voideternal wrote:
Thank you for that ... another viable option! I like it.
Doppleman wrote:
Not far in the future, but the undiscovered creature is situated in an ancient laboratory (end of Azlanti empire kind of ancient).
Thank you all so much for the feedback. I liked the construct idea, but there was too much chance for something to go wrong with construct. I REALLY like the idea of a cursed / blessed creature, as that kind idea seems to work by fiat and along the story line. Now, to find a god old enough that is still around ....
Hello Pathfinder community! I am in need of a specific creature that would fit the RP portion of an adventure I am creation and for some reason I just cannot find something that fits the bill. Criteria: - It must be effectively immortal. It is a guardian / caretaker of a site that has been undisturbed for millennia.
That's my only criteria. I do not want to give away too much details, as my players may be reading these posts as well. You thoughts would be most welcome.
Pounce wrote: Would it happen to be this thing you are looking for? I have at least found it very helpful in the past. OMG, that was it. Thank you!
Hello Community, There was a thread awhile ago about what challenges character should be able to do by level, and for the life of me, I cannot find it ... my search fu is terrible today. This guide had things like when character should be able to deal with flying things, incorporal things, etc. Any pointing me in the right direction would be most appreciated.
Hello Community! I was wondering if I could plumb the collective to see if an answer appears. I have a groups of friends I want to run an AP for. One of the group wants to be a Kobold, and has come up with an interesting concept. Plus, he is a awesome comedic personality, and whatever character he runs is brilliant and memorable, so I usually give him a long leash. In the beginning, prior to any sorcererous assistance, he is planning on being the exotic "pet" of another character to make it through civilized parts. My question is: What would be the best AP for this?
lewij3 wrote:
Awesome and frightening on its application!
A quick reading of the rules and the FAQs would lead me to believe that the "Blood of Dragons" ability of the Dragon Disciple advances both the Sorcerer and the Bloodrager Draconic bloodlines. However, the effects do not stack .. as such, abilities come on line on a "first-past-the-goalpost" fashion. Both the bloodlines are nearly identical, so it should not be such a big problem. Keep in mind if you argue the point I have made with your GM, you are taking the advice of an intoxicated individual.
If you have a character concept that is disruptive to the expected level of play (lets call it "Pathfinder Standard of Care"), you have an obligation to explain your character concept and work with the table towards an acceptable solution to compensate. Its part of the "Cooperate" thingy. Not fully explaining how your character is going to work and finding a solution before game play starts could be bordering on the "Don't be a Jerk" paradigm. Remember, you chose to be the pacifist in a Society which often requires the use of violence to obtain its goals - you need to make sure you can make it work.
OldSkoolRPG wrote:
In the real world, a brief conflagration of unconstrained fire like a fireball might not be enough to even light the rope or clothing on fire. Rope and cloth would take a somewhat sustained infusion of thermal energy to ignite, even if perfectly dry, which is not likely in the damp environment on a body of water.
Does anyone take into account the energy attacks get halved before applying damage to hardness? Energy Attacks: Energy attacks deal half damage to most objects. Divide the damage by 2 before applying the object’s hardness. Some energy types might be particularly effective against certain objects, subject to GM discretion. Or am I missing something?
DM_Blake wrote:
Really good advise ... I am inspired for me next campaign!
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
Only CHA 7 wizards need hookers ... Sorcerer's have rock-star CHA and have groupies throwing themselves at them.
graystone wrote:
If you have to explain the particulars of each animal's physiology and use other other items do work around the core rules, then I would argue it is not "clear". You obviously believe otherwise - I get it. It's the OP GM's call.
graystone wrote:
The OP specifically asked "So which familiars have can clearly use wands and how do I back up the reasoning if asked?" The developers and the official organized play campaign have stated this does not include animal familiars. So "clearly using wands" seems to be the domain of improved familiars. If you want to split hairs and argue a raven can clutch a stick in its talon (note that this is actually passing for a foot on this creature .. the hand would be the wing) while UMD'ing it, go for it.
graystone wrote:
Good Wikipedia search. You are correct that some animals show rudimentary use of tools. However, a GM or PFS decision to not allow animals to use wands seems easily justified by their lack of fine motor skills to manipulate objects. You, or course, could house rule anything you wish.
LazarX wrote:
While this is true, and using a familiar in combat makes it a target, GM's have to be careful and have good reason to target a familiar. Targeting a familiar because it is using a wand of CLW when the real threat is from the PC's can be a dick move.
What everyone else has said, with a couple of extra items ... Dragons are very long lived, intelligent, magical, and typically wealthy. They will / should have minions: They will have a network of spies to inform them of various powers entering their domain. I had a dragon who had the local thieves guilds on retainer. They often have tribes of minions worshiping them (think kobolds, lizardmen, etc.) These minions, while not usually a problem for PCs, provide an area of notification for the dragon. Plus, a dragon is egotistical enough not to value these minions and through them away just to drain the PCs of resources. They are magical, and use magic: They know remote viewing spells, and use them. They have magical items, and use them. They have had the time to hire spellcasters to make defensive spells permanent. They are / should be ABSOLUTE masters of their lair: They have had YEARS to prepare. All the terrain should be designed in their favor. Appropriate protections should be in place to protect them: dimensional anchors, anti-magic, magic traps, squeeze points for breath weapons, lead-lines walls and doors, finishes which prevent movement through them, etc. They are patient and devious. They have no issue with picking off players one by one. If a plan of theirs doesn't work, they have years to take revenge. The party I ran against a dragon BBEG was unable to kill him in the initial encounter before he teleported out. The dragon seethed, and he harassed them for MANY adventures before finally taking his opportunity for revenge. He took pleasure in making their life hell. Sent assassins after them. Contracted hags to send them nightmares. Plagued them with illusions that made them questions of what was real vs. not. The fear and respect for the dragon came as they became afraid to take on a challenges because he might show up to mess with them. It was great! If I had run this as a 5-on-1 encounter, they would have destroyed him without the resulting fear and loathing.
Three words: Eisenheim's Explosives Emporium "Because you cannot trust goblins with your explosives" Servicing Absalom now for three years in providing the finest in explosives and fireworks. (Artisan's Shop vanity. I even hand out business cards and coupons to the other players at my table. I cannot wait to get a +2 to CHA so I can hire a seneschal to run the business.)
I think Dim Slide is actually superior to Shift, in that it does not end your turn like Shift does. The exception being that you cannot use it to get out of a grapple. When you get eventually get Dim Door, that is two teleports potentially per turn .. can be a party or mission saver. Just buy a Talisman (lessor) of Freedom: freedom of movement 3 rounds when grappled for 900 gp. A "get-out-of-grapple-free" card. Its in the Occult Adventures (I think).
Thank you for your input! I had read that some time ago and forgot about it. I am surprised there does not seem to be more ways to increase the pool. I cannot complain about the nerf too much, as I still enjoy playing the Occultist. Still, the ability to use the other exploits I invested in would be nice.
Hello collective brain trust! Given the errata which reduced the number of times Consume Spells and Consume Magic Items could be used per day (yes, I know it should have been 3 + CHA mod, but we are not here to argue that), I have been searching for ways to increase the number of points in my arcane reservoir. I have an Occultist Arcanist in PFS that I love to play and am not giving him up. Luckily, I did not dump CHA, so sitting at a 14 CHA, I am not in too bad shape. So here are the ways I can see of increasing the points in the arcane reservoir: Exploits: Consume Spells: Add points equal to a spell clot given up for the day. Max use: CHA mod (min 1). Commentary: Most useful way to add points, but nerfed by errata. Not contingent upon actions by others. Consume Magic Items: Add points equal to 1/2 the level of the spell contained in the item. Only spell greater than 1st count. Max use: CHA mod (min 1). Commentary: Useful way to add points, but nerfed by errata. Not contingent upon actions by others. Costs wealth. Greater Exploits: Counter Drain: 1 point per three spell levels on a successful counterspell. Only spells greater than 2nd count. Commentary: Very conditional source of points. Requires investment in the counterspelling exploits. Arguably, counterspelling is not the most efficient use of exploits and actions, although the arcanist seems to do it best. Resistance Drain: End spell resistance to gain ½ point per spell level of a successfully resisted spell. Commentary: Very conditional source of points. Requires investment in Spell Resistance and Greater Spell Resistance, not normally considered strong exploits. Siphon Spell: When using greater spell disruption, if the caster level of the spell is equal to or higher than that of the arcanist, and the DC of the dispel check by 5 or more, adds 1 point. If exceeds check by 10 or more, adds 2 points. Commentary: Very conditional source of points. Requires spell disruption and greater spell disruption exploit to select this exploit. Feats: Extra Reservoir: +3 points in arcane reservoir, and the max number of points increases by that amount. Commentary: Solid choice. Can optionally be retrained at higher levels when points are more available. Race: Gnome: Gain 1/6 point per level of favored class bonus. Commentary: You have to be a Gnome. 1/6 is not that impressive. Are there any other items, tricks, traits or features which could assist in getting more points? This is my question to you.
The Numerator wrote:
Well put .. this is how I understand it to work.
Chess Pwn wrote:
Since I have already started to cast, then no AoO, since the AoO is only triggered at the start of casting. So there appears to be a way out whatever the ruling of a GM.
Helikon wrote: First of all it is true that it might save you some money, but it is freakishly difficult getting spells in the first place. Yes you can buy a scroll to do so but already 2nd level scrolls cost 150gp 3rd 375. compare that to the 10gp 20 30gp scribing cost it is miniscule. Second I get soo much cash anyway. PFS is not overly generous on cash, so there is really never enough to go around. That being said, getting access to spells is relatively easy: scrolls or spellbooks (rarer) in game, fellow player characters, or at the grand lodge. The first two do not have any access costs, and the last is at half the scribing cost. But I do see spending a bit to get my spell book running "thick". I really do not see arcane casters using the eclectic and out-of-combat utility spells ... maybe this is for good reason. But I do want to have a go at it.
Helikon wrote:
Thank you for your thoughts. My estimates are that Cypher Script would save me about 6500 - 7000 on writing spells from levels 1 -11. I am looking to carry around a large amount of spells, not just the 10 or so most ideal ones that everyone carries (see original post). However, I will have to re-evaluate my assumptions based on your advise.
I would like to tap into the collective brain-trust if I might to ask for opinions on when or if to take augment summoning for my Occultist Arcanist. The Basics: I have an Occultist Arcanist I am developing for PFS. The premise is a Johnny-on-the-spot spellcaster for all situations – a spellcaster’s spellcaster. What I mean by this is to develop a thick spellbook, and make liberal use of Quick Study to get the party out of a pinch. I envision using this mainly for non-combat utility spells to overcome scenario situational difficulties with magic. To use the eclectic utility spells no one has time to memorize. Occultist enhances this by allowing extra “spells” per day from it’s summon monster ability, and would allow more utility spells to be allocated during non-combat events . I do not see this character as a primary summoner – summoning just happens to be one of his useful tricks, in and out of combat. The Problem: As an Occultist Archetype, I am losing two free exploits at 1st and 7th – and I really love the exploits. I am finding it hard to put off things like dimensional slide and potent magic for augment summoning. I have another character who is a dedicated summoner, so augment summoning was a no-brainer - I took it at 1st level (also a human) and never looked back. Since I do not have experience with not having augment summoning, the question is: Would you take Augment Summoning with this build concept, and if so, when? Is Augment Summoning still viable in later encounters, or should I ditch the Augment Summoning altogether in favor of better opportunities? The Build:
Feats are currently as follows:
Opportunities:
Any opinions offered would be most appreciated.
About Tama, Moon's DaughterGame Stats:
Tama, Moon's Daughter
LG female human (Shoanti) paladin (divine hunter) 1 hp 13 (1d10 + 2 Con +1 class) Speed: 30/30 feet AC 17 (+3 armor, +4 Dex) Penalty: -1 CMB: +1 CMD: 15 Fortitude +4 Reflex +4 Will +4 Initiative +4 Str 10 Dex 18 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 13 Cha 14 Attack: composite longbow +5 ranged (1d8 x3 110 ft. P) Attack: war club +1 melee (1d6 x2 B) Attack: throwing axe +1 melee / +5 ranged (1d6 x2 10 ft. S) Feats: Point-Blank Shot (+1 to attack and damage vs. targets within 30 feet), Rapid Shot (make 1 additional ranged attack roll per round, -2 to both attack rolls), Precise Shot* (shoot into melee with no penalty) Traits: Auspicious Tattoo (+1 to Will saves), Sacred Touch (As a standard action, you may automatically stabilize a dying creature by touching it) Skills: Diplomacy +6, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perception +2, Survival +2 Special Abilities: Aura of Good (Ex), Detect Evil (Sp) at will, Smite Evil (Su) x1/day (add Cha bonus to attack, add level to damage rolls, gain deflection equal to Cha bonus vs. target of smite) Languages: Common, Shoanti Gear: composite longbow, 30 arrows (20 cold iron, 10 normal), 20 arrowheads, war club, throwing axe, studded leather armor, quiver, traveler's outfit, vial of ink, needle & thread, belt pouch, waterskin, spare bowstring, 27 gp Background:
Tama was born to her clan's shaman at midnight on the night of the full moon's perigee, an omen of great importance to the Lyrune-Quah. As she grew older, she was trained as a Divine Hunter of the Moon Clan, showing preternatural skill with a bow and an uncanny ability to track her quarry. When she came of age, she received a vision showing her that her path was to seek out all those who do evil by the light of the moon and bring them to justice. Six months ago, she left her clan's ancestral lands for the first time to pursue a Chelish devil-binder who had stolen an ancient Thassilonian relic from the Lyrune-Quah. Though the relic was destroyed during the chase, Tama finally caught up with the wizard in Taldor and put an arrow through his skull. While preparing for her journey home, however, she began to hear rumors of a malign winter spreading from the depths of an ancient forest... Appearance & Personality:
Tama is tall and bronze-skinned, as befitting her Shoanti heritage, and keeps her head shaved in accordance with clan tradition. The crown of her head is tattooed with the phases of the moon, and her feet, hands and forearms bear complex designs in blue ink, all of which glow with a faint silvery-blue light. Her clothing is simple and practical: a hooded sarong of coarse white linen and a jerkin and leggings of bleached leather in the Shoanti tribal style. She carries a massive bow made from pale wood and bone, as well as a small war-club and iron-bladed throwing axe. Generally quiet and reserved, Tama tends to speak only after great consideration of her words. As a holy warrior of her clan, she is sworn to help those in need and do her best to stop any evil acts from being committed. Tama always tries to see the good in people and tries her utmost to resolve conflicts peacefully before resorting to violence, except in cases where doing so would violate her oath. |