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Bending the rules for the sake of power is going to get different reactions at different tables. Where infinite wish loops and peasant railguns tend to raise eyebrows, however, I’ve found that the esoteric and the unconventional tends to pass the sniff test.
Case in point, my favorite strictly-legal trick comes from my group's first (and only) foray into Mythic. I used a non-lethal version of the following to win a just-for-laughs wizard’s tourney, then promptly promised my GM never to use it again. Here’s the step-by-step:
1. Be a 20th level wizard.
2. Get to Mythic Tier 4
3. Take Mythic Feather Fall.
4. Obtain 40 mice.
5. Place mice in a convenient container.
6. Fly above your enemies.
7. Dump mice on your enemies as a ranged touch attack. (Or as a splash weapon at the easier-to-hit empty square.)
8. While the mice are mid-flight, expend two uses of mythic power to cast Augmented Mythic Feather Fall on the mice.
9. Deal 200d6 points of force damage to your enemies with your mouse grenade.
10. Laugh maniacally. (optional)
I’m sure you could really crank this one, but even if you “just” add the maximize and empower metamagic feats, you’re looking at 200d6 (all sixes) + 80d6 (assuming average damage) for ~1480 force damage, give or take 40 saves to half.
I’ll admit, figuring out how to break the mythic rules isn’t exactly bragging rights, but it is my personal best. What about the rest of you guys? What are the best rules exploits you’ve managed to pull off?
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Dubiously Legal Shenanigans
The humble mount spell used in a dungeon setting and intentionally spooked towards the oncoming monsters is outright chaos in a hallway. The casting of Grease and the application of a torch will earn you a stern glare and require a humble promise to the GM to never do that again.
Anything with regeneration or fast healing is immune to starvation.
The abilities say they can't recover hp lost to starvation, but they don't say anything about the hp they lost chopping off their own hands and having a literal knuckle sandwich when they got peckish.
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Until they FAQ'd in an errata-that-wasn't Regeneration made you immune to death from non-damaging means, such as Drowning and Death Effects.
To add my favorite rules exploit, mundane boiling water deals SCALDING damage, not fire... which means we can boil a red dragon to death.
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If rider and mount both have the escape route teamwork feat, them the pair's movement never provokes attacks of opportunity. The mount and rider share the same space. Therefor every square the mount moves through is moving through a square adjacent to or within an ally's space.
Take the quick draw feat, wield a quickdraw light shield and a one handed weapon. On your turn: stow the shield as a free action, change grip on the weapon so you're wielding it two-handed as a free action, do your attacks, change grip on your weapon so you're wielding it one-handed again as a free action, redraw your shield as a free action. Gain the benefits of two handing on your turn and the increased ac from a shield on everything else's turns.
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A gag build I’ll probably never get around to is to have an eldritch guardian play “mount” to his familiar. Take mounted combat which gets shared to the familiar. Now the familiar can negate one attack per round against the fighter.
free healing to any target you can see:
unicorn bloodline sorcerer. with at will level 1+ sla. (work as per this faq and the core rule about sla being identical for spells with few exceptions)
-teifling wth the death watch alt ability,witch with flight hex (free feather fall - immediate action heal), anyone taking the beastkin trait etc.
bonus for half elf going the drow paragon feat chain (or drow noble if gm allows) - Half-Drow Paragon (need alt half elf traits) ,drow nobility+improved+greater.
use the at will invisibility (4 hp heal) and levitate (4 more) then feather fall (2 immediate) & deeper darkness a coin in pocket (6 more as standard,in pocket to not show) for 8 hp heal a round while in the air & invisible.
free magical crafting:
the souldrinker prestige class (souleater in d20pfsrd). once he can get points to his pool summon and drain (or buy donkey for cheap cash. 2hd to grab each hd worth 100 gp crafting).
high level shticks:
exalted with magic domain (divine subdomain) get resurrection and miracle among other as a sla 1/day - no expensive cost! (can do holy water creation a lot sooner for free as well 25 gp a day).
horrower prestige class 10th + other caster level 5+ with fortunate trait and the planeshift spell ready. make the silent aviary (cost to make 97.5k + wish and planeshift) then 1/day can pull up to 4 cards and pick best. if all are bad use command word to redraw but willingly fail the save and planeshift out . that day is simply a no gain. all other days are keepers. so since about half are good and half are bad cards drawing all 4 to be bad is 1/2^4 chance 1/16 days are no gain draw rest should be very good - gm made me retire my toon after a month of downtime...
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One level dip in Spellslinger Wizard to get all the benefits of the class. Then switch to another full caster class (e.g. Arcanist, Druid, Psychic, etc) to avoid all the penalties. Presumably either the benefits should be limited to Wizard spells or the penalties apply to spells from all classes, but it isn't written that way.
Whirling Dervish Swashbuckler using any one-handed piercing melee weapons other than scimitars can get Dex bonus to damage with weapons in both hands. The class was meant to be another 'use a scimitar in one hand and nothing in the other' class, but as written it works better if not using a scimitar at all.
Bending the rules for the sake of power is going to get different reactions at different tables. Where infinite wish loops and peasant railguns tend to raise eyebrows, however, I’ve found that the esoteric and the unconventional tends to pass the sniff test.
Case in point, my favorite strictly-legal trick comes from my group's first (and only) foray into Mythic. I used a non-lethal version of the following to win a just-for-laughs wizard’s tourney, then promptly promised my GM never to use it again. Here’s the step-by-step:
1. Be a 20th level wizard.
2. Get to Mythic Tier 4
3. Take Mythic Feather Fall.
4. Obtain 40 mice.
5. Place mice in a convenient container.
6. Fly above your enemies.
7. Dump mice on your enemies as a ranged touch attack. (Or as a splash weapon at the easier-to-hit empty square.)
8. While the mice are mid-flight, expend two uses of mythic power to cast Augmented Mythic Feather Fall on the mice.
9. Deal 200d6 points of force damage to your enemies with your mouse grenade.
10. Laugh maniacally. (optional)I’m sure you could really crank this one, but even if you “just” add the maximize and empower metamagic feats, you’re looking at 200d6 (all sixes) + 80d6 (assuming average damage) for ~1480 force damage, give or take 40 saves to half.
I’ll admit, figuring out how to break the mythic rules isn’t exactly bragging rights, but it is my personal best. What about the rest of you guys? What are the best rules exploits you’ve managed to pull off?
by my reading of mythic feather fall, it only affects 20 of the mice, and the damage maxes at 5d6 each. so 100d6. What am I missing that doubles the damage?
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my favorite is still Arcane Archer with Phase Arrow, War Priest with Air Blessing and Mythic Champion with Limitless Range. Hit anybody you know of anywhere on the planet at no penalty!
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1. 3 of 4 people each take at least a level of synthesist summoner, specifically the mount evolution.
2. 2 of the mounts + the non-synthesist takes undersized mount.
3. Stack all of them together and give each a tower shield.
4. Take shield wall or Mobile Bulwark Fortress(this also gives move action tower shield)
Congratulations, you now have total immunity to non-spell attack rolls.
For bonus points take 11 levels of inquisitor for stalwart and get a ring of evasion.
There is also being half-elf and getting see in darkness from tiefling and at will deeper darkness from drow noble.
There is also being half-elf and getting see in darkness from tiefling and at will deeper darkness from drow noble.
ud have to take planner heritage for the tiefling feat, but yea.
There is also being half-elf and getting see in darkness from tiefling and at will deeper darkness from drow noble.ud have to take planner heritage for the tiefling feat, but yea.
Yeah and half-drow paragon for drow. Though if that conflicts with planar heritage the whole build falls apart.
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by my reading of mythic feather fall, it only affects 20 of the mice, and the damage maxes at 5d6 each. so 100d6. What am I missing that doubles the damage?
You get 40 targets thanks to this line from mythic feather fall: "The spell affects one additional target per level."
Edit: And then I saw that it had been answered. Gotta read my own thread. :/
by my reading of mythic feather fall, it only affects 20 of the mice, and the damage maxes at 5d6 each. so 100d6. What am I missing that doubles the damage?You get 40 targets thanks to this line from mythic feather fall: "The spell affects one additional target per level."
Edit: And then I saw that it had been answered. Gotta read my own thread. :/
yeah, I thought that was how many it affected total, not that it affected extra on top of what feather fall already affected. Seems abusive to begin with, but I guess that's what Mythic is all about. Is there a rogue mythic ability that allows them to ignore all damage that allows a reflex save?
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Intrepid Rescue Shenanigans
So, you play as a Monk who worships Kurgress and grab Combat Reflexes, Intrepid Rescue and Monkey Style by level 5.
Intrepid Rescuer allows you to make Attacks of Opportunity whenever an opponent within reach makes a melee attack against a prone ally. If you hit, they take a -4 penalty to their attack roll.
With Monkey Style, you are your own prone ally and perfectly able to defend yourself despite being prone. You basically get to attempt a Parry on every melee hit against you while prone, with a free riposte. Additionally, you get a Style Strike at 5th level and there are no rules preventing you from using flying kick while prone. This lets you move 10ft while prone and make a full attack. You're a very slow CaGM Barbarian but you get faster as you level up.
free healing to any target you can seePhoenix Bloodline Sorcerer + Words of Power = Cantrip that deals fire damage but can also heal.
not sure how word of power work, but if it's a cantrip level spell (eg 0) then you heal nothing as the heal is spell levelX2 -> 0x2=0
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Phoenix, not unicorn. Words of Power(by Paizo) has a fire damage cantrip option.
When casting any spell that deals fire damage, you can instead heal your targets. The spell deals no damage, and living creatures affected by the spell instead regain a number of hit points equal to half the fire damage the spell would normally deal.
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free healing to any target you can seePhoenix Bloodline Sorcerer + Words of Power = Cantrip that deals fire damage but can also heal.
Glorious Heat + Spark can do that as well.
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VMC Sorcerer with the Arcane Bloodline...
VMC Bloodline wrote:
At 1st level, she must select a sorcerer bloodline. She treats her character level as her effective sorcerer level for all bloodline powers.
Arcane Bloodline wrote:
Metamagic Adept (Ex): At 3rd level, you can apply any one metamagic feat you know to a spell you are about to cast without increasing the casting time. You must still expend a higher-level spell slot to cast this spell. You can use this ability once per day at 3rd level and one additional time per day for every four sorcerer levels you possess beyond 3rd, up to five times per day at 19th level. At 20th level, this ability is replaced by arcane apotheosis.
So, instead of VMC ending with the 15th Bloodline Power at level 19... you gain full Arcane Apotheosis at 20.
So, instead of VMC ending with the 15th Bloodline Power at level 19... you gain full Arcane Apotheosis at 20.
You also get that with Eldritch Heritage & either the Robe of Arcane Heritage or Greater Eldritch Heritage.
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Wow. Glorious Heat + Spark is way better than the Phoenix thing. Just because you get to be a full cleric with one feat choice taken up vs a Sorcerer forced into the Phoenix bloodline. Not saying Phoenix bloodline is bad, but its a lot more of an investment than 1 feat plus deity choice.Glorious Heat + Spark can do that as well.free healing to any target you can seePhoenix Bloodline Sorcerer + Words of Power = Cantrip that deals fire damage but can also heal.
With words of power a cantrip can pull double duty. It will either be used to deal damage or used to heal, and as a sorcerer you can also change up how it works, at the cost of a higher level slot for things like lines, cones, and bursts. Spark just... lights itty bitty things on fire, and a strict GM could say if you don't have that then Spark fails.
I also don't see how being forced to be a cleric of a specific diety is not the same as being forced to be a sorcerer of a specific bloodline. To make the comparison a bit more even though, a now-WoP Sorcerer can get access to the WoP cantrip with the Experimental Caster feat.
taking the strength of submission trait and getting a bard (or other spell caster. even self) to cast a permanent duration memory spell on you will net you +1 to attack and damage s long as it's not dispelled.
i go with Sow Thought and the idea of "i should thank the caster for helping me". (or myself if a bard cast on himself).
a trait and easy spell for permanent +1 attack and damage? beats a lot of feats...
If I'm reading this right, for a low-level campaign, VMC Wizard or Sorcerer is a no-brainer for pretty much anyone. Apart from having to get a familiar as your 3rd level feat (which is little hardship), you get to pick from a smorgasbord of school/bloodline powers depending on what you select. Such as:
Abjuration: Resistance (Ex): You gain resistance 5 to an energy type of your choice, chosen when you prepare spells. This resistance can be changed each day. (Arguably, you have to prepare spells of some nature to benefit from this, by RAW. So OK for clerics, not for fighters & bards).
Divination: Forewarned (Su): You can always act in the surprise round even if you fail to make a Perception roll to notice a foe, but you are still considered flat-footed until you take an action. In addition, you receive a bonus on initiative checks equal to 1/2 your level (minimum +1).
Necromancy: Power over Undead (Su): You receive Command Undead or Turn Undead as a bonus feat. You can channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier, but only to use the selected feat. You can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Extra Channel and Improved Channel, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Elemental Channel and Alignment Channel. The DC to save against these feats is equal to 10 + 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier.
Transmutation: Physical Enhancement (Su): You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to one physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). This bonus increases by +1 for every five levels you possess to a maximum of +5 at 20th level. You can change this bonus to a new ability score when you prepare spells. (Shame it's enhancement...)
Elemental Bloodline: Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals energy damage, you can change the type of damage to match the type of your bloodline. This also changes the spell's type to match the type of your bloodline.
and so on...
Magician Bard VMC Sorcerer (Arcane)...
VMC actually gives you your Arcane Bond at level 3, instead of level 5 where the Magician gets it. Magician gets to add any arcane spell to his list via Expanded Repertoire, and VMC gives you New Arcana which adds 3 Wizard spells to your list. Magician gets a performance at level 14 called Metamagic Mastery(Su) that allows you to apply metamagic feats without increasing casting time. VMC gives you Metamagic Adept(Ex) which allows you to apply metamagics without increasing casting time.
Essentially, you get your Arcane Bond earlier, 5 spells off any arcane list, 3 spells off the Sorcerer list, two completely different ways to apply metamagics without increasing casting time, the ability to use your Charisma and CL with wands, and oh yeah, Arcane Apotheosis at level 20.
Still just a Bard, but so much Sacred Geometry, oh my...
There are some ways of temporarily gaining access to a spell then making a scroll or something to use it later, when temporary access wears off. Magus knowledge pool, ecclesitheurge cleric, shaman arcane enlightenment hex (especially via wandering hex), probably more. They feel like cheats, I suspect they are cheats, but I like them anyway.
There are some ways of temporarily gaining access to a spell then making a scroll or something to use it later, when temporary access wears off. Magus knowledge pool, ecclesitheurge cleric, shaman arcane enlightenment hex (especially via wandering hex), probably more. They feel like cheats, I suspect they are cheats, but I like them anyway.
it's not a cheat if it's a main class ability (and not even an archetype)
-the skald's level 5 Spell Kenning ability.
only need the item creation feat to then make the item. might still need umd to use.
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There are some ways of temporarily gaining access to a spell then making a scroll or something to use it later, when temporary access wears off. Magus knowledge pool, ecclesitheurge cleric, shaman arcane enlightenment hex (especially via wandering hex), probably more. They feel like cheats, I suspect they are cheats, but I like them anyway.
That doesn't really help that much, since you need to have the spell on your class spell list at the moment you use the scroll. Temporary access to a non-class spell during scroll creation does not void that prerequisite.
And if the spell was a class spell to begin with, then you basically just saved some gold on obtaining the scroll.Temporary feats can help get permanent bonuses:
Druidic Decoder allows you to learn Druidic. Once you learned the language, you can retrain/remove the feat.
Oracle:
The choice between "inflict" and "cure" spells: The former choice also grants you the non-oracle Inflict Pain (& mass version) spells. The latter choice includes the spells Obscure Object, Obscure Poison, Obscure Script, and Secure Shelter.
Spirit Guide oracle:
You can get 1 hex from every spirit permanently, since the rules never say that you lose the hex when selecting another spirit.
Sorcerer:
Having Undercasting Prodigy from the Psychic bloodline during level-up allows you to move your number of Spells Known from lower levels to higher levels, if you have learned the psychic bloodline spells & don't have them as bonus spells yet.
Mongrel Mage sorcerer:
Taking the Variant Draconic (Esoteric) bloodline during level-up allows you to add spells from the psychic's spell list to your spells known; these spells are psychic, not arcane, thereby even allowing feats/abilities that require psychic casting as prerequisites.
Eldritch Heritage:
Humans & Half-Humans can take the Draconic Heritage alternate racial trait and then ignore the CHA prerequisites for the Eldritch Heritage feat-line. You can only select a Draconic bloodline at first, but you can change your bloodline to any other one with an Ampoule of False Blood. Very powerful bloodline choices are Abyssal for STR-builds, Aberrant for touch-spell casters (clerics), or Scorpion for poison builds.
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I'm pretty sure you can use UMD to activate a scroll without possessing it on your class list.
I'm pretty sure you can use UMD to activate a scroll without possessing it on your class list.
Ofc you can, but the question was whether temporary access to a spell brings any benefits to using a scroll later. It doesn't.
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The obvious benefit is that you have the scroll. No need to go shopping or whatever. Magicmart just doesn't always apply.
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Right, so a Skald can spell kenning up any spell of 2nd level or lower and make a scroll of it in 2 hours time that they can then make use of later (and UMD is not only a class skill but also goes off their classes main stat). They can finish making any spell 4th level or lower with 8 hours of uninterrupted work (I like to use Rings of Sustenance with a 10 hour sleep cycle for my party to let me scribe at night).
Its honestly incredibly handy and imo a core part of playing a Skald.
Half-Elf with Arcane Training, or an actual spellcaster with Paragon Surge... hopefully from a wand... picking up:
"Temporary feats can help get permanent bonuses:
Druidic Decoder allows you to learn Druidic. Once you learned the language, you can retrain/remove the feat."
It's like The Matrix, you just downloaded Druidic in FIVE MINUTES! All you had to have was a CL 5 wand, and 10 ranks in Linguistics. Done.
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Here's a fun combination:
Fire Music + Lush Summoning + Augment Summons =
Fire Resist 5, +1 fire damage,
Natural Armor +2, +4 saves vs
Paralysis, Poison, Polymorph, Sleep, and
Stunning,
+4 Strength, +4 Constitution
And another one:
Fortified Drinker + Faithful Drinker + Potion Master + Drunken Brawler + 2 Reservoir pts =
+2 Trait Bonus vs mind-affecting 1hr, and
+2 Sacred Bonus to Will saves 1rnd, and
Use own CL instead of the potion's, and
-2 Reflex saves, and
+2 Alchemical Bonus to Fort & Will saves, and
+20 Temp HP for 1hr, and
Extend + Empower Spell
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I always thought this would be cool, especially for PFS where the GM couldn't just change encounters to adapt.
Level 1, Fighter1: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
2F1Bard1: Flame Dancer
3F1B2: Feat
4F1B3: Ability +1, Song of Fiery GazeSong of Fiery Gaze gives you and all your allies the ability to see through Fire and Smoke, so this character saves up and buys an Eversmoking Bottle, which makes a huge amount of Smoke to Blind the whole Battlefield, except of course, the Bard and their allies. In the following levels, the Bard takes levels in Snakebite Striker Brawler and Unchained Rogue and starts doing Sneak Attack Damage vs. Blinded opponents.
What else for this character? A half Elf or Half Orc with an Orc Hornbow, Maybe Arcane Training in Arcanist? Rapid Shot at level 3?
But at level 4, this character inflicts the Blinded Condition on everyone and makes his party immune: no Dex to AC, all terrain becomes difficult terrain, and all party members enjoy a 50% Miss Chance.
You continue in Bard, stacking Flame Dancer and Flamesinger, and grab Extra Performance or Weapon Focus or Improved Initiative at 3... Additional Traits... definitely not anything that subtracts from your accuracy.
Could even get a jump start on Spell Focus Conjuration/Augment Summons.