Permanent darkness at spell level 3


Advice


Would casting a umbral endure elements be worth keeping on your rogue at level 5 as a wizard or lvl 3 with magical lineage?


May I ask why? Having darkness follow you around is not exactly inconspicuous.

Also consider that this causes pretty much everyone adjacent to the rogue to have concealment for dim-light at least and therefor can't be sneak attacked. So your rogue might not be that happy about it.


Quatar wrote:

May I ask why? Having darkness follow you around is not exactly inconspicuous.

Also consider that this causes pretty much everyone adjacent to the rogue to have concealment for dim-light at least and therefor can't be sneak attacked. So your rogue might not be that happy about it.

What if rogue in question has darkvision?


i don't see why not, as long as you're not in social situations it would help the rogue sneak. the problem is that you will probably be giving your target and anyone nearby 20% concealment vs any of your allies without darkvision, and technically enemies could use your own darkness to stealth. rogue with lesser cloak of displacement works better but this would do until he could afford one.

for the wizard (if he had darkvision) i would think it would be awesome.
although a wizard with magical lineage would have to be 5th level since it's a +2 spell level metamagic feat. the funny thing would be casting an umbral endure elements on an enemy rogue, then laugh at him :)


asthyril wrote:

i don't see why not, as long as you're not in social situations it would help the rogue sneak. the problem is that you will probably be giving your target and anyone nearby 20% concealment vs any of your allies without darkvision, and technically enemies could use your own darkness to stealth. rogue with lesser cloak of displacement works better but this would do until he could afford one.

for the wizard (if he had darkvision) i would think it would be awesome.
although a wizard with magical lineage would have to be 5th level since it's a +2 spell level metamagic feat. the funny thing would be casting an umbral endure elements on an enemy rogue, then laugh at him :)

The way to get around social situations is to also keep a continual flame spell on an item around that can easily be placed in a pocket.


Just don't try to sneak around during daylight with a giant moving sphere of darkness around your character. That would just make where you are both incredibly obvious and noticeable to anyone with eyes.


Seems like a neat trick. A sorcerer with the Umbral bloodline would also benefit, along with the Tenebrous Spell metamagic.


Rogar Stonebow wrote:
Quatar wrote:

May I ask why? Having darkness follow you around is not exactly inconspicuous.

Also consider that this causes pretty much everyone adjacent to the rogue to have concealment for dim-light at least and therefor can't be sneak attacked. So your rogue might not be that happy about it.

What if rogue in question has darkvision?

According to the spell:

"...Creatures with darkvision can see in an area of dim light or darkness without penalty..."

Bear in mind, the spell now lowers the level of light in an area by one step only. The days of having a hemisphere of complete darkness with this spell are gone. (Note: This spell does not stack with itself)

Bright Light --> Normal Light

Normal Light --> Dim Light

etc etc


This is an incredibly cool trick, it might work better with an umbral arcane mark.

It is only a second level spell and you can just find someone to cast it on you.

Spellcasting service is 10 gps x spellcaster level x spell level, so 100 gps and you got a permanent sphere of darkness around you.


Quatar wrote:

May I ask why? Having darkness follow you around is not exactly inconspicuous.

Also consider that this causes pretty much everyone adjacent to the rogue to have concealment for dim-light at least and therefor can't be sneak attacked. So your rogue might not be that happy about it.

Forgot to mention, if the rogue has Shadow Strike feat, he will be able to get sneak attack damage off and still gain the benefits of concealment. This is just how rogues roll....

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Quatar wrote:

May I ask why? Having darkness follow you around is not exactly inconspicuous.

Maybe he wants to be the Monster In The Darkness?


Solwynn bint Khalsim ibn Abdul wrote:
Quatar wrote:

May I ask why? Having darkness follow you around is not exactly inconspicuous.

Also consider that this causes pretty much everyone adjacent to the rogue to have concealment for dim-light at least and therefor can't be sneak attacked. So your rogue might not be that happy about it.

Forgot to mention, if the rogue has Shadow Strike feat, he will be able to get sneak attack damage off and still gain the benefits of concealment. This is just how rogues roll....

This might actually make a combat rogue (with darkvision, of course) viable from level 1 even without a flank partner.

Interesting...


unforgivn wrote:

This might actually make a combat rogue (with darkvision, of course) viable from level 1 even without a flank partner.

Interesting...

but so does blur, and then the rogue doesn't require darkvision, for one less level of spell (although much less duration)

Scarab Sages

asthyril wrote:


for the wizard (if he had darkvision) i would think it would be awesome.
although a wizard with magical lineage would have to be 5th level since it's a +2 spell level metamagic feat. the funny thing would be casting an umbral endure elements on an enemy rogue, then laugh at him :)

I am building a tiefling evoker with shadow grasp. He starts with darkvision and will eventually acquire see in darkness (fiend sight x2).

Seeing as umbral is a prereq, I'll try to abuse that occasionally as well.


actually i just had a thought.

it is usually very difficult to make a ranged rogue, because it is so hard to get opponents flat footed after the first round of combat.

however, if this wizard who cast this on himself each morning had a companion who was a ranged rogue (also with darkvision, or maybe the wizard casts a darkvision buff on him) the shadowy wizard would supply the concealment necessary for the rogue to shoot from stealth then move to ANOTHER SQUARE within the darkness (bypassing the -20 to stealth checks for remaining in the same spot) in order to get sneak attack every round.

i know you could just cast a copy of the one on yourself on the rogue, but i think this would bypass people's ability to target the rogue's square by targeting the center of that 'moving mass of darkness', although the rogue and wizard would have to time movements together, and would be always near enough for enemy AOE spells t get them both, i think it's a neat concept.


asthyril wrote:
unforgivn wrote:

This might actually make a combat rogue (with darkvision, of course) viable from level 1 even without a flank partner.

Interesting...

but so does blur, and then the rogue doesn't require darkvision, for one less level of spell (although much less duration)

And that is the convienence of having a permanent level one spell that can be turned on and off at will via a continual flame spell. It allows a rogue to not rely on a caster all the time!


asthyril wrote:

actually i just had a thought.

it is usually very difficult to make a ranged rogue, because it is so hard to get opponents flat footed after the first round of combat.

however, if this wizard who cast this on himself each morning had a companion who was a ranged rogue (also with darkvision, or maybe the wizard casts a darkvision buff on him) the shadowy wizard would supply the concealment necessary for the rogue to shoot from stealth then move to ANOTHER SQUARE within the darkness (bypassing the -20 to stealth checks for remaining in the same spot) in order to get sneak attack every round.

i know you could just cast a copy of the one on yourself on the rogue, but i think this would bypass people's ability to target the rogue's square by targeting the center of that 'moving mass of darkness', although the rogue and wizard would have to time movements together, and would be always near enough for enemy AOE spells t get them both, i think it's a neat concept.

Use an umbral arcane mark you just need to cast it once, until it gets dispel. It is also only 100 gps.

Scarab Sages

Gignere wrote:
Use an umbral arcane mark you just need to cast it once, until it gets dispel. It is also only 100 gps.

Place it on a burned out ioun stone. As a 3rd level spell it can be tenebrous, umbral and have shadow grasp. Your wizard now radiates 10' darkness that entangles everything except himself. When you don't need it, put the stone in a bag.

Later on, you can replace it with a heightened version that will override even daylight.


Artanthos wrote:
Gignere wrote:
Use an umbral arcane mark you just need to cast it once, until it gets dispel. It is also only 100 gps.
Place it on a burned out ioun stone. As a 3rd level spell it can be tenebrous, umbral and have shadow grasp. Your wizard now radiates 10' darkness that entangles everything except himself. When you don't need it, put the stone in a bag.

Even better don't get those feats and pay for it to be cast. 5 x 3 x 10 so 150 gps.


i'm so glad paizo fixed the metamagic system :-)

Scarab Sages

If your investing that many feats into a single trick that can be canceled with a cantrip......

Scarab Sages

Gignere wrote:
Artanthos wrote:
Gignere wrote:
Use an umbral arcane mark you just need to cast it once, until it gets dispel. It is also only 100 gps.
Place it on a burned out ioun stone. As a 3rd level spell it can be tenebrous, umbral and have shadow grasp. Your wizard now radiates 10' darkness that entangles everything except himself. When you don't need it, put the stone in a bag.
Even better don't get those feats and pay for it to be cast. 5 x 3 x 10 so 150 gps.

If it is a non-pfs game, I would rule that casters with that particular set of metamagic feats are extremely rare. As they should be.

If it is pfs, you have to recast at the start of each session.

Personally, I'm building a tiefling shadowmancer. It is a concept character and will be sacrificing a lot to be able to play with darkness. I won't actually need to abuse arcane mark to get results, but what the heck, I'll have the option.

The real fun will be abusing deeper darkness and fiend sight.


Artanthos wrote:

Personally, I'm building a tiefling shadowmancer. It is a concept character and will be sacrificing a lot to be able to play with darkness. I won't actually need to abuse arcane mark to get results, but what the heck, I'll have the option.

The real fun will be abusing deeper darkness and fiend sight.

shadowmancer? something you using to describe the theme of the character or did you mean shadowcaster?

Scarab Sages

I am describing the theme of the character, not an archetype.


ah, i am doing something similar with a tiefling cleric of zon-kuthon with the darkness and death domains. but can't normally cast arcane mark and deeper darkness without multiclassing or something.


asthyril wrote:
ah, i am doing something similar with a tiefling cleric of zon-kuthon with the darkness and death domains. but can't normally cast arcane mark and deeper darkness without multiclassing or something.

Just pay for it, if you are a cleric of Zon-Kuthon one of your fellow wizard within your church will likely have arcane mark and the umbral + Shadow Grasp metamagic. 150 gps and you will have it permanently.


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Gignere wrote:
asthyril wrote:
ah, i am doing something similar with a tiefling cleric of zon-kuthon with the darkness and death domains. but can't normally cast arcane mark and deeper darkness without multiclassing or something.
Just pay for it, if you are a cleric of Zon-Kuthon one of your fellow wizard within your church will likely have arcane mark and the umbral + Shadow Grasp metamagic. 150 gps and you will have it permanently.

it's PFS, can't do that :)


My Living City character used a Glove of Storing and a rock with Deeper Darkness (free action to make the rock 'appear'). By higher levels this meant him popping out the rock with True Seeing running (and a whole mess of other buffs) and turning stuff into pin cushions with his considerable archery ability. His foes were probably silly glad he had minimal sneak damage to boot.

Kayerloth


asthyril wrote:
ah, i am doing something similar with a tiefling cleric of zon-kuthon with the darkness and death domains. but can't normally cast arcane mark and deeper darkness without multiclassing or something.

there is a trait for that!

and the darkness domain provide the deeper darkness


well just being a cleric got me deeper darkness. and my plans don't need shadow, i plan on channeling negative energy at level 8 for 12d6 damage while simultaneously healing myself for the same amount :). the teifling seeing in darkness thing is just neat (and helps me stealth with the darkness-night subdomain with darkness around me)

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