For more fun, items that require a specific class, alignment, race, etc are cheaper.
We also know that all combinations of items are valid, according to various previous posts, so why pay 750 for a wand of lesser restoration made from the super common order of Paladin Wand Makers, when you could pay 525 and have it only work for you specifically! It's completely RAW, and must be RAI as well. I mean, the magic item creation rules make completely balanced magic items.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Heh... based on the general direction and interpretation Ashiel uses in his games, I suppose he is correct that if I point out every debatable point he's going to make, that will derail things pretty severely.
So I'll just provide a single warning to potential readers of this thread who might be surprised to discover their GM is not as generous as Ashiel...
Take this with a grain of salt. Before you plan or depend on any of the techniques presented here, talk it over with your GM to be sure you are on the same page.
With that I'll bow out of this little exercise unless I feel like posting some suggestions of my own. But Ashiel, I won't bother with pointing out any other exploits you love so much.
Reach out and Kill Someone
My personal favorite is lucerne hammer. Brace, reach and 1d12. Can also bludgeon or pierce, depending on the need.
Who Says Non-Lethal Isn't Fun
You are not yet into magic weapons, but the Merciful enchantment is quite good.
1 question and 1 addition and one big +1 on everything.
Why is crushed chalk better than flour?
Heightened continual light is an awesome idea, I like to put it on the tip of my pointy wizards hat that is all shiny outside, and dark inside. My back is also illuminated, so if my friends look back it's not all black. And (okay this is houserule and perhaps not for your guide) by turning the hat inside out, because of the reflexiveness it could light like a bullseye lantern. Also, just as your locket, your can wear the hat inside out and have the black side on the outside, only your hair will be lighted from the inside.
A problem worth mentioning is that invisibility will hide the lightsource just as the locker or hat, but not the light, so it will always shine through and make you more obvious (perhaps not to as precise as 5ft square).
Anyhow great guide, if you could do it in a google doc. or something like most class guides so it can be modified it would be even better, but I learned a lot, worth putting in that guide to guides thread.
Edit: @ cheapy, I thought you hated munchkins? selfmade magic items using the "only for a male, human, wizard, CG, with 9 fingers, whose name is Siegfried" to reduce cost altough you gain full benefit are not exactly how this creation guideline was meant, I think. For another example of magic item creation abuse, stacking several different amulets of mighty fists on one, instead of buying a single one with a higher bonus. (edit2: ah, got the sarcasm a little late, sorry, blue makes text look less important than black somehow)
Double weapons are 2 handed weapons which you may use to preform the Two-Weapon Fighting special attack. Unlike normal dual wielding, double weapons do not suffer damage penalties when dual-wielding, only attack penalties. As two-handed weapons, you get the best returns from your strength score and Power Attack.
Double weapons are not 2 handed weapons when you use them to TWF. Then they are a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. You get damage bonuses like that. You can only use one end two-handed if you declare so, but then you cannot use the other end.
As an example, an 11th level Fighter might have a weapon routine that looks like this (assumes Str 18, Dex 19, +2 weapons, dueling gloves, weapon focus, greater focus, weapon specialization, weapon training II, double slice, TWF, ITWF, GTWF): +21 (main)/+21 (off)/+16 (main)/+16 (off)/+11 (main)/+11 (off), dealing 1d6+15 on each hit. Adding power attack would set the to-hit to +18/+18/+13/+13/+8/+8 at 1d6+24 main hand, 1d6+19 off.
Let's see about that damage modifier:
+4 (str) +2 (enchantment) +4 (gloves + weapon training) +2 weapon spec = +12 on each hand. Power attack would make that +18/+14.
Regular gauntlets have yet one more really awesome benefit that is often overlooked, but is appreciated by classes such as clerics, magi, the odd wizard, or eldritch knights. They are considered unarmed attacks, which means that you can channel touch spells through them, and the touch spells do not discharge if your attack fails. A cleric who casts inflict critical wounds or harm can punch at something with her gauntlet to deliver the spell. If the attack misses, the spell is still held. Since you can get your gauntlets in masterwork or +1-5 variety, it can even help you gain accuracy vs some opponents (some foes have surprisingly good touch ACs).
You might want to add clarification that you still provoke an attack of opportunity when using a gauntlet, unless your unarmed strike does not provoke and that you are no longer making a touch attack.
Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. In this case, you aren’t considered armed and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal for the attack. If your unarmed attack or natural weapon attack normally doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, neither does this attack. If the attack hits, you deal normal damage for your unarmed attack or natural weapon and the spell discharges. If the attack misses, you are still holding the charge
I really do like this guide. It is important for people to realize mundane equipment have uses beyond "Derp I attack it".
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
Another use for clubs! If they're wood, you've got some firewood. If you have some oil, grease, or other flammable liquid, soak some hemp rope in it, tie it to the end, and set it alight! Ta da, torch! Torches also are treated as improvised bludgeoning weapons that deal damage as a gauntlet of their size + 1 fire damage. Edit!: So, if you've got a lenient DM, they may allow you to deal damage as a club, with that extra +1 fire damage...
I've got something for those low-level parties that prefer to fight smart.
It's a trap!: Traps are a wonderful way to do many wonderful things. A single ball of string/twine is only 1cp, weighs a half a pound, and gives you 50 feet of it, though it does have hardness 0, 1 hp, and a break dc of 14. Setting up camp you can use it to rig up an alarm system with a bunch of sticks, bone, or even bells (though I find bells dubious since they didn't list a perception dc!). If you're feeling particularly devious, or just want to make life hell for some baddies in a dungeon, invest in some of the following. Marbles, Caltrops, Tanglefoot bags, Bear Traps, Trespasser's Boots, any form of paper or parchment, and fishing hooks.
Marbles and Caltrops really only work in the really low levels, but if you spread enough of them out the baddies are going to have to try and carefully tip toe through them without falling down/getting stabbed in the foot for a point of damage. You wind up with prone, or half-speed enemies. Tanglefoot bags can be rigged with twine as a wire-trap that can drop a bag onto an unsuspecting opponent. Bear Traps and Trespasser Boots, while weighing a bit much, can hold a creature in place while doing a fair amount of damage! You could even use them as improvised weapons, jamming an armed bear trap on an enemy (2d6+3 damage) then grab hold of it's chain to keep it from getting away (grappled perhaps?), or making a medium creature's unarmed attack slip into the Trespasser's Boot (2d4 damage) effectively making sure it can't use that attack until it takes it off since it's deep enough for a medium sized character's lower leg. It's also wood, so.... Burn baby burn!
Paper and parchment can be used as a warning system too. Crumple them up, uncrumple them, and lay them out. They should now make a sound when stepped on. You could get creative and lay out some caltrops, lay some paper over it, then camouflage them so you have hidden caltrops. The fun with the twine comes in the form of fish hooks. You can easily construct a small twine net, weaving the fish hooks into them for some nasty little barbs that'll hook in an enemy. I'm not sure how most would rule that, but I myself would call it a point of damage for, say, every five fish hooks in the net or so, since not all of them are going to be able to catch a bite. Set this up as a falling trap, or my personal favorite, a forest of hanging strings with a lot of fish hooks. Don't forget that the twine can easily have the caltrops threaded into them!
For nearly all these traps, cunning mages can throw out some Grease spells. Cover an area that has bear traps, or caltrops, or a stringed net of hooks/caltrops. Slip! PAIN! Need I also point out falling jugs of flaming oil full of caltrops? Or worse yet, falling jugs of tangle foot bags!
Let's go fly a kite!: Kites, given appropriate circumstances, can be used to deliver an aerial pay load. You can rig almost anything with string/twine... Rain down flaming alchemy flasks upon your foes!
Alkali poisoning: Alkali flasks... For those pesky oozes! They're ordinary acid flasks, but against oozes, they deal double damage. Alkali salts can be mixed with water, creating a substance that protects your metal from black pudding & gray ooze dissolving qualities for 1d3 contacts! My dwarf, with his spiked full plates, spiked gauntlets, and dual spiked tower shields (GMs idea, not mine) would have LOVED to have this item... Before he got swallowed by a death ooze, I think, and turned into a naked, bald, beardless dwarf...
THIS DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT WILL PEIRCE THE HEAVENS!: Drills can be phenomenally useful. It can bore a 1 inch diameter hole in stone, wood, or metal. Sure it has a dc 15 check to hear the drilling, but think of the USES. You could drill through the second floor, and pour some alchemist fire down to rain flaming doom upon the doomed heads of your doomed enemies. Or, you could drill into the ground some and set some iron spikes up as a trap (I love traps). Make a peep hole through a door. Maybe even lob a cross bow bolt through it! Or a blow gun dart! Poisoned darts through a closed door, they'll never know what hit em!
Dressed to kill: Never underestimate a good set of clothing. The Adventurer's scarf gives you a bandoleer of six secure pouches. The pocketed scarf gives you small pockets to hide small objects in and grants a +4 on the sleight of hand checks for it. Perfect for a rogue or bard to slip that vial of poison into a dark lord's ball. Doctor's Mask grants you a +1 circumstance bonus to fort saves versus airborne toxins or scent effects, while a Doc's Outfit grants a +2 circumstance fort vs disease. Cold weather outfits, snow shoes, cleats, hot weather outfits, furs, all good for differing environs. Reinforced scarf acts like an 8 ft long chain!
Couldn't think of anything witty for cages...: Picking up a cage or two for Fine/Diminutive, and Tiny sized, will provide for some good game-traps for survival. Catch some small things, and cook em!
Death Spike!: Iron Spikes are particularly useful. You could use them as improvised weapons, potentially spiking an opponent to a surface, possibly a thrown improvised weapon, or just stab someone in the face. They make for decent door jams, or can be used to pin something to a wall. Maybe spike an orc to a wall as an announcement to it's brethren in a dungeon when you set up camp for the night (if you're high enough level, casting explosive runes on the note that was spiked to him makes for a STRONG message!). Hell, spike a bear trap or a chain or something to the ground! Get creative people! I typically used them with a high strength character, get a warhammer or an ordinary hammer and you can easily spike someone to a surface.
Well that's all I have time for for now. If no one else tackles them, I may do the feather tokens next time.
Ashiel, you have inspired me. Dot and favorited.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
1 question and 1 addition and one big +1 on everything.
Why is crushed chalk better than flour?
Personal preference. Chalk is lighter, and in my experience it clings to dry stuff better (I frankly wouldn't expect you to be able to brush the stuff off with any real hope, short of actually stopping to take a bath, or using wasting actions using prestidigitation to insta-clean yourself). Flour would be a perfectly reasonable alternative however. A pound of flour is only like 2 copper pieces, which makes it an incredibly inexpensive anti-invisibility.
Flour can also be used for other purposes as well. Using it to leave a trail in a dungeon would be easy (chalk works for this too). Flour soaks liquids really well, so if you had to get a key out of a pool of poison, you could toss sacks of flour into the poison until it becomes a mush and then simply scoop it out and wash it off with water.
I'm sure people will of course rage against how not RAI that must be. Oh the brokeness and exploitability of being able to shut off the 2nd level spell by acting like your Macgyver with 2 copper pieces and a brain. Such an incredibly exploit. Obviously not intended. Blah blah blah. We've heard it all before.
Heightened continual light is an awesome idea, I like to put it on the tip of my pointy wizards hat that is all shiny outside, and dark inside. My back is also illuminated, so if my friends look back it's not all black. And (okay this is houserule and perhaps not for your guide) by turning the hat inside out, because of the reflexiveness it could light like a bullseye lantern. Also, just as your locket, your can wear the hat inside out and have the black side on the outside, only your hair will be lighted from the inside.
Much thanks. Wait until you see the pointy hat trick in my later posts. PM me if you want an early spoiler. :P
Anyhow great guide, if you could do it in a google doc. or something like most class guides so it can be modified it would be even better, but I learned a lot, worth putting in that guide to guides thread.
I'll look into it. That makes a few posters suggesting google docs. ^-^
Edit: @ cheapy, I thought you hated munchkins? selfmade magic items using the "only for a male, human, wizard, CG, with 9 fingers, whose name is Siegfried" to reduce cost altough you gain full benefit are not exactly how this creation guideline was meant, I think. For another example of magic item creation abuse, stacking several different amulets of mighty fists on one, instead of buying a single one with a higher bonus.
Incidentally, I hate that junk. I've never advocated such things in my life. Ever. The % reductions weren't even part of the core rules in 3.x, they were included in the "Behind the Screen" sidebars in the DMG, which were called out specifically in the front of the book as not being part of the actual rules, but commentary or explanation for certain things. The % reductions were used for items that were specifically themed with focused purposes (holy avenger, robe of the archmagi, etc). The reductions are appropriate for items that have multiple minor but themed abilities that would make the item otherwise prohibitively expensive.
I think that trying to equate buying a potion at the cost it is listed at in the potion rules (see Potions: Cost - Ranger/Paladin, 1st level, 50 gp) to the % cost reductions which were never part of the original 3.x/3.5 rules to begin with (they were included in the SRD, but the DMG was quite clear on the matter) is not only silly but dishonest. I will be including magic items, as well as suggested items created using the item creation rules, but you can be assured those cost reducers will not be mentioned during this guide.
You might want to add clarification that you still provoke an attack of opportunity when using a gauntlet, unless your unarmed strike does not provoke and that you are no longer making a touch attack.
Odd, I thought I mentioned using a regular gauntlet needed IUS earleir in the section on gauntlets. I suppose adding a pointing it out again might help to avoid confusion.
Double weapons are not 2 handed weapons when you use them to TWF. Then they are a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. You get damage bonuses like that. You can only use one end two-handed if you declare so, but then you cannot use the other end.
Double weapons are defined in the equipment section says you may use it to preform the Two Weapon Fighting special attack, but you incur attack penalties as if fighting with a one handed and light weapon. It has no effect on damage. It's still a two-handed weapon, and there is a separate rule that triggers when you are wielding a 2 handed weapon, in the combat section, that provides a 1.5 strength modifier. It also does not stop it from being a 2-handed weapon for the purposes of power attack. You are not required to fight with it as a double weapon (you can use them only as a 2 handed weapon), and using them in one hand prevents you from making the TWF Special Attack, nor can you use only one end of the weapon to make TWF attacks (you cannot for example use only one end of a staff to make your dual-attacks).
This has been discussed on the boards before. If you are uncertain about it, I would advise doing a forum search and discussing it with your GM. Many people house rule damage penalties onto double weapons, but they are not part of the core rules as they are written. Personally, I think adding such penalties is unnecessary, given that it's the thing that makes double weapons special.
dottie dot dot!
>_>. Looks like I ninja'd Ashiel. *noticed AD saying Ashiel's a guy... Always thought Ashiel's a girl...* Hmm....
Also... I liked MacGuyver... And anyone who has the brains to act like him should be rewarded for doing so. I find creativity like that to be sorely lacking in PNPs these days. In fact it's almost as if half the players I know go to great lengths to make budding MacGuyvers never develop. Sad really. PnPs used to promote creativity, and alternate ways of thinking and tackling problems...
Re: flour vs chalk dust...
Again, chalk is made of plaster. You can buy five pound bags of plaster powder for five silver pieces. Besides being able to do everything that Ashiel describes that chalk dust can do, plaster powder can be mixed with water to create just about any shape, including, as I described above, making copies of official seals if you have a desire to counterfeit official sealed orders or anything like that. For leaving trails in dungeons I usually use chalk, not chalk dust. (Just fyi Ashiel, I have no problem with using flour, chalk dust or even create water to help spot invisible foes.)
Heightened continual light is one of those "d'oh!" moments. That's a great idea.
Double weapons in our campaigns usually get two-handed damage bonus on the main hand side, but one-handed on the off-hand side. But then you have to keep track of which is main and which is off hand.
For parties that lack rogues, carrying around a skeleton key is a cheap way of at least having a chance to unlock doors or chests.
Magnifying glasses cost 100g, which is sort of insane when you realize that you can grind a functioning magnifying glass out of normal glass in just a few days, using nothing more than sand, grit and some light dust.
If you are suffering range issues with darts, javelins or short-spears, you can double their range with an el-cheapo spear-thrower.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
>_>. Looks like I ninja'd Ashiel. *noticed AD saying Ashiel's a guy... Always thought Ashiel's a girl...* Hmm....
People refer to me by however they interpret me (he or she), and I've never bothered to correct them either way simply because it is of no interest to me. Gender has nothing to do with ideas, and in an environment where we are all basically talking white screens, I kind of dig the gender neutrality, simply because it avoids issues such as preconception, gender bias, and stereotypes (and I prefer a less cluttered conversation). I've never noted my gender here, and don't mind when people interpret as they feel (incidentally, it's interesting to discover which traits endear me as a given gender). It doesn't matter to me outside of my personal life and the people I interact with physically; so people assume whatever suits them.
Also... I liked MacGuyver... And anyone who has the brains to act like him should be rewarded for doing so. I find creativity like that to be sorely lacking in PNPs these days. In fact it's almost as if half the players I know go to great lengths to make budding MacGuyvers never develop. Sad really. PnPs used to promote creativity, and alternate ways of thinking and tackling problems...
Agreed. We often remark that the greatest strength of P&P RPGs is you're not limited like you are in a computer game. If you are playing Never Winter Nights (a computer game literally built using the d20 system), you cannot say "Hey, I want to try and smoke the bad guys out of this room", or say "I'm going to dress in my beggar's clothes to look unassuming", and so forth. In P&P, you can.
3E was designed to be a rich, versatile system, and the bounteous ruleset was meant to provide examples and basis for generating new rules on the fly (as a measure of consistency). Back around 2000, when 3E first came out, there was the basic D&D Adventure set, which included slightly simplified rules (initiatives were static, little else was changed) which included a number of pregenerated characters from 1st-3rd level, and a booklet that included a lot of mini adventures that got progressively longer and more elaborate as the game went on.
I have never forgotten that during the adventure where you're trying to rescue some dwarf miners from hobgoblins, that the book encouraged you to instill creativity in the players, and even noted the possibility of using the mirror in room X to get a few of the contents of room Y; or remembering that the unicorn you save in the first adventure could heal the condition of an NPC in an unrelated adventure later in the book.
If the example of play sections in the 3.x DMGs, the PCs try a number of things that aren't directly defined in the books. At one point, there was an instance where Lidda was attempting to grab a scroll case rushing by in the water. The GM asked for a touch attack vs the scroll as it floated past her. Not expressly spelled out, but an example of excellent GM adjudication that remains consistent with the feel and flow of the system.
I feel like a lot of that is really dying these days, and it really hurts me.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ye Olden Swiss Army Fannypack
One belt pouch.
One flint & Steel
One roll of twine
Three sticks of Chalk
One roll of fishing line
One Dozen Fish Hooks
One Dozen metal sinkers
Two Cork corks
One Knife
One Steel Mirror
One bottle of oil
All SORTS of mischief for about 12-14 gp (2-4 gp if you leave out the steel mirror)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
On the subject of flour vs chalk
Can You Eat It?
The advantage of flour is that it can extend your rations when not being used in grenades. Also if you pack olive oil for your lamps, you can get the same effect. Incidentally, the Roman Army marched on rations of flour and oil, cooking it into fry bread (you remembered that iron pot) or just eating it raw if necessary.
Carry a bag of salt. Mark your path, fling it eyes/wounds, pour some on slugs, or even do some cooking. I find salt to be infinitely useful in my adventures.
I think the main problem with the chalk vs invisibility is that if it worked, every NPC would carry it with them everywhere. It only seems uncommon logic to us because we don't live in a world with invisible combatants. It would fall under "oldest trick in the book" territory and anyone who regularly relied on invisibility would just wear specially-treated clothing.
You do realize that there's no reason for them not to, right? The invisibility condition specifically notes that natural environmental conditions (such as flour, puddles, mud, etc) can reveal invisible creatures and hints that such things would be used.
One of the main reason, I believe, that non-magical people and creatures even exist at all in D&D is because of how much a good plan and some simple ingenuity can turn the tide against things that are terrible creatures of nightmares. Same goes for creatures that are relatively week (the majority of humans being 1st level NPC classed characters like warriors, experts, and adepts) carving out an existence in a world with giant monsters and evil wizards.
I once posted a summary of 50 1st level NPC warriors, equipped as a light infantry unit, can one-round an iron golem before it even has a chance to fight back or use it's cloudkill breath weapon. Basically involved all of them focus-firing on the critter with their 10 gp flasks of acid (they could have 2-4 of them as part of their general kit without it even being a focus), which was neither stopped by the creature's DR, nor spell immunity, nor excessive natural armor. A golem costing over a hundred thousand gold pieces to construct can be torn apart by militia with about 500 gp worth of mundane equipment.
It is no secret that I am a very strong believer in the power of spellcasters in 3.x/Pathfinder. I imagine several people on the boards hold the misconception that I only play casters or that casters are the only thing that gets played or thrives in my games (admittedly, full-casters are a bit rare in my games, in terms of PCs); but I've never had a whole lot of trouble with most of it, because a little ingenuity goes a long way. My brother 13 year old brother and his girlfriend recently took out an evil dude that spammed Invisibility in the flight of the red raven module (see Paizo store); and won because they used tricks like flanking, throwing chalk on him, and so forth. One was playing psionic monk, and the other a psychic warrior. Neither were full casters, and their level was low enough to put them more in the "I hit it with my stick" category.
Invisibility is still a goofy strong spell. Especially since Paizo decided to give it some utterly bizarre buffs that are nonsensical (being invisible makes it harder for blind people to notice you, instead of just making you immune to sight-based Perception). I don't see the fact it can be negated with some clever thinking and a bag of chalk or flour as a problem, but a feature.
But as I said in the original post, "YMMV".
Again, chalk is made of plaster. You can buy five pound bags of plaster powder for five silver pieces. Besides being able to do everything that Ashiel describes that chalk dust can do, plaster powder can be mixed with water to create just about any shape, including, as I described above, making copies of official seals if you have a desire to counterfeit official sealed orders or anything like that. For leaving trails in dungeons I usually use chalk, not chalk dust. (Just fyi Ashiel, I have no problem with using flour, chalk dust or even create water to help spot invisible foes.)
Indeed, indeed. Incidentally, the use of create water is a good idea as well. Invisibility is foiled by puddles, and the AoE and amount of water created by the cantrip is significant.
Heightened continual light is one of those "d'oh!" moments. That's a great idea.
Glad you like it. It seems to be a popular one amongst the readers here. ^-^
Double weapons in our campaigns usually get two-handed damage bonus on the main hand side, but one-handed on the off-hand side. But then you have to keep track of which is main and which is off hand.
AFAIK, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. The -50% damage penalty when dual-wielding isn't a quality of the weapon making the attack, but that you're making an off-hand attack. The example I used included the double-slice feat (which I noted) which removes the -50% penalty. Seems like you're running it strait to me. O_o
For parties that lack rogues, carrying around a skeleton key is a cheap way of at least having a chance to unlock doors or chests.
Yeah, those things are insanely good. Almost unfairly good. I planned to mention them later, when I focused on some of the non-core material; since they're too good to pass up (a +10 disable device to unlock doors, and you can try once per key with any lock). :o
Magnifying glasses cost 100g, which is sort of insane when you realize that you can grind a functioning magnifying glass out of normal glass in just a few days, using nothing more than sand, grit and some light dust.
If that surprises you, Craft (Jewelry) or (Gemcutting) or similar crafts can be used to make art objects. Art objects are trade goods, which means they have a value and can be traded as gold pieces. Such things are valued up to 1,000+ gp. Using Craft, you can triple your starting cash (pay materials worth 1/3 value of the item, craft check, profit). Toss in fabricate and you're in serious business.
Since they are trade goods and can be traded as gold, you can assume them in the cost to create magic items. I'm fond of Craft (Jewelry) as a backup skill for some of my wizards, because it's great for supplementing income and I get to use my own creations as part of magic items I craft. Makes it more personal, I guess. ^-^
Great post! You rock!
Why thank you Lex! ^-^
Also, I fig your avatar. :D| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The problem with using salt to mark a trail is that almost any animal that runs across salt will aggressively lick it up. That's why it's illegal to put blocks of rock salt out in the woods during hunting season.
On Ashiel's deliberate gender confusion, I had originally posted my comment using female gender, but noticed someone else referred to Ashiel as "he" and assumed they knew something I didn't. I briefly considered going the "he/she" route but figured that was just weird.
Hmm.... eating raw flour? Man, I'd have to be awful hungry for that. Having something that can extend your rations and help you find invisible enemies is a pretty good deal too. But I still carry plaster powder.
Cold Weather Kit: Cost: 21 gold
Hemp Rope (50ft), Grapple Hook, Cold Weather Outfit, Hammer, iron spike (10), Cleats, Snowshoes
Cheap enough to give to hirelings, good enough to use yourself
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Ashiel, just note that tossing out potions of higher end spells using lower end spell lists is "GM call". Potion making rangers and paladins are going to be hugely uncommon, ditto for wands, and that's why most people simply aren't going to use your costs for those kinds of things. It's one again using alternate list spell abuse, which was one of the big problems with 3.5. Level 5 adept Heal spells and the Trapsmith spell list abuse? Ugh. Let's not go there.
SOmeone noted that potions are levels 1-4 spells...I thought they stopped at level 3? I think wands go to 4.
The Heightened Continual Light trick has been around almost as long as the 10' pole. :)
I will note to everyone that is going to carry around a light source in a hat or locket...that's a VERY bright light, and unless it is absolutely light tight, the glow is going to leak around the edges. Having COntinual Light inside your hat is definitely going to be making your hair light up and leak around the brim.
Note on cost: Carrying an adamantine, cold iron and silver set of +2 weapons is more expensive then carrying an adamantine weapon +3, as a +3 weapon works for cold iron/silver DR. Base cost 18k vs 24k.
Mancatchers have a problem in that you can't use them for AoO's while they are grappling someone, making the wielder somewhat vulnerable.
=============================
Ashiel, not in all the length of 3.5 or Pathfinder have I ever heard someone argue that you get two-handed weapon damage while wielding a double weapon in TWF mode. It's specificially called out that you are treated as if wielding a one handed and a light weapon while wielding a double weapon...that's at the same time, not independently. You don't get to conveniently ignore the TWF rules while doing this.
Yes, if you only use one end, one handed weapons can be treated as 2h'ers. But there is NO WAY that staff example is correct. For a double weapon, you get Str on one side and .5 str on the others. I mean, really, there's feats designed just to up the str damage on the off hand to PAR...which makes no sense if you get 1.5.
In short, don't make the argument, it's not going to fly on the wider scale.
==============
Note that creatures with Blindsight can SA just fine in mist/smokesticks.
I'm not sure you can use Adamantine Gauntlets to pound down a door with your fist..appropriate tools and all that. The gauntlet would do fine, but you'd break your wrist. You hack at a door or pound on it with a hammer or ram to insulate your arms. Your gauntlets would be hard, but they wouldn't cushion the shock of hitting a thick door.
Lots of interesting, cheap advice. A good read even if the wider theory can be a bit shaky at times!
==Aelryinth
The problem with using salt to mark a trail is that almost any animal that runs across salt will aggressively lick it up. That's why it's illegal to put blocks of rock salt out in the woods during hunting season.
On Ashiel's deliberate gender confusion, I had originally posted my comment using female gender, but noticed someone else referred to Ashiel as "he" and assumed they knew something I didn't. I briefly considered going the "he/she" route but figured that was just weird.
Hmm.... eating raw flour? Man, I'd have to be awful hungry for that. Having something that can extend your rations and help you find invisible enemies is a pretty good deal too. But I still carry plaster powder.
you mix raw flour and water to make dough, and then heat that to make flat bread, or fry it to make dumplings.
===Aelryinth
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Re: flour vs chalk dust...
Again, chalk is made of plaster. You can buy five pound bags of plaster powder for five silver pieces. Besides being able to do everything that Ashiel describes that chalk dust can do, plaster powder can be mixed with water to create just about any shape, including, as I described above, making copies of official seals if you have a desire to counterfeit official sealed orders or anything like that. For leaving trails in dungeons I usually use chalk, not chalk dust. (Just fyi Ashiel, I have no problem with using flour, chalk dust or even create water to help spot invisible foes.)
Good thinking. With the quantity and area that is drenched with create water spells, it's a wonderful use.
Heightened continual light is one of those "d'oh!" moments. That's a great idea.
Glad you like it. It seems to be a crowd favorite.
Double weapons in our campaigns usually get two-handed damage bonus on the main hand side, but one-handed on the off-hand side. But then you have to keep track of which is main and which is off hand.
That sounds like you're playing it strait to me. The damage penalty for off-hand attacks isn't keyed to the type of weapon, only that the attack is an off-hand attack. The example I gave included a fighter who had double slice to remove the off-hand damage modifier. Sounds like you're playing it as described. :o
For parties that lack rogues, carrying around a skeleton key is a cheap way of at least having a chance to unlock doors or chests.
I've been sticking mostly to core at the moment (emphasis on mostly) but these are really amazing. A +10 disable device vs locks, and you can try once per key. So good it's almost dreadful. :o
Magnifying glasses cost 100g, which is sort of insane when you realize that you can grind a functioning magnifying glass out of normal glass in just a few days, using nothing more than sand, grit and some light dust.
If you think that's crazy, check this out. Trade goods such as gems and jewelry can be traded at full value as if they were gold pieces. You can craft them for 1/3rd their value with a Craft (Jewelry) check. Basically, with the Craft skill, you can triple the value of your money by grabbing up raw materials and making them into trade goods. Get access to fabricate and you're in serious business.
Since they can be traded a GP, you can assume them as part of item creation. I sometimes have my spellcasters make their own amulets, crowns, and similar baubles for use in making the magic items. I feel it makes them more personal, and I really love personalizing my items (giving them unique descriptions and such as well).
Note on cost: Carrying an adamantine, cold iron and silver set of +2 weapons is more expensive then carrying an adamantine weapon +3, as a +3 weapon works for cold iron/silver DR. Base cost 18k vs 24k.
That's great and all. For one weapon. But only moron adventurers put all their eggs in one basket. Especially since by the time you can comfortably afford that +3 basket, it's at risk to dispel magic followed by shatter. The basket will be missed. A masterwork cold iron and silver sword will get you where you need to go through most of the lower levels. A +2 weapon is 8,000 gp. A +3 weapon 18,000 gp. You could buy 3 +2 weapons for the same price as a single +3 weapon. As it turns out, that gives you plenty of leave to grab a +2 adamantine melee, +2 ranged weapon (such as a bow), and a pair of +1 silver and cold iron weapons (about 6,000 gp together, including the +2000 gp price penalty for enhancing a cold-iron weapon), and have plenty of gold left over to load up on silver and cold iron arrows.
Ashiel, not in all the length of 3.5 or Pathfinder have I ever heard someone argue that you get two-handed weapon damage while wielding a double weapon in TWF mode. It's specificially called out that you are treated as if wielding a one handed and a light weapon while wielding a double weapon...that's at the same time, not independently. You don't get to conveniently ignore the TWF rules while doing this.
That's great. I'm not. I had overlooked this fact for ages, until it was pointed out to me on these very boards. After fine-combing the rules myself in shock of hearing such a thing, I determined it was true. Having referenced all areas of the rules concerning it, I have no doubt this is how it works. It may not be how it was intended to work, but it does according to the rules; which is more than enough for me. I live by a fairly simple and I think fair code when it comes to gaming. If it's already in the rules and it doesn't break the game, I have no problem with it, even if no one immediately expected it.
To avoid risk of thread derailment, I will not discuss it further here; because it is beyond the scope of this guide; and I should rather be looking into google-docs at the moment. :P
I think the main problem with the chalk vs invisibility is that if it worked, every NPC would carry it with them everywhere. It only seems uncommon logic to us because we don't live in a world with invisible combatants. It would fall under "oldest trick in the book" territory and anyone who regularly relied on invisibility would just wear specially-treated clothing.
I want you to think about what you just said. Why wouldn't they? That's a good question. They should. The invisibility condition even says that stuff like flour foils invisibility (as well as muddy footprints, puddles, etc). There's nothing wrong with reality fighting back against magic a little bit from time to time. Don't you think that in worlds where there's supposed to be a mixture of mundane and magical characters who are on even a similar footing, the mundanes would cook up some mundane ways of giving their magic enemies the proverbial finger?
Greater yet, what about the fact weak humanoids make up the majority of humanoid societies, and yet they've carved out living conditions and maintain population centers and cities, despite heroes being a rarity, and most people being 1st level NPC classed characters (commoners, warriors, experts, adepts, etc). Clever tricks, good use of simple magics and tactics, and guts and numbers.
I once showed that a group of about 50 militia men (only 1st level warriors clad in studded leather, with slings, longspear, clubs, a potion, and a handful of alchemical weapons) can tear apart an iron golem in a way that is brutally efficient. An iron golem is a massive CR 13 creature who has DR 15/adamantine, magic immunity, over a hundred hit points, a dangerous attack routine, and has a cloudkill-like breath weapon (the 3.x iron golem actually spits cloudkills with all the mook-slaughtering that entailed).
The militia men can tear one apart in one round. A 150,000 gp golem, taken down by a militia and 500 gp worth of expended consumables. I think Brambleman liked that post. ^-^
===================
I'll try to have a google doc prepared for my next on-topic post.
I am my own light source
I do this with my halfling. I paid a few GP to have torch-mounts placed on my armor. One on my chest, one on my back, one on each shoulder. Then just attach everburning torch to mount. If someone sunders it, ready another everburning torch as a move action (or while moving if you have a+1 or higher BAB since a torch can be used as a weapon). Then mount it again to a different mount when you have a standard action free. Leaves you free to use two-handed on your one-handed weapon. Also works well for shields.
This works well with Ashiel's hightened permanent light spells as well. Just use a regular piece of torch shaped wood. You can put it in a bag of holding or a sack when you're not wanting it to be seen, and put it on your armor when you want to make sure you've got light and don't mind being a giant target.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
adamantine vs door: feet > fists
instead of just adamantine gauntlets get the full adamantine chainmail...
what, your chainmail bikini doesn't come with high-heel boots? it's great for diggin' ;-D
(normal adamantine heels should work just fine, hehe)
flour+oil+water+yeast = bread for bbq
apart none of these perish, together you can eat it every day
(larp tested ;-p )
create water spell: stop your enemy from putting things on fire (golbins... fireworks... ahem), beware rampaging dm's if you foil their favorite pyrotechnics
Decanter of Endless Water + metamagicked bless water = holy water cannon
your dm should allow this just for giggles :o)
potions, oils and wands... here's another: Versatile Weapon (if you want to avoid the 9-iron encumbrance... you'll only need the adamatine weapon, though you might want a mithral backup weapon)
weapon cord:
for 1 sp you just made that disarming enemy a lot less effective
recover weapon = swift action
mages and cleric might like it too, to cast spells without worrying about sheathing weapons (depends on the weapons/shields you use, of course)
other prestidigitation uses:
- great addition to have running with your invisibility spell, mask your scent trail with cayenne pepper :o)
- that old dwarf drinking too much? make his ale taste like water
- offer someone you want to get drunk vodka-water, he might become talky (put ranks in bluff&diplomacy), works well vs "i'm on duty" too
question you should ask your dm, he might say yes:
can you find an old mage seeling half-empty wands? wands are a lot cheaper in cost-per-use and getting 20-odd charges is usually plenty for low levels
PS:
i'm so gonna get me a ghost touch net :D brilliant
also love the war-oxens 8-)
dotting indeed ^_^
Dotting has many effects
Primus, it makes it easier to keep track of the article than favoriting it.
Secundus, it makes the count grow, thus alerting other posters that it's a vibrant thread.
Tertius, it's an indication to others who might skim the thread that a lot of people found it very useful, thus raising the likelyhood those skimmers will pay more attention, as they might also find it useful.
Dotting has many effects
Primus, it makes it easier to keep track of the article than favoriting it.
Secundus, it makes the count grow, thus alerting other posters that it's a vibrant thread.
Tertius, it's an indication to others who might skim the thread that a lot of people found it very useful, thus raising the likelyhood those skimmers will pay more attention, as they might also find it useful.
In that case, dotting.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Dotting has many effects
Primus, it makes it easier to keep track of the article than favoriting it.
Secundus, it makes the count grow, thus alerting other posters that it's a vibrant thread.
Tertius, it's an indication to others who might skim the thread that a lot of people found it very useful, thus raising the likelyhood those skimmers will pay more attention, as they might also find it useful.
First, I don't know why you're talking all foreign.
Second, Listing is a gazillion times more effective than dotting. A gazillion.
Thirdly, A thread should not be vibrant from +1s, that is fake vibrancy. It should be vibrant from positive contributions: like this thread.
Fourthly, if you want to give the signal that it is a useful thread then +1 on the OP is more effective. Lots of rubbish, troll-tastic threads are long. Favourites indicate quality, post count only indicates quantity.
Clutter is clutter.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Incidentally, why dot threads on Paizo? You are just cluttering a thread with wasted space.
Paizo has the +1 favourite system and the list function: use one of those instead.
Why reply a second time right after the first instead of editing your original post? ;P
Ashiel, on the skeleton key, I believe it's a straight +10 disable device modifier that replaces any modifier the user has. It doesn't stack with the user's existing modifiers, it's just "d20+10" and that's it. It's still a great thing to have if you're rogue-less at relatively low levels. Of course it helps to carry a dozen of them... :)
When it comes to using flour or plaster powder or charcoal powder or anything else to reveal invisible targets, we usually play it that the target is revealed to be in a particular square, but is still concealed. The idea is that you can see something moving around, especially leaving footprints and such. But it's not like you see a flour version of your opponent.
Being creative about something doesn't entitle you to have it work.
Very true and something I was thinking about for a while after initially reading this thread. Sometimes the circumstances that a player may envision in minute detail, may not match up perfectly to what the DM has in mind. So YMMV on these tricks of the trade, and--this is one I've seen happen a few times with the best laid plans over the decades--if the DM doesn't bite hook line and sinker for the sales pitch, or it just doesn't happen to work this time, don't take it to heart and don't argue about it.
None of that takes away from the classic strategies listed here, just something to keep in mind.
Mirror mirror in my hand: Mirrors are a handy piece of adventuring gear too. They can allow you to look out from cover or around corners without risking injury. You can could use them to send coded messages or give signals over short distances. They provide a quick way to test for vampires and of course having a mirror around comes in handy with basic hygiene needs.
Decanter of Endless Water + metamagicked bless water = holy water cannon
your dm should allow this just for giggles :o)
Could you explain this a little more? What metamagic would you put on Bless Water?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
--snip-- ...and it really hurts me...Have you considered that you're stretching things too far? You're coming across like "Everyone who thinks what I've listed doesn't make any sense just hates fun and creativity." I realize that's probably not what you mean, but that's how it sounds. Being creative about something doesn't entitle you to have it work. Building a house out of spaghetti when all you have is spaghetti may be creative, but it isn't going to work very well.
Exactly how does one person talking to another person about the decline of problem solving in P&P in favor of brute force RAW have to do with telling others they're having badwrongfun? You quoted a fraction of my commentary about the difference in how gaming was presented in official sources back when 3E came out, and the zoo that it is today.
Why do PCs try to shove RAW down the GM's throat so much? Well I think it's because it's the only weapon they have in their arsenal. The RAW is at least fair, in the idea that both parties agree to abide by it, and play in good faith with one another. As a GM, I must say that lots of GMs are perfectly fine ignoring RAW, right up until it favors the PCs; and that's wrong.
I'm not quite sure how, or why, you are trying to take my post to Artemis Moonstar out of context and trying to spin it as some sort of anti-other games statement. I already said at the beginning of the thread that your milage may vary. What is your point?
Let's examine the whole chalk thing. I think it's unrealistic (haha realism in pathfinder) to claim that a (nonpermeable) pouch of chalk, when thrown, would negate invisibility. I'm sure we've all clapped erasers as a kid. I would spend near 30 seconds pounding the things together and only create enough of a cloud to lightly dust some surfaces of my body, and that was easily brushed off. And that was with me actively flinging chalk straight from the outside of one object into the air. If I were invisible and spent 30 seconds clapping erasers, you'd still have a really hard time seeing me as I ran through the hallways of the school, pantsing my rivals. And this didn't really rely upon throwing a pouch of the stuff and having it impact in a way such that the pouch exploded, launching powder into the air and coating the thing I hit with it. Here's how I see a chalk "grenade" happening, unless you added some sort of explosive component: You'd throw the pouch, and at the other end, when it hit the surface, you'd get a small puff of chalk. If chalk defeats invisibility, then so should getting stuck with an arrow. After all, you can just swing at where the arrow is sticking into, right? Arrows tend to stay lodged in their targets.
It was based on the actual rules. The pathfinder rules actually say that environmental conditions like flour foils invisibility. Chalk is another clingy, light, puffy substance that is available in large quantities on the cheap. Check the glossary. I was just explaining a simple and easy method that is already described as being a valid tactic.
100 pieces of chalk is not nearly the equivalent of patting out some erasers. Now if you're like myself when I was a child, we had plenty of chalk clouds and clinging chalk when we beat out our chalk erasers, and that was just bits of chalk that accumulated. Rarely was there a whole piece of chalk in those erasers. Just the bits left on the blackboard over a few days. Now crush not one piece of chalk, but 100 pieces of it. Now put that pile of chalk into a piece of cloth and bind it with a bit of twine. That's easily enough chalk to sling around like a splash weapon; or just fling it in the spaces around you like holy water.
Ultimately, how you deliver it is fairly irrelevant. The point is that it cancels invisibility by the rules and does so on the cheap. Flinging bags of chalk that leave trails of chalk dust through the air is a simply method of doing so.
So here's how I think it would work: I'd treat it as an improved dirty trick. I'd reduce the penalty to pinpoint an invisible creature struck with a chalk grenade by 10 or 20, because you're still tracking particles of dust on an invisible, quickly-moving combatant, and probably reduce the miss chance by 25% or increase the AC of the person by 4 or so to account for the size of the area of the person you could actually see (because you're essentially swinging at a smaller target) until it spent a move action dusting the chalk off.
This is why I posted a disclaimer in my first post. You're using non-core rules (dirty tricks), and you're ignoring the conditions laid out that foil invisibility. Miss chance 25% is completely outside the realm of consistency in the rules, as is increasing the AC, and so forth. Obviously, you have an idea as to how you would do something. That's entirely fine. That's why I put the disclaimer there; to avoid stuff like this. I don't know how I can say "Look, you can play your game as you want; I'm referencing the rules when possible; I'm discussing stuff based on the rules and stuff that is plausible; check with your GM on certain things" any clearer.
Ashiel, on the skeleton key, I believe it's a straight +10 disable device modifier that replaces any modifier the user has. It doesn't stack with the user's existing modifiers, it's just "d20+10" and that's it. It's still a great thing to have if you're rogue-less at relatively low levels. Of course it helps to carry a dozen of them... :)
Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply otherwise. :o
Holy crap! The OP has 38 favorites. O.o
Thanks guys! ^.^