you guys can give would be greatly appreciated.

Making a half-elf ZAM (zen archer monk) who has following stats (25pt buy):

str 14
dex 14
con 14
int 10
wis 18
cha 10

1st four skills are Acrobatics, Perception, Sense Motive & Stealth.

Debating on using FC bonus on extra hp or skill point. Group already has a switch-hitting ranger & an invulnerable rager barbarian, so the ZAM shouldn't need to get into melee as much - leaning towards the skill point & putting into a one-point-wonder skill (Climbing, Healing or Craft: Bows perhaps).

Also, what to do w/ Skill Focus feat... switching out for Dual Minded seems overkill, so which skill to throw it in - another one-point-wonder, or uber-boost a key skill.

Thoughts??

So I was looking at the archetype, and saw the increased sneak attack damage for al of these wonderful light-blade weapons. Then it occurred to me the rogue isn't proficient with most of them. Maybe it's been asked before, but....

Does the altered sneak attack ability allow proficiency with the weapons listed? My initial reaction would be no. Thus, the rogue would be required to use a rogue talent to pick up a martial/exotic weapon proficiency. Generally, I feel this is fair.

My one thought (and I've considered this before) is to have the Martial Weapon Proficiency feat cover a category of weapons, per the fighter weapon training ability. So, taking martial weapons - light blades would grant proficiency with all light blades in the martial category. The prd states mwp grants proficiency with a specific type of weapon, which I think is broad enough to justify this interpretation.

Exotic weapon proficiency would still only grant proficiency with a single exotic weapon, because it's an exotic weapon (duh).

Am I understanding this correctly? If so, any thoughts on my 'interpretation' of mwp? Thanks.

OK, so I keep seeing advice for stat builds for the ZAM (Zen Archer Monk), and they all recommend the following; dump INT/CHA, lower end STR/CON, mid-range DEX and high WIS.

My question is, why such a high WIS? I know that it gets added to your AC, and at 3rd level it can replace DEX for your to-hit. So? What's the advantage of a 14 DEX/18 WIS ZAM over a 18 DEX/14 WIS one? Both high scores will help with assorted skills useful to a monk, so a wash there. Your trading REF vs WILL saves (both will have their uses, but keep in mind you're giving up Evasion/Improved Evasion - so making that REF save becomes more important). The ZAM's AC will be the same either way. The only other thing I can come up with is Initiative - which the higher DEX has the advantage on.

So, can someone explain to me why pumping up the WIS is so universally recommended? What am I missing? Thanks!

According to the APG, the only alternate traits that can be switched out for multi-classing are arcane training & drow magic.

One of my players is going to play a half-elf zen archer monk, with no intentions of multi-classing. Has anybody seen anything that would allow a swap-out for something more useful (preferably official rather than house-rule, but whatever I can get that's reasonable)?

I've seen something here somewhere (these boards are a big place!) about the half-bloods getting some abilities from either of their 'core' races, but I'm not sure how that works or if it would apply to something like the multi-classing.

Any help would be great!

Gnomes can have the same concerns and motivations as members of other races, but just as often they are driven by passions and desires that non-gnomes see as eccentric at best, and nonsensical at worst. A gnome may risk his life to taste the food at a giant's table, to reach the bottom of a pit just because it would be the lowest place he's ever been, or to tell jokes to a dragon—and to the gnome those goals are as worthy as researching a new spell, gaining vast wealth, or putting down a powerful evil force. While such apparently fickle and impulsive acts are not universal among gnomes, they are common enough for the race as a whole to have earned a reputation for being impetuous and at least a little mad.

Combined with their diminutive sizes, vibrant coloration, and lack of concern for the opinions of others, these attitudes have caused gnomes to be widely regarded by the other races as alien and strange. Gnomes, in turn, are often amazed how alike other common, civilized races are. It seems stranger to a gnome that humans and elves share so many similarities than that the gnomes do not. Indeed, gnomes often confound their allies by treating everyone who is not a gnome as part of a single, vast non-gnome collective race.

...

Gnomes have difficulty interacting with the other races, on both emotional and physical levels. In many ways the very fact other races see gnomes as odd is itself the thing gnomes find most odd about other races, and this leads to a strong lack of common ground upon which understanding and relationships can be built. When two gnomes encounter one another, they generally assume some mutually beneficial arrangement can be reached, no matter how different their beliefs and traditions may be. Even if this turns out not to be the case, the gnomes continue to look for commonalities in their dealings with each other. The inability or unwillingness of members of other races to make the same effort when dealing with gnomes is both frustrating and confusing to most gnomes.

In many ways, it is gnomes' strong connection to a wide range of apparently unconnected ideas that makes it difficult for other races to build relationships with them. Gnome humor, for example, is often focused on physical pranks, nonsensical rhyming nicknames, and efforts to convince others of outrageous lies that strain all credibility. Gnomes find such efforts hysterically funny, but their pranks often come across as malicious or senseless to other races, while gnomes in turn tend to think of the taller races as dull and lumbering giants.

This just doesn't strike me as a race with a CHA bonus. I also like the idea of creating a bit more of a difference between gnomes and halflings. With their love of tinkering in mind as well as their fey connections, here is an idea for my modified gnome:

Ability Scores: Gnomes get a -2 STR, +2 CON and +2 INT. Gnomes are very intelligent and inquisitive, and are surprisingly hardy, but they are physically weaker than most other species.

Fey Connections Their connection to the fey world grants gnomes a +2 to all Diplomacy checks involving fey creatures and a +2 to any Handle Animal checks.

Everything else remains unchanged. Thoughts?

Finally on the last pc. Going to be a wizard, race TBD. We're going thru RotRL soon. The rest of the group includes a human ranger, a half-orc inquisitor of Erastil, a half-elf zen archer monk & a catfolk barbarian (homebrew alternate racial traits).

Here's the dilemma: the player likes both Treantmonk's God-wizard build and KBrewer's Blockbuster-wizard build. What I'm looking for is advice on how best to mash the two together into a functional build - what would you recommend taking from each build? I'm trying to decide between suggesting Admixture or Conjuration schools, as well as which feats, traits, spells to recommend to the player. I realize by mixing the two that some things will be less than optimal, but we're not really an optimizing type of group anyway.

All help is appreciated!

Thought I needed to start a fresh thread, from my 'Ajani' thread over in homebrew, as this would be a shift in subject from the original thread.

My question is if anyone knows where the catfolk primarily live/habitate? An initial answer was someone thought they were generally in southern Garund &/or Casmaron, but he didn't seem very sure.

I'm asking because I'm trying to work up a background for a catfolk fighter/barbarian pc, & it's kinda hard without even knowing where they usually hail from. We'll be running a RotRL campaign, so wherever he's from, I need to figure out how to get him to Sandpoint. My concern is the distance from those locales to Varisia.

I'll also probably be using some alternate racial traits I created to allow some catfolk to more closely resemble lions/tigers and other larger felines, instead of the housecats they usually seem to be depicted as. (That's the general question in the homebrew thread).

If anyone has any more info on the home regions for the catfolk, as well as any suggestions for background to get him to Sandpoint, I'd really appreciate the help.

I know the RAW is clear that a zen archer monk loses FoB for all melee weapons & unarmed strikes, only having it for attacks with their bow.

However, I'm considering houseruling to allow the zen archer monk FoB for both bow attacks and unarmed strikes, but not any melee weapons. My feeling is that disallowing on all melee attacks isn't very fair - your replacing two "weapon groups" (melee weapons, unarmed strikes) with only one (bows). This more or less makes the zen archer a one-trick pony - although granted, it's a pretty nice trick...

Under my proposed houserule, the monk can either use all unarmed strikes, bow attacks or a combination of the two - but never more attacks than their normal FoB ability would allow. The zen archer monk still loses Stunning Fist for Perfect Strike, however.

Before I do such a thing though, I'm hoping to get input from the forum as to whether this is an OP/game imbalance problem, and if so, how much. Calculating the math on these sorts of things has never been my strong suit, although that may not even be relevant here. I want to make sure there isn't something I've missed that would impact things more than I realize or expect.

As always, thank you all for your time and assistance.

My youngest son has been dying to play an exotic race. Looking through the ideas in the ARG, nothing really caught his eye. He saw a picture of Ajani Goldmane from Magic: the Gathering and thought he looked really cool (just like the 10yr old he is).

So, on a whim, I worked up some stats for a race of lion-folk. But as I got going, I realized it was actually workable. I wanted to share what I've come up with so far to see if there are any thoughts/suggestions for any improvements to my initial idea. In honor of Ajani Goldmane, I named the race the Ajani.

Ajani
Tall and proud, this lion-like humanoid typically stands a full head taller than a human.

Racial Traits:
+2 Strength, +2 Charisma, –2 Intelligence: Ajani value strength, both physical and in personality, but they generally don’t place much value in knowledge and scholastic pursuits.
Ajani: Ajani are humanoids with the ajani subtype.
Medium: Ajani are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Ajani have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Ajani can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Predatory Nature: Ajani receive a +1 racial bonus to Perception and Stealth, and they always treat these skills as class skills.
Defensive Training: Ajani gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against humanoids of the gnoll subtype.
Intimidating: Ajani receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks due to their fearsome nature.
Natural Weapon: Ajani are equipped with sharp teeth that they can use as a natural weapon. This bite is a primary attack (or secondary attack if wielding manufactured weapons) that deals 1d4 points of damage.
Hatred: Ajani receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the gnoll subtype due to special training against these hated foes.
Languages: Ajani begin play speaking Common and Ajani. Ajani with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Gnoll, Goblin and Sylvan.

Description: Ajani (singular and plural) resemble large humanoid lions. Male ajani are generally larger and more muscular than the females. Much like the lions they resemble, ajani males sport a thick mane of hair that they frequently style and/or decorate, while the females lack a mane.
Fiercely proud and territorial, they live in small prides led by a dominant male. They prefer to live in open grasslands and savannahs, where they maintain a nomadic lifestyle following the herds of grazing animals that provide for their needs.
The ajani tend to use small-group tactics when hunting or fighting, coordinating their attacks to overwhelm their prey/opponents. When forced to fight individually, ajani (males especially) often switch to intimidation tactics, preferring to either face a demoralized foe or avoid the fight entirely. The ajani are not cowards, though – they simply see no practical reason to waste resources and risk harm if a confrontation can be avoided.
The ajani are frequently at odds with gnolls, with whom they compete for food and living space. Whenever possible, gnolls will capture ajani to sell as slaves to fight in arenas. As a result, interactions between gnolls and the ajani are almost always hostile. Their relations with the other humanoid races are typically cool – they tend to intimidate and scare other races, so the ajani prefer to keep to themselves. Those who do befriend an ajani find they have a loyal and powerful ally at their side.
Ajani tend to favor classes that play to their strength – barbarians, rangers and fighters are common choices. Oracles and druids are also popular paths for an ajani to take. Sorcerers and bards, while less common, are occasionally found among the ajani. The other classes are rarely seen among the lion people.

So my player who was going to be a tiefling rogue has decided she wants to play a human ranger instead.

My oldest son (her boyfriend) was going to play a half-orc bard, but was also interested in an inquisitor. He'll switch to a rogue if needed, but I'm trying to decide if we really even need to. So far as I can tell, Disable Device and Sleight of Hand are the key skills the rogue has that we don't have covered otherwise.

I've gone through the 1st couple paths, and it seems that Disable Device is the more useful skill of the two. A bard or an inquisitor can pick up either one with traits easily enough (or both I suppose), but it'll restrict what else he can do. Plus, it'll tie up the skill points.

Looking for opinions on if either/both of these skills are necessary in the campaign. I'm also curious if there is anything else unique to the rogue that I'm forgetting that would be important.

Hi all,

Well my group got shuffled around a bit & I picked up an extra player. She's going to play a tiefling rogue. Not a party face, more focused on the traditional rogue skills such Disable Device, Sleight of Hand & Stealth, as well as Sneak Attack.

Her tiefling heritage isn't as dominant appearance-wise - unusual eye color, a very slender (prehensile) tail & possibly a set of very small horns... not anything too hard to hide most of the time.

The player isn't very experienced, & has asked for help coming up with ideas for the character's background. Thought I'd throw it out there for suggestions, since you all have given me some excellent advice many times before.

Just need something that will have her in Sandpoint in time for the festival. I'm considering having her be a local, but open to ideas.

Thanks in advance!

Hey all! Going to be running RotRL campaign. Party makeup has been set, & includes a human cleric of Erastil who'll be the archer/striker + support-as-needed; a dwarf rogue focusing more on the traditional thief skills (not a party face) & backup melee; an elf wizard filling Treantmonk's GOD role (read his class guide); a human sword-&-board fighter as the primary melee'er; & a halfling bard to be the party face & buffer.

Today's question regards the halfling bard. We're trying to come up with his in-combat role, besides party buffing. The typical answer is to go archery - however, 2 factors are against this: 1) the human cleric is already doing it & 2) I've strongly encouraged the group to play roles outside their normal comfort zone - this player has played the archer/striker numerous times, so we really want to go with something new.

I've been reading around, & the 2 most likely options so far are either a dervish-type build, using acrobatics & the fleet of foot alt racial trait, or a longspear reach weapon build focusing more on positioning & aoo's to contribute.

Any other combat role suggestions for him, or any advice on the roles mentioned above? As always, I appreciate the help!

The party for our RotRL campaign is set as follows: female human fighter, male elf wizard, male Halfling cleric & male dwarf rogue.

For this thread, I would like to focus on the dwarf. Specifically, I'm looking for 1) background ideas to help the player, and 2) solid build ideas for this AP.

Our initial brainstorm came up with more of a brute rogue, using the following stats (25pt buy):

STR 14, DEX 17, CON 14, INT 12, WIS 13, CHA 10

Not a big fan of "dump" stats, but I could see dropping CHA to 8-9 since he's not the party face. Kept the higher DEX, as I feel it will help more things (AC, initiative, ranged, rogue skills, etc) than the STR will (melee & climb/skill are about it).

Role will be more party scout/iconic rogue skills/2ndary melee support.

I've played rogues before that & had issues at higher levels overcoming DR when armed with light weapons, so I'm intrigued by the idea of using the dwarven waraxe. Since it does a D10 with +2 STR, the damage would be very solid, especially on a crit. Add in the precise damage, & he could be pretty solid in battle - and he'd also be far less feat intensive than a TWF build.

At 1st, he will probably be using a light crossbow. He could switch to composite short bow for the +2 damage - along with PBS & sneak attack, he'd still be able to get in a good shot or two before he'd have to move off & try to re-engage with stealth/flanking. Or, he could stick with the crossbow, using rapid reload & PBS. Either way, it's not the focus of the pc.

Background-wise, we're really struggling with how a dwarf ends up a rogue. I don't allow evil alignments in my game (just too much trouble), but neutral would be ok. Dwarven greed would seem to be a logical tie-in...

Any/all help would be really appreciated. The only point to remember is the class/race are fixed, although archetypes are possible. Thanks!

I was reading the Cavalier Optimization Guide over in the Advice area, when I saw the link to Cody Coffelt's submission for the 2011 RPG Superstar competition. I really like the idea of the archetype, but thought of a couple modifications. I've italicized the changes I made to the original text:

Hound Master (Cavalier)

Most cavaliers charge into battle atop mighty steeds, however some lack the finesse with equines required to be proficient riders. Still wishing to serve their order, hound masters choose to fight beside war hounds which are powerful animals trained for battle. A hound master has the following class features.

War Hound (Ex): At 1st level, a hound master gains the service of a loyal war hound to aid him in battle. This hound functions as a druid’s animal companion, using the cavalier’s level as his effective druid level. The creature has the same stats as a wolf.

The war hound is always considered combat trained and begins play with Light Armor Proficiency as a bonus feat. A hound master’s hound does not gain the share spells special ability. These hounds are not suitable for riding and cannot be trained to carry riders.

A hound master’s bond is strong and if the war hound dies, the cavalier may find another hound to serve him after 1 week of mourning. This new hound does not gain the link, evasion, devotion, or improved evasion special abilities until the next time the cavalier gains a level. This ability replaces mount.

Pack Tactics (Ex): At 3rd level, a hound master learns greater coordination with his war hound. When a hound master and his hound are flanking the same creature, the hound master’s flanking bonus on attack rolls increases to +4. This ability replaces cavalier’s charge.

Expert Handler (Ex): Upon reaching 4th level, the hound master may take on a second war hound; while smaller and weaker than his primary hound, it is still a useful ally. This ability functions like the war hound ability, except that the hound master's effective druid level is equal to his cavalier level – 3. In addition, this ability allows the war hounds to choose from teamwork feats when selecting feats gained from additional Hit Dice.

Alternatively, the hound master may choose to take on a mount, as a more traditional cavalier. However, the hound master’s effective druid level is still equal to his cavalier level – 3 when determining the mount’s abilities. This ability replaces expert trainer.

Go For the Throat (Ex): At 11th level, a hound master has perfected fighting beside his animals. Whenever an opponent is tripped or overrun by the hound master or one of his war hounds, the opponent provokes an attack of opportunity from the hound(s) or the hound master, depending on who performed the trip or overrun. The target must be threatened by both the hound master and his war hound(s). This ability replaces mighty charge.

Kill Command (Ex): At 20th level, whenever an opponent is threatened by the hound master and both of his hounds, the hound master may issue a kill command. This is a swift action that grants both hounds an attack of opportunity on the target. Any critical hits from this attack are automatically confirmed. A creature cannot be the target of this ability more than once per day. This ability replaces supreme charge.

I'm considering letting one of my pc's try this out in our next campaign (we're going to use Rise of the Runelords), but would like to know what you guys think of it 1st. I felt the capstone ability was a bit weak, which is why I added the auto-confirm on crits. I'm not totally sure about allowing a mount with Expert Handler, but I wanted to allow for more variety in the archetype (kind of picturing classic European dog hunts - oft-times the hound master's were mounted). Allowing the hound master the AoO as well seemed logical, as wolves get the trip ability anyway.

I can post to the original text if you guys would like for easier comparison. Also, I wasn't sure where to post this, so a moderator can feel free to move it if it belongs somewhere more appropriate. Looking forward to input from the Paizo community - I was just bragging about how helpful you all are for everything Pathfinder. Thanks in advance!

Just a quickie: How does one correctly pronounce the name Jaidz (he's an Agathion Empyreal Lord)?

Thanks.

Working on building a small, family game & decided to use RotRL. The layout of the party is mostly settled, but is open to some changeif it'll help in the campaign. With what we have now (see below), does my group have enough to survive the adventure path ok? My biggest concerns are not having a full BAB character, as well as perhaps a 2nd support character (we can pick up another pc, if needed).

Dwarf Rogue (my 10yr old son); focusing more on the stealth, disable device, sleight of hand - type, not the party face. using a dwarf waraxe as primary weapon

Halfling Bard (my 17yr old son); party face & buffer/ ranged backup character. primarily using slingstaff & light melee weapon, along w/ bardic performance & spells as able

Elf Magus (17yr old's girlfriend - only one new to rpg's); backup melee, going w/ DEX build and Dervish Dance. fall back on longbow when needed

Human Inquisitor (my wife); group leader, follower of Desna. using a trait to pick up better melee weapon (house-rule), along w/ a hvy crossbow

My wife is willing to change to a fighter or a paladin if the group isn't strong enough in combat. I have a friend who can join if needed - he's interested in a human cleric of Erastil, & would work mostly as another party buffer/ battlefield control. He won't be offended if we decide we're ok without another pc, though

Even if the group is ok for combat, should I bring in the cleric to help out? And if my wife should change to a full BAB class, should she go paladin or fighter, given the makeup of the group? She's uncertain, & I'm not sure what to suggest. Thanks for the input!

Greetings all,

My oldest son's girlfriend has expressed interest in joining the game I'm working on setting up for our family. However, she has never played a rpg before, so I don't want to overwhelm her with a difficult class. We quickly ascertained that she wants to be an elf. As I gave a brief overview of some of the different classes available, she was most interested in the wizard & the magus (the magus seems to be her fave so far).

I tend to play a rather rules-light type of game, more focused on action & roleplaying than the strictest adherance to the rules. My question for you all is, which one between wizard/magus would you suggest is the easiest class for a newbie to play, & why?

Thanks!

Going to have a human male inquisitor in my group. Trying to decide on a deity, we've narrowed it down to Iomedae, Desna or Cayden. Leaning towards Desna - emnity with Lamashtu & Ghlaunder give plenty of storyhooks, but Iomedae's no slouch, either.

Not so worried about mechanics here, but more how would you play the inquisitor flavor/rp-wise? Ideas for things like motivations, goals and such helpful, as we've never played this class before.

First off, allow me to say a great big thank you to the entire comunity here - you have all been incredibly kind & helpful in giving advice/answering rules questions any time I've needed it, & I really appreciate it. Thank you very much!

With that said, I have another one for you guys...

I'm starting a small family campaign. There will only be three players, my wife & 2 sons (ages 17 & 9). The characters will be using 25pt buy, & will get max starting wealth.

As the title states, I'm looking for advice on what class to play for a supporting gm-npc. The group will have a dwarf fighter (tank) & an elf magus with Dervish Dance feat (partial controller/2ndary tank) for sure. My oldest son's pc is penciled in as a halfling bard (buffer/ranged/party face). My thinking is to go with something in a divine caster/wisdom based to balance things out - pretty much a controller/buffer type with very little combat.

I was originally thinking of a druid, but it has been suggested that druids aren't as good for this role. I'm open to other suggestions - what type of cleric or oracle would be good here? Also, someone threw out the idea of the bard as the npc, & my son could play an inquisitor or cleric (he is interested in the inquisitor as well) instead.

I'm open to any suggestions & advice on this. However, please be aware that I'm not looking for people to argue that I shouldn't play a gm-npc, or try to talk me out of it. I'm just looking for help on what to play, not whether I should or not. Thanks!

One of my players wants to try out the inquisitor class. He's interested in Desna, which fits well with the campaign ideas I have in mind. The only problem we have is Desna's favored weapon - the starknife. My player really wants to use a longsword (he's got this image in his head of what he thinks the character will be). We could go with Iomedae instead, or burn a feat for the martial weapon proficiency - the character is human, so there is an extra feat available. I could also just use DM fiat & allow him to have the longsword (how much game imbalance would that really be??)....

So now that I've got all that stream-of-consciousness babble out, does anyone have any other ideas/thoughts/suggestions for me? Thanks in advance!

Setting up a game for my family. Six pc's total (2 per player). Here's what we have established so far:

A dwarf rogue who will be focusing mostly on the physical skill set (Stealth, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, etc)...

A elf/halfling bard (race undecided) who will be the party face & either be party buffer at range (the halfling) or backup melee (elf with curved blade)...

A tank - barbarian or fighter, race undetermined....

A caster - either elf or human, deciding between sorcerer, wizard & witch with a role as a mix of controller/buffer/debuffer (any thoughts/ideas on which class here would also be appreciated)...

This leaves me with the final 2 spots, going to different players. One player is interested in trying an inquisitor of Desna, while the other is debating a paladin or a cleric. So here's my dilemma - if the group ends up with a paladin, a witch & an inquisitor, will we be ok without a cleric? After 1st level, the paladin will be able to lay on hands, plus the witch/inquisitor can both have CLW. Also, the witch could take the Healing Hex. I'm concerned this is not enough healing &/or a solid use of party resources compared to a cleric's channeling. And no, the cleric is not going to be the 'party band-aid' - probably another backup fighter or another support caster (depending on what the bard does). But channeling can bring a lot of healing with relatively minimal resources for the group.

Anybody else's thoughts? Thanks in advance!

I could swear I remember seeing a feat somewhere that allows a pc proficiency with an off-sized weapon, for example a large battleaxe. However, I've gone through the feats list multiple times, & have been unable to find it. Am I just missing it, am I looking in the wrong place, or am I just going crazy (don't ask my wife that last one!)?

Thanks in advance....

Working on my next adventure. A wizard has taken over a goblin tribe, using Alter Self & deception, to look for a missing wand from the previous Goblin War. Unbeknownst to him (but knownst to us), there is no such wand. The book he got the infomration from is a forgery created by another wizard to impress the father of a girl he was courting. Unfortunately, his ruse failed - but the book survived & came into the possession of the current wizard, who decides to go track the wand down.

I'm leaning towards something like a wand of fireballs, or something simiar that would be useful in combat for a wizard. My question is if it is possible to recharge a wand after the 50 uses are expended? If not, I might go with a Staff of Fire instead - reason being, the item might have run out of charges, making it worthless if it can't be recharged. It would be worth retrieving if it can be recharged. This, of course, is actually a moot point, since there is no item. Although, having him find it at the last minute to use against the pc's, only to discover all it's charges are gone could be fun....

The setup...

A wizard (some distance away from current location) tries to impress local leader - interested in his daughter - by having a scribe create a fictitious account of his heroic actions during the Battle of Shedrig's Pass, which is the pc's locale. To explain his heroic use of magic which he can't duplicate, the story gives him a powerful wand, which was lost during the fight. Unfortunately, the local leader is familiar with said battle, & knows there were no wizards involved - forcing the mage to leave the area in a hurry when his attempt @ deception is revealed...

Sometime later, the (fake) account ends up in the hands of another wizard, who decides to look for the missing wand. His research turns up no evidence of the wand ever being found, so he assumes the goblins involved in the conflict must have it. After much preparation, he travels to the pc's locale & is promptly captured by a goblin scout party - but not until after he manages to use some form of Disguise Self to make him look like a goblin, albeit a very tall one. While facing the chief, he takes advantage of a lunar eclipse to "demonstrate" his power. The chief flees from such a powerful foe, & the wizard begins using the goblins to help him look for the 'magic stick' he lost.

The goblin chief turns to his rival chief from the 1st encounter for aid, who decides to try to use the pc's to solve the problem. The goal will be for the pc's to capture/kill the wizard & get out of the goblin territory without starting another war.

The advice I'm looking for is what school of wizardry should this guy specialize in? Universalist is the easy, safe choice - but divination, evocation & transmutation also could work. Haven't decided if he'll be human or half-elf yet, either.

Any input is, as always, most appreciated....

Seriously.

In the previous adventure, a local farmer was killed. While examining the homestead (trying to determine what had happened), a short conversation came up about how the farmhouse would make a good base of operations for the group.

I don't have any problems with this idea except one - I have no idea how much a farmhouse would cost. My plan is for the widow to decide to pack up & move to be with remaining family elswhere. Not sure if I should put the place up for sale then (again, how much?) or if I should have the village decide to allow the group to set up camp there. The group are currently local heroes for their actions in the last adventure. The town could decide it's worthwhile to keep a party of skilled adventurers nearby in case any other problems arise. Plus, the farmhouse is right at the edge of a very dangerous forest - they could also serve as a buffer to any threats from the forest.

Any ideas/thoughts/opinions/suggestions would be most welcome.

"Mithral: Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than steel but just as hard. When worked like steel, it becomes a wonderful material from which to create armor, and is occasionally used for other items as well. Most mithral armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light....

An item made from mithral weighs half as much as the same item made from other metals. In the case of weapons, this lighter weight does not change a weapon's size category or the ease with which it can be wielded (whether it is light, one-handed, or two-handed)."

So does a mithral heavy shield count as a normal or light one-handed weapon when bashing (particularly with regards to penalties for TWF'ing)?

Hey all, first time posting, so here goes...

Starting my first Pathfinder campaign soon with family. Seven pc's total, all 1st level: human female barbarian, elf male magus, gnome male sorcerer, human male cleric, half-orc male barbarian, half-elf female druid & goblin male rogue.

Found a nice free module online called "Goblin's Tooth" that I think will work very well - essentially, the group has to help prevent another goblin/human war by destroying the creature that is hunting/killing the local goblin tribe (forcing them to raid humans for food to survive). Campaign will start in more sub-tropical climate, similar to South America.

Having difficulty deciding on what to use as the 'main' enemy of the encounter that's been attacking the goblins. Here are my favorite options so far:

amphisbaena, CR4 (BEST II, 25) - young template (CR-1)?
owlbear, CR4 (BEST, 224) - young template?
girallon, CR6 (BEST, 154) - young template for sure
ogre, CR3 (BEST, 220) - maybe a pair?
mite, CR1/4 (BEST, 207) - pair/group? - vermin companions?

I would appreciate any/all thoughts & comments, both on the suggestions above, or if you think of an option I might have overlooked. The girallon is appealing due to the environment, but may be too powerful. The mite(s) could be seeking revenge on the goblins for past mockery (read in the creature description).

Thanks very much, & I look forward to your thoughts!