Ah. Thanks for catching that.
I'm in the "I'm new can I have a starting character made for me" camp. From what I've been reading I'd like to play as a Half-Elf Paladin. Beyond that the only real questions are thus:
- Can one use a (presumably) one handed weapon and a shield and still be able use Lay on Hands?
- Can you explain what the Multitalented aspect of a Half-Elf does? It's not giving me the powers/abilities of a second class correct? It just makes it easier to multiclass if I wanted to?
- Related to the last question... what's a skill point anyway? :p
Thanks
Skill points:
Skills are... well, basic abilities that every character possesses. By putting ranks into those skills, you are better able to use them.
Take note that some skills are 'class skills', and some are not. For example, as a Paladin, your class skills would be:
Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge(Nobility), Knowledge(Religion), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft.
The skills that aren't class skills take two skill points to level up, and are thus harder to increase.
And yeah, Multitalented just makes it easier to multiclass.
Finally, I don't see anything about weapons hindering supernatural (Spell-like abilities) so I'd say it's up to the DM.
Skill points:
Skills are... well, basic abilities that every character possesses. By putting ranks into those skills, you are better able to use them.Take note that some skills are 'class skills', and some are not. For example, as a Paladin, your class skills would be:
Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge(Nobility), Knowledge(Religion), Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft.The skills that aren't class skills take two skill points to level up, and are thus harder to increase.
And yeah, Multitalented just makes it easier to multiclass.
Finally, I don't see anything about weapons hindering supernatural (Spell-like abilities) so I'd say it's up to the DM.
Uh, sorta.
First Raga, while ultimately it is up to Netherfire, Lay on Hands does state that; "Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability." Since most shields require a hand to use properly it would seem that you would be able to use Lay on Hands if you were using a shield OR a one-handed weapon. But not if you were using both at the same time.
Multitalented is a Racial Ability that allows Half-Elves to pick two Favored Classes at level one. A Favored Class is a class that your character excels at. Whenever you gain a level in a Favored Class you get an extra skill point, or an extra hit point, depending on your preference.
Most people, for obvious reasons, pick the class that they are playing as their Favored Class. IE; A Paladin would have a Favored Class of Paladin, a Rogue a Favored Class of Rogue, ect. That way, any time the level up, they get the bonus skill/hit point.
With Multitalented you can choose two Favored Classes, and yes this basically makes it easier to multiclass later on down the road.
For example: Let's say I wanted to play a Fighter/Sorcerer. If I were a Human I wouldn't get Multiclass, and consequently I would only get the bonus skill/hit point whenever I took a level in my Favored Class (In this case Fighter).
But if I play a Half-Elf, I would get the Multiclass ability. I could choose BOTH Fighter and Sorcerer as Favored Classes, and anytime I gained a level in either I would get the bonus skill/hit point.
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Now, as for skill points in general:
As Quirel said, skill points are used to put ranks of training into the various skills available. 'Skills' themselves are basically the things that allow you to do most everything in the game besides combat. Want pick that lock? Use a skill. Want to jump that gap? Use a skill. Want to lie to someone? Use a skill. As you can see they are quite integral to the Pathfinder experience.
Now, some skills can be used without any training. If you don't spend any skill points on them to raise their rank, they only get whatever bonus/penalty that would be incurred with your general ability modifiers (A whole different kettle of fish we can get into later).
Conversely there are some skills that require training to use. If you want to, say, Use a Magic Device, you have to have put at least one point into ranking up that skill. Now of course there are a myriad of rules that define what skill can be used for what task, and whether or not you can use a "trained" skill when you don't have training. I'm not going to get into that here because honestly I'm not sure I know all the ins and outs of it well enough yet.
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Now the bit about Class Skills, I wanted to point this out before you built too much of your character Quirel, so you don't have to go back and re-do it.
A Class Skill is a skill that your class is especially suited for. As such you get a +3 bonus the first time you put a skill point into ranking it up.
Or as the PFSRD puts it: "In addition, each class has a number of favored skills, called class skills. It is easier for your character to become more proficient in these skills, as they represent part of his professional training and constant practice. You gain a +3 bonus on all class skills that you put ranks into."
Non-class skills are just regular skills. They only require 1 skill point to rank up, though they are still subject to the bonuses/penalties from your ability scores.
I'm sure Netherfire will be more than happy to elaborate with any other details I missed. But like I said I just wanted to put this up so you don't have to re-tweak your character after you get them just how you wanted. Boy do I know how frustrating that can be. :P
One of the differences between DnD 3.5 and Pathfinder was how they handle class skills. Thanks for pointing that out, Chewbaccawakka. I'd like to clarify that class skills gain the +3 bonus only when the first point is assigned to that skill. It is a one-time bonus.
One more thing about skills in Pathfinder: you cannot assign more points to one skill greater than your number of hit dice (effectively, your level).
Also, Supernatural Abilities are different from Spell-Like Abilities.
Spell-like abilities, as the name implies, are magical abilities that are very much like spells. Spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance and dispel magic. They do not function in areas where magic is suppressed or negated (such as an antimagic field). Spell-like abilities can be dispelled but they cannot be counterspelled or used to counterspell.
Supernatural abilities are magical but not spell-like. Supernatural abilities are not subject to spell resistance and do not function in areas where magic is suppressed or negated (such as an antimagic field). A supernatural ability's effect cannot be dispelled and is not subject to counterspells. See Table: Special Ability Types for a summary of the types of special abilities.
Lay on Hands costs a Swift Action for the Paladin to use on himself, and a Standard Action to use on others (more on actions later, suffice to say standard actions require more time/energy/concentration during a round than swift actions).
The Paladin will need to sheathe his weapon or stow his shield to use Lay on Hands on an ally. For personal use, the Paladin can simply bump his chest with his shield hand (or any other way to momentarily free up a hand for just a second).
Ragashingo, send me a private message with your gmail address, and we can start the character building process.
So it seems that sheathing or readying a sword or shield is a move action. Does that mean it takes the place of moving during a turn?
So it seems that sheathing or readying a sword or shield is a move action. Does that mean it takes the place of moving during a turn?
I'm going to chime in because I think I know the answer! (And apologies if I botch this…)
Yes, readying a weapon takes the place of an actual move. If you need to move AND ready a weapon, then you can ready the weapon as your Standard Action for the round instead.
Okay, so I used an online Pathfinder Character Builder (http://www.pathguy.com/PathfinderCore.htm) to help me build out my Druid, Beorae Sevenstone. It made a character sheet for me:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4mDzPPCI72PRzRWTzlNTmFCYnc/
I wasn't sure about things like Language or Equipment, but I think I have the various Ability Points, Skills, etc. all blocked-out okay. Also, I gave her a light wooden shield, but that might not be advisable (better safe than sorry!). If you notice any glaring issues, definitely let me know and we can re-work the sheet.
So it seems that sheathing or readying a sword or shield is a move action. Does that mean it takes the place of moving during a turn?I'm going to chime in because I think I know the answer! (And apologies if I botch this…)
Yes, readying a weapon takes the place of an actual move. If you need to move AND ready a weapon, then you can ready the weapon as your Standard Action for the round instead.
Beorn has pretty much got it. Though there is an important distinction. If your Base Attack Bonus is +1 or greater, you can draw/sheath a weapon as part of your move action. Like pulling out a sword as you run into battle.
Also Beorn, if you want to start setting up your char sheet, click on my avatar and look at one of my aliases. You can get an idea for how you might want to format your character profile for easy access.
So it seems that sheathing or readying a sword or shield is a move action. Does that mean it takes the place of moving during a turn?I'm going to chime in because I think I know the answer! (And apologies if I botch this…)
Yes, readying a weapon takes the place of an actual move. If you need to move AND ready a weapon, then you can ready the weapon as your Standard Action for the round instead.
Beorn has pretty much got it. Though there is an important distinction. If your Base Attack Bonus is +1 or greater, you can draw/sheath a weapon as part of your move action. Like pulling out a sword as you run into battle.
Also Beorn, if you want to start setting up your char sheet, click on my avatar and look at one of my aliases. You can get an idea for how you might want to format your character profile for easy access.
Ah. That sounds very useful! How does one go about getting that +1?
It usually comes with time, though with characters like your Paladin, and my Barbarian we get it at first level! Woot! But other, less staby-based, chars like Beorns Druid and Sigs Cleric get it later, in their cases level 2.
Currently engaging Netherfire in a char creation discussion. I hope I don't use the char wrong. :p
By the way, for general knowledge: I'm going for a thief-centric rogue, with cunning and acrobatics as major points. However, I won't be of much use in combat situations, so I apologize in advance for going all stealthy in our epic encounters.
By the way, for general knowledge: I'm going for a thief-centric rogue, with cunning and acrobatics as major points. However, I won't be of much use in combat situations, so I apologize in advance for going all stealthy in our epic encounters.
Haha, sounds great! I'm sure you'll be all over disarming traps and stealthily gathering intel. Always valuable! :)
Haha, sounds great! I'm sure you'll be all over disarming traps and stealthily gathering intel. Always valuable! :)
I sure hope so! :D
Right, my Dwarven Cleric Gorim Coppervein is complete. I too ended up running this through a builder, just in case. Let me know if anything doesn't look to be in order!
@Beorn: the builder looks like it was running with the DnD half-elf. The Pathfinder half-elf loses her racial bonus to Diplomacy, and her racial bonus to Perception goes up by 1.
Other than that, both Beorae and Gorim look good!
Just responded to Netherfire's character questions. Even answering a handful of questions got me excited to write up a full background soon. :)
Just going back and forth with Netherfire got me as excited as a little baby with a new toy (or toy box)!
Should we discuss which languages we should know as to cover as much as possible or do we keep it to ourselves as part of the introduction (and to make it a lot more interesting, gamewise)?
Mot Casns is finished and awaiting official approval! This is going to be a great game!
Looks good, Mot.
Beorae Sevenstone has a spellbook? Druids don't really need them, they simply know the spells they can cast. Not saying you can't have a spellbook if you want one Beorn. Just so you know.
Everyone who has a finished character, please create an alias and format your character's information like Mot's here. Or a very close semblance, at least.
@Beorn: the builder looks like it was running with the DnD half-elf. The Pathfinder half-elf loses her racial bonus to Diplomacy, and her racial bonus to Perception goes up by 1.
Curious, I re-ran the builder and it came up with the same numbers. A bug, it seems? Anyway, I copied the info over to the character sheet with the fixed numbers; everyone, meet Beorae Sevenstone (and her tiger, Shank)
I still have a couple of questions, though:
- I never chose the Half-Elf's second "favored class". How does this affect what I've done so far? I'd like to assist with healing spells should the situation require it, so what would be a good option?
- Did the Persuasive feat's "+2 to diplomacy and intimidation" get applied correctly? If you check the PDF I linked before, it looks like Bluff/Intimidate got +2, but it seems like Diplomacy/Intimidate should have the +2 instead (meaning she'd have Bluff +1, Diplomacy +3, and Intimidate +3). Or am I just confused?
Also, I'm sure I don't know what Spellbook you're talking about… ;-)
Wrapping up with Netherfire. Will create an alias as soon as my stats are available. And I come up with a name... And a backstory...
Creating is hard...
I feel I should to be honest and upfront: I'm not the most dexterous of Dwarves.
Mot Casns is finished and awaiting official approval! This is going to be a great game!
Hah, just looked over your character! So Scottish! Love the Bagpipes.
Aye! I'm really looking forward to playing this char. It's going to be awesome!
@Beorn, at first level Multiclass doesn't really do anything, in fact it won't come into play until/if you ever choose to take a level in another class. Like if you wanted to be a Druid/Fighter or a Druid/Wizard or whatever.
Meet Themp Namor
Background story due to another, more creative time.
Bonus points for whoever laughs at the name.
Thief Ideas for ZackDark:
- What kind of thief is your character? One that steals out of greed? One that steals to help his friends or family? One that is frequently hired to steal things for "the opposition"? Or one that steals just because it's fun?
- Once you determine that, work backwards a bit. How did your character go from presumably a little boy to one that's sneaky, crafty, good with removing things without people knowing and (I guess) good at recognizing various traps and stuff. Was he formally trained? Did he learn on the streets while trying to survive? Ect.
- Where are your thief's family and friends? How many of them approve (or would approve if they were still alive) of your thief's current occupation. Disagreement over thieving can be fun. But so can being surrounded by friends or family who are all somewhat thiefy.
- What is your thief's long term objective? Is he good enough to steal for a decent living? Is he trying to right a wrong, or cause one? Revenge perhaps? Paying back a debt or something bigger like a family debt to get someone out of debtor's prison of some kind?
- And finally, what's the best thiefy thing your thief has accomplished so far? Probably nothing major since he is a new, up and coming thief. What's the worst punishment he has received for getting caught?
Ah, thanks for the insights, man!
Now I have a bunch of ideas. Still can't write it nicely if my life depended on it, though. But worry not. Given time enough, I might spin something good enough for at least you guys imagine him well enough.
Question!
Could someone 'splain to me the uses of my Aura of Good and my ability to Detect Evil. One would think anything attacking us would be regarded as evil, right? What does the Aura of Good do as it grows more powerful? I'm just generally at a loss as to why these abilities would be useful, and when and why I would use them.
Dunno what 'Aura of Good' is about, but 'Detect Evil' is supposed to be used before seeing a creature. Usually to detect ambushes or to follow the trail of an evil creature.
Zack is correct in his assessment, though using it to track an Evil character/creature might be kind of difficult.
Usually Detect Evil is used if you're unsure about a thing. Be that a person, monster, or even a piece of equipment or place. Some people will be evil, but try to convince you they are good for their own reasons. And sometimes there can be confusion and a good creature might attack you. Using Detect Evil (and it's goody goody brother Aura of Good) will help strip away the fog surrounding uncertain situations.
Best I can tell, Aura of Good is like Detect Evil, only for good stuff. Netherfire will probably know more about it.
This is probably the best (read: funniest) illustration I can find for the uses of Detect Evil.
In fact, it might be a good idea to read the entire comic.
This is probably the best (read: funniest) illustration I can find for the uses of Detect Evil.
In fact, it might be a good idea to read the entire comic.
It's like 900 pages! (I'll have it finished by tonight :P)
Ladies and gentlemen, Henry Southgard, mercenary for hire.
I'll write the backstory after I've slept.
@Quirel/Henry: A fighter with Iron Will? Well played. Your Intelligence modifier of +2 means you can know two additional languages if you want.
Common, Dwarven, Elven, and Sylvan are the most common in the area we will be starting. Draconic (dragon speak), Giant, and Goblin are also possible, but I’ll need you to check with me on how you could’ve learned them (the sources of those languages are hostile to civilized folk).
Also, I think Henry’s skills might be a little low. I’ll break it down below.
1[Strength] +1[skill] +3[favored] -2[armor check penalty] = +3 Climb (ok, that one was right)
2[Intelligence] +1[skill] +3[favored] = +6 Craft (weapons)
2[Intelligence] +1[skill] +3[favored] = +6 Craft (armor)
1[Wisdom] +1[skill] +3[favored] = +5 Profession (soldier)
1[Wisdom] +1[skill] +3[favored] = +5 Survival
If you are planning to use the Crafting skill, make sure you brush up on the crafting rules -even I’ll get them mixed up sometimes.
Other than the skills and languages, Henry Southgard looks good!
Sorry I’m behind on finishing characters (I just sent yours, Ragashingo) and uploading a map to help with the game setting and backstories. Real life took an unexpected turn, what can I say. I'll try to get us gaming by Tuesday.
@Gorim Coppervein: which deity do you serve? Torag is a popular one among the dwarves. Many humans in the area worship Sarenrae, Abadar, Erastil, Desna, Gorum or Cayden Cailean. Irori might also fit your character. Our paladin calls Sarenrae his patron deity, if that helps.
Cayden Caileannnnnnnnn!
I can't wait to get started!
Now, to come up with a backstory… Been playing with ideas but haven't figured everything out yet. Also, I don't know how to handle geography with her lore; is the tiger companion reasonable? I'm assuming that she's a local to wherever we're starting the adventure, so did she need to travel far to acquire such a pet?
Is there a "global" map that describes the lands of Pathfinder (and where we're starting)?
Otherwise, I assume that Beorae is ready to go. :)
And just trying something:
I have no idea what an Elven name looks like, so I went with an apostrophe! That seemed safe. :) No last name for reasons that I'll detail once I get this backstory written. And yes, some guidance on where we are and the general geography would be very helpful :)
Things are coming together!
'w00t' doesn't even begin to describe my feelings right now.
Heh. I was looking at my +1 to will saving throws and decided that Something Must Be Done about it.
Fortunately, there's a feat for that.
And thanks for catching the skills! I'd forgotten about adding my ability modifiers and AC penalty to them.
Finally, Tuesday is soon enough. Compared to the other Pathfinder game I'm in, we're going .5 past lightspeed.
@Gorim Coppervein: which deity do you serve? Torag is a popular one among the dwarves. Many humans in the area worship Sarenrae, Abadar, Erastil, Desna, Gorum or Cayden Cailean. Irori might also fit your character. Our paladin calls Sarenrae his patron deity, if that helps.
I was staring at deities for quite sometime. I eventually settled with Irori though.
And I must say, I'm a huge fan of Cayden Cailean. I'm so glad that deity is a thing! I'm still a little tempted by them haha...
Question: Are my current choices of domains acceptable when serving Irori? I've selected Artifice and Community.
It's up to Netherfire, but traditionally you pick from your Deities domains. Iroris domains are: Healing, Knowledge, Law, Rune, and Strength.
Just sent a draft of Nme'an's backstory to Netherfire for help with locations. It came out slightly more tragic than I intended, but only slightly. I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with. Also, I'm quite pleased to see another Half-elf in the group as Nme'an might have someone who will understand some of his hardships. :)
It's up to Netherfire, but traditionally you pick from your Deities domains. Iroris domains are: Healing, Knowledge, Law, Rune, and Strength.
Whoops, I had meant to direct that to Q to Netherfire, in terms of how free we are to choose domains. My bad! (Though this is not to say I do not appreciate the response!)
However, looking over things, I'd be very pleased with either Healing, Knowledge or Law. So either way, I'm happy :)I'll sleep on these three, see which two I settle on.
While we're waiting for things to begin I guess it wouldn't hurt to throw out some more questions.
1. I think I have this right but I want to check. When it talks about modifiers to the base stats (Strength, Charisma, whatever) am I correct in looking at this table? Going from that table my Charisma of 16 would grant me a +3 on the attack role of Smite Evil ("If the target is evil, the paladin adds his Cha bonus (if any) to his attack rolls") correct?
2. I don't quite understand the numbers we all have by flat-footed. I get that being flat-footed is like not having begun moving or defending yet, but what's the number for? Does the enemy have to roll higher than that to catch someone flat-footed, or am I way off?
3. What does readying a group of spells involve? It forces you to plan ahead and choose a good mix of spells, correct, but when does one do it? Right before a battle? And do you have to announce your choices to everybody else?
4. While reading about splash damage (like on my acid flasks) the guide talks about dealing direct damage to the target (assuming a direct hit) and then splash damage to the adjacent squares. Is the splash damage reduced in some way or is it just referring to the weapons' ability to hit the group of squares?
5. I see some of use have ranged weapons. Can any of the ammunition from those be retrieved after a battle? What about daggers since it seems everyone listing a dagger as a ranged attack is only carrying the one dagger.
1: If you're looking at the "Modifier" column, then yes.
2: In the first round of combat, before you have taken your turn, you are considered flat-footed. Essentially, your character is off guard, and denied most of his defensive bonuses.
5: Generally speaking, ammunition that hits a target is destroyed. Ammunition that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed. Thrown weapons (Like axes or daggers) generally don't break.
Again, the above is my understanding.
Quirel has it right.
2. Flat-footed AC represents your defenses when you are unprepared for an attack (you lose your Dex and Dodge bonuses to AC). However, your armor and shield bonuses are still included in flat-footed AC. Quick example:
2b. Similarly, touch AC represents attacks that merely need to touch you to cause an effect. Armor and shields do not contribute, but your ability to dodge the attack does. Some spells require touch attacks or ranged touch attacks.
3. With exception to Sorcerers and Bards (spontaneous casters), every spell-casting class has to prepare their spells at a certain time each day. Most players choose the morning, because spell-casters also require 8 hours of rest before regaining their spell slots. The amount of spells per day vary by ability and spell level. While your character doesn't need to announce to the party what they are preparing, I (the GM) would like to know for the sake of accountability. Preparing your spells for the day requires of 1 hour of meditation/concentration. Then you're good to go and hope you don't need a spell you didn't prepare (don't stress, it always happens).
4. With splash weapons, the whatever-is-in-the-flask (be it acid, alc. fire, alc. frost, or holy water) will deal 1d6 of damage, and the splash deals 1 point of damage to adjacent squares. You do not need to make an attack roll for the splash damage -it just happens.
Does that answer Ragashingo's questions?
@SigbiasSilva: Tell you what. If you like, you can trade Irori's Healing domain for Community, or Knowledge for Artifice (but you cannot trade both). You must pick one domain that is Irori's. The Knowledge domain cannot be traded for Community (I won't allow Healing and Community to be your domains, too OP), nor can Healing be traded for Artifice. You're still free to pick two of Irori's domains, I just wanted to give you options (I'll also expect roleplay to reflect which domains you choose).
One more thing: I will be tracking your xp and your characters will be leveling as a group. Being the player that is behind on xp and the last to level up is simply not fun. If some of you put in a lot of effort in roleplay, I might reward that effort in other ways.
If you haven't already, click on my avatar and read up on my Game Mastering style.
Puns! I love puns!