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Hey all, I thought I'd condense and post the gist of what everybody came up with in the previous thread here. Most of these ideas came from other posters, so I don't claim credit for them. Let's see what else we can add!
1) Use your Wand of CLW as a weapon against undead. You can even sneak attack with it!
2) Aid another! Boost your ally's AC by 2, attack rolls by 2, or skill checks by 2. Just be sure you understand how to do it.
3) Focus fire. Dropping one bad guy each round will generally work out for you better than everyone focusing on their own kill.
4) Demoralize! Anyone can attempt it, and if you got nothing else, why not?
5) Put 3 ranks in Acrobatics. When you use the Total Defense action your dodge bonus to AC will be +6 instead of just the normal +4.
6) Never underestimate the usefulness of Total Defense.
7) Grapple spellcasters! Even if you suck, they're probably worse.
8) Stock up on Holy Water, Alchemist's Fire, Tanglefoot Bags, etc. Ditch those Acid Flasks for Alkali Flasks. Deals the same damage for only 5gp more, and it works against oozes!
9) Remember that Holy Water damages not only undead creatures, but also evil outsiders.
10) If you've got a high AC, provoke some attacks of opportunity so that your squishy rogue can safely get into position.
11) Remember you're part of a TEAM! Try not to provide enemies cover against your archer. Give the barbarian a clear path to charge. Remember your party rogue really loves sneak attack.
12) Rogues! If you can, hold action until someone else can provide you with a flank.
13) Higher ground gives melee characters a +1 to hit. If you don't take it, the enemy will!
14) Read up on the rules for providing cover. There's a lot in there that bogs down games, and useful tactics that people never use!
15) Are you shooting a crossbow or a firearm? Dropping to prone is a free action, gives you +4 to AC vs ranged attacks, and you can continue to shoot to your heart's content.
16) Get some potions. I'm looking at you, non-casting classes. There are a lot of really good 1st level potions that last 10 rds. Even if you think you won't need one, maybe someone else will!
17) Think of fun ways to utilize the spell Silence in case you encounter an enemy spellcaster.
18) Don't be afraid to back out of a room, have someone block the door, cast a few rounds of buffs, and then go back in.
19) Use the terrain to your advantage! Bottlenecks work wonders.
20) I've seen a lot of uses for the Unseen Servant spell. Which ones can you come up with?
21) Sunder that archer's bow! You won't provoke an attack from him, either.
22) Speaking of archers, always have different types of ammunition at your disposal.
23) Put a Fortifying Stone on your favorite weapon or armor.
24) Send a Silent Image into a room to be ambushed.
25) TAKE 20 whenever you can, like on Perception checks to find traps. If you've got a fairly high bonus to a skill, TAKE 10. Be familiar with the DCs of the skills you use most.
26) Have a way to deal with Darkness! Spending 1200gp on an Elixir of Darksight might hurt, but having the entire party blinded by a Deeper Darkness spell might hurt more...
27) Don't want to provoke an AoO from the giant with reach? Position yourself behind your melee buddy. Any actions you take that would normally provoke now don't.
28) Remember that anti-toxin lasts an hour. Know you're facing some venomous enemies? Be proactive!
29) Spring loaded wrist sheathes are perfect for wands.
and 30) <Insert more ideas here>
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Even if so, that'd be a bit on the expensive side (both gold-wise and action-wise).True. I think I may have to pick up some of these for a few of my characters though...
Yeah, I'd consider it for my tiefling cleric, but on the other hand, it'd become completely pointless in 4 sessions when he hits 8th level.
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Use your familiar for more than just decoration! It gets all the same skill ranks as you, meaning it can Aid you in any skill that physically allows it.
If you've given your familiar a high AC and HP and/or you know your party will keep it covered, send it into the fray. While it usually can't do much damage, it makes a perfect flanking buddy and can Aid attacks just as well as anybody else. Don't forget that any spell you can cast on yourself you can cast on your familiar too!
The problem of course is that some nastier creatures may target your familiar--but less intelligent foes will usually attack the biggest threat, which isn't likely to be your rat/bat/etc.
Familiars are walking/flying wands of "Aid Another" with unlimited charges.
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Right, forgot to include that note. I suppose alot fewer familiars are Small than I thought. If you're willing to blow a feat on Evolved Familiar to give it reach it works the same way (or anything else that gives reach), although I imagine that's relatively few mages.
If you have access to the Animal Archive familiars also get a nice bunch of options. The Valet familiar archetype is handy for its aiding bonuses.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Surely you have encountered this too?27 is the only one I have encountered in the past, and to be fair, out of all of those it is the easiest to not know about.Not #25? I have encountered so many judges that rule taking 20 on a perception check sets a trap off...
and #4 kind of often just doesn't work (Target DC is your check result +1) - though not so much lately.
I do really like #27 with a judge that understands the cover rules. That way an archer can fire from behind a friend, and not trace he shot thru the friend. Friend gives cover but doesn't block the shot!
OOOBO
OOOOO
OOFOO
OOAOOwhere A is the archer, B is the Bad Guy and F is the Friend...
F gives cover to A, but does not block his shot.
Hey, that's super useful! I was under the impression that A would still take a penalty to his shots at B in this situation!
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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OOOBO
OOOOO
OOFOO
OOAOO"A" traces lines from his forward-right corner and and trace to all four corners of "B" without going thru any of the square occupied by "F". So, no cover. BUT! remember this one also...
OOFBO
OOOOO
OOOOO
OAOOO"F" provides cover to "B" in this case
Huh. That... seems backwards, but by the rules is correct. Weird.
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#33? - Shooting at a Large creature engaged in melee. It's amazing how many people don't read the second paragraph of the shooting into a melee rules... (or insist that 2 squares away is only 5' in this case, though it is 10' in all others)
Isn't that rule going away?
Hey, that's super useful! I was under the impression that A would still take a penalty to his shots at B in this situation!Surely you have encountered this too?27 is the only one I have encountered in the past, and to be fair, out of all of those it is the easiest to not know about.Not #25? I have encountered so many judges that rule taking 20 on a perception check sets a trap off...
and #4 kind of often just doesn't work (Target DC is your check result +1) - though not so much lately.
I do really like #27 with a judge that understands the cover rules. That way an archer can fire from behind a friend, and not trace he shot thru the friend. Friend gives cover but doesn't block the shot!
OOOBO
OOOOO
OOFOO
OOAOOwhere A is the archer, B is the Bad Guy and F is the Friend...
F gives cover to A, but does not block his shot.
Sorry, thats incorrect. The above situation does provide cover target.
To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target's square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC).
Emphasis mine.
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I'd for once actually like to have *players* that understand the cover rules. Usually after a battle or two, they give up on learning the cover rules and say "Where can I position myself so that I don't have cover?"
I've had players be surprised by me both ways.
Player: "I want to shoot from this doorway but I would have a cover penalty."
Me: "No you don't. You choose your best corner."
Player: "Uhhh, no. I still have to shoot through a doorway."
Player: "I'll move diagonally beside my ally and attack with reach from behind him."
Me: "There's cover for that as you are still technically behind him."
Player: "No there isn't, I moved to the side!"
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#33? - Shooting at a Large creature engaged in melee. It's amazing how many people don't read the second paragraph of the shooting into a melee rules... (or insist that 2 squares away is only 5' in this case, though it is 10' in all others)Isn't that rule going away?So I have heard. I also heard the same thing in 3.5 back in LG days though, to the extent that the one of the Triad in Colorado said "We don't use that rule in MY state!"
I haven't seen it in FAQ or erratta for the CRB (where the rule is). So it seems to still be the rule.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't recommend exploiting loopholes that have been officially designated as such. It's kind of like recommending the Pistolero and Mysterious Stranger as an awesome archetype combo.
Hey, that's super useful! I was under the impression that A would still take a penalty to his shots at B in this situation!Surely you have encountered this too?27 is the only one I have encountered in the past, and to be fair, out of all of those it is the easiest to not know about.Not #25? I have encountered so many judges that rule taking 20 on a perception check sets a trap off...
and #4 kind of often just doesn't work (Target DC is your check result +1) - though not so much lately.
I do really like #27 with a judge that understands the cover rules. That way an archer can fire from behind a friend, and not trace he shot thru the friend. Friend gives cover but doesn't block the shot!
OOOBO
OOOOO
OOFOO
OOAOOwhere A is the archer, B is the Bad Guy and F is the Friend...
F gives cover to A, but does not block his shot.Sorry, thats incorrect. The above situation does provide cover target.
Emphasis mine.To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target's square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC).
so... with your note "...through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover..." you are saying that because the line runs along the border of "F" square that it provides cover... this does not work, otherwise fireing down a 5' hall would also provide cover from both walls?
WWBWW
WWOWW
WWOWW
WWAWWlines from A to B pass along the W side walls, (but not thru) so they don't work for going through the "or border" part.
Sure, if you were standing behind the wall, otherwise no.
30-(Something)
If you DO have a familiar, remember that it gets it's OWN skill rolls, at the same time you do.
Meaning if the GM tells you make a PER check to notice the lurker above, both you AND your familiar (presuming it's not hiding in your pocket) get a PER roll to notice it before it jumps on you.
:)
Basically giving you twice the chance to notice things! ;)
OH! so are you saying?
I'm going to go ahead and say no. I'm not saying that because I have no idea what you are talking about. Those text based grids don't make any sense to me. I draw it out in google drawing when I want to understand something.
The only thing I am saying is that in this example, the archer's target does have cover.
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If the rule changes and we get a new write up? in a heart beat. But we should play the rules as they are NOW, that's the best we can do,...
I've clicked FAQ now, too. But I agree, it's not likely to get addressed anytime soon.
My point is, if a dev has stated the intent, and how it's going to change (but not when), I think it's disingenuous to keep playing it as written, and certainly not helpful to include in a guide to newcomers ("hey, welcome to Pathfinder, this isn't how it's supposed to work but they haven't fixed it yet, so abuse it while you can!")
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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OH! so are you saying?I'm going to go ahead and say no. I'm not saying that because I have no idea what you are talking about. Those text based grids don't make any sense to me. I draw it out in google drawing when I want to understand something.
The only thing I am saying is that in this example, the archer's target does have cover.
Ah, indeed. The best source corner is the bottom-right corner of A's square, but even then, two of the lines (the ones to the top-left and bottom-left) to the target's square pass through F's rightmost border, just barely.
One might even call it a...
...corner case.
I'm right there with you nosig. I understand what you are trying to say and I read the cover rules exactly the same way.
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The only thing I am saying is that in this example, the archer's target does have cover.
Except that it doesn't. Parallel/tangent lines do not "pass through" each other. Move the target (B) one square to the right and there's no doubt that B doesn't have cover, but then we get to argue whether F would provide cover to A (he would). It doesn't "feel" right, but it is.
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Nosig is right. The best in CRB example of Nosigs case is #2 in the "Cover diagram." Merisiel does not have cover from the Ogre. The ogre can choose it's front left square for determination, use the range rules, and draw a line to all of Merisiel's corners even though one of those lines travels parallel to a wall. Thus drawing a line parallel to a form of cover does not provide cover. The line must travel though at a non-parallel angle.