Maybe change the text to Arial and left-align to make it easier to read?
And your color-coding confuses me, is red better than black?
And i can hardly concern green form black (but that may be my monitors fault...)
But otherwise, a good start, thanks again :)
It is a work in progress. I had it all on Word, and when it converted over, it didn't keep the same colors. At the moment, I wasn't really color coding it, per se, as much as showing spells and the like to stand out.
I am concidering going to directs with the color coding though. A.) would be towards certain builds/functions or B.) to show general dood and bad spell choices.
Again, I did that in one day, and am far from finished. Any suggestions or requests that I haven't yet gotten to? I plan on looking at a few builds, (generic Cleric, White Mage, Necromancer, Battle Cleric, Ranged Cleric, Mage Killer, and one or two more come to mind).
Ranged cleric is very hard to build. You need High Dex, Decent Strength, Decent Con, Decent to High Wis, Decent Cha and you can dump int. I don't think it's all that viable, unless you are primarily a spellcaster and a ranged weapon is your backup.
If I have 8 hours a day to craft, can I increase the DC of the spellcraft check to DC+5 and craft 2x 4h for 2000gp worth of crafting. And can I increase it by another +5 and do 4000gp per day?
As far as I can see the only limit is 8 hours max per day, and you can double your crafting speed for every +5 you add to the DC.
I'm looking for a RPG that rivals DnD/PFRPG in awesomeness and fun!
Everybody has a slightly different idea of what "fun" is.
Ideally the game system you want gives you the tools to play the way you enjoy playing, without getting in the way with confusing rules or time-consuming simulationism.
Unless that's you're "thing".
PFRPG (and its predecessors) is essentially a set of streamlined rules for creating characters to engage in small-unit tactical battles against a variety of creatures wielding medieval and fantastic weapons and armor. There is also some support for "role-playing" in between such battles.
I fully agree with you. I have always liked the D20 system, even though 3.5 and PF is mostly better.
Is there anything that is as popular today as ADnD/3.5/PFRPG?
The lighting rules make sense, didn't know they had a stealth bit in them.
Shadowlord wrote:
No. You can't use Stealth while being observed. If you are being observed you must distract your opponent’s attention with a Bluff check then use your move action to get to an unobserved location and attempt Stealth. Rules are given for that in the Stealth and Bluff rules.
Sorry I read that part wrong. I thought it said you cant stealth when people are looking at you unless you have cover or concealment.
Stealth in and of itself rarely takes an action, the only movement required is enough to be behind cover, at which point you can try to stealth (though if you're being watched, this might not be helpful).
Core states that stealth is only an action when sniping, otherwise it is part of movement (and 5-ft step is certainly movement) or a non-action if movement isn't needed.
So if you have blur cast on you, you can basically just stand still and stealth, even if people are looking at you?
Well he will get a bonus feat at 10th so he can hold off a level on the metamgic feats.
True
Frostflame wrote:
Besides at ninth and tenth level your better purchasing a rod of Quickening than taking the feat.
A quickened spell takes up a slot 4 levels higher. So you can only start to use it at level 9 (without MM cost reducing abilities). I would argue that you will probably need those slots for 5th level spells not 1st level quickened spells, so your best level will probably be 11th to get it.
Buying the rod is 35000gp. That is too much gold to just shell out at level 9. It's better spent elsewhere. Quicken blows through spells. You need to be a higher level to get the most out of it.
i play in a campaign with very few but hard fights, most of all with a single challenging enemy. So game is based on interact, commerce, skills.
Which feats do you suggest ? which are the "must-have" feats at my level ?
I was unsure between:
Extend metamagic, Intuitive Reflexes (INT bonus on reflex saves instead of DEX), another creation feat, Leadership (choosing a Cleric that will assist in fights and help with crafting)
I will appreciate any suggestion !!! Thanks !!!
-Quicken Spell ( A must have feat soon. Unless you can buy the rod )
-Extend Spell (Another must have, especially from lvl 5-10. Don't know about it now though)
I was wondering if you would recomend any of the Prc's from 3.5. The game I am playing in is pathfinder, but all the "Completes" are allowed as well. I was looking at the Geometer just because I think it is a cool concept, but are there any others you feel are worth the effort?
I kind of screwed up my post as the example was supposed to say "15 or 16 intelligence" as opposed to "wisdom".
The point is that a 16 intelligence wizard can function just fine as a roleplaying wizard that pulls his weight in a party without having to plunge his charisma to 7.
And again... a campaign where every wizard (or other character) has to be Treatmonked... is not one I'd want to play in.
I hate it when characters have ability scores less than 8. For some reason it just irritates me. I think the point of this guide is to show us what the one end of the extreme is, so we can take our wizards as close or far away from it as we choose.
I don't think he is suggesting that you HAVE to make your wizard exactly like this.
-Primary/Off hand don't have to be physical hands as we have read. There is a Primary slot (that can be filled with a two handed weapon) and a off hand slot (that can be filled with armor spikes). You can even attack with your two handed weapon, release one hand to draw a dagger, and attack with that (off hand). If you have quick draw and you are willing to incur the two weapon fighting penalties.
-They clearly and specifically state that you can do exactly what OP is asking.
-It was the intention of the game designers to allow you to do this. This fact is the most important to me. There is no cheese involved.
My 15th level Sunday game (I'm DM) would disagree with this. They have 55 or more AC characters. I pretty much can't hit them with most monsters except on a 20.
However I do think hp are extremely important and think every character in the game should do thir best to boost Constitution. The above mentioned wizard complemented his AC 42 with a net 246 hp at 21st level.
The most important thing to take from this thread!
AC is always going to be helpful, but you can get a couple of unlucky rolls and die. So make sure you have a HUGE Constitution.
I know people tend to leave Con at 10/12 since its more fun dealing damage or increasing your class's stat, but it really is extremely important to have lots of hitpoints.
The reason I prefer unarmored besides the coolness factor is that bracers of armor +8 do two things for you 1) Cheap way to get a lot of AC and 2)It also holds up against touch attacks. So basically your touch AC is the same as your normal ac since everything about it is dodge/deflection stuff (though natural armor amulets I'm not sure on right now).
Natural armor and bracers of armor dont increase your touch AC.
Ring of Protection +5: -50k
Amulet of Natural Armor +5: -50k
Belt of Incredible Dexterity +6: -36k (you need 24 Dex)
mithral full plate +5: -29.5k
heavy shield +5: -25.3k
Remaining: 49.2k. Enough for a +4 weapon and some ancillary fun stuff!
You forgot about defending weapon. Put spikes on that full plate and make them +1 Defending. Then cast greater magic weapon on it. Or just make it +5 Defending.
Remember you have to be at least CL 8 to create any sort of stat boosting item.
Actually you can be level 3. That CL in the item creation isn't a prerequisite, it's the CL of the item for purposes of dispelling it.
This is correct. If you dont meet all the requirement the craft DC for the item goes up, and if you fail you get a cursed item that will appear to be the item you wanted if you try to identify it.
It's risky to try it.
That CL 8 is not a requirement. The requirements are:
- Craft Wondrous Item
- fox's cunning
So you need the spell and the feat and the gold. That's it.
I want to encourage more diversification in actual loot. I've decided I'm going to throw out a lot more spell effects and do everything I can to make the wizard wish he made a cloak of resistance instead. So if the +stat items really are balanced, rather than approaching this problem from a financial perspective I might do it from an incentive perspective.
This will be the best way to handle it. Make him roll a couple of saves :D
Good question. Sadly, it is a question with far too many situational answers/solutions/methods to really ever properly answer outside of being very broad and general, such as...
Find a monster lair, eradicate the populace, "Greyhawk" the bodies, scour the place from top to bottom, walk out with all hard currency and anything worth over 1gp in value.
More or less, anything you can get your hands on is considered treasure. Some of it is just better than its contemporaries.
What about using spells to locate treasure or magical items. We tend to use Detect Magic quite a lot. Are the other spells worth using?
You are not overestimating their usefullness.
These items are very useful and are therefore the staple of all successful adventurers.
As it is there are howevere a lot of new restrictions on these items in PRPG (mainly being locked to two specific item slots). These will limit their proliferation to some extent. The balance of the game is also based on the availability of such items. Personally I think the current price is fine and would leave it as it is. Keep in mind that these items are also useful to monsters and NPCs and you would probably bring more restrictions onto these than to your palyers since they have far less gold for equipment than your players do. Your players will want these items any way you put it. If you want to restrict their availability in the ame you should do it through in game means rather than by adjusting their price.
One of the players is going the enchanter route and already at level 4 considering getting a +4 int item. I don't have a whole lot to go on to restrict the availability of these items short of changing the price or stepping in and flat out telling the wizard, "No, you cannot craft your headband +2." Changing the price would be the easiest method to balance these items.
Without the XP cost, crafting magic items is much more lucrative in Pathfinder and this player is making every bit of use out of his feats. That's why he's already looking at a +4 stat item, since it'll only cost 8000 gold. Sure, that's a lot, but it's about his only magic item, it is possbile for him to afford it.
That is exactly what I did recently with my Conjurer. Thing is he was level 7. I think you gave him too much gold. He should have 6000gp in wealth by level 4. This includes all his item's like 1000gp for a cloak of resistance and all his potions and stuff.
Furthermore, a +4 Item is really cool but its not gamebreaking. He will just get one, maybe two extra spells per day from it and higher save DC's. If he's an enchanter this will help, but it's not that big a deal.
In fact, he will probably be better off using that gold to get himself a +2 Con +2 Int and a bunch of other cool items.
Maximize Spell: For the 3 levels this adds to the spell, there is almost no spell I think maximize spell is worth it for.
Scorching Ray, Scorching Ray, Scorching Ray (I suppose I'm one of the people who "mistakenly" think it's a really good spell ;-) )... 12d6 on a touch attack at level 11 isn't bad at all and gives you something to put those 5th level slots to use in. Heck, I'd even advocate an Empowered, Maximized Scorching Ray, personally... and back in 3.5 with Archmage you could turn it into a Sonic Ray or any other energy type you desired at no cost. 18d6 sonic damage (maximized to 108) with no save is stellar (and better than a Delayed Blast Fireball) in my opinion. I really hope they bring the AM back.
A couple of things I don't like about it.
-Fire damage (Resistance/Immunity very common)
-SR
-The spell sounds better than it is when you read the total damage, but Fire Resistance is applied for every ray.
-4d6 is only 14 damage on average, so with resistance its commonly 4 or nothing.
If you can change it to another element and boost the damage a lot then maybe its decent.
And on the topic of 5th level slots, I don't like blasting but lets just compare 2 blast spells. Lets say that Scorching ray is at its peak when you are level 7, since after that resistances get crazy.
So Maximised Scorching Ray is 24 damage to 2 targets.
Empowered Fireball is 37 damage to every target in the radius. There is of course reflex saves to factor in, but as long as there are more than two enemies this is generally a better idea.
The point of the Guide isn't to tell you what to play, it is to tell you the optimized options.
I understand, and it's good at this. The problem is, the way it's presented is not: "X is the best optimal option, Y actually isn't, it's more work and less payout." It's more: "X is cool and brilliant. Do Y only if you really enjoy cutting your limbs off with a rusty hacksaw." I appreciate the humour, but it doesn't make the best impression.
Seriously. You are driving me nuts. It is all tongue in cheek. I much prefer a guide that also entertains me to a statistical analysis and comparison.
The relationship between character flavor and optimization is the same. Flavor your character however you like, then use optimization to make the flavor work the way you envisioned.
I understand that but sometimes you can go a bit too far, especially with statements that hint that wizards who don't specialise ((presumably in Conjuration) "Being a generalist in Pathfinder is a practice in masochism, don't do it." ) just plain suck might be going a bit far. A person who plays a generalist is looking to play a Wizard... schooled in all aspects of magic.
A campaign that requires you to cheese monkey in order to pull your weight... is a campaign worth avoiding.
In the pathfinder version of his guide he explained his humor, which I thought was totally unnecessary.
Yet people still read everything as if it's a wiki article.
Your eloquent points have been well made and I no longer think of the Summoning spells as useless. I just wish there were an option to summon more of lower levels with higher level spells in a single casting.
Yeah, it would rule if the the spells were something like this:
"This spell functions like summon monster I, except that you can summon one creature from the 7th-level list, 1d3 creatures of the same kind from the 6th-level list, or 1d4+1 creatures of the same kind from a lower-level list."
But that's just me and the PRD ;-P
I think he means he doesnt want 1d4+1 for everything lower, but more for the lower you go.
1d3's average is 2
1d4+1's average is 3
so I would say 2d3 (average is 4) works well for 3 levels lower,
and 2d4 (average 5) works well for 4 levels lower.
To summon more of. When I have SM IV prepared and I need ranged combatants I summon 1d3 archons. Its a risk, but they are just that awesome. Also, then I dont need to spend a slot on SM III. Later though, when I have lots of 3rd level slots I will probably just use them for the archons.
Familiars cannot use most scrolls because they cannot supply the verbal (except ravens) or somatic gestures required. If you had a scroll of a spell that didn't have either a V or S component, the familiar could use it. If the familiar botched the check badly enough, they would miscast the spell the same you would.
It's a mephit.
Where are the miscast rules? does it burn the scroll or can it be reused?
ShadowChemosh wrote:
The miscast only happens when you are activating an item or scroll that you have NO idea what it is and hence the Activate Blindly separate section. If you already know what a scroll is, usually by using read magic, then their is no miscast of the spell even on a natural one. Rolling a one only prevents the use of that specific scroll from being tried again for 24 hours.
PRD wrote:
Activate Blindly: Some magic items are activated by special words, thoughts, or actions. You can activate such an item as if you were using the activation word, thought, or action, even when you're not and even if you don't know it.
Ok, so there seems to have been some confusion at our gaming table about UMD.
I had my familiar cast a spell from a scroll with UMD. I was under the impression that rolling below the target DC would result in a failed check, and that rolling a 1 would force me to wait 24 hours before trying again.
The DM however referenced this line in the "activate blindly" section of UMD
Quote:
This mishap is in addition to the chance
for a mishap that you normally risk when you cast a spell
from a scroll that you could not otherwise cast yourself
Meaning there is a mishap when you normally cast from a scroll if it's not on your list of spells, even with UMD.
So basically my question is, can my familiar still burn through scrolls and charges on wands if he fails his checks?
Sorry to derail this, but I also need a little help with my Elf Fighter/Rogue. He is currently level 6 with 3 Fighter levels / 3 Rogue levels. I am planning to go 13 Rogue/ 3 Fighter more or less.
My feats up to level 6 are.
Quick Draw, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Deadly Aim, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot.
Hmm ... the way I see it, option A is purely ranged and option B is both ranged and melee.
Dagnabbit ... I can't seem to pick a style ;)
Leaning towards option A aswell ... more food for thought ;)
Cheers.
-TDL
With A you will still be a very good melee fighter. If you have high enough STR you will have a nice attack bonus, and your damage with a greatsword will be pretty good.
I am currently playing a Fighter/Rogue with mostly the same feats. He has Rapid Shot, but skipped precise shot. I hardly ever run into the problem of shooting into melee. When I get to that situation I quick draw my sword and enter a flanking position. In your case it might be different though, if you suck at melee.
Anyway, in my opinion Rapid Shot is an AWESOME feat and should be gotten as soon as possible.
TDLofCC wrote:
Level 3
Powerattack
Level 5
Deadly Aim
Level 6 (Ranger)
Many Shot
Level 7
Vital Strike
Perfect. Only thing that could change possibly is power attack, but if you feel that is your style then go for it. Still the feats look good.
TDLofCC wrote:
Level 9
Don't know yet.
This is going to come down to playing style. What about Improved Critical?
Shooting 4-6 Arrows per round with a 19-20/x3 crit range is fun.
TDLofCC wrote:
Level 10 (Ranger)
Improved Precise Shot
Lovely feat
TDLofCC wrote:
Level 11
Improved Vital Strike
Vital strike is awesome but spending more than one feat on this is a waste in my opinion. If we are talking about a longbow.
Quick draw is a must. You will realise quickly how useful it is.
Remember that power attack is much better later on. At levels 1-7 its good, but after that it really shines. Since you have a two handed weapon and a big enough attack roll to hit consistently.
Quick draw is the most awesome feat ever for my Fighter/Rogue.
Another thing that you can do. Lets say you have 3 attacks. 2 normal and one from haste. You can attack a guy next to you with a sword with 1 hit of the sword, if he is still standing you hit him again and again. But if he drops, you can quickdraw your bow and use those extra attacks to shoot at somebody else if nobody is in reach of your sword.
Yea, in a fight that should work. The blackness is a bit tricky though. So i would say maybe raise the sides a bit higher than 2 inches so that you dont really see the black layer.
So, refrencing the illusions above, it is certainly possible for us munadne mortals to create very convincing illusions. With magic, even more should be possible.
Your logic is slightly flawed in that those illusions don't fool anybody into thinking they are real.
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
And, yes, it would need to be expertly done, and there is a chance the imperfections could be spotted (that's what the will save is for).
I just can't wrap my head around it. Lets take that 2D illusion I gave the link of. How many people on earth can do that convincingly? very few. And that is a static image that probably takes a week to make.
What you are suggesting is that the wizard can stand on the side and modify that picture to change to the viewpoint of the victim in real time. This is certainly possible, but how incredibly difficult must this not be? I just can't see how anybody short of a god could be capable of this.
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
However, it doesn't seem to be impossible that you cause opponents to think it's real, they then believe it's real, and unless they directly interract with it or take a round to study it, it just becomes accepted that it IS real, and they react accordingly.
Opponent. It can only be done against one observer.
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
Masking a bridge is at the very limits of what I think Silent Image can do, but putting a hole in the ground is trivially easy.
Trivially easy?
Let me just get this straight. Are we still talking about the same thing here? you are agreeing with me that to create this hole, you create a flat picture on the ground of what appears to be a hole in the ground, when viewed from a certain point in space. Just like the nonmagical optical illusion.
And your saying that doing that, and having it change to adapt to the viewer's point of view is trivial?
I am getting the impression here that you have been using silent image in the past to make holes in things and to make things dissappear, and only now realise that it is not possible with a figment.
Let's suppose that a wall is created with this spell and then an opponent touches it and fails his saving throw. It is just a figment, so his hand passes right through it. It doesn't make sense that someone would continue to believe that the wall still exists even though his hand just passed through a stone wall. I realize that it is a magic spell, but is this how you would handle this type of interaction? Should the saving throw occur before he actually touches it? Perhaps as he approaches it and gets a closer look?
Thanks.
Interaction is not defined absolutely. I can give you my interpretation of what the sage said in "All about Illusions" on the WOTC website.
Basically the person has to spend an action interacting with the illusion.
So if he spends a move action studying it, he would get a saving throw. If he spends a standard action poking or touching it, he would probably get an auto success.
Yes, you are adding an effect when you create a hole. You paint on the image of a hole, which changes depending on what angle you are looking at. Any other interpretation would make ALL illusions 2-D, which is clearly not the intent.
That is really stretching it. I can see how a wizard could come up with a 2D optical illusion if he spends time creating the illusion under no threat. This would be from one point in space.
I'm confused, where in the spell does it state that you can only create 2D images? It only says they don't contain noise, only images.
PFRPG PRD wrote:
Silent Image School illusion (figment); Level bard 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a bit of fleece)
Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect visual figment that cannot extend beyond four 10-ft. cubes + one 10-ft. cube/level (S)
Duration concentration
Saving Throw Will disbelief (if interacted with); Spell Resistance no
This spell creates the visual illusion of an object, creature, or force, as visualized by you. The illusion does not create sound, smell, texture, or temperature. You can move the image within the limits of the size of the effect.
And, nothing under Illusion or Figment says it's a 2D image either.
PFRPG PRD wrote:
Illusion
Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened.
Figment: A figment spell creates a false sensation. Those who perceive the figment perceive the same thing, not their own slightly different versions of the figment. It is not a personalized mental impression. Figments cannot make something seem to be something else. A figment that includes audible effects cannot duplicate intelligible speech unless the spell description specifically says it can.
...
We are not saying it has to be 2D. We are saying that you can create 3D illusions (like a hologram). If however you want to create a hole into something, like a cave in a wall or a pit in the ground with a figment. The only way we can think of is creating a 2D image on said surface, and having that image represent a 3D volume.
The more I think about it the more absurd it sounds. You just can't create a 2D image of a pit that dynamically changes to suit the viewpoint of the observer (singular). I would never allow it if I was DM.
Can you create the illusion of a dog? The dog is 3D, can be viewed from other locations by multiple people, and is totally within the confimes of the spell, IMHO.
Yes
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
Stretch this one further. Can you create the illusion of an MC Escher painting? His paintings rely on perspective, specifically, bending said perspective to alter the perceptions of the mind (i.e. the everflowing waterfall).
Yes
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
Now one further. Can you create the illusion of the popular 3D nested pyramids? These can either be seen as protruding from the paper or falling away, depending on your perspective.
Can you give me a link or pic of this?
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
You see, illusions don't even have to be magical to fool the eye. And touching the illution IRL automatically results in a successful save (unless touching it IS part of the illusion...)
I agree...
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
Now we have magic. Why can't a 2D image fool those looking at it that it is really a 3D image? To be clear, I am NOT advocating that you can make people disappear. Like the tree example, you can fool them into not looking, or seeing something different, like David Copperfield, but actually vanishing is for the Invisibility spell.
If you look at a one of those MC Escher paintings in real life do you know that it is a 2D image? Similarly if you create a 2D plane with a 3D image, all the viewers will know that it is a flat plane, even if they can see the 3D image and judge the depth and whatever it represents.
The only way to fool somebody into thinking a 2D plane is not just a plane, is by having the picture on that plane blend in seamlessly with the environment behind it, from one viewers point of view. That is the limit to what can be achieved.
This is kind of hard to explain and I'm thinking I need to make a picture to clarify.
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
BUT, fooling the eyes into thinking the bridge is gone by masking the bridge works just fine, IMO.
Yes this could work. But you would have to set up this illusion beforehand, and it would only work from one viewpoint, or a set of points very close to each other or along the same path. A viewer looking from the side would see those same "masks" and it would look very suspect.
Mirror, Mirror wrote:
And if you DID create boxes around people to make them think they had been transported, then they would walk forward, encounter the illusion, and save or no, walk through.
I did say that they would move with the people. And if they walked out of the range of the illusion they would obviously encounter the illusion, but that is irrelevant anyways. The point is that the victim would recognise it for what it is.
I've been looking into the Lore Warden archetype. At second level, you get Combat Expertise for free, "even if you don't qualify for it," but I've been wondering - since an Int of 13 is still listed as a requirement for all the Improved feats, what good is it to be able to receive the feat even if you don't qualify for it? Would it be fair to say that the intent is to have you subsequently qualify for Improved feats even if you have a lower Int?
I'm not trying to game the system, this just seemed like a reasonable assumption to me. Thanks for your help and your thoughts.
Hi All. A quick search didn't turn up any consolidated information on this topic, so I thought I'd start a new thread.
Does anyone have any suggestions for hexes for a Hexcrafter, particularly of the offensive variety (as opposed to for utility)? I like the archetype's ability to add longevity to the class, but I still haven't fully wrapped my head around how a offensive-minded Hexcrafter would be built, and how they would play out in combat. Any input would be much appreciated.
I wanted to get confirmation on something. Let's say I have PC with three natural attacks - a bite and two claws (which are on his feet). He's holding a greatsword. On round one he charges the baddie and attacks with his greatsword. On round two, he opts to full attack using his natural weapons. If he opts to not attack with his sword during the full attack, am I right in thinking that the three natural attacks are all treated as primaries?
I'm running a (very very fun) game for a pair of kids (7 & 10) that I tutor (we do real work, too, but playing Pathfinder has become a favorite "reward" activity of theirs). The younger of the two is playing a barbarian ("Gabriel the Crusher"), and playing him as one should (step 1: hit things hard; step 2: repeat). He's loving it.
Anyway, we're about to hit level 2, and I'd like to make a short-list of possible Rage Powers for him to choose. I'm not too familiar with the class, and a quick glance didn't reveal many obvious winners for said goal of hitting stuff hard, so I'd appreciate any advice you'd be willing to throw my way. Keep in mind: this is a 7-year-old who is new to Pathfinder (perhaps obviously), so keeping it simple and straight-forward is ideal (although I'm able to help him out with recommendations and such if need be).
I've been kicking around a build recently, starting at a lower level (likely 3). It would be for a PbP campaign, meaning leveling would be slow, and so I therefore place emphasis on a concept coming together at levels 3-5 rather than 7-10.
The idea is basically a synthesist/monk: I prefer synthesist for the extra HP, the synergy between the eidolon skins' natural armor bonuses and the monk's Wis-to-AC, and the possibility for self-buffing. Here's a rough outline of the first three levels:
- Level 1: Synthesist 1
- Feats: Extra Evolution (level) & Weapon Focus (Claws) (human)
- Eidolon:
--- Biped: Str 18, Dex 12, Con 13
--- Evolutions: Improved Natural Armor (1), Ability Increase: Str (2), Bite (1)
- Level 2: Master of Many Styles of the Sacred Mountain 1
--- Feats: Dragon Style (class) & Improved Unarmed Strike (class)
- Level 3: Master of Many Styles of the Sacred Mountain 2
--- Feats: Feral Combat Training (level), Dragon Ferocity (class), Toughness (class)
Obviously, the basic idea is to have the Synthesist's natural attacks make up for the loss of FoB, and to focus on brute force in combat.
I'm basically just looking for feedback/ideas. I've considered taking some levels of Unarmed Fighter (to nab some more style feats), Brawler (from 4 to 6? The +1 attack/+3 damage is pretty wicked, and I could pick up a few goodies like Arcane Strike along the way), or possibly just shifting back between Synthesist and Monk.
Any thoughts? They'd sure be welcome.
PS - It's for a living world, meaning party make-up would constantly be changing, so that doesn't factor into my consideration of this build.
I really, really like the notion of the MoMS - I love the possibilities afforded by combining style feats, and I love the idea of freeing up the monk from leaning on full attacks. But I've been wondering, is the MoMS worth giving up FoB?
I suppose you can think of this from two perspectives: defensively and offensively. I think for the former there's no question that the MoMS has the leg up: being able to have Crane Style and Crane Wing at level 1, for instance, is in itself uber-wicked. But what about offensively? Do the AoO-provoking feats + the ability of accelerating Dragon Style offer a viable alternative to flurry? I'd certainly like to think they could, but again, I'm not so sure.
I'm relatively new to D&D/Pathfinder, so I'm still in the process of assimilating the lore. That said, I'm in the process of dreaming up a game I want to GM, and I'm considering having it center around dragons - not sure on much of anything yet, but I'd like to have the PCs encountering dragons from early levels (i.e. wyrmlings, or maybe non-combat interactions with older dragons). I was wondering if anyone could point me to a place, online or otherwise, that would be a good source of information on the temperments/habits/etc of the various dragon species. I've already perused obvious places like the SRDs and wikis, but I was hoping to dig a little deeper if possible. Alternatively, some benevolent and knowledgeable folk could just school me on here. : )
I've been contemplating a melee-oriented summoner build, and I wanted to see if I could get some advice on the idea. My biggest issue is where to place my focus: on boosting the combat viability of the eidolon, or on the summoner himself. If the former is the goal, I could see switching Toughness and Extra Evolution, for instance.
The PC will begin at level 1, and would be for a PbP campaign, meaning that progression will be relatively slow, which in turn places an exceptional emphasis on levels 1-5 (which I could feasibly be at for a year+).
Here's a very brief outline of my thoughts thus far. I'm definitely planning on having strength be my primary stat, with charisma relatively deemphasized (I don't plan on using spells with DCs, or my SLA, much at all). The bully trait is there more for flavor, and could get switched out for something else. I'm planning on taking the half-elf racial FC bonus for the extra evolution points. I did consider taking a weapon proficiency with a one-handed weapon, and picking up a shield - with a MW shield, I could avoid the ACP. I'm open to the idea of taking a quadruped over a biped - maybe I'm undervaluing pounce vs the higher strength of the biped.
Thoughts? I'll also say that I'm open to the idea of executing this general concept (i.e. melee fighter with pet/buddy) with another class, save the ranger, as I'm already playing one in another game.
I'm currently planning a character which will make use of a mount for the first time, and I'm finding it difficult to get a complete sense of the rules related to using one, and therefore what is necessary to use one, so I was hoping to get some help. The character will be a gnome master summoner, which has sort of added to the questions to me.
My main area of ambiguity comes from the fact that I'll mostly be casting spells/SLAs from the mount, and I don't plan to be attacking with the mount itself. What feats and skills are still necessary/useful? I imagine Mounted Combat might still be a good idea, as would Ride. Do I still need the Mount evolution if I'm not planning to fight with the eidolon?
Basically, if anyone could help fill me in in terms of action economy while using a mount, necessary/useful feats and skills, etc, I'd be much appreciated. I've been doing my own research, but haven't really reached a comfortable understanding with things.
So I'm drawing up an alchemist for a Kingmaker game (no spoilers, please!), and I was looking for a few suggestions.
Just a bit on my ideas thus far: I'm planning on choosing half-elf and using the Ancestral Arms racial trait to gain proficiency in the fauchard: I really like the idea of utilizing a reach weapon. Of the archetypes, I'm pretty certain I'm going to go vivisectionist: yes, the trade off between bombs and sneak attack is debatable, but I want to focus on melee, so I'm going to choose sneak attack. Because of the reach weapon focus, I'm not planning on taking/focusing on feral mutagen (which could change, but I'm currently not too into it for this character).
Also, it's for a PbP game, and I don't know what the rest of the party will be (and don't have any way of finding out).
- I was considering picking up a trait to give another knowledge skill as a class skill: a) would this be worthwhile? (I'd be trading out the Anatomist trait, which would give me +1 to confirm crits with my 18-20 fauchard), and b) which would you suggest? (I was leaning towards Know (Local), with Know (nobility or geography) in second place). I had also considered choosing a craft skill instead: maybe craft (alchemy) and craft (weapons)?
- I had originally thought about choosing the Preservationist archetype, but I'm currently leaning towards the Chirurgeon. I like the idea of summoning, but since I'll be devoting my feats to my melee prowess (weapon focus and power attack will by taken at levels 3 and 5), I'm starting to feel like I won't be able to summon particularly well anyway (in part b/c of the low spell slots), so I'm not sure if it'll be even worth it. The chirurgeon takes the pressure of needing to take the Infusion discovery a bit, which is nice, if somewhat minor. What's everyone think?
- The player's guide seemed to suggest a strong presence of fey, so I'm planning on starting with cold iron weapons. Yay/Nay?
- Edit to add: My preference of a reach weapon over Feral Mutagen is mostly because I would prefer to capitalize on AoOs over relying on full attacks. Any thoughts here? I know Beastmorph gives you access to pounce eventually, but as this is a PbP game, it will be a year or two before I get that high in levels, which doesn't really make that route a viable one for me.
Think those are the big ones; any help would be much appreciated.
Is taking 20 the same as rolling a 20 - i.e. does it incur an automatic success? For instance, if the DC of a lock is 30, and someone's DD modifier is +7, would taking 20 allow them to succeed? Seems a bit dubious to me, but I'm uncertain.
Did a bit of searching around for this, haven't been able to find a clear answer: can an alchemist wield a shield with the tentacle gained through the tentacle discovery? Granted, he'd need to obtain proficiency first...
I did find a place where Sean Reynolds said that that sort of thing wasn't the intention of the discovery, but this seemed far enough from an official ruling that I wanted to seek clarification.
I've been working on a reach weapon fighter build. It's for a PbP living world, in which I'll be starting at level 1, so I'm only really concerned with the first 5 or so levels (since it'll take me ~a year to get that high). I'm mainly wondering about the order of feats - I am leaning towards Weapon Focus over Power Attack at level 1, since I'd prefer to be hitting as often as possible. Having never played this sort of build, I'm wondering just how much use I'll get out of Combat Reflexes out of the gate (my guess is a lot, but I could see switching it and Power Attack). Also, I'm a bit wishy-washy on the third level feat - should I take Toughness over Dodge? Cleave? Something else? Thoughts on this and anything else are welcome. Also, I'm pretty set on the stats - I'm not tanking Int and Cha beyond what I've listed.
I just wanted to see if there was anyone else who agreed with me that the prerequisite for Augment Summoning should be changed in some way to accommodate the alchemist, as Spell Focus (Conjuration) is literally a useless feat for an alchemist. I understand the concept of a feat tax, but not having any other route to Augment Summoning makes the feat more of a burden on the alchemist than any other class.
Maybe I'm just complaining too much, though. Thoughts?
So I've been looking over the various styles and trying to think of combinations which would work especially well. What are your thoughts?
I think Snake Style + Crane Style would be great, especially at low levels - if your opponent lands an attack, you deflect it and gain an attack of opportunity; if they miss, you gain an attack of opportunity, and if that lands, you get an additional attack. Wicked.
So I've been putting together a rogue/alchemist build, and it's gotten to the point where I'd like some feedback. I've only really settled it up to level 6 (since it's for PBP, and I'm starting at level 1, that should keep me through at least the next year or so). I have thought about doing Dazzling Display -> Shatter Defenses starting at lvl 7, but am currently undecided. I'm planning on duel wielding daggers; the River Rat trait bonus is nice to have, and it's nice to get the +1 from Weapon Focus on both hands. Not sure if I should take Magical Knack; I was thinking that it would extend the durations of my summon nature's ally from the preservationist, which would be nice for flanking reasons (although I'm not sure if they'll even last that long).
My reasoning for taking the tentacle is to be able to carry a mutagen/extract/etc, or even a sling, while still being able to carry both daggers if necessary. It'd be nice to take the Infusion discovery earlier, to help make myself more relevant to the part as a whole, but I'm not really sure where I'd fit it in (getting the hedgehog familiar for the +2 Will saves is probably going to be necessary by lvl 6).
Thanks for looking; any thoughts would be welcome.
Racial Traits:
- Underfoot : +1 Dodge bonus to AC when fighting an opponent who's medium or larger
- Sure-footed: +2 acrobatics and climb
- Keen Senses: +2 Perception
- Small: +1 AC, +1 attack, -1 CMB, -1 CMD, +4 Stealth
- Fearless: +2 against fear
Traits:
- River Rat: +1 Swim, Swim as class skill, +1 damage with a dagger
AND
- Blade of the Society: +1 damage bonus to sneak attacks
OR
Dirty Fighter: +1 damage when flanking
OR
- Magical Knack: CL+2
OR
- Indomitable Faith: +1 Will Saves
Apologies for two back-to-back advice posts; it seems I have a few quandaries rolling around in my head...
I'm trying to decide which Ranger archetypes to take for a character that is going to take 6 Ranger levels on his way to Arcane Archer; although it's likely that I'm going to go back to Ranger after three levels of AA, that's not been fully decided.
My two preferred options at this point are either Spirit Ranger (for the extra, spontaneously cast spell) or Guide/Skirmisher (I love the flexible application of favored enemy that Guide has; not sure which Skirmisher tricks I would take - probably start with Chameleon Step). In part, the choice is of spells vs. tricks/flexible favored enemy. I feel like there are some good spells, that would remain useful for an archer character with a low caster level (such as gravity bow), but I also already have a level of wizard (in preparation for AA), so I do have access to spells without the Ranger spells. On the other end of the spectrum, the flexible favored enemy is awesome, and the tricks would just be a nice bonus.
Hi All. I've been contemplating my first rogue build (a combat-oriented two-weapon fighter halfling), and I have a few questions.
First off, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with using bluff to feint in order to make one's opponent flat-footed. I've seen various thoughts on the feasibility of this, but I wanted to see if anyone had any hands-on experience.
Second, and more generally, I'm just curious with everyone's experience with a finesse rogue: my main worry is that if I don't score sneak attack, I won't be contributing much. How often do you find yourself able to get sneak attack? Did you feel viable in combat (with all the skill points, I'm not worried about contributing out of combat)?
Also, I'm considering taking one or more levels of Alchemist (vivisectionist) - I like the class, and I feel the access to a few self-buffs, plus the mutagen, would be a really nice addition to the build. Plus, I won't lose any progression on sneak attack, so there doesn't seem to be much lost with a bit of a dip. Does anyone have any thoughts on this, in any regard? My current thought is to start with 2 levels of Rogue, then 1 of Alchemist - from there, I may just go straight rogue, or perhaps keep the 2:1 pattern up.
A while back, I had started a playing on EnWorld's "Living Pathfinder" forums with a level 1 wizard, with the intention of working towards Arcane Archer. Initially, I had planned to take 1 level of fighter/wizard the rest of the way, until I qualified for Eldritch Knight, then take a few levels of that, a few of AA, then EK the rest of the way. For a variety of reasons, I've decided to go with a more front-loaded, martial-oriented build. I realize there are some drawbacks to this approach, but it's what I'm going to do. Part of the impetus for this was that I felt the character called for ranger levels.
I'm about to take my second level, which means that I need to finalize my plans. Given my criteria (already have one level of wizard, want some levels of ranger), I feel I have two options in working towards AA: go six levels of ranger (I would choose the Spirit Ranger archetype), or take two levels of ranger (Guide archetype) and four of fighter (archer) (not sure what the order would be - probably 2 ranger/4 fighter). The former option gives me three lvl 1 ranger spells/day, 16 additional skill points, and possibly improved precise shot (if I decide to take it at lvl 6, which is likely), the latter option gives me an extra feat (with which I would either take Arcane Armor Training or Arcane Strike - probably the latter, as it fits the AA build concept and would make my own level of wizard valid earlier on) and would set me up to pick up Expert Archer for +1 attack & damage after my three levels of AA. I'm not sure which I prefer, which is why I'm asking for some input.
As an aside, I am a bit disappointed with AA - I've always loved it as a concept, but didn't really understand the crunch until after I set out on this path; for instance, I was really disappointed that enhance arrows doesn't stack with a bow's enhancement - I know there's some argument about this, but I'm pretty sure that's the case - which kind of renders the first level of AA useless. Even so, I'm still committed to the taking the class at this point, if for no other reason than I'd otherwise have to scrap my character on LPF, which I'm unwilling to do.
Think that's enough information to start with; any input will be hugely appreciated, as long as it takes my aforementioned preferences into account.
Hi All. Let me apologize in advance, because I know this has been addressed in extant threads, but I'm having trouble finding said instances.
If I have an eidolon with multiple pairs of limbs and the two weapon fighting feat, can I make multiple attacks with crossbows per round at only a -2 penalty? Would this penalty be -4 if I were using bows?
I've been contemplating a Master Summoner build (mostly for my own enjoyment, and in the hopes of finding a future campaign for him), and I was hoping for a bit of input on his eidolon. At the moment, I'm not interested in using it as a mount; I much prefer the idea of the eidolon being a companion, in some ways mirroring the PC. I know there's been a lot of talk about using UMD for the eidolon, which I like the idea of, but I'm unsure as to what wands would be best for use in combat - any suggestions in that regard would be helpful. Beyond that, what else does the eidolon do? Take a ranged weapon proficiency and fire its crossbow/longbow every other turn? I know going the skill focus/stealth route is an option, but I'm interested in finding ways to make the eidolon more function within the context of combat.
I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion on how the alchemist's spontaneous healing discovery compares to toughness - is one better than the other? I'm drawing up a melee alchemist build, and I'm trying to decide whether to take toughness or extra discovery (spontaneous healing) as my level one feat.
Hi All. I had a question about an arcane archer build I'm contemplating.
After much pain and anguish, I'm heavily leaning towards 1 Wiz/6 Ranger/X Arcane Archer (I'll figure out the rest later). I had initially planned to go 1 Wiz/1 Fighter/4 Wiz/3 Elritch Knight/X Arcane Archer, but decided that for this character I'd prefer either the extra feats of 1 Wiz/6 Fighter or the skills/spells/animal companion of 1 Wiz/6 Ranger. I'm leaning towards the latter for reasons of flavor and versatility; I understand it is not combat optimal.
I did have a question, though, about the usefulness (both short- and long-term) of the ranger's animal companion for this build (one of the big selling points of the class for me). Since I'll get it at character level 5 (I'll likely choose a small cat, if it's any help), I was afraid about the animal's combat viability (both in terms of contributing damage and, more importantly, just staying alive). I would likely take Boon Companion at character level 9 (no sooner), but wasn't sure how the companion would fair a) in general, and b) during my first level of arcane archer, before I can take Boon Companion. So any advice would be much appreciated on the animal's viability. If it doesn't seem like it'll be of much use, I might lean towards taking 6 levels of fighter (or perhaps even my original build) instead.
One thing worth noting: I would prefer to have an animal that could survive in the thick of combat (i.e. I wouldn't really be interested in taking a bird for its auxiliary abilities).
Hi all. I'm hoping to get some advice on a few dilemmas I have regarding a monk character I'm building - this is my first attempt at the class, so I don't have any practical experience at the moment. I don't know what the rest of the party will be like at the moment, so that aspect won't really play into the discussion.
Question 1: I'm very interested in the monk of the sacred mountain archetype. For the most part, I like the very pragmatic, front-line oriented bonuses that it offers. My only hesitancy regarding the class is the loss of evasion and its improved version, which obviously is pretty huge. Do you think giving up this ability is worth the bonuses you get? FYI, I'm perfectly happy to give up slow fall, high jump, and tongue of the sun and moon.
Question 2: I've boiled down my choices of race to either aasimar or human. The extra feat and skill point and flexible ability bonus (to strength) of the latter are great, whereas the stat boost to wisdom (I know charisma isn't ideal) and the energy resistance of the former are nice, although I'm unsure of how useful the energy resistance would turn out to be (my guess: useful in the short-term, less so in the long run). Any thoughts?
Question 3: What are peoples' thoughts on the monk of the four winds archetype? I think I would prefer the extra, scaling damage of elemental fist to stunning fist (which, when combined with the extra damage potential of drunken master, which I plan to take, could make for some nice knock out blow potential), but I'm open to changing my mind on that. I would much prefer abundant step to slow time, but it's a late-coming ability (I'm uncertain as to what level the character would get played up to), so I'm not overly concerned about the loss, unless it's just that good.
Think that covers it. Thoughts would be more than welcome.
I'm new to tabletop RPGs, and just started playing my first ever game (a PBP game over on Mythweavers) earlier this week. So far, I'm enjoying the heck out of it.
I just thought I'd share what will probably be remembered as one of my formative Pathfinder experiences. My group encountered a prison break in progress; it was mostly goblins and hobgoblins, but there was also an ettin that was tearing up everything in sight (all the more awe-inspiring since we're a bunch of level 2s). Anyway, the ettin eventually was brought to his knees via a grease spell, and beat up pretty good by the party summoner's eidolon. The eidolon got thrown clear, however, and my PC (a gnome alchemist) squared off from a distance. I set the scene thus (I've edited it slightly for language):
Post:
Turning back towards the ettin, he was just in time to see the wolf who had so valiantly stepped into (err...I mean rudely interrupted) the fight take two brutal blows from the planks wielded by the kneeling giant, sending it flying. That s.o.b. just doesn't know when to quit, does he? Well, let's see how he likes this. Right hand still aflame, Qui once again reached for a vial strapped to his side; with a fluid, peculiar flick of his wrist, he executed the very particular kind of violent motion necessary to bring the chemical agents therein into reaction with one another. Eyes narrowing, he focused in on his target. In that moment, everything else seemed unimportant: the sounds of people in the crowd screaming in fear, the noise as those nearest the conflict struggled to get away, the shouting of the guards behind him. Time stood still, and the very air held its breath. Qui stood, focused, a tiny, defiant figure staring down one of the biggest living creatures he had ever seen.
Suck on this.
He lobbed the bomb.
Right. So anyway, he's standing there, focusing, sizing up the ettin, throws the bomb, and....I roll a 1. Epic whif.
So anyway, I just thought I'd share this formative roleplaying experience with you all, when my sense of the scene ("here's our great hero preparing to slay the giant") totally clashed with the outcome via the dice. Laughter is welcome. Anyone else want to commiserate?
I'm drawing up a gnome character for the first time (which I'm quite enjoying), and I was wondering if someone could give me a better idea of the numerical span of their various age brackets. Going off the various minimums provided for each race, is a 49 year old gnome roughly equivalent in maturity to a 17 year old human? i.e. would the former just be taking his/her own in the world professionally?
I'm working up a lvl.8 alchemist for a PBP game, and I've purchased a Headband of Vast Intelligence +2. I understand that, generally speaking, the sorts of bonuses applied by such items are applied retroactively, which makes me think that I have an additional 8 skill points to divvy out. However, in the item's descriptive text, it says "a headband of vast intelligence has one skill associated with it per +2 bonus it grants. After being worn for 24 hours, the headband grants a number of skill ranks in those skills equal to the wearer's total Hit Dice. These ranks do not stack with the ranks a creature already possesses." Do these skill ranks count as the retroactive skill points endowed by the bonus, or are they in addition to them? I'm guessing the former, since the latter seems a bit too good to be true.
I'm working on an alchemist build for a Greek-themed E6 Pathfinder PBP game; you can read about all about it here. My general idea is to play a bomber, using a sling as my secondary weapon (chosen in part for flavor reasons; the damage roll has been house-ruled up to 1d6), and also buffing the party as needed. I'd really appreciate any comments/insight on the below build.
Traits: Heirloom Weapon (sling) and Indomitable Faith (potentially negotiable)
Feats:
- Point Blank Shot
- Precise Shot
- Rapid Shot
- Undecided - I was thinking either weapon focus (slings or bombs) or Extra Bombs (though I could probably wait on these).
I've spoken to the DM, and he's said that I could eventually take Fast Bombs as an E6 feat, so eventually I'll be able to chuck 3 bombs/round if I so desire.
Haven't touched skills yet, but with the ample amount of points I'll have, I shouldn't have too many tough decisions to make.
Now, the second part of my question comes from the fact that I am a complete newb to tabletop RPGs, so I'm having trouble figuring out what gear I should buy. I figured I'd get a portable alchemist's lab, but beyond that, it's all open for discussion (note: due to the Greek theme, (non-crafted) magic items are going to be considered rare and therefore cost x3 their listed price). Relatedly: I should be able to buy additional formulae known as long as I pay for them out of my starting gold, correct?
Think that covers it. Many thanks, all!
EDIT: If anyone wants to weigh in on which gods I should cull favor from, please do - I'm planning on starting with Hephaestus at 20 and Hermes at 10.
I was just curious to hear about peoples' experience with campaigns in which the group was predominantly evil, and/or involved in comparable activities, particularly in campaigns that lasted a while. What sorts of activities did you undertake? How did you keep yourselves busy, both on the short and long term? Similarly, I'd be curious to hear about peoples' experience with evil-ish characters.
I was eying the diabolist prestige class and got to wondering about its applications.
I'm pretty new to Pathfinder (and d20s in general, for that matter), so I wanted to see if I could get a bit of help on a build I've been contemplating.
I really like the idea of playing an Arcane Archer, so I'd like to build towards that, and was leaning towards doing so via Fighter 1/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 3 (then onto Arcane Archer for 4+ levels, then who knows). My main question has to do with which school I should choose for my wizard levels: I'm leaning towards either transmutation (primarily for the ability score bonus, although I worry I'm placing too much emphasis on that) or conjuration (mainly because I like the idea of my own personal line of defense provided by summon monster). Of course, I can use summon monster in either case, but I wasn't sure how much of a benefit the extended summon durations would be for a conjurer, because I don't have a lot of in-game experience.
