Pathfinder Player Companion: Paths of the Righteous (PFRPG)

I recall considering whether to add charging to Mighty Strike's effect. I don't remember the reason why not at the moment, though. ^_^

Spirited Charge, probably. The crazy LanceChargey McVitalStrike is a constant threat we live under.

Was there ever clarification on whether Bladed Brush was supposed to work with Slashing Grace? It reads like that was the intent, and would work if not for the anti-TWF errata.

Was there ever clarification on whether Bladed Brush was supposed to work with Slashing Grace? It reads like that was the intent, and would work if not for the anti-TWF errata.

Not that I know of. The (not yet publicly identified) author hasn't posted anything about it.

All damage is indeed halved, including both Vital Strike and other effects. And you will need some way to reach melee; I know many groups that consider potions of fly an essential part of gear. (Until you gain Sky Stride, of course.)

I took another angle at it; decided to fit Flight Mastery (Item Mastery) into my build. It's just a shame Item Mastery feats don't count as Combat feats, Abundant Tactics would be a nice partner there.

Question on the Hinterlander. It reads like a PRC that is perfect for a Ranger, but I need clarification on the favored enemy. Assuming I am not playing as an archetype that gave up favored enemy, how does the Ranger FE interact with the Hinterlander FE? When I got that first FE bonus, would it also increase an existing FE bonus, or would I have to wait until Hinteralnder 8 (or whatever the next Ranger FE increase level would be) to get an increase to an existing FE?

I believe you increase them separately and they work separately. So if ranger 5 you only have one group, say Aberrations. Then you get FE from this PrC and pick Aberrations. You now get a +4 to Aberrations.
The only issue is if you run into same source problems and thus you'd take only the better.

So it either doesn't interact and they both work ignoring the other exists. Or they overlap and you take the highest.

The Inheritor Knight's Redeemer of Undeath ability seems a bit too much. It is essentially an one-shot kill against any undead creature that fails the Will save. In addition, it allows the soul to reach a good afterlife? That feels like some hardcore righteousness.

I mean, a high level (but not even mythic) Inheritor Knight (preferably a paladin) would just have to hit, for example, Tar-Baphon, with this ability, and Tar-Baphon would have at least a 1-in-20 chance of not just being destroyed, but also having his soul cleansed and going to a good afterlife. That seems...highly unusual, no?

The Inheritor Knight's Redeemer of Undeath ability seems a bit too much. It is essentially an one-shot kill against any undead creature that fails the Will save. In addition, it allows the soul to reach a good afterlife? That feels like some hardcore righteousness.

I mean, a high level (but not even mythic) Inheritor Knight (preferably a paladin) would just have to hit, for example, Tar-Baphon, with this ability, and Tar-Baphon would have at least a 1-in-20 chance of not just being destroyed, but also having his soul cleansed and going to a good afterlife. That seems...highly unusual, no?

Resolve the attack normally, but if the attack hits and the undead was good-aligned in life...

It's basically for redeeming people who are only evil because they were turned into undead.

Tammy's evil.

Arf*!

*that's debatable.

Canadian Bakka wrote:

The Inheritor Knight's Redeemer of Undeath ability seems a bit too much. It is essentially an one-shot kill against any undead creature that fails the Will save. In addition, it allows the soul to reach a good afterlife? That feels like some hardcore righteousness.

I mean, a high level (but not even mythic) Inheritor Knight (preferably a paladin) would just have to hit, for example, Tar-Baphon, with this ability, and Tar-Baphon would have at least a 1-in-20 chance of not just being destroyed, but also having his soul cleansed and going to a good afterlife. That seems...highly unusual, no?

Would not work on Tar-Baphon,

Redeemer of Undeath wrote:

Resolve the attack normally, but if the attack hits and the undead was good-aligned in life...

It's basically for redeeming people who are only evil because they were turned into undead.

Ah, I misread that. My bad. *nods*

*EDIT:* So the destruction effect only applies if the undead creature was previously good-aligned before becoming undead? That is more sensible in terms of balance. It would suck though for a GM/DM running a campaign with lots of undead; he/she would have to figure out the alignment of every undead creature in the campaign prior to undeath, ;)

Resolve the attack normally, but if the attack hits and the undead was good-aligned in life...

So, if your PC's parent/child/best friend/favorite barber/whoever gets undead-ified and has to be destroyed to stop them from killing people, then unless you have this specific PrC they go straight to the Abyss? Yeesh, there's a pleasant thought.

Rysky wrote:

Would not work on Tar-Baphon,

Redeemer of Undeath wrote:

Resolve the attack normally, but if the attack hits and the undead was good-aligned in life...

It's basically for redeeming people who are only evil because they were turned into undead.

So, if your PC's parent/child/best friend/favorite barber/whoever gets undead-ified and has to be destroyed to stop them from killing people, then unless you have this specific PrC they go straight to the Abyss? Yeesh, there's a pleasant thought.

... what?

No, (not sure where you're getting "straight to the Abyss" from this unless you were just using it as an example) if you were good then got turned into an intelligent undead and committed Evil acts this would redeem those. Being turned into an undead doesn't automatically send you to the lower planes, especially if you're destroyed before you can do anything evil.

So, if your PC's parent/child/best friend/favorite barber/whoever gets undead-ified and has to be destroyed to stop them from killing people, then unless you have this specific PrC they go straight to the Abyss? Yeesh, there's a pleasant thought.

Not necessarily. It'll affect Pharasma's judgment, but won't necessarily instantly doom them to the lower planes. ^_^

Redeemer of Undeath is meant for situations where a hero fell to undeath and became hopelessly corrupt for a significant period of time. I'm thinking of a being like Arazni or (see spoiler), who returned as undead and became creatures of utter evil. The creatures they became are unlikely to be amicable to redemption... so the heritor knight purifies them by the sword.

So the destruction effect only applies if the undead creature was previously good-aligned before becoming undead? That is more sensible in terms of balance. It would suck though for a GM/DM running a campaign with lots of undead; he/she would have to figure out the alignment of every undead creature in the campaign prior to undeath, ;)

For ease of use, I would only definitively assume they were good in life if it was clear ("these undead were created from the shrine's clerics of Sarenrae") or if they had a backstory specifically calling it out. (See my previous post for examples.)

Other than that... maybe use d%. Shouldn't be too hard. ^_^

Rysky, Isabelle Lee, thanks for the explanations.

Isabelle & Rysky,

Thank you both for your thoughts and clarifications. The suggestion to use a percentile roll is practical. I generally much prefer fluff and storytelling to the mechanics but whenever possible I like the mechanics to support the storytelling, and I think your suggestion is a happy compromise between the two philosophies, :)

Cheers!

Is the bladed brush feat legal for PFS yet?

Is the bladed brush feat legal for PFS yet?

Only the Daring Exploit, Favored Prestige Class, Ghost Whisperer, Smite Evil Magic, Strike True, Two-Weapon Drunkard, and Uncanny Ally feats are legal for play, as noted on the Additional Resources page. I was hoping for Flame Blade Dervish, myself...

I got this book and I love it. Many of the PrCs are really inspired; I never would have thought of a 'divine rogue' as a follower of Milani, for instance.

I do have one question: when and if can we look for 'Paths of the Balanced' and 'Paths of the Wicked' with PrCs for the neutral and evil gods?

As noted elsewhere, it may not be as simple as "neutral and evil versions". If there is a follow-up - and I very much hope there is, so buy and review! - it may not follow such a basic pattern. It could be urban-themed, or race-themed, or any other theme. ^_^

I did purchase this book and really do like it!

Then you should review it as well - a proper review, up there in the Product Reviews tab. Those are your best bet for getting more products in this vein. ^_^

Then you should review it as well - a proper review, up there in the Product Reviews tab. Those are your best bet for getting more products in this vein. ^_^

Understood.

As noted elsewhere, it may not be as simple as "neutral and evil versions". If there is a follow-up - and I very much hope there is, so buy and review! - it may not follow such a basic pattern. It could be urban-themed, or race-themed, or any other theme. ^_^

That is a little disappointing... as a player I was looking for the neutral gods getting the same covverage...as a GM I would love the great tools a book of evil aligned prcs would provide.

Not that other themed books would not be nice...just hoping to see the neutral and evil versions of this book.

As noted elsewhere, it may not be as simple as "neutral and evil versions". If there is a follow-up - and I very much hope there is, so buy and review! - it may not follow such a basic pattern. It could be urban-themed, or race-themed, or any other theme. ^_^

However they get done, I'd enjoy buying copies of them.

And I'll have to see about writing a review for this book.

How long in advance are products usually announced?

How long in advance are products usually announced?

Usually...about six months, I think? Maybe seven? But some things they save the announcements for until a convention like GenCon or PaizoCon for the publicity, usually hardcovers and adventure paths, so it can vary in either direction.

So does this mean, with the bladed brush feat, that a magus could use the glaive one handed for their magus abilities?

Some amazingly cool things in here but I don't see why I should buy a book that has almost all of the cool things in it not PFS legal.

For if you don't play PFS?

Is there any errata that gives runeguard spells with rune in the name? or sigil?

Thanks for any insight :-)

PS I'm looking to add this to a cleric with forgemaster so some major rune spells that don't get added to the spell list without that word :-)

Love the book. My Rose Warden is working great. I'm looking into a Crimson Templar. My Devoted Muse has some sticky issues, though. I'm glad we got the Swashbuckler stacking clarified, but I wish Artistic Flourish applied to any feint, not just feinting that "denies an opponent dexterity to AC". The biggest offender here is Disengaging Flourish. It's literally a bonus feat for the class but you have to triple read everything to realise it doesn't work with the (similarily named) Artistic Flourish? Maybe it is a balance issue: Being able to "confuse" all adjacent enemies as a standard action is really good.

Love the book. My Rose Warden is working great. I'm looking into a Crimson Templar. My Devoted Muse has some sticky issues, though. I'm glad we got the Swashbuckler stacking clarified, but I wish Artistic Flourish applied to any feint, not just feinting that "denies an opponent dexterity to AC". The biggest offender here is Disengaging Flourish. It's literally a bonus feat for the class but you have to triple read everything to realise it doesn't work with the (similarily named) Artistic Flourish? Maybe it is a balance issue: Being able to "confuse" all adjacent enemies as a standard action is really good.

The tricky thing is that being able to use the feint action to perform other effects can quickly escalate in perilous ways once you start to go beyond feinting as a move action or feinting lots of opponents at once. Much like one can use an attack action to deal damage or an attack action to perform a disarm combat maneuver, I don't believe that abilities that cite different effects that could be created by the feint action necessarily interact. As such, I'd say that because artistic flourish uses feint do something other than deny one's Dexterity bonus to AC, it wouldn't interact with feint abilities that cite feinting to deny one's Dexterity bonus to AC (e.g. Disengaging Flourish or Equipment Trick [cloak]).

Overall, the artistic flourish ability operates under the assumption that the devoted muse is spending a move action to feint a target (and create an effect) and a standard action to attack. Effects that significantly speed up the action used to feint or the number of targets she can feint can certainly take a very capable prestige class and cause it to surpass its design standards—potentially to the detriment of one's game, as those later abilities get pretty ferocious. For home games, of course, make whatever call would result in the most fun for everyone involved.

KitsuneWarlock wrote:

Love the book. My Rose Warden is working great. I'm looking into a Crimson Templar. My Devoted Muse has some sticky issues, though. I'm glad we got the Swashbuckler stacking clarified, but I wish Artistic Flourish applied to any feint, not just feinting that "denies an opponent dexterity to AC". The biggest offender here is Disengaging Flourish. It's literally a bonus feat for the class but you have to triple read everything to realise it doesn't work with the (similarily named) Artistic Flourish? Maybe it is a balance issue: Being able to "confuse" all adjacent enemies as a standard action is really good.

The tricky thing is that being able to use the feint action to perform other effects can quickly escalate in perilous ways once you start to go beyond feinting as a move action or feinting lots of opponents at once. Much like one can use an attack action to deal damage or an attack action to perform a disarm combat maneuver, I don't believe that abilities that cite different effects that could be created by the feint action necessarily interact. As such, I'd say that because artistic flourish uses feint do something other than deny one's Dexterity bonus to AC, it wouldn't interact with feint abilities that cite feinting to deny one's Dexterity bonus to AC (e.g. Disengaging Flourish or Equipment Trick [cloak]).

Overall, the artistic flourish ability operates under the assumption that the devoted muse is spending a move action to feint a target (and create an effect) and a standard action to attack. Effects that significantly speed up the action used to feint or the number of targets she can feint can certainly take a very capable prestige class and cause it to surpass its design standards—potentially to the detriment of one's game, as those later abilities get pretty ferocious. For home games, of course, make whatever call would result in the most fun for everyone involved.

Thank you for this post! Absolute life-saver.

1. I assume you mean significantly increase the number of targets, since Twinned Feint is a bonus feat the class gets access too.

2. Yeah I'm not allowing this class with the new Noble Scion feat that lets you feint as an immediate action when you roll initiative. For a couple reasons, actually, but that'll be brought up in my review of that book.

3. I would probably allow Disengaging Shot to apply an effect from Artistic Flourish, but by RAW I can tell now that it wouldn't work.

4. Does the Devoted Muse increase Gunslinger Deed effectiveness as it levels?~

I wonder if we'll get a future manual with more prestige classes for some of the other Empyreal Lords? Gods I sooo want a prestige class for worshipers of Arshea!

I just got the book, and am loving it. Lots of good stuff there!

The Sphere Singer (the Desnan prestige class) is one of my favourites, and it's full of flavour, yet I do have one question about it. The capstone ability is Tapestry Traveller, which includes gaining a fly speed of 50 feet, immunity to cold, and the No Breath universal monster ability. The last two are conducive to survival in the vacuum of space, obviously, but the fly speed basically limits the Sphere Singer to high-altitude, orbital, and other near-planetary locations (unless the Sphere Singer is both in no hurry and is either immortal/exceedingly long-lived or has the means to enter stasis of some sorts).

Was it the intent to keep the Sphere Singer "leashed" to one planet?

If not, then I'm wondering if it's possible somehow for a Sphere Singer to gain the Starflight special ability (possessed by shantaks, omas, and certain other creatures). (I vaguely recall that there might exist an even better version of Starflight.) (As an aside, I'm surprised that Starflight is not part of the Universal Monster Rules.)

As a matter of fact, I fully intended to include starflight as part of Tapestry Traveler. (Hence the name.) However, it's not part of the universal monster rules and doesn't have consistent text. As such, it would have been necessary to write it out in full in the prestige class, and wordcount for this book was at such a premium that there was no way it would fit.

Feel free to houserule it back in. ^_^

Thank you for the reply, and I'll consider Starflight as part of the capstone in my home games. :)

(This late response from me brought by the last few days' wonky website access.)

I gotta say, I love this manual. I've only two complaints:

A prestige class for Arshea.

A prestige class for Tolc that gives a caster an ability to deal cold damage to creatures immune to cold damage.

Sadly it looks like we won't get either of those before Pathfinder 2.0 hits the shelf but who knows, maybe we'll get them in the new edition?

Eric Hinkle wrote:

So, if your PC's parent/child/best friend/favorite barber/whoever gets undead-ified and has to be destroyed to stop them from killing people, then unless you have this specific PrC they go straight to the Abyss? Yeesh, there's a pleasant thought.

Not necessarily. It'll affect Pharasma's judgment, but won't necessarily instantly doom them to the lower planes. ^_^

Huh, and here I thought that becoming an undead pretty much causes the negative energy plane to swallow your soul and thus nix any chance of you getting an afterlife (which makes to act of creating undead so utterly vile).