Ways to generate electricity in pathfinder.

[Treefolk]

Here's my 6 step method for Pathfinder Brand electricity!
(the sorcerer IS the battery!)
1: Catch a sorcerer that knows shocking grasp
2: Devise large capacitor
3: Attach sorcerer to capacitor
4: "Motivate" sorcerer to cast shocking grasp
5: ?????
6: Profit!

[fictionfan]

He could only cast it a few times a day. Not very consistent power.

[Cr500cricket]

Heighten spell

[Zathyr]

I believe someone has already mentioned the Jolt cantrip. Or an air elemental bloodline sorcerer could use ray of frost or acid splash to do electricity damage. Or just use a weapon with the shock enchant, if you're going to harness magical electricity damage somehow.

Thing is, it's magical electricity damage, not just electricity, so harnessing it without destroying the mechanism could be tricky. With a weapon you can add the merciful enchant to make all the damage nonlethal, which objects are immune to. That's one of the advantages of shocker lizards as well, if you can keep them far enough apart.

[Treefolk]

fictionfan wrote:

He could only cast it a few times a day. Not very consistent power.

BONUS STEP TIME!

#7: Acquire more sorcerers!*

*Small sized sorcerers are travel-sized for your convenience!

[SAMAS]

UnArcaneElection wrote:

Raltus wrote:

Exactly we are thinking either magical or with in the confines of our own (edison sorta) electrical system.

Look at Alkenstar they would be a huge place to develop solar panels and wind turbines, hell their entire machine works for their factories could be 100% natural energy powered, since magic tends to be more of a bother than anything.

Well, that's the thing I was talking about above: Why HASN'T Alkenstar done this? My take on it is that the same phenomenon that makes magic unreliable to unusable in their part of the world (Mana Wastes) also hoses "mundane" electricity. Thus, the Mana Wastes are equivocal towards the development of technology: They confer great desire, but trip it up in performance(*).

(*) To paraphrase Shakespeare.

Or, more likely, they haven't yet figured that Electricity = Power.

[boring7]

SAMAS wrote:

UnArcaneElection wrote:

Raltus wrote:

Exactly we are thinking either magical or with in the confines of our own (edison sorta) electrical system.

Look at Alkenstar they would be a huge place to develop solar panels and wind turbines, hell their entire machine works for their factories could be 100% natural energy powered, since magic tends to be more of a bother than anything.

Well, that's the thing I was talking about above: Why HASN'T Alkenstar done this? My take on it is that the same phenomenon that makes magic unreliable to unusable in their part of the world (Mana Wastes) also hoses "mundane" electricity. Thus, the Mana Wastes are equivocal towards the development of technology: They confer great desire, but trip it up in performance(*).

(*) To paraphrase Shakespeare.

Or, more likely, they haven't yet figured that Electricity = Power.

Or how to make photovoltaic cells, or mass-produce giant mirrors and keep them clean, or have such a need for power that they have to explore methods outside of burning stuff.

[UnArcaneElection]

Alkenstar has had guns for thousands of years, and thus had a need to forge them for thousands of years in the Gunworks -- you'd think they would have gone ahead to discover more technology, unless something was stopping them. But as I noted, they live in a perfect place for something to be stopping them.

[Will.Spencer]

I kind of like the idea of a steam-powered generator using a Wall of Fire + Permanency.

Wall of Fire wrote:

Effect: opaque sheet of flame up to 20 ft. long/level or a ring of fire with a radius of up to 5 ft./two levels; either form 20 ft. high

Wall of Fire wrote:

Wall of fire can be made permanent with a permanency spell.

[KestrelZ]

I think people try equating fantasy technology to European middle ages.

Our technology could have changed radically if we remembered inventions key inventions from earlier civilizations. An example could be the Baghdad battery, a 2000 year old clay jar that showed signs of containing copper and an acidic liquid. If a 2 millennia ancient civilization had clay batteries, Golarion could too (or maybe they don't because of a Norbinger plot?).

[MSD79]

Another couple of options:
1. Get a hold of some Siccatite Skymetal, more specifically the hot kind, a dagger of which will cost 1002gp. Every round it deals 1 point of fire damage and "Hot siccatite can eventually ignite objects." Ignition temperature for wood is approximately 220 degrees Fahrenheit, turning water into steam is 216 degrees Fahrenheit. Multiply by a few daggers and instant steam powered nuclear reactor. Bonus use the the cold siccatite to cool it for more efficiency. (This method can be used with other heat engines, such as a Stirling engine.)
2. On the simple battery side Ultimate Equipment alchemical weapons section has both acid and alkali flasks, but the real fun one is bottled lightning at 40gp.
3. Where does the power come for an automatic resetting mechanical trap? 1500gp multiplied by the CR.