You need to spend some time reading your CRB, or at least the PRD
Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. Dexterity bonuses in excess of this number are reduced to this number for the purposes of determining the wearer's AC. Heavier armors limit mobility, reducing the wearer's ability to dodge blows. This restriction doesn't affect any other Dexterity-related abilities.Arcane Spell Failure Chance: Armor interferes with the gestures that a spellcaster must make to cast an arcane spell that has a somatic component. Arcane spellcasters face the possibility of arcane spell failure if they're wearing armor. Bards can wear light armor and use shields without incurring any arcane spell failure chance for their bard spells.
Armor Check Penalty: Any armor heavier than leather, as well as any shield, hurts a character's ability to use Dexterity- and Strength-based skills. An armor check penalty applies to all Dexterity- and Strength-based skill checks. A character's encumbrance may also incur an armor check penalty.
So Spell Failure is irrelevant to you unless you're playing a class that has to deal with it - basically Wizards and Sorcerers (bards too if they wear medium or heavy armour)
Max Dex is exactly what it says - a maximum amount of your Dex bonus that you can apply to your AC.
2: Yes, the enhancement bonus of magical armour increases the armour bonus it gives to your AC. You wouldn't mark it separately on your character sheet, just increase the armour bonus directly.
3: The armour check penalty is a penalty that is applied to a variety of skills. If you wear the armour, you get the penalty. Proficiency doesn't prevent it, but if you're not proficient, you also apply the armour check penalty to your attack rolls.
1) if you had a dex mod of 2 and it has max dex of 6 you'll get all your +2 to ac. If you had a dex mod of 8 and armor has max dex of 6 then you'll only get a +6 to your AC.
3: The armour check penalty is a penalty that is applied to a variety of skills. If you wear the armour, you get the penalty. Proficiency doesn't prevent it, but if you're not proficient, you also apply the armour check penalty to your attack rolls.
Specifically any strength or dexterity based skills take the penalty.
Yeah, the armour gives you an armour bonus. Check the tables to see how much different kinds of armour grant. You also get your Dex modifier added to your AC, but if your dex modifier is higher than the Max Dex value of the armour that you're wearing, you only get the Max Dex.
The sap is in the CRB. It's a light martial weapon.
Undead aren't subject to non-lethal damage. So your sap will do nothing at all to a skeleton, a ghoul, or any other undead creature.
The Sap can damage undead if you take a -4 attack penalty to change the non-lethal damage to lethal damage.
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Ultimate equipment has some tables for generating treasure. You might find some help here. It's about 2/3 down the page for wands.
Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method...
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin. The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
I might be blind, and im definitely not saying you are wrong, im sure you know your stuff, but where does it say there is limits on wands, I can find the rules on creating a wand and all that, but I don't see anything anywhere that says you have to be able to know the spell to use the wand, what ive read makes wands sound really simple, just pick up and use pretty much, but im sure im missing something, can you point me to where exactly I need to read?
Ok i don't know what you mean by wands don't have limits. They do have charges and max a wand can have is 50 changes and using a wand costs a charge. Now if you meant spell wise. There really is no limit on what spells you can throw on a wand as far as i know. There might be a level limit that you can only make wands of up to level 5 we will say but if there is a limit i don't remember reading it.
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my first questions is about the mithral shirt, and sorta a lot of the specific armors, I noticed, that a lot aren't too clear about what bonuses they provide, some even seem like they only are lighter armors and do nothing but weigh less, so to clear up the mithral shirt, it says it has an arcane spell failure chance of 10% , I assume that means that when attacked with an arcane spell, theres a 10% chance it will fail? if so im assuming that doesn't include magic missle? then it says a maximum dexterity bonus of +6....which is the main confusion for me, is this saying +6 to AC, if so why use the word maximum? what would make it less than 6? and would this 6 be put in the armor bonus of AC or dex? also does it legit raise your dex modifier +6 or some amount and if so what all does that add to, everything that uses dex?
So, for the specific armours, they all reference one of the basic armours in the equipment section of the Core Rulebook. In the case of the Mithral Shirt (MS), it refers to the Chain Shirt (CS), and then proceeds to call out the differences. In this case, a CS has an arcane spell failure chance of 20%, which means arcane spellcasters, such as Wizards and Sorcerers, have a 20% chance to fail to cast any spell, and lose that spell, while wearing that armour. The MS only has a 10% spell failure chance, so the wearer is less likely to lose a spell.
Next is the Maximum Dexterity bonus. A CS has a Max Dex bonus of +4, while the MS has a Max Dex bonus of +6. So, you should be aware that every 2 points over 10 in your Dexterity score gives you a +1 Dexterity bonus, which adds to various things, including Armour Class (AC). So, a Dexterity of 12 gives you +1, 14 gives you +2, etc, etc. In the above case, let's say you have a Dexterity of 18, giving you a +4. You would add the full +4 Dex bonus to your AC when wearing the CS or the MS. Now let's say you have a Dex of 20, giving you +5. The CS limits you to a Max Dex bonus of +4, so you only add 4 to your AC. However, the MS has a Max Dex limit of +6, so you get to add your full 5 to AC.
The other effect of the MS is it has no Armour Check Penalty (ACP). A CS has an ACP of -2, so while wearing the CS you take a -2 penalty to all your Dexterity and Strength based skills. As the MS has no penalty, you do not take a negative to any of your skills.
As the MS is based on the CS, as mentioned in its entry in the magic items section, and the AC is not called out as having changed, it has the same AC bonus of +4 as the CS and is a light armour. The MS weighs 10 lbs, as opposed to the CS which weighs 25 lbs. Weight can be important, as if the GM is enforcing encumbrance rules and carrying capacity, lighter armour can make a big difference to low Strength characters.
question 2 is about the rhino hide armor, it says its +2 hide armor, so I assume that means I use the AC bonus and stuff from the base hide armor, and just add the finer details? also what is the +2 for, just an extra +2 to AC? I seem to have overlooked what the +'s do specifically for armors, it says it grants a +2 enchantment bonus to AC, so does that mean only against enchantments or the bonus is an enchantment, and if so where do I put the +2 at in the AC section? it says it has a -1 armor check penalty, which again ill ask about next question
So, as above, the Rhino Hide (RH) calls out the specific armour it modifies from the basic mundane equipment, namely Hide (H), and then specifies how it's different. In this case, firstly, it is a +2 Hide, so adds +2 enhancement bonus to AC. Enhancement, not Enchantment. An enhancement bonus is just a magical reinforcement of AC. It applies to all things normal AC applies to. The reason it specifies that it is an enhancement bonus is so that you know the type of bonus it is. This is important because multiple bonuses of the same type don't stack. Where you would put the AC bonus of normal Hide, just put in the increased AC of the +2 Hide, so +6 instead of +4. As regards the ACP, see my explanation in regards to the MS above.
so I remain confused on armor check penalties, when and how do you get them? I assume you get them anytime you are using armor you aren't proficient with or an armor that is to heavy? if you do have an armor penalty, what all does that effect? like with the hide armor, it says -1 armor check penalt, so when would this -1 happen to you?
Any time you are wearing armour with an armour check penalty, you take that penalty to all Strength and Dexterity based skills, regardless of whether you are proficient with that armour or not. Weight and proficiency do not effect whether the ACP affects you or not. If you are not proficient with the armour in question, you also take the ACP to your attack rolls. The Hide has an ACP of -3, the Rhino Hide has an ACP of -1.
I understand a little better now, so the dex bonus you put on your AC, it isn't always your full DEX, heavy armors limit it? and the arcane fail chance refers to spells you use failing, not spells against you, so what does this armor do for you then? just let someone with really high DEX use up to 6? no bonuses to AC from the armor itself?
Correct, though not just Heavy Armour. Every armour in the games limits your Dexterity bonus. The Heavy Armours just have a much stricter limit on your Dexterity bonus, while Light Armours allow you to avail of more of your Dex bonus.
Again, correct, just the using of spells. Spells having a chance to fail against you is a very, very expensive magic effect you can purchase for armour. It is very expensive because of how very valuable it is to have any kind of resistance to spells. Extremely powerful.
Incorrect, the armour still has the default armour of the Chain Shirt it is based on, specifically +4 AC. It lets you add a Dexterity bonus of up to +6 to your AC as well, as opposed to +4 from the Chain Shirt. If you do not have a Dexterity score over 18, and do not plan on having such a Dexterity in the future, you would have little need of the Mithral Shirt.
alright, that makes sense now, to try and save space of posting another thread, ill directly ask, why is the sap not listed in the core rulebook? unless I over looked it, and how does nonlethal damage effect things like undead, for example, its ideal to use maces and other bludgeoning weapons against skeletons, the sap is a bludgeoning weapon, how would the weapon work against the skeleton since its non-lethal, what about a ghoul?
The sap is in the Core Rulebook, in the Equipment section, with all the other weapons. It is under Light Melee Weapons, under the Martial Weapons section, about halfway in its section. While bludgeoning weapons are usually more effective against certain undead, all undead are immune to all non-lethal damage. As such, the sap will do no damage to any of them.
I was rolling up a city and stuff, and was doing the minor magic items and stuff, and as always, lots of potions and scrolls, and I got 1 wand rolled as well, my first question is as I assume, you do pick the spells correct? I didn't find anywhere to roll for certain spell choices. So beyond that leading to the other question, lets say the potion was a level 2 from a 3rd level caster, considering this is just potion generation, and im not actually having a caster make the potion, what is the limitations on the spell, I know it said the spell couldn't have a casting time of more than a minute, which I don't know many spells at that level that do, so do I just choose any level 2 spell from any of the caster lists? do they all work as a potion? Cause in logic, I can see things like curing and invisibility working, because you drink the potion or rub it on something, but what about like an attack spell, do you like throw it? or drink it and are able to cast the spell? or is it not possible to have such a spell as a potion?
The GM picks the spells on the randomly generated items. There are online generators, such as the Archives of Nethys, which can randomly select the spells as well, but it is up to you whether you use them or not. As for the limits on potions, they are spread out, between the Potions section of the Magic Items section, the Creating Potions section of Creating Magic items and under the Brew Potion feat. Namely, "The imbiber of the potion is both the caster and the target. Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potions." and "[potions] can duplicate the effect of a spell of up to 3rd level that has a casting time of less than 1 minute and targets one or more creatures or objects." So, personal spells, spells with a casting time greater than 1 minute, spells that do not have a target line, including one or more creatures or objects, and spells higher than 3rd level cannot be made into potions. Potions of offensive spells can be made into potions but target the imbiber, and are very unlikely to have been made into potions for this reason. Just as a quick note, spells that target an area, such as Burning Hands, Fireball, Colour Spray, etc, do not target one or more creatures or objects and, as such, cannot be made into potions.
Then there are scrolls which appear to be like potions, and they make more sense with activating, like you just read the spell and can thus cast it, but what are the limitations there? I saw that it sounded like you have to be a spellcaster, so I take it you cant be a barbarian, but what if you were a class like rogue that can learn magic at a certain point? I saw where it listed the 3 things you had to meet, but couldn't tell if they were legit saying that you cannot ever use a scroll if you don't meet those 3 things, or if it was just harder to do
Similar to potions, the rules for scrolls are spread out across the Scribe Scrolls feat, the Scrolls section of the Magic Items chapter, and the Creating Scrolls section of the Magic Item creation section. Scrolls are considered spell completion items, taking a standard action to use. To use a scroll, firstly the character must decypher the scroll. This requires the Read Magic spell or a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + Spell Level). This can be done in advance, but the character using the scroll has to do it. The character using the scroll must be the right type of caster (arcane caster for arcane scrolls, divine caster for divine scrolls), must have the spell in question on their spell list, and must have the attribute requirement a spellcaster casting that spell would normally require (the spellcasting ability score [INT for Wizards, WIS for Clerics, etc.] of 10 + the spell level). The scroll user's caster level should also be higher than or equal to the caster level of the spell. If it is lower, the caster has to make a caster level check of the scroll's caster level + 1 to use the scroll. If you do not meet those prerequisites at the time of casting the scroll, you cannot use the scroll. For your example, a Rogue can learn to cast some specific spells at some point. If the Rogue does not know the spell on the scroll at the time they attempt to use it, they cannot use the scroll.
The exception to the above is the Use Magical Device (UMD) skill, which any character can put points into. With a sufficiently high UMD check, any character can activate any magical item, including scrolls.
Then with the wands, I saw little to no limitations, and they make more sense than potions with being able to cast anything, so are they usable by non spellcasters like rogues or barbarians and such?
Similar to potions and scrolls, the rules for wands are spread out across the Craft Wands feat, the Wands section of the Magic Items chapter, and the Creating Wands section of the Magic Item creation section. Wands are limited to 4th or lower level spells and retain the casting time of the spell on the wand. Similar to scrolls, you must have the spell in question on your spell list to use a wand. However, the spell must just appear on your spell list somewhere, you do not need to be able to actively cast it, as with Scrolls. This does not mean the Rogue can use a wand. A Rogue does not have a spell list, and cannot activate wands or scrolls on the basis that they can learn a spell. The spell on the wand must be determined before it can be used. These requirements can be overcome with a UMD check, as above.
I might be blind, and im definitely not saying you are wrong, im sure you know your stuff, but where does it say there is limits on wands, I can find the rules on creating a wand and all that, but I don't see anything anywhere that says you have to be able to know the spell to use the wand, what ive read makes wands sound really simple, just pick up and use pretty much, but im sure im missing something, can you point me to where exactly I need to read?
This is broken up into two parts. Firstly, go to the Wands section of the Magic Items chapter. Under Activation, it states that wands use the spell trigger activation method. Okay, remember that, go back to the start of the Magic Items section. Under Spell Trigger it says "No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell."
And on the potions thing...
A potion or oil can be used only once. It can duplicate the effect of a spell of up to 3rd level that has a casting time of less than 1 minute and targets one or more creatures or objects.
Check the Target line of the spell. If that line does not exist, it can't be put in a potion. If that line does not refer to a number of creatures or objects, it can't be put into a potion.
Yes, you can create a potion of magic missile. It will damage whoever drinks the potion (they are the target of the potion). No, you can't make a potion of ray of frost, it has no target line.
ah, ok, im pretty sure I read that and just didn't comprehend it correctly , so if a rogue finds a wand, if it doesn't contain a spell that is level 0 or 1 from the wizard sorcerer list, she cant use it? ever? so there is no special ways to bypass these limitations on wand and scroll activating?Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method...Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin. The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
That's what the Use Magic Device skill is for.
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A couple of things:
Potions can only be made for spells up to third level, and those potions cannot be Personal spells. Drinking a potion is a standard action. Forcing a potion down an unconscious target's throat, or coating someone else with an oil, is a full round action.
Wands can only hold up to 4th level spells. Using a wand takes a minimum of one standard action, or the normal casting time of the spell, whichever is longer.
As long as a Ranger or Paladin don't take an archetype (variant of the base class) that sacrifices spellcasting, they are able to use wands of spells on their class list, even before they gain a caster level.
Use Magic Device (UMD) is a skill that allows non-spellcasters, or spellcasters without a specific spell on their class list, to use items that can cast those spells. Depending on the spell, it might require mnultiple UMD checks to succeed.
Be extremely careful with any magic item creation outside of the items in the books, already. Some items are severely underpriced if you aren't paying attention (continuous True Strike, anyone?), and some items are overpriced.
Even the company can miss the mark, for example, there is a wondrous item with the Ranger spell Aspect of the Falcon on it that are underpriced, by a factor of 3, IIRC, at 4,000 gp.