I wanted to try a the PFS game, but due to may location (Austria) it is hard to find a game. Now I plan on visiting a Con in America next year and there I may get the chance of playing a game.
Thus I made a character... just in case ^^. Please tell me if all my choices are legal for PFS play. Thank you.
Race: Gnome (with alternative trait "Gift of Tongues": It gives +1 Diplomacy and Bluff and you learn 2 languages for each skill point)
Class: Alchemist (Gnome specific Archetype "Saboteuer": Saboteuer gives a Chameleon Mutagen.)
I exchanged the Brew potion feat with Extra Bombs as per the guide book.
Purchased
11 +1
14 +5
13 +3
15 +7
11 +1
13 +3
Sum 20
I made him old (157 years). The guide book words the age resitrctions rather complicated. From what I read it seems to mean you can be either Middle or Old age.
With adjustment of Race and Age I get the following scores.
Str +8
Dex +13
Con +14
Int +16
Wis +12
Cha +16
Dangerously Curious, +1 Use Magic Device and it's a class skill
Ease of Faith, +1 Diplomacy and it's a class skill
Feat:
Extra Discovery (Acid Bomb)
+5 Bluff
+7 Craft (Carpentry)
+8 Craft (Alchemy)
+9 Diplomacy
+4 Linguistics
+7 Perception
+7 Profession (Scribe)
+7 Spellcraft
Bombs:
1d6+3 acid or fire, 6/day
Extracts:
2/day
In his book: Reduce Person, Enlarge Person, Disguise Self, Bomber's Eye, Ant Haul
Languages: With my high Int and 1 rank in Linguistics (and Gift of Tongues) I get 8 Languages at first level (Languages will be one of his shticks).
Gnome, Common, Sylvan, Dwarven, Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Orc[/spoiler]
Leather Armor
Ink
Inkpen
Paper & Parchment
Seal Wax
Map Maker Kit (I didn't find a forgery kit and I guess this should hold all you need to forge documents)
Silk Rope 2x
Formula book
Acid 5x (in case he runs out of bombs)
A questions that may arise:
Why ranks in carpentry and scribe? - Mostly for fluff reasons.
Because forging documents and such will be one of the character's specialities. While it is covered by linguistics, it felt more complete with those two skills. With carpentry he can make sigils/stamps and scribe is what he did before he became a pathfinder.
Backstory:
Alcka Sellza spent most of his life in stuffy rooms full of books and paper. And while he is fond of books and writing of all kind by the time he reached 150 he felt something was missing in his life. He wanted to have some stories to tell. Things like managing inventory makes for rather boring stories.
Thus he joined the Pathfinder Society where he worked as pencil pusher for several years. In the evening he studied Alchemy so that one day he could become a more active member of the Society. And the time for his first adventure arrives soon :P (I hope)
Character in game:
In social situations his high Charisma and his many languages help him talk his way out of many situations. He can also act as a translator.
When faced with bureacratic stuff he can grease things a little by forging permits and other things.
In battle he throws bombs. And when he runs out of bombs he throws purchaseable alchemical items.
And with his cameleon mutagen he does recon work with climbing walls and sneaking around.
Later on I plan on giving him the Healing Discovers so he can heal himself and others (for emergencies or when no healer is around).
With Fast Bombs and Rapid Shot he can throw more stuff each round.
Also the Bore Bomb sounds fun. Melts holes in walls ^^
His main focus is support. So he gets Tanglefoot and Sticky Bombs to hinder opponents so others can hack them better.
I'll try to get Infusion too so I can buff others.
I know some coices aren't optimum for DPS and PFS play, but I like some fluff meat on them bones ^^. And since much likely I only get to play once anyway it doesn't really matter if he dies.
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I have a gnome alchemist (grenadier) in PFS and was originally going to add the saboteur because it fit my concept of an Andoran freedom fighter. But I just couldn't stomach what that did to my Mutagen. Chameleon Mutagen just flat sucks. It gives you a bonus to Stealth equal to half you level and a climb speed for a hit to your strength (which gnomes usually have very little of). If you drink a Dexterity Mutagen, your stealth goes up by +2. This means you don't get a Stealth benefit from Chameleon Mutagen that is better than that until 6th level and you don't get the other benefits of dexterity. A climb speed can by nice, but at 6th level you can get Wings and fly, at which point a climb speed becomes nearly useless. Instead I just took Highlander as a trait to get Stealth as a class skill and maxed out my ranks. Add in the ability to cast Invisibility at 4th and the bonus to Stealth is just silly.
Bore Bomb is kind of cool but very circumstantial.
Complex Bomb isn't very useful until you get multiple bomb types so won't be of much benefit to higher levels. With a 12 level cap in PFS, you won't get a lot of use out of it in the long run. Plus, you are chewing up twice the number of bombs to do this. You will find you will want all the bombs you can get.
In the end, I decided I could build a freedo fighting saboteur that was a lot more effective than using the Saboteur Archtype. I wish that weren't the case, but it was.
FYI I recommend going with the Pyromaniac racial variant and +1/2 per level favored class bonus as it helps make up for the fact that Gnomes don't actually have good stats for being an alchemist.
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Just off the top of my head I don't believe that you can do anything with the age bonuses/penalties for PFS. AND I know for a fact you can NOT take Extra Discovery at level 1 because you haven't gotten that class ability yet therefore you do not meet the prereqs.
Also with 8 Str you can BARELY carry around your required Alchemist's Kit needed to make your Mutagen and Bombs and stuff...not to mention you will at some point or another want to have armor and a back pack...
Alchemist’s Kit: An alchemist with an alchemist’s kit
is assumed to have all the material components needed
for his extracts, mutagens, and bombs, except for those
components that have a specific cost. An alchemist’s kit
provides no bonuses on Craft (alchemy) checks.
Kinda need that...its like a spellcaster not having a component pouch...how you gonna toss bombs or make extracts?
Str=8 Light Load- 26 lbs. or less Medium Load- 27–53 lbs. Heavy Load- 54–80 lbs
Considering your Kit to make your stuff and your armor is like pushing the limits...I'd be worried about taking Medium Load penalties.
Firstly thanks for your replies. I didn't expect to get any after the first days and then forgot to check again. My bad.
The wording on the age stuff was very strange. Here is the part from the guideline (should be the up-to-date one):
A character can not be younger than the minimum age listed on Table 7–1 of the Core Rulebook, or listed on Table 5–1 of the Advanced Race Guide, and must be younger than venerable, as listed on Table 7–2 of the Core.
From what I read that means Middle and Old Age are okay to use.
And yes, I know the choice of Mutagen and such is not optimal. I know I am not super strong and powerful and whatnot. But I don't care. I like him this way.
But I could still take the feat and can't use it till 2nd level when I get my first regular discovery. There was a thread that covered exactly that and it was allowed (taking a feat before you meet the prerequisites and have it inactive till then). And at first level it won't matter much if I throw my bombs or the acid flasks anyway (damage is the same).
I guess an Alchemist's Kit is necessary unless of course the AP plays in the city where I have access to a normal lab. I would try to get a bag as soon as I can or buy a donkey to carry my alchemist's lab for me.
But other than the feat not being usable the character would be legal right?
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Firstly thanks for your replies. I didn't expect to get any after the first days and then forgot to check again. My bad.
The wording on the age stuff was very strange. Here is the part from the guideline (should be the up-to-date one):
A character can not be younger than the minimum age listed on Table 7–1 of the Core Rulebook, or listed on Table 5–1 of the Advanced Race Guide, and must be younger than venerable, as listed on Table 7–2 of the Core.
From what I read that means Middle and Old Age are okay to use.And yes, I know the choice of Mutagen and such is not optimal. I know I am not super strong and powerful and whatnot. But I don't care. I like him this way.
But I could still take the feat and can't use it till 2nd level when I get my first regular discovery. There was a thread that covered exactly that and it was allowed (taking a feat before you meet the prerequisites and have it inactive till then). And at first level it won't matter much if I throw my bombs or the acid flasks anyway (damage is the same).
I guess an Alchemist's Kit is necessary unless of course the AP plays in the city where I have access to a normal lab. I would try to get a bag as soon as I can or buy a donkey to carry my alchemist's lab for me.
But other than the feat not being usable the character would be legal right?
Characters don't gain the ability score benefits or penalties of being middle aged or old in the society. You can say they are middle or old age but it doesn't change your ability scores at all. This excerpt is from the latest version of the Guide to Pahtfinder Society Organized Play:
Step 1: Abilities
Pathfinder Society uses the “purchase” system for generating ability scores, as explained on pages 15–16 of the Core Rulebook. Pathfinder Society uses the “High Fantasy” choice of 20 points, allowing you to build a solid PC at 1st level. Please remember that no score can be reduced below 7 or raised above 18. Racial modifiers are applied after the points are spent, so it is possible to begin play with a low ability score of 5 and a high ability score of 20, depending on your race choice. A character can not be younger than the minimum age listed on Table 7–1 of the Core Rulebook,or listed on Table 5–1 of the Advanced Race Guide, and must be younger than venerable, as listed on Table 7–2 of the Core
Rulebook and Table 5–4 of the Advanced Race Guide. A character that ages past venerable, for whatever reason, dies of old age and is removed from the campaign. Characters do not alter their ability scores as a result of this choice.
Ahh I see. So pathfinder corpses retain all their ability scores? :P
Now I see. I stopped reading after "Your character dies." cause I thought the rest was not relevant to the age question. ^^
Why do they put that sentence back there? That should be like the first sentence on age. They could have said you can play adult, old or middle age but it won't effect your scores in any way. They need a whole paragraph for just one sentence <.<
Okay then I have to adjust... means more strength for me. Also good.
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Ahh I see. So pathfinder corpses retain all their ability scores? :P
Now I see. I stopped reading after "Your character dies." cause I thought the rest was not relevant to the age question. ^^
Why do they put that sentence back there? That should be like the first sentence on age. They could have said you can play adult, old or middle age but it won't effect your scores in any way. They need a whole paragraph for just one sentence <.<
Okay then I have to adjust... means more strength for me. Also good.
I really have no idea. It is an awkward place to put it. It really does read like you keep your abilities scores after you die at a first look. I guess things like that matter in the afterlife. :D
The rest of it seems fine to me. I just didn't want you to show up to play and someone tell you to change your character.
The rest of it seems fine to me. I just didn't want you to show up to play and someone tell you to change your character.
Thank you.
That is why I asked here first ;3
Thanks for clarification on age abilities. That was something I did not know as well and was planning on using on my next character.
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But I could still take the feat and can't use it till 2nd level when I get my first regular discovery. There was a thread that covered exactly that and it was allowed (taking a feat before you meet the prerequisites and have it inactive till then). And at first level it won't matter much if I throw my bombs or the acid flasks anyway (damage is the same).
You can't take a feat that you don't meet the prereqs for. In this case you don't have the discovery class ability yet, so you can't take the feat. Its not a matter of just not being able to use it, you can't take it at all until after you meet the prereqs.
Yep, can't take a feat you don't meet the prerequisites for.
Karuth is probably thinking of this post.
This post, on the next page, debunks that. The first post is basically #6 on this post, and as #8 points out, there are no plans to make it so that you can take feats before you meet the prerequisites.
Strange. I recall a post by an official (the one with the T-Rex head as icon) saying it was allowed.
Or did he say it there are plans to allow it in the future?
In any case it might safer to choose another feat then. I'll have a look.
Okay with no age adjustments my Scores are:
10 +0 --> 8
13 +3 --> 13
12 +2 --> 14
16 +10 --> 16
10 +0 --> 10
14 +5 --> 16
+20 points
Same as before with just less Wisdom.
New feat hmm...
I could take Magical Aptitude... or Point Blank Shot.
Would Point Blank Shot also increase the damage of my thrown bombs?