thomas gock's page

I have a question about using drugs in PF. Every drug does a form of ability damage, which takes 1 day to heal 1 point.

My question is, how to addicts live, like at all?

Addicts use drugs everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. If a drug does more than 1 point of ability damage, wouldn't the drug addict die after a few days 'cause their ability score would eventually drop below zero.

Is there a cap for ability damage taken from drug use, or is my addict character just going to die shortly after I make him?

Hey, question. my friend is playing a cleric and wants to craft a scroll, but we are in the woods and he does not have ink or paper. is he unable to make scrolls? The GM intentionally has us stranded without gear and we have nowhere to buy stuff. Can my friend just say he crafts the scroll and just deduct the gold required?

Kind of off topic. Would having magic items tatattooed on a monk with the vow of poverty violate the vow?

thomas gock wrote:

For real though, I was just talking with my boyfriend and we were wondering why everyone does not buy magic items with class restrictions for a percentage less; especially if it's an item the player doesn't plan on sharing, like armor or their main weapon.

Because most sensible GMs wont let that fly. The price cut is stupid on items made by the party.

Really? If you follow the URL I posted in a previous comment, it outlines a price guide for PCs crafting magic items in game. It explicitly states items with skill, class, or alignment restrictions reduce the cost of crafting the item. There are tons of a items that can only be used by a certain alignment; why shouldn't the PCs be able to craft such items?

Yeah, I've seen the examples. The reason I'm asking is because an item costs less if it has limited uses per day, and I want to calculate the price for it not having limited uses. I would also like to know how they calculate the price for lesser, normal and greater. But I guess if there are no official PF rules, my GM and I will have to wing it.

For real though, I was just talking with my boyfriend and we were wondering why everyone does not buy magic items with class restrictions for a percentage less; especially if it's an item the player doesn't plan on sharing, like armor or their main weapon.

Here is the URL for the magic item crafting

page.http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/magicItems/magicItemCreation.html

Sorry it's not a link; I'm using a tablet and I'm not sure how to do that.

There are crafting rules for making items with restrictions.

From the piazo site magic item crafting

"Item Requires Specific Class or Alignment to Use: Even more restrictive than requiring a skill, this limitation cuts the price by 30%"

What is the equation used in crafting rods with metamagic feats? How do they determine the price? I can find out how to calculate the price for almost anything else except for rods. I'm mainly concerned with the price for mimicking a feat, and the price for the lesser, normal, and greater rods.

thomas gock wrote:

Shfish wrote:

Divine source only works if your tier 2 and without giving too many spoilers, you won't get that in time...

First, you need to be tier 3 for divine source. Second, it is my understanding that you get mythic tier 10 by the end of the adventure. I don't know what you mean by I won't get it in time.

Well lets see here...my statement merely referred to the text of the ability that says you get a spell of a level equal to your tier..so tier 2...wasn't referring to minimum reqs of the ability.

Second...you are implying you are using divine source as your qualifications for the divine spell req of MT. YOU WILL NOT GET THAT IN TIME TO DO A DAMN THING. That was my point. With your current build you would be lucky to be level 7 (6 wiz, 1 clr) before you hit tier 2. And as you said you need tier 3 to qualify for the ability and I haven't gotten that far into the mod. Assume prob level 9. So no, you will not as you suggested want to try and do this...unless you really are wanting to take 9 levels of wizard, 1 level of cleric, and then all the rest (from 11+) take your mystic theurge.

I'm sorry. I should have also been clear. I intended on waiting until level 9 to start mystic theurge.

Divine source only works if your tier 2 and without giving too many spoilers, you won't get that in time...

First, you need to be tier 3 for divine source. Second, it is my understanding that you get mythic tier 10 by the end of the adventure. I don't know what you mean by I won't get it in time.

I am planning on building a Mystic Theurge in the Wrath of the Righteous campaign. I’ve read a lot of things that bash MT, but I think I may have found a decent build for one.

I am a Wizard/ Cleric. I am focusing on being a wizard. My DM has approved me joining a guild for the eventual +3/+1 caster levels it provides.

I am currently level 5: 4W/1C. I will get one more level in Cleric and use the guild for the first +1, giving me a Cleric level 3. Then I will take Mystic Theurge. I will eventually end up with 8W/2C/10MT; effective caster level 19W/15C (Wizard level 8 + MT level 10 + extra level from guild/ Cleric level 2 + MT level 10 + 3 levels from guild)

Alternatively, if I don’t want to go the guild route, I was thinking of using the Divine Source Universal Mythic Path Ability as my second level divine spell. Giving me W9/C1/MT10 effectively Wizard CL 19 Cleric CL 11. This is possible because of WotR.

Thoughts?

@ Remy: this is a high fantasy setting with lots of magic and beings that are beyond the scope of mortal understanding. That wall REALLY could not be the illusion. For any number of magical reasons I won't go into.

I think everyone is reading too much into it. All else aside, when you two monsters appear in front of you at the same time, do you know which one is real? No. It doesnt matter who cast it, or how long it took. Both appear at the same time. Maybe RAW says you magically know which one the illusion is, but then i would say that rule is wrong and you should house rule it.

Why wouldn't everyone put tons of ranks into spellcraft? The ONLY thing you miss out on if it isn't a class skill is a plus 3. Negligible.

There are two spell casters standing next to each other. One casts an illusion spell the other casts summon monster. You know from spellcraft check that one of the things in fron of you is an illusion. Which one is it? I don't know if a simple spellcraft check should cut it.

thomas gock wrote:

Don't you use V and S components of a spell to determine what spell is being cast?

Yes, that's what the Spellcraft skill does. 

Then wouldn't that be the mechanical way of determining a spell? If you know the components are for an illusion spell, doesn't that count as proof to the character?

However, even though you know they are casting an illusion spell, you don't know what the illusion is exactly, meaning you may need further proof. I donno, I'm just theorizing.

If you're starting the game with this, then i would say you need to buy the item. If you acquire the LI in game then i would think you would already have the item in you possession (if you make the item legendary yourself). The book does mention that legendary items become legendary because they are tied to legendary people. The other way is to get an item in game that is already legendary (using the same ability). That item is legendary because someone else made it so. Then it could be anything you didn't possess (you probably didn't have it before, but you could and not have realized it). Does this help at all?

Create Mr. Pitt wrote:

Why does the spellcraft check get made in the first place? If the illusion was there prior to the caster, how does the caster know to make a spellcraft check.

I've assumed the question was about a Spellcraft check to identify a spell being cast (a shadow conjuration or shadow evocation, in the OP). If the caster used detect magic, we could discuss similar questions around his Knowledge (arcana) check.

Create Mr. Pitt wrote:

If the illusion was created in front of the caster that is, of course, reason to be suspicious and the spellcraft check might confirm those suspicions.

Many spells create real objects or creatures. I think he would at least have to determine by game mechanics that it was some sort of illusion to get a bonus to his save.

Different verbal and somatic components? Isn't that partly how you identify spells? Maybe I'm wrong.

Edit: sorry, i should make this more clear. Don't you use V and S components of a spell to determine what spell is being cast? Or are components simply flavor, and not the same for all castings of a particular spell?

N N 959 wrote:

While the rule has some basis in reality e.g. getting sucker punched, don't get sucked into believing there is some plausible explanation for everyone who starts combat as being flat-footed. The implementation of being "denied your dex bonus" is nonsensical and is merely a mechanic necessary to create design space for other feats.

It isn't nonsensical.

You start off flatfooted because you are unable to react.

If someone comes up to deck you. For example. You roll sense motive vs bluff. You fail. They seem perfectly harmless. Then BAM, sucker punched in the side of the head.

... now you can react.

You don't get to react before you are aware there is even something to react to.

You have just described a surprise round. What if that person also rolls higher initiative? Do they get two attacks while the other person is still FF?

Edit: Sorry, I've accepted the rule, and have decided to not let it ruin my fun. I also liked several of your previous posts. I just like debating the merits of this rule.

The book doesn't need to define it. English defines what combat is.

For everyone saying initiative rolls need to be done sooner:

the core book states "1. When combat begins, all combatants roll initiative." (except in the case of a surprise round)

If I am to assume this also means non-violent combat, then why are there no other rules for non-violent combat? To me this means initiative is rolled once a combat action occurs; NOT during the chit-chat that leads up to it, because that is not combat. In other words, combat isn't combat until someone decides to attacks; THEN initiative is rolled.

(I'm not trying to distract from my original post; I'm just saying, combat doesn't start till combat starts. So even if you rolled initiative or readied and action ((Which I didn't think you could do outside of combat, I might be wrong...)) before combat, you need to re-roll once combat does actually start. Meaning you could be flat-footed ((The reason for me original post)).)

Edit: @blue_the_wolf: It is insanely hard to post with any non-computer device. My phone? threw it across the room one time cause of frustration at posting here.

I don't think I'll have to worry about AoMF; I have a vow of poverty, so I can't use magical items. I just think it's weird that it's called Monk of the EMPTY hand, but its benefits are for use with weapons (even if they are improvised). I really have no desire to use any weapons of any kind.

But thanks, I'll chat with my DM. I would totally be willing to lose the weapon and armor proficiency all together in exchange for applying Ki Weapon to my unarmed strikes.

The Ki Weapons feature of the Monk of the Empty Hand sates this:

"At 5th level, a monk of the empty hand may spend 1 point from his ki pool as a swift action to deal damage equal to his unarmed strike damage with an improvised weapon for 1 round. At 11th level, the monk may spend ki to grant an enhancement bonus or magical weapon abilities to an improvised weapon for 1 round, at the rate of 1 point of ki per +1 bonus or its equivalent. The monk may not spend more than 3 points of ki at one time for this purpose. For example, a monk can spend 2 points of ki to give his improvised weapon a +1 enhancement bonus and the ki focus quality, or just the flaming burst quality. At 15th level, the limit increases to 5 ki per round. The monk may use this ability to add magical weapon qualities to improvised weapons that could not normally have such a quality, such as adding the disruption quality to a slashing weapon, or the vorpal quality to a bludgeoning weapon."

My question is: Can I apply the enhancement bonus to my unarmed strikes, rather than an improvised weapon?

I want to truly have empty hands.

(I'm playing a level 12 monk with the vow of poverty, so I have ki out the butt to spend.)

Also, I'm not sure if this was addressed anywhere else; my searched turned up nothing related to this question.

Is it just me or does this say "for determining the spell’s final
ADJUSTED level." As far as I know, you cannot adjust a spell to a lower spell level slot. Since this only applies to the adjusted level, and not the actual level, I would think you could NOT cast magic missile as a 0-level spell.

Am I wrong in thinking this?

jimibones83 wrote:

I disagree with this rule as well. The example of the friends racing above is a good comparison to someone beating the initiater at initiative, but doesnt really explain the AC ding. Just because you were quicker than the guy alone does not mean he is unprepared for the fight, especially true for trained professionals such as an adventuring party.

When 2 pro boxers step into the ring, one of them theoretically wins initiative. The other does not become any less prepared for the fight just because he did not get the chance for the first swing. He is as ready as he will ever be because he is a trained professional and he is aware of the threat at hand. If he were doing dishes at home and yur stealth check beat his perception check then you could certainly get a surprise round on him catching him flat footed, but not if he is aware of combat

Two fighters stepping into a ring is not an apt analogy. In that case, a third party is starting the fight arbitrarily. That means that both fighters are reacting to the same stimulus.

It's a different scenario when one person initiates the fight him or herself.

That is a perfect scenario. Its the same as if a third person were to initiate combat and two other also roll initiative. They're both acted outside stimuli but if one of them rolls higher one of them is going to be flat footed.

I still don't understand why you take a penalty to your AC. The examples you gave describe someone rolling higher in their initiative than the person who initiated combat. isn't it enough that they go for first? why does the initiator take further penalties? A round is only six seconds. it doesn't make sense that somebody can get in attack off and then you can become aware and make your own attack within that 6 seconds. I think this "unaware of combat" penalty should only apply in a surprise round.

From what I understand one person says they want to attack and then everyone rolls initiative.

So the person who initiates combat by saying they're attacking isn't ready for combat just because they rolled low on their initiative?

can someone please explain to me why you're flat footed during the first round of combat if you have not acted? I understand mechanics behind the rule but I don't understand why the rule in place. It doesn't seem logical that you know about the combat, meaning you have taken your initiative role, but you are denied your dex bonus as if you didn't know you were going to be attacked (like the separate surprise round). Can someone please provide me with a reason as to why I should follow this rule?