Sorry to keep asking dumb rules questions but this one is really nagging me. The Heavy wrist launcher is a cool weapon and I keep trying to come up with character ideas centered around them, so...
Are wrist launchers crossbows? Can I take crossbow mastery with them? Rapid Reload? You wear the on your wrist, so can you have a wrist launcher and hold a weapon in that same hand? If you do can you still attack with that wrist launcher? Can you attack with both in the same round? Since it's on your forearm rather than in your hand does it interfere with your hand or wrist magic item slots? What about shields?
1. For proficiency reasons, yes. Otherwise no.
2. See #1
3. See #1
4. Nothing is obstructing your hand so I wouldn't see why not.
5. Yes.
6. Yes, as long as you don't go over the normal amount of attacks you have in a round, otherwise you incur two-weapon fighting penalties.
7. If it doesn't say so in the rules, it doesn't.
8. See #7
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Mark, personally, when you calculate Masterwork or Mithral animal barding's price, do you multiply the cost before adding the Masterwork or Mithral adjustment?
For example, a "mithral chain shirt" equivalent for a wolf; would you do (100+1000)x2=2200 or (100x2)+1000=1200?
I think I asked what the rules on this are before and got a "hey, they're vague, we need to hammer that out" reply. What do you tend to go with, personally?
if you look into a crystal ball today, do you see a FAQ in the near future?Our FAQ slot for today wound up being for a highly-asked no FAQ required question about whether the effective size increase FAQ applies in a specific instance. So simultaneously yes and no, depending on if you count the FAQ discussion slot or whether it winds up as a FAQ.
I have a question about that clarification. It mentions that there is an error that will be fixed in the next printing.
The extraneous mention of armor spikes in Ultimate Equipment’s spiked shield entry is in error, and it should be reflected in the next errata.
But I checked my current UE pdf, and I don't see any mention of armor spikes in the shield spikes entry.
Shield Spikes
Deadly spikes and bladed projections extend from some shields, transforming such pieces of armor into weapons in their own right. Shield spikes turn a shield into a martial piercing weapon and increase the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger (see “spiked light shield” and “spiked heavy shield” on Table 1–5: Martial Weapons). You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.
An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
So I'm wondering where this error is to be found. The phrase "armor spikes" does appear in the descriptions of three specific shield types. One appears in the Armor Descriptions section, which is the same section as the Shield Spikes entry but on a different page.
Klar
The traditional form of this tribal weapon is a short blade bound to the skull of a large horned lizard, but a skilled smith can craft one entirely out of metal. A traditional klar counts as a light wooden shield with armor spikes; a metal klar counts as a light steel shield with shield spikes.
My guess is that this is the part in error since the phrase is used only for the traditional version and not for the metal one. And also the Klar entry in the Weapon Descriptions section uses the phrase "shield spikes" rather than "armor spikes.
Klar
The traditional form of this tribal weapon is a short metal blade bound to the skull of a large horned lizard, but a skilled smith can craft one entirely out of metal. A traditional klar counts as a light wooden shield with shield spikes; a metal klar counts as a light steel shield with shield spikes. The klar’s shield entry appears on page 12.
But there are other two other mentions in the Weapon Descriptions section.
Spiked Heavy Shield
Spiked shields are intimidating weapons, and can have a single protruding central spike, razored shield edges, or a whole forest of deadly protrusions. You can bash with a spiked heavy shield instead of using it for defense. A spiked heavy shield can’t be disarmed. See the armor spikes entry on page 10 for details.
Spiked Light Shield
You can bash with a spiked light shield instead of using it for defense. A spiked light shield can’t be disarmed. See the armor spikes entry on page 10 for details.
These references also seem out of place to me.
It's a bit frustrating to be told that there is a mistake in the text, but not told what that mistake is. Can you clarify which of these, if any, are in error?
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if you look into a crystal ball today, do you see a FAQ in the near future?Our FAQ slot for today wound up being for a highly-asked no FAQ required question about whether the effective size increase FAQ applies in a specific instance. So simultaneously yes and no, depending on if you count the FAQ discussion slot or whether it winds up as a FAQ.I have a question about that clarification. It mentions that there is an error that will be fixed in the next printing.
The extraneous mention of armor spikes in Ultimate Equipment’s spiked shield entry is in error, and it should be reflected in the next errata.But I checked my current UE pdf, and I don't see any mention of armor spikes in the shield spikes entry.
Shield Spikes
Deadly spikes and bladed projections extend from some shields, transforming such pieces of armor into weapons in their own right. Shield spikes turn a shield into a martial piercing weapon and increase the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger (see “spiked light shield” and “spiked heavy shield” on Table 1–5: Martial Weapons). You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.
An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.So I'm wondering where this error is to be found. The phrase "armor spikes" does appear in the descriptions of three specific shield types. One appears in the Armor Descriptions section, which is the same section as the Shield Spikes entry but on a different page.
...Klar
The traditional form of this tribal weapon is a short
The FAQ says that spiked shields will be errata'd to not say armor spikes.
Your first section was about shield spikes, not spiked shields so that's no it.Your next quote is about klars. klars aren't listed as spiked shields but as klars, so that's no it.
Last you have spiked light and heavy shields. These are spiked shields. These are the spiked shields that are getting an errata.
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I did misread it. That clears up my confusion. Thank you, Chess Pwn!
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Greetings once more :-)
Quick question--if you have the Versatile Channeler feat, and gain Channel Energy from a different class, would you be able to apply the effects of Versatile Channeler to the second class?
I ask because it doesn't specify that it affects only the chosen class, implying that it affects your use of Channel Energy regardless of its source. Thoughts on the matter?
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Have you done much design work for RPGs other than Pathfinder?
I have a very strange question that came about with a very strange topic. I'll ask the question first, then share the story so you can read if you want.
The ability Spectral Hand, does it count as a separate creature than the caster and is it considered Living, Undead, or Other?
Thanks!
As for why this came up. So I got an Almiraj Familiar on my Arcanist, and I joked about having the Almiraj impale the Spectral Hand. But well, we agreed that it could be it's own creature (Though also that it could be an extension of the caster), but couldn't figure if it was living or not. And well, we wanted your opinion on it.
When creating the kineticist, what factors went into having the Elemental Ascetic be a Monk archetype for the kineticist instead of making it a kineticist archetype for the monk?
I feel it has a very strong skew on how people perceive the archetype. People don't like Elemental Ascetic because it trades out much of what people feel make the kineticist, the blast and elemental defense. But if you look at the class as a monk archetype and you're getting unlimited elemental fist for free at lv1 or the effects of Elemental Fury from the UMonk on the base monk for no ki. All for delaying the wis to AC a bit, not getting evasion, and trading out feats for the talents.
No FAQ this week?
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Nope; it was Jason's birthday, so several of us took off (including me, actually).
Woo! Happy Birthday, Jason, via Mark's thread!
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Hey Mark, I'm not sure if you know but here we go.
The stalker says,
""A stalker vigilante can apply only one talent marked with an asterisk (*) to a given hidden strike, and only when that hidden strike is dealt against a foe that is unaware of the stalker vigilante's presence"
one of it's abilities, Up close and personal says,
"If the Acrobatics check succeeds, this attack applies the vigilante's hidden strike damage as if the foe were unaware of the vigilante."
is applying hidden strike damage as if unaware the same as making a hidden strike against an unaware foe? Thus allowing * abilities to work on the swift attack if successful on the acro check?
Happy Fourth of July, everyone!
Even if you're not a U.S. citizen, have an awesome day!
Happy 4th, Mark! You got any fun wicked-awesome plans?
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I've been reading through part 3 of Hell's Vengeance and I couldn't help but notice that the PCs don't muck about with the town's people like they do in the previous adventures. So...maybe the Brimstone Den (Wayfinder 11, p.12) wouldn't get bothered?
Then again, there is the Glorious Reclamation. How would they react to the establishment? I'm...hopeful they wouldn't brutally raid the place like they did the Forbidden Sisters’ Ballroom (Pathfinder 105, p.11).
Another question for you.
Does the feat Devastating Assault (Weapon Mastery Feat from Weapon Master's Handbook) work with Chained and Unchained Monk's Flurry of Blows as well as Brawler's Flurry?
I sit on the fence with it dependent on whether or not the flurry is a special Full Round Attack action or not. But I would like your thoughts on it.
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Hey Mark, I'm not sure if you know but here we go.
The stalker says,
""A stalker vigilante can apply only one talent marked with an asterisk (*) to a given hidden strike, and only when that hidden strike is dealt against a foe that is unaware of the stalker vigilante's presence"one of it's abilities, Up close and personal says,
"If the Acrobatics check succeeds, this attack applies the vigilante's hidden strike damage as if the foe were unaware of the vigilante."is applying hidden strike damage as if unaware the same as making a hidden strike against an unaware foe? Thus allowing * abilities to work on the swift attack if successful on the acro check?
While I ain't Mark Seifert here's a post of Mark Seifert advocating this combo...
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Hey, Mark!
I actually have a rules question...
Can a character use the Aid Another action to aid herself?
[Bottom line up front: I ruled "no" at my table.]
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent's next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character's skill check.
The player pointed out that "friend" isn't ever clearly defined in the rules, but "ally" is. And as This FAQ points out, you always count as your own ally.
In the specific case, the PC has the Effortless Aid Investigator talent that allows using Aid Another as a move action. Consequently, action economy could conceivably allow using Aid Another on oneself.
I ruled that words have meaning in common parlance, and that "friend" in this case means "an ally that is not yourself." (After all, the name of the action is "Aid Another," which is clearly the RAI.) I then said that if you want to spend an action to try to improvie your own next attack, that's a feint.
I'm happy with this ruling at my table, but would you make the same call?
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Sorry to keep asking dumb rules questions but this one is really nagging me. The Heavy wrist launcher is a cool weapon and I keep trying to come up with character ideas centered around them, so...
Are wrist launchers crossbows? Can I take crossbow mastery with them? Rapid Reload? You wear the on your wrist, so can you have a wrist launcher and hold a weapon in that same hand? If you do can you still attack with that wrist launcher? Can you attack with both in the same round? Since it's on your forearm rather than in your hand does it interfere with your hand or wrist magic item slots? What about shields?
Let's see. Logan might know this better than I do, but here's my thoughts on how I might rule it in my game: I'd say they aren't crossbows, so crossbow mastery doesn't work (it actually works on all types of crossbows and not just one), nor can you as written take Rapid Reload with it but I'd allow the latter anyway. It's strapped to your wrist, so I'd say no wrist sheath but you can almost definitely hold something in the hand, and it shouldn't mess with your magic items unless wrist sheathes do. Probably the easiest way to figure out what you can do with the hand without having to work our way around the FAQ on hands of effort (which would certainly preclude attacking with wrist launcher and another weapon from the same hand; after all, just because we can Quick Draw lots of thrown weapons into that one hand doesn't mean we get more attacks for those) would be to say that the held object blocks the launch. Just for fun, I picked up a few things around the office and then slid my finger along the inside of my wrist in the direction a launched dart would go and I often found my finger poking up against the object, so at least from that perspective, it also seems to work.
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Mr. Mark Seifter,
How would the deep one corruption compare to taking the aberrant heritage feats from the 3.5 book Lords of Madness? Besides the fact that the corruption system wouldn't cost you feats.
Also, would the hive corruption work well with the Kiliks, Joiners, and specifically a character like Vector Hyllus from Star Wars?
I actually don't remember the aberrant heritage feats from LoM; I remember the abyssal heritor feats from the demon book much more clearly.
My quick Google search on the Star Wars reference indicates that it would be a good match, but the Joiners didn't seem to gain physical features from the killiks, so you'd want to focus on the hive mind manifestations and you might run out of choices to take at higher manifestation levels if you didn't want body modification too.
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Hi again!
Another Kineticist question! How does two-weapon rend work with Elemental Annihilators? Would the 1.5Str damage turn into 1.5Con damage or would it stay as Str? Theres nothing that says it would change, so RAW it would be Str. This seemed a little strange to me so a clarification would be greatly appreciated!
I think technically rend is always Strength-based. Given I called out Double Slice as switching to Con, it's not unreasonable to do the same with Two-Weapon Rend, given its on the bonus feat list. If I remember, I'll try to get that onto the list of contenders for whenever we reach the OA errata. Wow, that list is really small right now; nice!
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Mark, personally, when you calculate Masterwork or Mithral animal barding's price, do you multiply the cost before adding the Masterwork or Mithral adjustment?
For example, a "mithral chain shirt" equivalent for a wolf; would you do (100+1000)x2=2200 or (100x2)+1000=1200?
I think I asked what the rules on this are before and got a "hey, they're vague, we need to hammer that out" reply. What do you tend to go with, personally?
This is actually on our list of FAQs that we haven't quite decided yet (we almost went one way, but when I presented the opposing posts in the FAQ thread, there was enough sway to hang the jury), so while I do have an answer, as it came up in our home game, I'm going to avoid answering until/unless we on the PDT become unhung on it. There are some pretty good points on either side.
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if you look into a crystal ball today, do you see a FAQ in the near future?Our FAQ slot for today wound up being for a highly-asked no FAQ required question about whether the effective size increase FAQ applies in a specific instance. So simultaneously yes and no, depending on if you count the FAQ discussion slot or whether it winds up as a FAQ.I have a question about that clarification. It mentions that there is an error that will be fixed in the next printing.
The extraneous mention of armor spikes in Ultimate Equipment’s spiked shield entry is in error, and it should be reflected in the next errata.But I checked my current UE pdf, and I don't see any mention of armor spikes in the shield spikes entry.
Shield Spikes
Deadly spikes and bladed projections extend from some shields, transforming such pieces of armor into weapons in their own right. Shield spikes turn a shield into a martial piercing weapon and increase the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger (see “spiked light shield” and “spiked heavy shield” on Table 1–5: Martial Weapons). You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.
An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.So I'm wondering where this error is to be found. The phrase "armor spikes" does appear in the descriptions of three specific shield types. One appears in the Armor Descriptions section, which is the same section as the Shield Spikes entry but on a different page.
...Klar
The traditional form of this tribal weapon is a short
The mistake would be anywhere where it says armor spikes for a spiked shield. I know we removed several instances in the 2nd printing, but if I recall, we didn't get them all.
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Hey again. Your answers regarding animal intelligence helped me find a more agreeable alternative, though I do have a couple more questions.
In your opinion, should spells like anthropomorphic animal and animal growth (which target animals) work on willing magical beasts, even though they aren't technically of the animal type?
Assuming a creature is innately smart enough to know a language and not speak it (as with a griffon), would items such as the contract ring (which cause them to understand eachother's speech), or the helm of comprehend languages and read magic allow a character to understand their magical beast companion, in your opinion?
Glad I could help! I would say that spells that target animals wouldn't work on magical beasts. With something like a griffon, you're in an interesting corner area. Since technically it says "can't speak" and the helm says you understand "the spoken words of any creature", which also means that, for instance, it probably wouldn't work on the slime language Flail Snail. Griffons seem like they might be smart enough to use their claws to scratch out a message to you, perhaps, since they aren't animals and thus probably don't abide by that FAQ blog.
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Greetings once more :-)
Quick question--if you have the Versatile Channeler feat, and gain Channel Energy from a different class, would you be able to apply the effects of Versatile Channeler to the second class?
I ask because it doesn't specify that it affects only the chosen class, implying that it affects your use of Channel Energy regardless of its source. Thoughts on the matter?
It seems like if you were both a necromancer and a cleric, it would apply to both classes, for the reasons you describe, but the note at the bottom would specifically preclude all other classes.
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Have you done much design work for RPGs other than Pathfinder?
While I've played and GMed other RPGs, I haven't done any design work for pay for any other game system.
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I have a very strange question that came about with a very strange topic. I'll ask the question first, then share the story so you can read if you want.
The ability Spectral Hand, does it count as a separate creature than the caster and is it considered Living, Undead, or Other?
Thanks!
As for why this came up. So I got an Almiraj Familiar on my Arcanist, and I joked about having the Almiraj impale the Spectral Hand. But well, we agreed that it could be it's own creature (Though also that it could be an extension of the caster), but couldn't figure if it was living or not. And well, we wanted your opinion on it.
No worries, that actually isn't that weird of a question at all! It has its own hp and AC and such, so it seems like it's definitely a separate target. I'd say it's neither living nor dead, but rather a spell effect, like an unseen servant. Another weird thing is that it has improved evasion but doesn't tell you how to figure out its Reflex modifier.
Hey, Mark, I just had a thought based on Monks based on something you said on the Horror Adventures thread:
We're delighted by the idea of Stunning Fist-ing a foe with a spiked chain, but we're pretty unlikely to include something in HA that unpairs style strikes from their specific forms of unarmed strikes, as style strikes are an intentional balancing factor towards unarmed Unchained monks (with weapons being cheaper than amulet of mighty fists and the better Strength multiplier being the advantages for armed Unchained monks).
Here's an idea -
What if there were Style options that allowed certain weapons to be used with Style Strikes... but, unlike Ascetic Style/Form, did not allow those weapons to be used with Stunning Fist/Unchained Monk's Ki Pool ability extra attack?
If that were the case, you would still need to apply ki focus to get full use of the weapon (plus apply ki powers such as Elemental Fury). This would even out the cost difference between magic weapons and amulets of mighty fists (the slot difference is not a big deal due to the barkskin ki power which is basically a staple).
Something to consider, for whenever you create a bo staff/quarterstaff Style featline...
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Mark, will you and/or Linda be at GenCon this year?!
If so, please stop by the Paizo Galla and see me. :D
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The mistake would be anywhere where it says armor spikes for a spiked shield. I know we removed several instances in the 2nd printing, but if I recall, we didn't get them all.
Thanks for the verification that Chess Pwn was correct. :)
So it looks like there are three errors that need to be fixed.
Spiked Heavy Shield
Spiked shields are intimidating weapons, and can have a single protruding central spike, razored shield edges, or a whole forest of deadly protrusions. You can bash with a spiked heavy shield instead of using it for defense. A spiked heavy shield can’t be disarmed. See thearmorshield spikes entry on page 10 for details.
Spiked Light Shield
You can bash with a spiked light shield instead of using it for defense. A spiked light shield can’t be disarmed. See thearmorshield spikes entry on page 10 for details.
And it looks like one mention was accidentally left in one of the Klar descriptions.
Klar
The traditional form of this tribal weapon is a short blade bound to the skull of a large horned lizard, but a skilled smith can craft one entirely out of metal. A traditional klar counts as a light wooden shield witharmorshield spikes; a metal klar counts as a light steel shield with shield spikes.
The other three mentions of Klar armor spikes already got changed to shield spikes.
I think I'm clear on this now. Now armor only has armor spikes and shields only have shield spikes. It seems like it always should have been that way. Thanks again!
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Hi again!
Another Kineticist question! How does two-weapon rend work with Elemental Annihilators? Would the 1.5Str damage turn into 1.5Con damage or would it stay as Str? Theres nothing that says it would change, so RAW it would be Str. This seemed a little strange to me so a clarification would be greatly appreciated!In addition to this question, I have a few more concerning Elemental Annihilators, as well as one about the Elemental Ascetic. Sorry if I make lots of weird typos and errors in this post because I stayed up all night to play a PFS game and am currently running on coffee as I attempt to maintain focus at work (obviously I'm failing at that :P )
1) Annihilator: I understand that you can't use Metakinesis or Substance infusions on Flurry of Devastation (for good reason) but does that mean you can use Metakinesis on standard Devastating Infusions? Empower and Maximize are pretty straightforward, but how would that work with Quicken or Double (if at all)?
2) Annihilator: What was the thought process behind giving them Extended Range and Extreme Range, when they can't use those infusions (since they're form infusions and Devastating Infusion takes up that slot). Was it supposed to be more of a versatility thing, where an Annihilator could choose to use a normal blast at high ranges if it became necessary?
I can sorta see Extended Range being a kind of "soft prerequisite" for Flurry of Devastation since it also gains 120 range, but losing an infusion at level 9 for Extreme Range just seems unnecessary. Unless you're allowed to use them with Devastating Infusion, in which case that's wonderful.
Coincidentally, could you use your infusion retrains at levels 5 and 11 to retrain extended/extreme range into another infusion, or are they locked in as a class ability?3) Ascetic: A quick question about the Elemental Wisdom class ability. In the description, it doesn't mention replacing Constitution for Wisdom in regards to kinetic blast damage (when you use things...
1) I believe you can do so. Double would only work for the ranged attack, though, I think, based on the wording of the melee's action economy.
2) Extended is indeed there as a quasi-prereq, and since it's a hardcoded talent, I'd say you couldn't retrain it with the swaps from the infusion class feature, since you didn't get it from that class feature (and also because it's a quasi-prereq). I can't recall for certain on Extreme; I believe it made it's way in there as a soft prereq from a version I submitted where flurry of devastation also upgraded its range to 480 feet.
3) It specifically replaces Constitution in the ways described. The idea is that it lessens the impact of Constitution if you wish (it's all optional, unlike overwhelming soul), and by removing elemental defense and replacing it with a burn-free defense and replacing elemental overflow with a burn-free accuracy boost, you can actually get along pretty darn well without using burn regularly.
Glad to hear you're loving it!
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When creating the kineticist, what factors went into having the Elemental Ascetic be a Monk archetype for the kineticist instead of making it a kineticist archetype for the monk?
I feel it has a very strong skew on how people perceive the archetype. People don't like Elemental Ascetic because it trades out much of what people feel make the kineticist, the blast and elemental defense. But if you look at the class as a monk archetype and you're getting unlimited elemental fist for free at lv1 or the effects of Elemental Fury from the UMonk on the base monk for no ki. All for delaying the wis to AC a bit, not getting evasion, and trading out feats for the talents.
If you look at how to construct the archetype (including how many words it would take to make the adjustments), I think it's pretty clear that it's a kineticist archetype because it keeps more kineticist features than monk features. However, comparing to other unarmed characters is a very shrewd way to look at the archetype. Kinetic fist covers for monk increased unarmed strike damage pretty handily (and if you actually have a way to backdoor yourself into getting both, like VMC monk, your damage on a hit can be quite high), while also adding delicious debuffs from substance (fist costs you 0, so you have nothing to lose from them once you get specialization), plus all your utility talents that a monk doesn't have.
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Hey Mark, I'm not sure if you know but here we go.
The stalker says,
""A stalker vigilante can apply only one talent marked with an asterisk (*) to a given hidden strike, and only when that hidden strike is dealt against a foe that is unaware of the stalker vigilante's presence"one of it's abilities, Up close and personal says,
"If the Acrobatics check succeeds, this attack applies the vigilante's hidden strike damage as if the foe were unaware of the vigilante."is applying hidden strike damage as if unaware the same as making a hidden strike against an unaware foe? Thus allowing * abilities to work on the swift attack if successful on the acro check?
As Alex Mack said (though he did call me Mark Seifert), I'm in favor of it applying when you make the Acrobatics check.
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Happy Fourth of July, everyone!
Even if you're not a U.S. citizen, have an awesome day!
Happy 4th, Mark! You got any fun wicked-awesome plans?
My plans were mostly to hang around with Linda. She had freelance projects to write like the super-awesome Through Maelstrom Rift, which has been revealed in a blog to have a pyrausta bard as one of the characters! How cool is that?
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I've been reading through part 3 of Hell's Vengeance and I couldn't help but notice that the PCs don't muck about with the town's people like they do in the previous adventures. So...maybe the Brimstone Den (Wayfinder 11, p.12) wouldn't get bothered?
Then again, there is the Glorious Reclamation. How would they react to the establishment? I'm...hopeful they wouldn't brutally raid the place like they did the Forbidden Sisters’ Ballroom (Pathfinder 105, p.11).
It would be kind of weird if the Glorious Reclamation brutally raided an establishment sacred to LG/NG empyreal lords; I'd imagine that would only happen if the hidden mystery cult nature of the den worked against it, combined with overall Iomedaean prejudice against tieflings to lead to an unfortunate tragedy. If a paladin in my game massacred the Brimstone Den, though, they wouldn't be keeping those powers.
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Another question for you.
Does the feat Devastating Assault (Weapon Mastery Feat from Weapon Master's Handbook) work with Chained and Unchained Monk's Flurry of Blows as well as Brawler's Flurry?
I sit on the fence with it dependent on whether or not the flurry is a special Full Round Attack action or not. But I would like your thoughts on it.
It's a really interesting ambiguity. Those flurries seem to be special actions that are a subcategory of full attack actions, since you can take any of them as a "full attack action". However, the main ambiguity is really not in flurry at all but in the feat's wording: what does "as many attack rolls as you could in a full-attack action using that weapon" actually mean? The answer with the least amount of rabbit holes is to say the answer is 1 + 1 per 5 BAB above 1, perhaps with an extra attack for haste if you have it. Otherwise, this can lead to situations that start with double weapons and optional trade-off extra attacks like Rapid Shot (where you clearly wouldn't take a -2 penalty, but you "could") or spending a ki point for another attack, and lead all the way to a mythic character with the right Teamwork Feat build and Mythic Combat Reflexes making the argument that they "could" take an infinite number of attacks in a full-attack action, since each critical hit gives them another attack, and hypothetically they could potentially crit every time.
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Hey Mark, would a Biped Elemental Eidolon gain simple weapon proficiency from its subtype?
Proficient with natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
Nope; eidolons don't get everything located in the bestiary subtype entry right away, or sometimes at all (for instance, angel eidolons eventually get protective aura, but they don't start with it from their subtype)
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Hey, Mark!
I actually have a rules question...
Can a character use the Aid Another action to aid herself?
[Bottom line up front: I ruled "no" at my table.]
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent's next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character's skill check.
The player pointed out that "friend" isn't ever clearly defined in the rules, but "ally" is. And as This FAQ points out, you always count as your own ally.
In the specific case, the PC has the Effortless Aid Investigator talent that allows using Aid Another as a move action. Consequently, action economy could conceivably allow using Aid Another on oneself.
I ruled that words have meaning in common parlance, and that "friend" in this case means "an ally that is not yourself." (After all, the name of the action is "Aid Another," which is clearly the RAI.) I then said that if you want to spend an action to try to improvie your own next attack, that's a...
I definitely agree with you. Sometimes I wonder about things, like the fact that I think "Aid" or "Assist" would be a snappier name than "Aid Another", but then maybe the reason they picked that name was to make it clear. You're not "another", and the term friend doesn't have the ruling on ally to count yourself, so I think it's pretty open and shut.
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Let's see. Logan might know this better than I do, but here's my thoughts on how I might rule it in my game: I'd say they aren't crossbows, so crossbow mastery doesn't work (it actually works on all types of crossbows and not just one), nor can you as written take Rapid Reload with it but I'd allow the latter anyway. It's strapped to your wrist, so I'd say no wrist sheath but you can almost definitely hold something in the hand, and it shouldn't mess with your magic items unless wrist sheathes do. Probably the easiest way to figure out what you can do with the hand without having to work our way around the FAQ on hands of effort (which would certainly preclude attacking with wrist launcher and another weapon from the same hand; after all, just because we can Quick Draw lots of thrown weapons into that one hand doesn't mean we get more attacks for those) would be to say that the held object blocks the launch. Just for fun, I picked up a few things around the office and then slid my finger along the inside of my wrist in the direction a launched dart would go and I often found my finger poking up against the object, so at least from that perspective, it also seems to work.Sorry to keep asking dumb rules questions but this one is really nagging me. The Heavy wrist launcher is a cool weapon and I keep trying to come up with character ideas centered around them, so...
Are wrist launchers crossbows? Can I take crossbow mastery with them? Rapid Reload? You wear the on your wrist, so can you have a wrist launcher and hold a weapon in that same hand? If you do can you still attack with that wrist launcher? Can you attack with both in the same round? Since it's on your forearm rather than in your hand does it interfere with your hand or wrist magic item slots? What about shields?
What about tube arrow shooters that fall under the crossbow fighter weapon group?
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Mark, what is a "development pass"? I saw you refer to it on your Facebook post concerning the passing of Steve Russell (he will be missed!).
That is when someone takes the original freelance author's turnover and develops it. This is the namesake task of the "Developer" position at Paizo and is also a fairly common task for us Designers as well.
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Hey, Mark, I just had a thought based on Monks based on something you said on the Horror Adventures thread:
We're delighted by the idea of Stunning Fist-ing a foe with a spiked chain, but we're pretty unlikely to include something in HA that unpairs style strikes from their specific forms of unarmed strikes, as style strikes are an intentional balancing factor towards unarmed Unchained monks (with weapons being cheaper than amulet of mighty fists and the better Strength multiplier being the advantages for armed Unchained monks).Here's an idea -
What if there were Style options that allowed certain weapons to be used with Style Strikes... but, unlike Ascetic Style/Form, did not allow those weapons to be used with Stunning Fist/Unchained Monk's Ki Pool ability extra attack?
If that were the case, you would still need to apply ki focus to get full use of the weapon (plus apply ki powers such as Elemental Fury). This would even out the cost difference between magic weapons and amulets of mighty fists (the slot difference is not a big deal due to the barkskin ki power which is basically a staple).
Something to consider, for whenever you create a bo staff/quarterstaff Style featline...
Playing along that line for a minute, a staff style that let you use style strikes specifically with a ki focus staff (something like "Add style strikes to the list of abilities you can use with a ki focus weapon, as long as that weapon is a bo staff or quarterstaff"), might indeed potentially work, despite our overall reluctance to give out unarmed's special niche to armed. I'd need to look into the matter more closely if it came up.
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Mark, was hoping you could weigh in on Adhesive Spittle
** spoiler omitted **
Once hit, the target is entangled, regardless of save. Is the concentration DC to cast a spell equal to the Spittle's DC+Spell level (of spell being cast), as it is normally for the Entangled condition and Tanglefoot Bag, or is it just the Adhesive Spittle's spell DC?
In other words, if the Spittle's DC is 11, is the concentration DC to cast a 9th level spell the same a 1st level spell, or do you add the +9 and +1 respectively to the concentration check?
thanks in advance.
I actually think the DC is 15 + spell level, the DC of being entangled, for the time in which you're entangled. One could make a case that a readied action to use this spell at the moment of spellcasting might instead use the rules for distracting spells, if the GM ruled it to be distracting, which would be spittle spell DC + target spell level.